kisight: How do I get my iSight working ? Trouble Shooting an iSight Camera. (Version 3)
Replacement for the second draft of this Thread (To be removed if Published as Tip)
kisight: How do I get my iSight working ?
Trouble Shooting an iSight Camera. (Version 3)
Hi, On many subjects Apple has Articles and Documents that can help.
In some case they are written by an Engineer or similar and can miss the mark for the average user.
In other cases they are crafted, detailed responses to an issue that has popped up many times in the Apple Discussions and take the best from many responses in those User-to-User Discussions, creating something that can not be surpassed.
This is the case of the Apple Article HT2090 on Trouble Shooting an iSight.
It lists steps and processes to go through for both Internal iSights and External ones.
However as with most things it does sometime pay to reword things differently so that people grasp the points in language they understand.
The info here is a reworking itself of two pages at ralphjohns.co.uk/EZ Jim pages namely EZ JIm's page 2 Where can I Find Help With My iSight ? and his page 4, How Can I Test My iSight is Completely Functional ? which were written several years ago and predate the Apple Article, being aimed at the External iSight. They have been updated since to address the Internal iSight as well but some of the comments are useful between the two types.
External First. For Internal iSights Start at 2b) (you will need to adjust some options/steps as the Internal is USB)
Steps
1) Pre Purchase
If buying an External iSight you should if you an get to see it in action.Apple no longer sells the External iSight so you will be buying it second hand.If you cannot get to see the device plugged in and working on Mac then check the smaller print of the seller and selling site as to nature of Returns and Faulty Goods.
2) Does it work ?
a) First of all Plug it in. It should come with a suitable mount (although there are variants on this) and a 6 pin to 6 pin Firewire cable.
Ideally it should have it's own Firewire port/socket on your computer. Connecting it "DaisyChained" to other devices can be a problem as they do not all use Firewire at the same Data speed.
It will then go through some checks as the OS powers it up and checks it's firmware.
Do not be concerned that the little green indicator light atop your iSight illuminates for a few seconds and then goes dark when you first connect your iSight or power on your Mac. Do not be concerned if you hear a soft whir as iSight attempt to focus either. Both these occurrences are normal. If your iSight passes the following tests, do not worry about this sound or the status of the green light.
There is no ON switch as such. It does have an iris mechanism that can be controlled by the User. The iris should be turned so you can see the Lens for the iSight to send pictures to an application.
b) Pick an Application to see the picture the iSight produces.iChat is one application you can use. Photobooth is another. iMovie (Version 4 or above for external iSight -- Version 6 or above for in-built iSight) and Comic Book (if bundled on your Mac) are yet more.
See this Users Tip for more applications Or this page for yet more.
Photo Booth is probably the simplest as it has no Preferences to choose a camera in the original version and is done from the Menu items in later versions (nor is there any setting in the OS) and Photo Booth will default to the External Camera if one is plugged in before the application is started. If you see your self or what the camera is pointing at, It Works !!
3) If it does Not Work
a) Check Cables/leads. Re-seat the cable at both ends. DO this carefully as although Firewire cables are keyed to fit the right way it has been known to force them the wrong way.
Try another 6 pin to 6 pin firewire cable.
b) Unplug the cable from any other FireWire device and give the iSight it's Own FireWire port/socket on the Mac (exclude issues with other FireWire devices). It is important that this be a port/socket on your computer and that you know that it works. Do not use a port in a FireWire hub or another FireWire device or a FireWire port in an Apple Display for testing. (Also see d below if you have an 800 FIreWIre Computer)
c) Check System Profiler (Apple Icon menu top Left > About this Mac. > More Info Button)Open the Reveal Triangles to see the list and go to Hardware > FireWire. (Use USB for Internal Cameras)
If it appears here try booting or Logging in as another user on the Mac (Create a Test account if you don't have one) and try item 2b) above again.
d) With FireWire 800 computers you may have to change your FireWire 400 to 800 Adaptor or Cable to get full Audio functionality with Lion Apps
If it is not in the System Profiler you are almost certainly going to need the Trouble Shooting Article from Apple at this point. This Article may also be of help (number HT1317 What to do if your computer won't recognise a FireWire or USB device).
If you have not resolved things at this stage it is going to be time for an Engineer with Apple credentials.There are no user serviceable parts inside any iSight.
Other Items
Audio.
The External Camera has two mics inside.The volume it records at or plays through for iChat is controlled in System Preferences > Sound > Input tab (select device) and this should be set to get the blue response bar to at least half way (preferably three quarters) when you talk.The same applies to any other Mic, even the Internal one on laptops and some other Macs.
Firmware.
The System Profiler as detailed above should tell you the Firmware the iSight has. The current version is 1.0.3 and was updated in Panther. (Essentially it is an Audio compatibility update but does seem to help in other situations)
If your computer is running Panther (10.2.x) then use this Updater
If running Tiger (10.4.x) or Leopard (10.5.x) then navigate manually to your Hard Drive/System/Library/Core Services/iSight Updater and run the updater found there.
If an iSight is Plugged in on the Computer when you do an OS update and the firmware needs updating on the iSight this app is supposed to be triggered but it seem it may need a hand at times.
Focusing on the External iSight
Essentially the External iSight is self or Autofocusing.
If in doubt then try better lighting and strong colours as opposes to light or pastels.
(All built-in iSights are fixed focus. Therefore, unless a built-in iSight lens cover is dirty or smudged, any built-in iSight whose image is blurry needs service by an Engineer with Apple credentials.)
EZ Jim has these more specific recommendations for piece of mind.
- Make a cross whose lines are about one-half inch or more wide on a plain background to use as a focus target. (I have even used black electrical tape.)
- Turn on plenty of light and hold the target very still at about two or three feet from the lens. Watch iSight focus. (You may need to use a tripod or brace yourself to hold the target still enough.)
- Then quickly move the target and hold it very still at about one foot away from the lens. Watch iSight focus.
- Finally, move in to about six inches from iSight, and check focus there, too. (Holding the target still is more important as you get closer to iSight.)
This Users Tip by Ian Bickerstaff can give you clues for any application really "Look and sound good in iChat"
Other Info and Links
iSight Support info at Apple Links to Users Guide, Manual and many other topics on the External iSight.
Apple's iSight Firewire Connectivity FAQs
Apple's iSight Service FAQs
If you feel you have not understood or think you have not grasped something here or in the links so far try the iSight Discussion Forum
1:13 PM Saturday; October 8, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images." No, Seriously