Q: Isn't there SOME video chat capability for my iSight?

Not sure if you'd happened across a few of the remaining iSight FW camera pages online.

Some information that still relates to use of the FireWire iSight, may be found with dated

references along with some solid facts that have not changed in places such as:

•How to Troubleshoot iSight - Apple Support

•GoogleTalk... Used to be accessible w/ Mac OS X & early iSight.

Now they seem to push Hangouts and not Talk, and Chrome.

•iSight: EZJim's Page 1: (other in the page menubar)

http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage1.html

A few promising ways of using the iSight FW Camera online may have vanished, here's

one that I looked into a few years ago, using another google chat service, it may be gone.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The use of AIM or at least an account (name) would still work w/ iSight online, and was

an item still available, the methods may be worth trying if you could get an account...

While Google Talk and some other fairly OK features from them, are ?? or gone, too.

Most of the information may be obsoleted along with introduction of ever-new products.

•Video Conference Tutorial for Mac using iChat and AIM - how to ichat setup, firewall port settings:

http://www.mvldesign.com/video_conference_tutorial.html

Several helpful Apple Support iSight FW discussions and support page URLs no longer work.

Some of them did as recently as 6 months ago, but not now.

They have been deleted in the past few years; while I still have an official user manual iSight FW

from 2004 in my computer, this seems unavailable in Support servers. 32-pages, 1MB. So if you

have the original documentation for your camera, that may be similar.

As I was given a complete kit FW iSight in box, with accessories, and had not used it until a few

months ago when I found a fair condition 20-inch Apple Cinema aluminum display that has a

steel beam across the inside the magnetic attachment to hold external iSight to the display, I have

tried it a few ways. The PhotoBooth and FaceTime?, iMovie and iChat seemed to work as far as

I went off-line. I do not have an AIM or yahoo messenger or other kind of chat account. With newer

OS X versions, some other applications could be used with this camera still. I have it on recent

Late2012 Mini, on top of the 20-inch Cinema display, to see if it functions; it does. Had tried it with

a G4 Mini 1.5GHz running 10.5.8 but with only 1GB RAM, after awhile the fans & HDD would spin

and it lagged. Some of that was one application that didn't like iSight in Leopard 10.5.8.

Not sure if you can get an iChat capability using the AIM or other user access, at this point in time.

Compatibility with the older system and any higher more modern video rate expectations, aside.

Part of the reason for my reply was the fact I am also curious. I've never really been an instant

messenger fan and almost always had deplorably slow internet at low-use ceiling and high cost.

So maybe some experimental use if you can get a working user name, and access to some service

that still exists, may be worth a go. I did try some google chat through my gmail and google account

and was concerned about security. Seems the only name/user chat online at the time as suspicious.

So I deleted all that (using G4 Mini in November) and have not tried again. Now I have this newer

Mini and a newer OS X version. But still no accounts in this realm.

Hopefully you may find some information by searching, but note some of it will be dated or not apply.

Good luck in this matter!

You may ask a slightly different question about using the iSight FW camera

in and among newer hardware users (includes built-in camera models) here:

iSight  -- Apple Support Community -- discussions area

Tried to add this to timed-out earlier post... Site didn't like it, & I didn't either!

oharamj wrote:... PowerBook G4,and iSight FireWire camera... for video chats...that will work?

You will be able to video chat if your hardware is working and you have broadband internet service.  Here are two ways that can work:

(1) Use your Mac's iChat.  After you launch iChat,  iChat > Help will get you started. These articles may also be of use:

  Helpful iChat articles and information - Apple Support

  iChat: About joining or hosting group video chats - Apple Support

If you need more, search or post in the iChat and iChat Sharing section of Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard or in the iChat Discussions forum.

Ralph Johns is our iChat guru, so pay attention to his suggestions over mine.

(2) If you want to video cross platform to PCs, you might prefer to use Skype.  If you do not already have a 10.5.8 compatible Skype version, you can download Skype 2.8 or some other Leopard compatible version from http://www.oldapps.com/mac/skype.php. 

In addition to Skype > Help in the Skype application menu items,

Skype offers a comprehensive help web site.

Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Mac OSX 10.10.2