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Review - iMage USB Webcam
by , 9:00 AM EST, January 8th, 2007
Not every Mac ships with a built-in iSight camera, but that doesn't mean you have to go without. Ecamm's iMage webcam adds video capabilities to most Macs without any special mounting hardware or drivers. The iMage requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or higher and a USB 2.0 port, includes a swivel base that works as a mounting bracket for portable Macs, and also includes a built-in magnetic mount. It doesn't require any special drivers, although you do need a special plug-in to use the camera with iChat. The plug-in is free, but you have to download it from the Ecamm Network Web site.
In addition to iChat AV, the iMage is compatible with most other applications, including Skype, that can use a webcam. I tested the camera on an 867MHz iBook G4 just to see how it held up on a slower Mac, and it performed comparably to an iSight camera on the same 'Book. The image wasn't broadcast quality, but it was perfectly fine for Internet-based chats: Not blurry, jumpy or full of pixelated artifacts.
One thing that is missing, however, is a microphone. If you are using the iMage with an iBook or PowerBook, that's not a big deal since these Macs include a built-in mic. If you plan to use the camera with a Mac mini or a tower-style Mac for video chats, you'll need to provide your own mic.
The iMage also comes with a carrying pouch so you have a scratch-free place to store it when not in use. Unfortunately, the pouch is too small to hold the camera and its USB cable. The Bottom Line
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Observer Comments
Mon Jan 08, 2007 2:41 pm Subject: only three stars??
Reading the review, I expected better than three stars out of five to be the result. Considering that the cylindrical plastic case that comes with a (much more expensive) iSight camera doesn't hold the cable OR even the mounting bracket, I am surprised that the cable issue would play into the review so heavily.
Not having a Mic is a minor detail-- for as you said, portables have built-in mics, but so do iMacs and eMacs. And mics for other Macs are available cheaply, and are not a bad idea to have in any case.
I bought such a cam for my nephews to do iChat and iStopMotion movies, and from what's I've seen, it's a great alternative to the iSight cameras, at less than half the cost.
Four out of five stars in my book.
Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:01 pm Subject: Slight disadvantages
Quotetoeknee wrote:
Reading the review, I expected better than three stars out of five to be the result. Considering that the cylindrical plastic case that comes with a (much more expensive) iSight camera doesn't hold the cable OR even the mounting bracket, I am surprised that the cable issue would play into the review so heavily.
Not having a Mic is a minor detail-- for as you said, portables have built-in mics, but so do iMacs and eMacs. And mics for other Macs are available cheaply, and are not a bad idea to have in any case.
I bought such a cam for my nephews to do iChat and iStopMotion movies, and from what's I've seen, it's a great alternative to the iSight cameras, at less than half the cost.
Four out of five stars in my book.
There are some advantages to the external iSight, however. It actually focuses. It has a built-in microphone and is easy to turn off.
Having said that, I will be getting one of these for my PowerBook, especially given the price!
Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:06 am Subject: Re: built-in microphone
QuoteAnonymous wrote:
I have a macmini so it's just too bad they don't have a version with built-in microphone.
Anybody knows of any alternatives ?
I heard logitech offered decent mac compatibility on some cams. Can anyone recommend an affordable Logitech cam with a mic that worked successfully ?
Tks !
Unfortunately I don't know of any, and I can't understand with all of the various products available why there aren't more that have Mac compatibility. It's not rocket science, I don't think. It's a USB interface which most reasonably recent Macs have covered.
What's the story? This issue for me is one where the Mac user/second class citizen syndrome is particularly apparent. If someone, anyone can answer any or all of the following questions, I'd be grateful.
1. Does anybody make a quality webcam that works with the Mac?
2. If not, why not, and why can't, for instance Logitech, who has umpteen models of webcams, make at least one that works with the Mac, and says so on the box?
3. Why did Apple cancel iSight, not replace it with a newer model, and also fail to release Cinema Displays with built-in cameras?
Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:17 pm Subject: at store. mac guy/ said apple is attempting to make consumer
Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:42 pm Subject: Re: at store. mac guy/ said apple is attempting to make cons
QuoteAnonymous wrote:
apple is attempting to make consumers by new computers with cameras installed. just one more reason to get new make 3 years from now. I'm upset they are trucking us to not allow more web came with webcam capabilities.
I am skeptical of this, because an employee of the Apple store would never say this to a customer.
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