The built-in iSight webcam works thanks to its internal USB 2.0 interface. It uses CMOS Active pixel sensor and is fixed-focus with plastic lens. With EyeSight software you can use iMac iSight webcam to keep on eye on your room and your belongings. The software allows the iSight webcam to take a maximum 640 x 480 pixel picture size, but you can adjust it if you want a smaller resolution. The picture formats are the following: bmp, tiff, png and jpg. You can save your picture on disk and if you want you can upload them on a FTP server.
Using your built-in iMac iSght webcam is very easy. You can use it for video conferencing, to do that you must have the following: you can video conference with your family and friends, but they have to have video conferencing capability and an iChat AV user. If you have a dial-up Internet connection you won’t be able to make a video conferencing and to do that you need a local area network or a broadband Internet connection. You must have an AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) account or an AOL (America Online) account because you need these accounts for iChat AV.
To start and video conference you must open iChat AV and click on the Camera button. If your iSght webcam doesn’t work make sure that the “Camera Connected†option is enabled. You will find this option in the Video menu.
To see if your built-in iSight camera captures video, you have to see if the green LED next to it lights. In the mean time iChat AV will send an invitation to your friend or client to participate at your video chat. You can preview and adjust your appearance and when your client or your friend accepts the invitation you will appear on his/her screen and him/she will appear on your screen.
If you want to have a video conference with more than one friend you can use your iSght webcam to do that. You can have a video conference with 3 friends and two of your friends are participants and one friend is the host of the video conference. To start a video conference with more than one friend you should follow the next steps: you have to open iChat AV and select the friends you want to talk to while you hold down the Command key. After you selected your friends click the Camera button and the video conference can start.
You can also use your built-in iMac iSght webcam to take pictures and to use them as a buddy icon. You can take pictures of your self or of your new acquisitions and use them as your buddy icon so everyone in your Buddy List will be able to see them.
To take pictures of yourself follow the next steps: first you must open iChat AV and then choose the Change My Picture option from the Buddies menu. A Buddy Picture window will open and after you adjust your appearance click on the Camera Button and select the “Take Video Snapshot†option and that is it. You now have a picture of you to use as your buddy icon and everyone can see your beautiful smile.
If you want to turn off the built-in iSight camera you have to close the iChat window and will see that the green LED next to it will no longer light and that is how you know that your webcam is off.
If this built-in iSght webcam doesn’t meet your expectations you can try the external Apple iSght camera. It has a nice design and provides high quality images and high quality colors. If you are using iChat to communicate with others, this camera is perfect for you because is has a flawless integration with iMovie and iChat AV, but it doesn’t work so well with other messaging applications.
The camera doesn’t come with any software CD or DVD, therefore it doesn’t need installation, and all you have to do is connect it through the FireWire port. The camera also has a sensitive microphone and it is very attractive and sleek. When the iSght camera is plugged in the iChat AV application will be lanced and if you don’t have iChat AV installed on your computer iSght will open a window that will guide you to the installation process.
This great camera comes also with 3 mounting options: a special mount for iBooks and PowerBooks, desktop computer mount and a plastic stand for eMac and a magnetic LCD mount.
You can’t adjust the contrast, the brightness, the color saturation and focus because the camera does all that for you. The sound quality and the images transmitted are great and the camera doesn’t have any problem maintaining constant sound and video.
It is a pricey webcam, but it offers you high quality features: great sound, high quality images and it works very well with iMovie and iChat AV and you can use it for video conference or just to communicate with your colleagues and friends. You can find it on amazon.com at a price of 299.00 USD.