Apple iSight
iSight is a webcam from the computer manufacturer Apple . It was first presented at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 23, 2003, along with suitable video conferencing and chat software called iChat AV . In June 2006 the first generation of the camera was taken off the market in Germany.
technology
The first generation of camera has a 1/4 " -color- CCD image sensor with VGA resolution (640 × 480 pixels ) and 24- bit - color spectrum . It stands out from most Webcams by the built-in auto-focus function in the range of 50 millimeters . to infinity from in addition, the iSight has a three-piece lens of two aspherical lenses having a viewing angle of 54.3 ° and an F-number . 2.8 in addition, it has a built-in full-duplex - directional microphone . with background noise suppression, the device may deliver up to 30 frames per second (30 fps ) at full resolution . The connection to a Mac is via FireWire . The camera has an aluminum alloy housing , weighs 63.8 grams without bracket and can be rotated and tilted. There is a green recording LED on the top of the housing , which shows whether the camera is active.To protect privacy , you can turn the front lens ring d Switch off the camera and cover it completely. It is noticeable that the camera gets very warm during operation. While there are no known issues as a result, Apple recommends keeping the ambient temperature below 35 degrees Celsius. It was developed by Apple for use with the iChat AV chat software . The camera was designed by Apple in California .
In the following generations of the model, the camera was built into the screen housing of the Apple device. Furthermore, these models have been technically developed.
equipment
The camera is delivered together with a plastic protective case for it, a white FireWire cable about 1.5 meters long and four brackets. With these you can attach the device to different monitors or place it on a horizontal surface. Due to the limited upward angle of inclination, it can only be used to a limited extent while standing on the table.
Operating systems
The iSight works except with Macs with Windows - and Linux - PCs with FireWire port. Under Windows, the generic IEEE1394 - WDM - driver from Microsoft built into Windows XP is sufficient , for Linux the libdc1394 library is required. Neither operating system can currently handle the built-in microphone, but there is already an approach for Linux.
This means that even non- Mac users can use the iSight with video telephony programs. Various camera parameters such as brightness , contrast , color and focus can also be set manually with the open source Coriander software. Something similar is possible with the iGlasses plug-in when using iChat AV .
Comparisons / tests
The computer magazine c't tested several webcams from different manufacturers in its 22/2003 issue and certified the iSight as having "excellent technical performance" . The high frame rate is also praised: “Thanks to FireWire , the Apple camera confidently transmits 30 fps throughout , regardless of the lighting conditions. Even at 640 × 480 pixels, between 29 and 30 frames per second rush over the wire. ” Just like the comparatively high purchase price, however, the “ somewhat overzealous automatic white balance ”is also criticized. The iSight is the only camera in the test to have an autofocus . The article does not provide any information on the firmware of the model used - however, it can be assumed that the testers examined a camera with version 1.0, as the corresponding issue of the magazine was published on October 22, 2003, but updates were only available later.
Integration into Apple products
After an iSight camera was integrated in the last iMac G5 revision, iSight cameras were integrated in all devices with a screen as part of the switch to the Intel x86 platform . The following models now have an iSight camera:
- MacBook , older MacBook Air, and older MacBook Pro
- iMac G5, iMac Core Duo, and iMac Core 2 Duo
- LED cinema display
- iPad (from second generation)
- iPhone (from fourth generation)
- iPod touch (from fourth generation)
The iSight camera has long been installed as the main camera in iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. The webcam is now called FaceTime HD camera in iOS and Mac devices.
Web links
- iSight camera driver libdc1394 , iSight audio driver and user interface Coriander for controlling digital cameras under Linux
Individual evidence
- ↑ Apple: iPod touch (5th gen. Tech specs) , accessed July 7, 2013.