As David just posted, the iSight is enjoying a dramatic aftermarket boost, with specimens going for 2x original retail (or more) on eBay. Despite the obvious profit potential -- I have mine sitting in a drawer at home somewhere -- this strikes me as a bit weird, since there are plenty of affordable FireWire cameras to be had for quite a bit less. You may not get the slick mounting hardware, but you'll get a serviceable, iChat/Skype compatible device.While the Unibrain Fire-i appears to be out of stock (they indicate a pending refresh of the product and a late-February ship date), the GlobalMedia iRez is shipping for $130 and comes with a snazzy tripod. The true budget choice, however, is the GlobalMedia 1394 StealthFire camera; it's on closeout pricing at $50, a deal and a half. Granted, it's got the 'basic black' aesthetic flavor of an early-2000 IBM laptop (or an early 20th century Ford Model-T), but it should get the job done. Update: As noted by readers, the StealthFire does not have an onboard microphone, so you'd have to go with your built-in or add a USB mic to complete the suite (Logitech sells one for $30 but if you hunt around you can do better).
Meanwhile, for a true FireHose of data on all kinds of FireWire cams, including obscure and expensive industrial units, check out Damien Douxchamps's dauntingly extensive list of 800 models. C'est bon!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-15-2007 @ 1:36PM
Jason said...
Does anyone know if this camera has a mic built in?
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2-15-2007 @ 1:41PM
Michael Rose said...
It does not. Add the Logitech USB microphone for $30:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,crid=103,contentid=6776,detail=2
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2-15-2007 @ 1:54PM
Metryq said...
Don't get it. Had one. Terrible.
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2-15-2007 @ 4:06PM
plastickitten said...
Can you elaborate on that Metryq? Don't get it. It's terrible is not enough to base a decision on. What's terrible about it?
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2-16-2007 @ 12:04AM
James said...
Metryq,
did you mean "Don't get the camera," or "don't get the microphone" ?
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2-16-2007 @ 12:31AM
mebejoe11 said...
None of these appear to auto-focus as the iSight does.
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2-16-2007 @ 1:33PM
ThePete said...
It's also not $50 as the post above promises. It's $60. :(
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2-16-2007 @ 1:46PM
MR42HH said...
Get a Logitech Quickcam 5000, Quickcam for Notebooks Pro or Quickcam Ultra Vision. The latest revisions of those are all UVC compatible, which means they run driverless in MacOS 10.4.3 or later.
I have the Ultra Vision, and both the Firewire iSight and an iMac with a built-in.
The Logitech is much, much better than both the iSights.
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2-16-2007 @ 1:59PM
Daniel Anderson Jr. said...
The FAQ at the Fire-i site says it doesn't work with iMovie either. Dang. I'm not gonna consider this product. But IF Apple releases iSight v.2.0, I won't snooze/lose my chance again!
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2-16-2007 @ 4:50PM
LT said...
1. Get the KD camera from GlobalMedia instead. I had the stealthfire and then upgraded to the KD. This is the best image i've seen from a web cam. A little more pricey, but it is worth the difference.
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