hal pulled his Middle Forum listing for some vintage FW iSights that I had posted some info to.
MRF-Admin suggested I re-post the info here, should anybody have any interest in such primo old tech at some future time....
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Forum Deity
Buzz -
hal is gutting this thread but I think this is some good information. you want to copy/paste it into the regular forum with a title with something like "Some good info on the Apple iSight Cameras"
I think others might find it useful at some point when searching the forum.
/MRF Tech Buddha
In reply to [
forums.macresource.com]
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Buzz
How many do you want....?
The dongle(s) needed to work w/ anything remotely new cost 2x - 3x (or more), than ye olde FW iSight's are worth. The last Mac w/ FW, was what, like 2012? And simple TB/TB2 dongleable (for $30) Macs ran thru 2015 (or 2017 for the Air), after which the dongleature (or hubature/dockature) gets outrageously pricey for TB3+. I had one of those old FW iSights in use lastly w/ a 2009 Mac Mini for awhile, until we optioned up to a M$ LifeCam Studio and never looked back since.
This guy will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the venerable Firewire iSight.....
and maybe even inspire you to take one off of hal's hands (or find/acquire one elsewhere), should he at some point re-decide to part w/ 'em.
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This is a snapshot as of Spring 2023 when ebay prices were ~$10 - $15 for working (or even less, in quantity), used FW iSights. Remember, the original puppies were only 640 X 480 resolution, so may not be usable for web based stuff that requires 720p minimum resolution. Thunderbolt 1/2 to FW800 adapters are still a current $30 product at this time (less if used), and to make a FW iSight work, you'll need either a FW800 to FW400 adapter, or cable. Either of those oughta be scroungable around here for awhile.
TB3+ and above can get pricey to convert, real fast. A TB3+ to TB 1/2 adapter is ~$45 nowadays, then you still need the same TB 1/2 to FW adapter/cable as per above. At those $$, springing for a dock for your newer Mac becomes more viable pretty quickly....
For the record, "collectable" level iSights in pristine condition, w/ original packaging and all OEM goodies, are still being offered at collectable level prices, so millennial (and younger) collectors can flesh out their collections.
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