Q: having trouble finding alternatives to isight in singapore

Hi bishlad,

You have several options.

Any Firewire DV output (6 pin to 6pin) Camcorder
Any Firewire Web cam

Any USB cam that has Mac drivers and this Utility http://www.ecamm.com/mac/ichatusbcam/

The chances are that any USB cam is going to have Windows drivers (if you need them for a Intel/Bootcamp)

At Mac Os 10.4.9 Apple Added USB Video Class to the standard drivers.

This means that several dozen cameras now work without the need for the iChatUSBCam Utility.

One of these is the X-Box 360 cam.
As you have found out it only applies to some of the Logitech 5000 devices.

I have not heard of TalkCam myself and do not know if it is Video Classs.

The bottom of this page http://homepage.mac.com/john_kenn/video.html has a dated list and pics of Firewire Webcams

See also http://www.ecamm.com/mac/imagewebcam/ If you have USB 2 (Mostly required for USB Video Class devices as well)



2:48 PM Sunday; April 8, 2007

Hi Ralph,

In my experience, Mac compatibility for the DV camcorder is important. Whether the camera's Firewire connection is 6-pin or 4-pin is not.

If he chooses to use a Camcorder, bishlad should be able to use any Mac-compatible DV camcorder that has a Firewire connection. All he needs is a cable that has the correct ends for both his Mac and his compatible DV Firewire camcorder.

My Sony Mini-DV camcorders use a 4-pin Firewire cable, and they work fine when connecting to my Mac's 6-pin Firewire port via a Firewire 4-pin Male to 6-pin Male cable.

Both my Sony's (DCR-TRV17 and DCR-TRV70) are out of production, but both also worked fine when I was running 10.3.9.

Some other camera brands also output Firewire via a 4-pin IEEE-1394 port. I have tested a friend's 4-pin Firewire port camcorder, a JVC GR-D350, and it worked with my Mac via my 4-pin to 6-pin Firewire cable.

Cheers,
Jim

  Mac OS X (10.4.9)    G5 DP 1.8   External iSight

Hello, bishlad.

You asked specifically about the V-Gear TalkCam. I have never used one, but there is some info you can consider if you do not get better info here.

The V-Gear TalkCam TX6 is a Standard USB Video Class (UVC) device. However, your system info shows that you are running 10.3.9, so the UVC cameras will do you no good unless you upgrade. Upgrading to Tiger (10.4.9) should let you use the TX6 without the iChatUSBCam software that Ralph mentions, but, with the release of Leopard (10.5) promised in the next couple of months (Spring 2007,) you might not want to spend the money for the Tiger upgrade now.

iChatUSBCam's camera guide shows two V-Gear TalkCam's as compatible, but not the UVC model linked above. As explained in the iChatUSBCam page, the fact that this camera is not listed doesn't mean it won't work, just that it hasn't been reported as compatible yet.

If you want to use a V-Gear TalkCam, you can take advantage of iChatUSBCam's free demo to see whether the camera model you can find will work with your Mac. Alternatively, look for either the V-Gear TalkCam Messenger Pro or the V-Gear TalkCam VX6, both of which are included in the list of "Known Working Configurations".

Cheers,
Jim

  Mac OS X (10.4.9)    G5 DP 1.8   External iSight

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the heads up on the 4 Pin output to 6 pin on Mac.

As far as I am a aware if it is Firwire it is compatible.
What may not be compatible is the signal that is output.
Not all Firewire device output DV signals.

Newer Canons do HDV which iChat can not see although iMovie can.



5:50 PM Sunday; April 8, 2007

Right, Ralph,

Some of the newer Sony's had problems, too, at least a while back. I have not checked on any recently.

It seems that the combination of our two answers may be the right one. It certainly must be Firewire, DV, and Mac-compatible to guarantee success for those wanting to connect a camcorder without a converter box like you use.

If there is ANY question about compatibility, I still think my best suggestion is to try before you buy if you have a portable Mac. If your Mac is not portable, be sure you have return privileges in case your camcorder does not work with your Mac.

Jim

  Mac OS X (10.4.9)    G5 DP 1.8  External iSight

Yes testing is a good idea.

I am not sure about the MAc Combatible bit
This Apple Doc http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301050 does not say anything on the matter.

Neither does this one
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/drivers/firewirewebcamdriver.html

This one used to be a more precise listing
http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/camcorders.html
But again only seems to point to being Firewire and DCam compliant and "most"

Based on the "Most" some checking is advisable as you say.



6:14 PM Sunday; April 8, 2007

Hi Ralph,

The Mac-compatible bit is important because some camcorders, such as the "Newer Canons" you mention, will not work with iChat.

Therefore, users who want to use a camcorder with a particular software application need to check that the camcorder under consideration is compatible with the software they intend to use.

Jim

Ahh I se what you mean now.

I would look for Firewire knowing that HDV and MiniDV may not work with iChat (Most likely everyday use).
(also if it works for that it is most likely going to work with most other things like iMovie as well)

Where as if it is specifically for Mac or can be seen to work with a test Mac then you can be more sure.

Effectively different views of the same thing.

I think your way might be clearer.
Start with a Mac and work towards the apps you want to use it with.



7:30 PM Sunday; April 8, 2007

I agree that many DV camcorders can work. However, I cannot offer specifics about all formats of DV.

I know that MiniDV is not a problem. Both my Sony's are MiniDV camcorders, as is the JVC model mentioned above that I have tested. They worked fine with every application, including iMovie, that my iSight can use.

However, the fact that some MiniDV camcorders work is no guarantee that all of them will. Testing is the only way I know to be certain of which work.

I cannot give specifics on any HDV camcorder model because I have never used or tested any of them.

Jim

You're welcome, bishlad.

And thank you for letting us know what you found helpful as well as that your question is "Answered."

We are pleased to hear you have located a compatible webcam.

From the info in the MX6 AF/EZ's manual and the other info available on the V-Gear TalkCam MX6 AF/EZ web page, you will need to upgrade to Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4.x) in order to have your new cam work as a UVC device with both Skype and iChat.

Notwithstanding the fact that the web page says the MX6 AF/EZ will work with Mac OS X 10.4.7, Apple's article About the Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update says that 10.4.9 adds for USB Video Class (UVC) webcam support for iChat.

Once you upgrade to Tiger (10.4.x), I suggest you immediately apply the Mac OS X 10.4.9 Combo Update (PPC) to upgrade to the latest version of Tiger in only one update step. Using 10.4.9 should let you use iChat without needing the additional iChatUSBCam software.

I note that the system requirements for your new camera include a USB 2.0 connection. Therefore, be sure you connect your camera to one of your G5's USB 2.0 ports. Yours may be different from mine, but, for example, my G5's keyboard has (USB) 1.1 ports that would not provide the speed necessary for using your new UVC camera.

Please let us know how your MX6 AF/EZ works.

Cheers,
Jim

  Mac OS X (10.4.9)    G5 DP 1.8  External iSight

Hi bishlad,

Glad to hear you found a solution.

Thank you for the points.

I apologise that I took Jim into a threadjack of your thread ( I hope it was somewhat useful)



10:22 PM Monday; April 9, 2007