ISight

The iSight is a webcam made by Apple Computer. It is a FireWire camera that can be mounted on any current Apple laptop, all-in-one desktop, and display.

The iSight was designed for iChat AV, Apple's video-conferencing client. iMovie 4 can be used to capture video from the device, which is also the recommended camera for use with Freeverse Software's ToySight game collection.

Some advocates claim the iSight has superior colour quality and striking industrial design. The 1/4-inch color CCD sensor has a 640x480 VGA resolution. Apple calls iSight's three-part F/2.8 lens with two aspherical elements custom-designed. It features auto-focusing from 50mm up and autoexposure and can capture video at 30 frames per second in 24-bit color and use a variety of shutter speeds. All iSights include internal microphones, which, Apple advertises, feature dual-element noise-suppression. Its unique design and light weight allow it to be attached just above the monitor using one of the four included mounts, meaning that the image seen by the recipient during a video chat will be at eye level and not from beneath, like many webcams require.

The iSight is compatible with Mac OS X as well as Windows and GNU/Linux computers; the libdc1394 library is required under Linux. However, the internal microphones will only operate on a Mac with the iChat AV software installed; work is in progress to decode the audio protocol and provide a Linux driver.

The iSight uses an included FireWire cable for audio, video, and power. Four camera stands, a carrying case, and a FireWire cable adapter are also included.

Apple introduced the iSight at 2003's Worldwide Developers Conference.