Unibrain's "Fire-i" FW video cam for Macs without built-in iSight
I now have a MacBook and an Intel Core Duo iMac with built-in iSight, but my wife has a G5 iMac, and has no video for using either iChat or Skype to visit with far-flung relatives.
I just received delivery of a Unibrain "Fire-i" Firewire Digital Camera from L.A. Computer Company ( http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/index.cgi?command=dispitem&type= sku&sku=25036). US$99 + US$8.70 S&H. (OOPS! One more thing: the regular price is USD$119. I forgot that I got a $20 discount through the DealMac website which I visit almost daily -- the DealMac site gives the discount code "firedc" that might still work).
It was a snap to install (literally: just snap in the included FW cable to the camera and to a handy FW receptacle, in my case, an open one on an external drive enclosure). That's all! It was instantly recognized (and iChat was automatically opened) by both iChat and Skype. The lens ring has a focusing capability that is not mentioned in the packaging, and the image was initially fuzzy and out of focus, but a little "nudging" counterclockwise on the ring immediately cured that. The video, at least what one sees on Skype and iChat, is just about as good as iSight, except that, unlike iSight, there is no microphone, so you need to add your own (my wife uses a USB headset with earphones and microphone, anyway).
These sites do not support images, but if you look at the above web site, you can visualize that if you collapse the legs of the included miniature tripod so that they all lie in a plane, and adjust the camera's position, you can stick it on the top of the monitor with Velcro fastener tape, adhering to the black support on the tripod and to the top of the monitor. Then, there is a little lever that allows you to unlock the mount in order to tweak the aiming of the camera and then re-lock it. All-in-all, this took about five minutes.
Highly recommended.
--Steve
I just received delivery of a Unibrain "Fire-i" Firewire Digital Camera from L.A. Computer Company ( http://www.lacomputercompany.com/cgi-bin/rpcart/index.cgi?command=dispitem&type= sku&sku=25036). US$99 + US$8.70 S&H. (OOPS! One more thing: the regular price is USD$119. I forgot that I got a $20 discount through the DealMac website which I visit almost daily -- the DealMac site gives the discount code "firedc" that might still work).
It was a snap to install (literally: just snap in the included FW cable to the camera and to a handy FW receptacle, in my case, an open one on an external drive enclosure). That's all! It was instantly recognized (and iChat was automatically opened) by both iChat and Skype. The lens ring has a focusing capability that is not mentioned in the packaging, and the image was initially fuzzy and out of focus, but a little "nudging" counterclockwise on the ring immediately cured that. The video, at least what one sees on Skype and iChat, is just about as good as iSight, except that, unlike iSight, there is no microphone, so you need to add your own (my wife uses a USB headset with earphones and microphone, anyway).
These sites do not support images, but if you look at the above web site, you can visualize that if you collapse the legs of the included miniature tripod so that they all lie in a plane, and adjust the camera's position, you can stick it on the top of the monitor with Velcro fastener tape, adhering to the black support on the tripod and to the top of the monitor. Then, there is a little lever that allows you to unlock the mount in order to tweak the aiming of the camera and then re-lock it. All-in-all, this took about five minutes.
Highly recommended.
--Steve
iMac 20" Core Duo and iMac 20" G5 and 13" MacBook Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.4.9), loads of peripherals via connected powered hubs; Win XP via Parallels
