I've been looking for an alternative to the Apple iSight for the last couple of months.
The only thing that I could find that wouldn't give me too much trouble and is
compatible with most of the Apple apps is the ecamm Image Web Cam. (http://www.ecamm.com/mac/imagewebcam/)

Anyone have this web cam?

Dave :)

I haven't tried one but I haven't heard good things about most of that companies hardware products.

If I recall correctly, many of the newer USB webcams are mac compatible out of the box.

Failing a fully hardware compatible camera. You can get a software product from ecamm that makes most USB products compatible. I have it on one of our iBooks and it works fine. The camera attached to the iBook is a Sony eyeToy for PlayStation 2.

Which EyeToy is it?
Is it this one over at Amazon? (http://reviews.cnet.com/game-controllers/sony-eye-toy-camera/4505-3146_7-31575560.html)


I'd be interested in getting a second cam,
Have you got a link to where you bought yours?

Dave :)

I think ours is the earlier version but the pricing is the same. I think we got ours at EB Games or FutureShop on clearance.

There is a compatibility listing on the ecamm site located at

Ecamm Network: iChatUSBCam - Camera Guide: USB support for iChat AV using macam and IOXperts (http://www.ecamm.com/mac/ichatusbcam/configs.html)

I think there is an even more comprehensive listing for the Macam driver if you want to search that up.

USB cams generally suck compared to FW cams, so if there's still anyone making FW cams I'd look at those first.

That said, the built-in iSight from the G5 line forward has actually been a USB2 cam for quite some time now. You can see this for yourself using System Profiler, so why most third-party USB2 cams are so bad is beyond me. Not enough love on the optics, I guess.

Anyway, at least Tiger and Leopard let you connect most USB2 cams and "plug and play." It will at least get you into the videoconferencing world, which is just phenomenal when it all works.

I was looking at the Unibrain (http://www.firewire-1394.com/fire-i-webcam-unibrain.htm) firewire web cam,
But I don't know if that's the kind of webcam style I want.

I want something that can sit on on the monitor or clip onto the LCD screen,
Not too sure about getting a cam on a tripod that the cats will knock over.

Although the Unibrain is kind of nice in its own way.

Dave :)

Compatibility is still a factor even though Tiger/Leopard claim plug and play. I went through 7 WebCams before I got one to work with FrontRow or Skype. Even more of a guessing game since most manufacturers don't even list Mac compatibility.

I still can't figure out why Apple stopped making the iSight or why someone like Logitech won't make one specific for Mac without the guessing game.

You can check compatibility here as well: macam : Support Cameras (http://webcam-osx.sourceforge.net/cameras/index.php)

That's my issue right now. I am ready to make a major upgrade purchase, but without the one key thing I will be using the most, I will not be making this upgrade until I see what Apple has planned for the future of their LCD's.

I do not want something sitting to the side of the monitor, wasn't that the whole point of the iSight to begin with? I certainly don't feel like trial and error purchasing of cameras that may or may not work with OS X.

I still can't believe Apple thinks that their pro line users don't have a need for communicating via iChat or using Photo booth. That is what gets me the most. You would think if someone was spending close to $5000.00 that something so minor would be part of the entire package. iChat is a powerful tool now with Leopard and even more so for business purposes. I hope the next update of LCD's from Apple include built in iSight.

If you just want iChat capability, get the Microsoft XBox Live cam - it's $50 - I just bought that for my Mom's powerbook.

Pros:
$50 - cheap!
green light when it's on

Cons:
no microphone - not an issue if you have a Mac with a built-in mic like a PowerBook or pre-iSight iMac
manual focus

If you just want iChat capability, get the Microsoft XBox Live cam - it's $50 - I just bought that for my Mom's powerbook.

Pros:
$50 - cheap!
green light when it's on

Cons:
no microphone - not an issue if you have a Mac with a built-in mic like a PowerBook or pre-iSight iMac
manual focus

I've seen these in the local electronic stores,
What's the quality of the video like?

Dave :)

I've seen these in the local electronic stores,
What's the quality of the video like?


It's not as good as the iSight, but it's fairly good in low light, and typically bandwidth is the gating factor rather than camera quality. It also sits in a ball joint on a little stand so it's easy to position properly. It also has a really long USB cord giving you quite a bit of placement freedom.

If I had to buy all over again, I'd probably still buy this camera. There are better cameras out there, but for double the price to get features I don't care about (microphone, autofocus, etc.).

I bought iStopMotion (http://boinx.com/istopmotion/overview/videovsstill/) and on the list of video cam's that it supports is the Ecamm iMage Webcam, (http://www.ecamm.com/mac/imagewebcam/)
But I'd like another video cam that either might be compatible with iStopMotion
or at least compatible with Mac.

We'll see, I'll keep researching all the best alternatives to Apple iSight.

Thanks for your reply.

Dave :)

I received the eCamm iMage webcam today.

This thing is great, Works really well with iMovie 6 H.D. and iChatAV,
Also works well with iStopMotion, iGlasses and Final Cut Express 3.5.1

I did get an error with a Quicktime plugin called DVCPROHDMuxer.component,
It says that I should upgrade it to a newer version, FCE 3.5.1 uses this component.
I'm not sure if I should remove it because everything still works with it installed.
(I only got the incompatibility error dialog popup once)

Not sure how I can get an upgrade for the component for Quicktime Pro,
Tried looking through Apple support but couldn't find anything.


I'm downloading the "Ensight suite" (http://www.ensight.com/cei-and-macintosh-partners-to-the-extreme.html?), I'll see if that helps.

Nope...Didn't do anything, Still get the popup in iStopMotion:
You have old version of "DVCPROHDMuxer" installed that is incompatible with the current QuickTime version. It has probably been installed by an outdated version of Final Cut Pro. Updating Final Cut Pro to at least version 5.1.4 will also update this component.

If you are not ready to update Final Cut Pro you should reveal the file in Finder, remove it and restart iStopMotion. You can also continue but this will likely yield in a crash.

Dave :)

what about Photobooth...does it work with that?

what about Photobooth...does it work with that?

Works great with it, Don't even need a light.
Also with iGlasses I can brighten things up as well as add even more effects,
iGlasses will even allow me to zoom in.

There is some grain with the cam, But then I didn't expect to get iSight quality.

Dave :)

before i sold my non-i-sight imac we bought a logitech fusion - the image quality is stunning. it has a good light gain so it works really well in low light. the mic is decent and it worked out of the box. it's HD i think (or at least that's what the box says).

It's about $70 now in one of those constant sale kinds of moves at BB, Staples, etc. but was more when i bought it. Quite worthwhile in my mind.

The first image (if it shows up) is with the built-in iSight in a room with little to no light (mostly limited daylight on a cloudy day from a fairly covered window).

The second image, if it shows up is with the Logitech Fusion - same conditions, within seconds. I took the pictures as screen captures in the iChat video preview. I couldn't get it recognized in PhotoBooth because of the built-in iSight but I'm sure there's some way around that.

As it turns out, it does work in PhotoBooth. The trick is that iChat gets to pick toys first. Whatever camera isn't selected in iChat is what PhotoBooth will use (i.e. if the built in iSight is selected in iChat then PB will use the external and vice versa)