UPDATE: Just bought the Microsoft NX-6000 webcam and getting decent results out of the box (no software/drivers necessary) on both my PowerMac G5 and MacBook Pro. Running version 10.4.9 of Apple OS.
Now that Apple is supporting UVC compatible USB webcams, I’ve been doing some research to find the best cam (with audio) of the (very small) bunch of cams that work as of today. I’ve found that very few webcams offer UVC support and definately don’t want to bring home a cam I have to troubleshoot on the Mac.
Bruce over at Bioneural.net did a nice write up of his trials and tribulations with OS X and various cams using Skype. The folks at Small Dog Electronics list four Logitech webcams that work with the new 10.4.9 update and iChat, and of course there’s always the list of supported and unsupported webcams on Macam’s list but like I said, I’m trying to avoid troubleshooting here so that list is only a rough guide.
I really wish Creative’s Live! Cam Voice was a UVC webcam. From everything I’ve read its not, which is a bummer because the dual channel directional audio looks like the feature I need to block out some of the external noise when I record in my busy office.
If anyone has any suggestions for a webcam with audio that works well in iChat (or even better with VideoCue Pro) please leave a comment on this post. Thanks!
One Comment
I don’t use iChat anymore but just gave it a try; the QuickCam Fusion (”Works with Vista” model; beware old stock) works very well with iChat using no drivers (Intel Mac, OS 10.4.9). I did install the Windows software under XP on Parallels out of curiosity and IMHO it’s all gimmick. The lens is so wide-angle that face tracking is mute; echo cancellation added no benefit (but is suspect in causing the “Blue screen of Death” I saw several times); and low light performance is better than the built-in iSight on my wife’s MacBook. The rest of the driver-based features are just toys.
Post a Comment