I’ve wanted an iSight camera ever since I first got my 20” Cinema Display back in 2005. I still had a PC at the time, but I knew I’d want one when I finally ordered my MacBook Pro. By the time I purchased the MacBook in 2006, it was too late. The iSight camera had been discontinued. Shortly thereafter, the price shot threw the roof. I’d routinely see them on eBay fetching as high as $250! The original retail was $150.
Everyone assumed that the discontinuation of the iSight meant that the Cinema Displays were getting built-in iSight cameras. Unfortunately that never happened until 2010. So there was a good 3 or 4 year gap in there where the pro users with their $3000 Mac Pros couldn’t have an Apple-branded camera for iChat, Skype, PhotoBooth, etc. How can their entry level $999 MacBooks have iSight cameras built in, but nothing for the pro user? I never understood it. The mini users were left out in the cold too. Basically, if you didn’t have an iMac or a Macbook, no video chat for you!
Were we expected to mount a cheap $30 dollar plastic web cam to our $1800 30” Cinema Displays? No, people sought out those iSight cameras; and paid through the nose for them. They became very valuable.
I’ve been keeping my eye on eBay for an iSight in the box for a while. Recently the price has come down. They usually go for about $100. Lucky for me, I scored this one for $40 in the box with all the accessories. I took a leap of faith on this one. The seller never posted any pictures. He just posted a quick description: “Perfect working order in original packaging. All stands, cables, clips included.” For $40, I figured it was worth the gamble.
Needless to say, I am very happy with the purchase. The box is in pretty descent shape. Not mint, but collectible.
As stated in the auction, all accessories are included. Even the manual.
I love the little plastic storage case.
The included adapters allow you to connect the iSight to a variety of monitors and/or laptops. The magnetic mount allows you to mount it right on top of your Cinema Display.
However, I prefer the stand, as that’s how it’ll be displayed up on the shelf. (I’m not going to actually use it.) After all, my 27” Cinema Display has one built in.
You can turn the camera on and off my rotating the front lens housing. This also closes the aperture. A cool feature that Apple employed in case someone figured out a way to remote access your camera without you knowing it.
There is a green LED on top to indicate the camera is active.
I see you!
I connected the firewire cable to the front of my Mac Pro and iChat immediately launched.
The iSight captures video at a resolution of 640x480. This pales in comparison to the HD-capable iSight built into my 27” Cinema Display.
Here’s the built-in iSight camera in my 27” Cinema Display. You can see the difference, not in just the clarity of the image, but with the larger field of view too.
I’m very happy to finally have an iSight camera. What a great addition to my vintage Apple collection. Another amazingly engineered Apple product that the iPad/iPhone toting newbies have probably never even heard of.
