iSight user feedback

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messiahmessiah
Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
I managed to have a brief play with one at the West Chesterton Apple Store recently, but I wasn't able to get a good feel for the product in that environment. It seemed stuttery, but that might have been because it was talking to the other machine via Rendezvous over AirPort or something daft.



Okay, so who has one, and how much do you use it? Does anybody out there use it on a daily basis in a commercial/production enviroment?



Is it really as revolutionary as the hype would have us believe? Is this indeed the future?



What happens when the iChat AV Public Beta software expires? Are you forced to upgrade to Panther, or will a free upgrade appear?



Do you also have to take out a .mac subscription?



What is the sound quality like? Is it able to work in low-light conditions as the marketing suggests?



I'd love to be able to telework, and iSight looks as though it might be the ideal solution. But I need to make sure it's bullet-proof, and I need to get a good idea of the costs involved. I can't go back to my prospective partners and say yeah the camera costs X, and you need to buy a new operating system that'll cost you Y, and you'll need to keep subscribing to .mac which'll also cost you Z... they just wouldn't entertain it.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    francisg3francisg3 Posts: 168member
    I have an iSight. Bought one for my parents, who also have a mac running OS X. It works like a DREAM. We've been able to lower the minutes on our cell phones, for we do talk frequently. Should pay for itself before the end of a year's time.



    You do not need a .mac subscription. (neither of us have one)



    My understanding is that Panther has the full version of iChat AV, but I could be wrong.



    So, my advice is, get it! Today!
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  • Reply 2 of 6
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    Don't have one,, but have been impressed with friend's products as well as those in the Apple stores. When iChat AV expires, you buy panther or upgrade to iChat AV for $29.99 (I doubt Apple expects many people to opt for this, it's just a way to get more people to buy Panther). No .mac subscription is needed. Panther includes a full version of iChat AV that will not expire.
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  • Reply 3 of 6
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    The mounting options for it suck. It sucks in low light conditions, but it's remarkably better than other webcams. So maybe it is good in low light situations.



    I use it every once and a while to talk to people. The latency keeps it from being too terribly practical for carrying on a conversation. If the latency in cell phones bothers you, it's like five times worse when video conferencing.



    All things considered, it's nice. It's a consumer device, and for that, I like it. If you want commercial quality video-conferencing services... they exist... just not from Apple. Not sure what you're trying to do, but keep in mind that this is a consumer solution.
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  • Reply 4 of 6
    kecksykecksy Posts: 1,002member
    I ordered an iSight last week and should be able to play with it on Thursday once I pick it up from UPS.
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  • Reply 5 of 6
    matt dangermatt danger Posts: 170member
    The sound quality with the iSight's internal microphone is ok. It's a little too quiet and I often find myself talking loudly, but that's not a huge complaint considering I constantly mumble when I talk anyways.



    As far as the image quality, I have not seen another web cam beat it. Apple recommends you use Halogen bulbs for light, they provide the best picture quality, normal bulbs make your skin look green and pasty. At the least I recommend a flourescent bulb, that's a little better.



    I have to put a lamp next to my monitor to direct light onto my face so people can see me. On a normal cable connection I get a solid 30 fps



    I say it's definately worth the money. It's solidly built and will auto focus on anything, we pointed it out the window on a sunny day and it focused on the trees across the lawn and they looked very crisp.
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  • Reply 6 of 6
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    How would an iSight work on a 144 kbps connection? I have thought about getting one and during the school year I have my awesomely fast LAN connection, but when I'm at home I have only a 144 kbps IDSL connection. I've had problems with sound quality slowly degrading when I talk with the microphone for longer than a few minutes. And this is between myself and a friend who also is on a college LAN! When talking to modem users it's even worse. So, does anyone have similar problems with the iSight?
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