# Can I use an external iSight with Intel chip iMac?



## wickerman (Apr 23, 2008)

I'm trying to work out a dual-camera setup which would allow me to capture two video sources simultaneously (for instructional video). It seems to me that since the built-in iSight camera on my iMac is of good enough quality for my needs that an external one might be a good choice for the second camera. However, I am not sure whether these are compatible with Intel chip iMacs... Can anyone reassure me?

Secondly, if anyone else has run a similar setup, what hardware/software did you use, and is there anything I should know? I'm intending to trial Capture Magic SD which handles multiple camera inputs. Said cameras require firewire connectivity which is why I'm hitting on the iSight rather than a USB webcam. If iSight won't run on my iMac, what are suitable alternatives. (I can't afford a pair of camcorders!)


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## nixgeek (Apr 23, 2008)

I don't see why it wouldn't work with the Intel iMac since the original iSight just a Firewire peripheral.  It should still be supported under OS X even in the Intel Macs theoretically.


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## wickerman (Apr 23, 2008)

OK. It's just that I've seen many of these for sale on eBay and they all state (presumably cut-and-pasted from Apple website) Powermac G3,G4,G5 required. :?


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Apr 23, 2008)

Because the G3, G4 and G5 were the only Apple computers in existence when the FireWire iSight was being sold.

No one knew Intel chips would eventually be used (besides Apple).


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## wickerman (Apr 23, 2008)

Aha. Now it makes sense. Cheers.


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## TuckerdogAVL (Jul 8, 2008)

So, if you connect the external iSight camera does it simply replace the built in? Or, do you now have two independently working cameras?


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## elander (Jul 9, 2008)

If you attach an external iSight camera, you can choose which camera to use in each application, as long as one of them isn't relying on the same input chooser (they can't both be using QuickTime for instance).

I tested this just now to be sure: external iSight for Flash video chat and built-in iSight for video capture in QuickTime Player (I have QuickTime Pro). I doubt that you can use both cameras in the same application simultaneously though. I don't have an application capable of multichannel video capture, at least not thatI know of, so I can't test.

(Perhaps I should also mention I didn't use a high end computer for this set-up, I used an ordinary early MacBook, 2 GHz Intel Core Duo, with 2 GB RAM.)


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## TuckerdogAVL (Jul 9, 2008)

Thanks. Perfect.


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