Rating: 
Summary: Bye bye long distance phone calls
Review: I think it's time for an update, since there are many statements made by some of the reviewers that now are incorrect.You can buy iChat AV alone for $30 if you haven't upgraded to Panther yet. I have pulled my cable back and forward without any problems, but I guess there are some bad cables out there, but it's not common.
Yes, the adhesive mounting is a poor choice for your nice looking display, but there are alternatives from other companies, check out Macmice.com That you have to use a fast connection should not be a surprise, we are talking about video chats in real time. But all these things are minor issues, considering you get what I consider the greatest ( communication ) thing since email arrived. I chat with my brother in Europe with great results. The quality is outstanding, the camera performs well in low light, which have often been the big problem for web cams. Now Apple just need to get others to play along, AOL is working on something and I'm sure there will be more changes coming from other companies as well. The price is imo. not high, when you consider the impact it can have on your life. I was looking to buy video phones before iSights came out, but they are not good quality and can be very expensive, so a pair of iSights almost seem cheap.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful and versatile camera
Review: I've had the iSight for a while now, and for the most part, I've been very pleased with it. First, the bad. The biggest drawback is that, thus far, I have not been able to do an AV chat from my Mac with someone using AOL's AV IM client on Windows -- whenever I've tried this, both I and the person I'm trying to connect to get error messages wrongly stating that our cams are not connected. Others have not had this problem. I do recognize that AV instant messaging is in its infancy, so it is probably safe to assume that this situation will improve with time. Second, the camera does not include any software (not even the iChat AV client for which it is designed). Other webcams include more generous software offerings -- and at a lower price, which brings me to... Third, the price. The iSight is among the most expensive webcams available. If you're on a budget, you would do well to take a look at several other webcams and compare features and reviews before deciding on an iSight. All that being said, however, the iSight is quite a camera. It is small, lightweight, and unobtrusive, especially with the "all in one" cable. The three included mounts make it very versatile -- if you go with another camera, you're likely to find yourself needing to buy additional mounts from third party vendors. It is also aesthetically pleasing, if that makes any difference to you, as it does to me... a lot of other webcams are pretty unattractive. The autofocus feature has always worked nearly flawlessly for me, whether the cam is on my lap or across the room -- its ability to "find" me and focus on me is almost eerie. The picture is also very good. Others, including Macworld, have said they encountered trouble in low light, but I have not had this problem. I typically use the cam in my living room, with a single 150-watt bulb lighting the room from about two meters away, and the picture is fine. I've even sent images by candlelight that looked good (albeit only at pretty close range). The iSight can also be used to make sound and video files, and while it obviously doesn't offer the power or versatility of a digital camcorder, it's still a pretty good tool for this task as well, especially when used with Apple's QuickTime Broadcaster (a free download) and iMovie. If the iSight were about thirty dollars less and included more software, I'd have given it five stars. Apart from those caveats, though, this is an excellent camera, and one well worth your consideration.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and versatile camera
Review: I've had the iSight for a while now, and for the most part, I've been very pleased with it. First, the bad. The biggest drawback is that, thus far, I have not been able to do an AV chat from my Mac with someone using AOL's AV IM client on Windows -- whenever I've tried this, both I and the person I'm trying to connect to get error messages wrongly stating that our cams are not connected. Others have not had this problem. I do recognize that AV instant messaging is in its infancy, so it is probably safe to assume that this situation will improve with time. Second, the camera does not include any software (not even the iChat AV client for which it is designed). Other webcams include more generous software offerings -- and at a lower price, which brings me to... Third, the price. The iSight is among the most expensive webcams available. If you're on a budget, you would do well to take a look at several other webcams and compare features and reviews before deciding on an iSight. All that being said, however, the iSight is quite a camera. It is small, lightweight, and unobtrusive, especially with the "all in one" cable. The three included mounts make it very versatile -- if you go with another camera, you're likely to find yourself needing to buy additional mounts from third party vendors. It is also aesthetically pleasing, if that makes any difference to you, as it does to me... a lot of other webcams are pretty unattractive. The autofocus feature has always worked nearly flawlessly for me, whether the cam is on my lap or across the room -- its ability to "find" me and focus on me is almost eerie. The picture is also very good. Others, including Macworld, have said they encountered trouble in low light, but I have not had this problem. I typically use the cam in my living room, with a single 150-watt bulb lighting the room from about two meters away, and the picture is fine. I've even sent images by candlelight that looked good (albeit only at pretty close range). The iSight can also be used to make sound and video files, and while it obviously doesn't offer the power or versatility of a digital camcorder, it's still a pretty good tool for this task as well, especially when used with Apple's QuickTime Broadcaster (a free download) and iMovie. If the iSight were about thirty dollars less and included more software, I'd have given it five stars. Apart from those caveats, though, this is an excellent camera, and one well worth your consideration.
Rating:
Summary: Best Web Cam
Review: iSight works flawlessly with Apple's iChat AV. The picture quality is sharp and motion is smooth. The auto-focus and other automatic picture quality adjustments combine with the built-in microphone to make this the best FireWire webcam for Apple computers. I have used several other USB and FireWire web-cameras with less than desirable results. They may be cheaper, but their image quality is lower, they lack automatic focus, and they require an external microphone to capture audio. The Apple iSight solves these problems for only a few more dollars.
Rating:
Summary: Practical video conferencing is here
Review: It's hard to find a problem with this product, as long as you know what you are getting. I think some of the negative opinions of the iSight camera are due to people with bizarre expectations. It isn't going to give you broadcast-quality resolution, and it doesn't have Navy SEAL night-optic technology - in other words, for the people who are complaining about "dark and gothic" pictures, *turn on your lights.* The picture is fine if you are in a well-lit room with a broadband connection and a decent computer. This is one of a few products from Apple that has really made a difference in my own life over the past year or so. Now, almost nightly, I can fire up the iSight and talk with my parents (who also have one) and let them see their three-year old twin granddaughters face to face - to hear about their day and what they are learning from a thousand miles away. I can talk directly to my teenage sister, staying a part of her life in a way that would have been impossible only a few years ago. I've saved double the price of the iSight in long distance phone bills in the time I've owned it. What makes this all even better is iChat from Apple. It integrates seamlessly with the camera - in fact they were designed for one another. iChat is a program like AOL Instant Messenger that allows you to see which of your friends is online and available for chatting. I'm not totally up on the other cameras out there, but from what I have seen nothing tops the iSight. It mounts in several ways, all of which allow you to look almost directly at the screen when you talk, so the people on the other end don't see some weird POV of the camera looking up your nose. If you have an Apple and a loved one far away, buy two of these and get hooked up ASAP. The video phone is no longer a thing of bad 60s sci-fi movies. It's here now.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheaper
Review: Its Cheaper to buy it at Apple.com. Amazon sells for 209.89 and Apple sells for 149.00. Wonder where the 60 dollars go?
Rating:
Summary: You are the NEWS
Review: Just like watching an interview on TV, you can see and talk with someone on the otherside of the world without having to go to New York and get in Al's face .. BUT sometimes the connections cut out and can frustrate users. Technology no doubt will be streamlined in the future.
Rating:
Summary: "Must have" device
Review: Nice resolution, nice design.
iSight is the best firewire webcam out there.
My experience is the best as possible.
Rating:
Summary: iLove the iSight
Review: None Better. Apple took their time, and beat the rest. Contrats!
Rating:
Summary: High-end webcam at high-end price
Review: Pros:
- Excellent audio and video performances
- Mounts to Apple's LCD and notebook displays
- Excellent built quality (aluminum-alloy construction)
- Beautiful design
- Supports AOL, .Mac, Rendezvous (all via iChat AV), and Yahoo! via Yahoo! Messenger for OS X Cons:
- Very expensive
- Adhesive mounting kit for LCD display
- No video chat for MSN (which is Microsoft's fault, but still)
- Does not include video capture application
- Works only on Mac OS X (at least for now)
- iChat AV costs extra (beta which expires on 12/31/2003 is free) for OS X 10.2 "Jaguar" users (included with OS X 10.3 "Panther" at no cost, however) Apple's iSight is among the most expensive webcam out there. If you are heavily into video conferencing, however, the decision should be no brainer. iSight is THE webcam to own. First of all, iSight is one of the few webcams to use FireWire 400 bus. FireWire not only provides plenty of bandwidth for VGA quality video and audio (24-bit 640x480 at 30 frames per second), iSight gets all the power from it, too. Rotate the lens cap, which opens and closes the lens, and iSight comes alive (it will also activate iChat AV). Both audio and video capture performance are superb, with excellent exposure and clear audio. It is easily the best performing webcam out there. And the built quality and design... simply stunning. Made in sturdy aluminum-alloy (used by 12" and 17" PowerBook G4 as well as PowerMac G5), iSight feels expensive. Furthermore, iSight is very functionally designed. Although mounting on Apple's LCD display requires adhesive (sticky) mounting stand, mounting on Apple's portable computer is elegant (even comes with a carrying case). So is it worth a buy? iSight is certainly the best webcam out there. But it's also the most expensive and works only under Mac OS X. If you have lots of buddies on AOL (or .Mac) and Yahoo!'s Instant Messaging network, and wants to impress with high quality audio and video, iSight is worth the money. Otherwise, it probably won't get used often enough to warrant very high price tag.
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