Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

This inexpensive webcam works with older Macs lacking webcams, without the need to install drivers. Just plug it in, set your preferences, and you immediately get an image. The camera lens needs to be focused manually, which is a little tricky but does allow the use of a less wide angle lens. The quality of the image is ok – not as crisp as that of the built-in powerbook cameras. The color accuracy varied considerably between the two computers I tried with it. Coupled with iGlasses software, I was able to get a fairly acceptable palate on both machines. The built-in microphone seemed to work well. Overall, it is an acceptable camera at about , and fills a void for Mac users, who need a camera a low cost.

I recently purchased this item, the IceCam2, and have been using it extensively. Firstly, be aware this is both a microphone and a webcamera – some webcams you purchase do not have a microphone included. By and large this is an excellent webcam/microphone for someone looking to do casual internet chatting. I currently use AIM’s video mode and chat with friends. The quality of the sound is adequate for such purposes. The video is good as well; adequate lighting seems necessary; this is in contrast to say the MacBook Pro’s built in iSight which I’ve been able to capture good quality videos even in the dark. Using the IceCam2 I generally need quite good illumination; even then the color representation is a little suspect as well, but let’s face it: for the price the image quality is really just fine. I say color representation is off – maybe your skin has a paler complexion than usual, maybe it’s a little reddish. Nothing extremely off. All in all, this product succeeds in conveying the gist of the video, but don’t expect the finer points to be transmitted. For business minded individuals, I would hesitate to use it for say video conferencing. Trying to convey detailed text, graphs, or images in general is iffy at best and will require you to hold the image close to the camera. In summary, for the purpose of talking with friends this is a wonderful product.