iSight won't connect in iMovie... HELP! I found an article regarding the issue but I think the version of iMovie was different than what I have because it really did me no good.
MacBook, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), iSight/iMovie trouble
Here are my suggestions for your iMovie '08 problem.
One of them will resolve your trouble. Try them in
any order you like, testing camera function after
each one until you have found the one that worked.
• If you have not already done so, restart Mac and
try again. A simple restart often clears up minor
issues, including yours.
• I am using iMovie '11 with no problems. Some
problems have been reported with the iMovie 9.06.
However, I can't find compatibility info for ver 8.
If possible, consider updating to this latest iMovie:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/
• Try Apple's http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090
suggestions. Thespecific "reset" procedure suggested
there for your particular MBP model often restores normal function.
(Apple has changed the built-in camera's name on newer Macs from "iSight" to "FaceTime" and then to "FaceTime HD." Regardless of the name of your built-in camera, the same info and troubleshooting applies.)
• Use your Mac's Disk Utility to repair permissions and then
download and apply the latest Combo Update, for your Mac OS,
the current one is at: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1581
(yes, use this Combo even though you are already running 10.8.2)
Repair permissions again immediately following the system restart that completes the Combo update. Then check whether your Mac's > Software Update... menu command tell you that other updates are needed. If so, apply them and finish with another permissions repair.
• If you still have problems after properly applying the Combo,
try OS X's Recovery feature http://www.apple.com/macosx/recovery/
to repair your hard drive or, if all else fails, reinstall a fresh copy of OS X.
• Properly applying the latest Combo update or repairing or
reinstalling OS X can usually correct software problems.
However, if your trouble is caused by a hardware problem,
there are no user serviceable parts of your webcam.
For hardware help, contact an Apple-Authorized Service Provider for service.
One more idea...
If you've not already tried these suggestions, also consider the
"Sight or other webcams" section of http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1059
When I try to use iSight with iMovie and it says no camera available in iMovie '08
