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Perhaps this is the wrong tribe to ask this, but I'm looking for a webcam. And I like all things Apple... but $140 for a webcam? Seriously! I can't seem to justify paying that much money.
Perhaps the owners of iSight could convence me otherwise or know something about the product I don't.
But has anyone found a decent priced, decent performing, USB webcam alternative?
Perhaps the owners of iSight could convence me otherwise or know something about the product I don't.
But has anyone found a decent priced, decent performing, USB webcam alternative?
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Unsu...
Re: USB WebCam
Mon, March 1, 2004 - 4:37 PMHi,
I think Logitech makes an OK USB cam, but again, the reason we all like the iSight is that it's Firewire.......ever-so-much faster than USB.
I think the iBot is also available as a Firewire version, but it lacks some of the higher-end sensors that the iSight uses, so my guess is that it may not be quite as light-sensitive as the iSight.
Others may have better-educated information...
-Craw -
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Unsu...
Re: USB WebCam
Tue, March 2, 2004 - 1:59 AMThanks Craw,
Don't get me wrong, I love the iSight. Uncompressed video, Firewire throughput and powered, unidirectional mic, auto-focus and white balance are all things to love about this camera.
But in the end... Video teleconferencing is a mute point if only one person has an iSight... the best camera in the industry does me no good.
On an iBook which I have, the iSight fps is around 15 fps. Putting it on par with USB cameras (real world performance may vary).
The iBot Firewire version sells for around $100 and uses the same Sony CCD, but would rather pay extra for the iSight in I.D., unidirectional mic, and integration.
Amazon sells some Creative web-cams, with 15 FPS, mic, for $30 - $40. For the price of an iSight, I could buy 3... perhaps 4 webcams. One for me, my girlfriend, her mom, and her brother.
Another option is that Morgans in the UK is selling a D-Link Firewire web-cam for 23 Pounds! That's $44 US... Makes me wonder why D-Link doesn't sell that model here in the USA. Is there a conspiracy going on?
I'm going to try to see if they will ship products overseas...
Yes, I am cheap. Which is why I need to stretch the dollar as far as I can... until I get a better job that is! Then I'll get the iSight... :-D -
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Unsu...
Re: USB WebCam
Tue, March 2, 2004 - 4:08 AMAm I bad... and I was spelling it all wrong for a few years already!
Moot... thanks. -
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Re: USB WebCam
Tue, March 2, 2004 - 2:19 PMthats ok the only reason i know the word is cause i named my cat moot after a skit from saterday night live meny years ago.
it's never too late to continue learning.
oh and another good fire wire cam is the fire i
also over 100 clams but i usto have it and i loved it,
manual focus but very sharp, and a loop through fire wire port
make the investment usb cams suck -
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Re: USB WebCam
Wed, July 14, 2004 - 8:28 PMIt's really not worth it. Yeah, I did download EvoCam, but that's only as far is it goes. Apparently I already downloaded iChatUSB and my trial is done. So that's finished. But the quality of the webcam that I own is so far, far... towards hell, and iSight is much heavenly-er. I went to the Apple Store and tested out iSight. Crystal clear image. It looks perfect! Much better than a USB camera. Tomorrow I am going to purchase my iSight. The price is steep, yes... -
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Unsu...
Re: USB WebCam
Thu, July 15, 2004 - 11:18 AMFYI All,
I just got the iSightLight, whihc is a ring-shaped light that fits around the iSight, and gives you good localized lighting.
My only complaint is that the light needs to be warmer, cuz it makes me look like crap. I think I'll just cut out a ring of amber gel and use that too.
Anyway, it was only 31 bucks, and it helps a lot. -
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Re: USB WebCam
Thu, July 15, 2004 - 4:21 PMtake a look on ebay or check the ads. you are just not going to find a better camera for the price unless you want to use your dv camcorder. i ended up getting a used isight for $100. i use it almost everyday with several friends including my girlfriend when she is in new york. mac to mac is far superior but several friends are using pc and we still get realtime video and audio with ichat to aim.
The Craw:
i have considered the light but i am concerned with having the light shining direcctly in my eyes. have you experienced any problems? -
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This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.Unsu...
Re: USB WebCam
Fri, July 16, 2004 - 2:44 PMI wouldn't want to look right at it for hours at a time, but it's not bad.
My studio is usually pretty dark, so I needed some way to illuminate, and so far, this is the best option I have found.
Just needs a bit of tweaking to warm the light up a bit. -
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Unsu...
Re: USB WebCam
Mon, January 3, 2005 - 12:26 PMthe trick is to spray some light behind your monitor and get a bounce going on your face.
Point a 65 watt at the wall. (doesn't have to be close) If the wall is white or similar, it will create a great fill light and make you look good and won't have damage to your eyes looking at a direct light source.
also
i edit all day and can get eyestrain, if there isn't a light behind the monitor ....makes my eyes work less.
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Unsu...
Re: USB WebCam
Sat, November 27, 2004 - 2:00 AMOK, well I broke down and bough the iSight...
And, and I am quite surprised. I really enjoy it. The iSight is still a little on the spendy side, but I can see it paying itself off in saved long distance charges and overall better quality communications experience.
Face to face communication is so much more natural than phone...
