Customer Reviews

Fire-i Webcam Firewire Digital Camera By Unibrain

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With good lighting, this Firewire camera will perform as expected. I bought it because I had a couple of Firewire ports without use and the wider availability of USB webcams would force me to buy a USB port multiplier. My main complaint with this camera is that the provided Firewire 400 cable will tip it over since the tripod is quite flimsy. It should also include a base to place it on top of a flat monitor, a better location for the camera.

I've been using the Fire-i on my Mac Mini for about a year. It works with iChat, Skype, and a few other video-phone services. The image quality is much better than the USB webcam that I used previously. I was pleased that it didn't need any configuration - just plug in, and it works. I use a USB headset for audio; this camera doesn't have the [often useless] built-in microphone that most USB cameras come with.

Though it comes with a tripod, the weight of the firewire cable tended to pull the camera over. The camera is really that lightweight. It also felt strange to talk "down" to the camera on the desk while the conversation was "up" on the monitor.

Eventually I rigged up the camera on the top of my monitor with that clear tape you use for packages. If it came with a good monitor-top mount, I'd give it five stars.

Speaking strictly in terms of the camera itself, it's acceptable, but it has some serious issues in other areas.

For one, Unibrain felt the need to make the tripod mount for the camera on a silly little bracket that you have to connect to the back. Why on Earth couldn't they have just put the mount on the case itself? The thing is big enough, so it isn't a question of space. What this means is that in oder to use the camera you have to use the little bracket they supply with it. Heaven help you if you lose it.

Second, the positioning of the firewire port makes the camera unstable, even with the tripod. Having the firewire cable connect on the side means that it pulls the camera over unless you position the cable just right. A rear-facing port would have been much better.

Third, as another reviewer stated, you can only adjust the focal length of the camera. You cannot adjust the white balance in any kind of acceptable way. Even with that, the way you adjust the focal length is by twisting the little lens housing, so if you bump that you have to reset it again, and it twists very easily.

Looking at Unibrain's website, it seems that they make a lot of cameras that are designed for security use, as simple boards that you hard mount wherever you need. This webcam seems to be merely one of those that they stuck in a cheap housing (and yes, it does feel cheap).

But the most frustrating and unacceptable part of this camera by far is that it doesn't include a built-in mic. You would think that a $100+ webcam would at least include some kind of audio input. Even the cheapo ones do that. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this at this price.

All that being said, if you can get over all of that and just need a simple camera, the video quality is pretty good, given the right lighting conditions, but for this price, you'd be better served buying something else.

I use this camera to build prototype software (image processing, object tracking, etc). For research purposes, the camera is fantastic. Very fast data transfer, and the image quality is very good. Good sharpness and contrast, making it much easier to track objects.

As a webcam, it would function great, but I think its a bit overpriced for what it offers in that area.