ISight-Cam-Status-LED

Since FaceTime quitted a conversation on its own, the litte green status-LED of the camera is shining all the time, even in stand by and to restarts.
If I open FaceTime now, it can not find a camera.
Does anyone know this problem?
What can I do against this?
It is really annoying. Since Mountain Lion some things really go wrong..

JPhotography wrote:
Since FaceTime quitted a conversation on its own, the litte green status-LED of the camera is shining all the time, even in stand by and to restarts.
If I open FaceTime now, it can not find a camera.
Does anyone know this problem?
What can I do against this?
It is really annoying. Since Mountain Lion some things really go wrong..
Sounds like a trip to your local AS or AASP if the solutions in KB Article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 How to Troubleshoot iSight does not work.

Similar Messages

Live! Cam - Status LED Control

hi,
I hold an integrated Live! Cam. I would like to know at which level its status led is controlled. Software, firmware or circuits?
May it be possible for a hacker to turn the led on/off remotly ?
thx

JPhotography wrote:
Since FaceTime quitted a conversation on its own, the litte green status-LED of the camera is shining all the time, even in stand by and to restarts.
If I open FaceTime now, it can not find a camera.
Does anyone know this problem?
What can I do against this?
It is really annoying. Since Mountain Lion some things really go wrong..
Sounds like a trip to your local AS or AASP if the solutions in KB Article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 How to Troubleshoot iSight does not work.

Apple LED Cinema Display -- USB Port + iSight Camera not working

I see an unusual problem with my brand new LED Cinema display. When i put my Macbook pro in sleep mode it deactivate all the USB ports and isight camera in LED Cinema Display. When I turn the computer back on I cannot use USB or iSight camera. I tried below solutions -
- Restarting the Macbook pro and LED cinema
- Completely draining the power in both LED Cinema and Mackbook pro.
- Resetting Macbook pro.
- Upgrading LED Cinema to latest and greatest firmware ( firmware update 1.0)
Did anyone encounter this problem ? If yes please post your thoughts or any solutions.

After numerous attempts of powering down/resetting the macbook pro and led cinema i was able to make the USB ports work. However I was able to successfully reproduce the problem once again by putting the mackbook on sleep mode.
I finally ended up shipping my led cinema back to apple for a replacement. I will try the test case with the new one when it arrives.

Internal iSight camera on, but LED is off... Hardware problem?

Hello all,
My MacBook Pro (15", late 2007) has developed a strange "feature": the internal iSight LED no longer lights, even with the camera on. This is quite unsettling.
I have searched the Intertubes, but could not find any references to this kind of problem.
My MBP is covered under AppleCare, but I'm reluctant to send it in for repairs (again!), since that takes at least 2 weeks. Frankly, I can't do without my Mac for 2 weeks since I use it professionally.
Is the LED "hardwired" to iSight power, i.e. is this a definite hardware problem, or is there some hidden setting somewhere? I have tried zapping the PRAM, but that did not help...
Any info would be appreciated.
Kind regards,
Ed.
Message was edited by: Ed Voncken

Can you or anyone else confirm that the LED is a "hardware" feature on the iSight, or is it software-controlled?
Of course, the camera still appears to work without the LED. But that is exactly the point There is no proper feedback on camera status now, which is unsettling. Bringing it back in is not (yet) an option; I already went without it for more than a month during the first 18 months of ownership due to 2 earlier repairs.

Select Default iSight Cam with Dual LED Cinema Displays

Hello
I have two 27in LED Cinema Displays, both of which have iSight Cameras. When I try to facetime, by default, the right monitor camera turns on, but I want to use the left camera.
How do I select which camera on which monitor I want to use? Both monitors are connected via thunderbolt. I'm using OS X Mavericks.
Thanks!

You can try the old trick of first launching a camera app that you do NOT want to use - QuickTimeX > New Movie Recording perhaps - to have it engage the ONE display iSight camera. After you can see that your camera is engaged with the unwanted app, you can hide that app if desired. Then launch FaceTime and see if the other connected camera is accessible to FaceTime.
If FaceTime cannot then recognize the second Display iSight, check your System Information utility to see if your Hardware > USB > USB Device Tree recognizes both Display iSights. If the device tree recognizes only one Display iSight, your lowest cost workaround may be to connect a Mac-compatible webcam to one of your available USB ports so it is recognizable . The external camera may then be selectable in your FaceTime menu without the two-application trick.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac OSX 10.10.2

NI smart camera 1764 Status LED Blinking

I am using NI smart camera 1764. when i am giving 24 V DC supply to the camera then Power & Status LED is blinking continuously in RED colour. on the other hand pass & fail LED also blinking in RED & GREEN colour alternatively. i am not able to connect camera to my computer through ETHERNET cable & cannot use for my application.
Please suggest me the solution as soon as possible.

Have a look at chapter 6 of this manual:
http://www.ni.com/pdf/manuals/372429b.pdf
Adnan Zafar
Certified LabVIEW Architect
Coleman Technologies

Built In iSight camera has stopped working on 27 inch iMac and 27 inch LED.

The camera's on my 27 inch i7 imac and 27 inch cinema display all of a sudden just stopped working. I checked in the system profiler, and both show that
they are connected. When I try video chat in iChat the green light comes on and connects like it's a one way video chat... when I try and switch to the display monitor's iSight the green light switches to the other monitor, but the camera is still black... I tried this with Facetime, Skype, and Photobooth, all nothing... Any insght into this would be great. I'm thinking that it could be an internal hardware problem with the machine... Logic or Motherboard....
Any info would be helpful
thank you
F

Built-in iSight cameras
These steps are for iSight cameras that are built into a computer, such as the iMac G5 (iSight) or later, the MacBook, or MacBook Pro.
See if the issue is application-specific.
Try another application (iSight works with applications like iChat, PhotoBooth, and iMovie HD 6) to see if the iSight camera exhibits the same behavior in all applications. If it only happens in one application, try reinstalling that application.
See if the issue is user-specific.
Test your iSight camera in another user account. If the issue only occurs in one user, the issue would be isolated to user settings.
Find out if the computer recognizes the iSight
Check System Profiler (in the Utilities folder, inside the Applications folder). Under the USB header, check to see if the iSight camera is detected.
Reset SMC or PMU
Reset your computer's SMC or PMU, and then check System Profiler again. (SMC reset instructions for iMac G5 (iSight), Intel-based iMacs; PMU reset instructions for MacBook and MacBook Pro.)
source: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2090

MacBook Pro (Late 2007, 2.4/2.2GHz) - Built-in isight camera issue

I have a MBP (as mentioned, Late 2007) running Lion 10.7.2 (updated yesterday). And I have a problem with the built-in iSight camera
Same with photo booth and skype.
So far I have tried
1) shutdown, unplug power, remove battery, press power for 5 seconds, plug battery back, plug power, boot. No help. No LED's light up to make my day.
2) Press P R - Alt Cmd during boot (2/3 cycles like that)
Could anyone throw some light into this?
Much thanks in advance.

Try reinstalling Lion:
Reinstalling Lion
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alterhatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.

ISight camera not working on MacBook

When I turned on my MaBook the green light next to the iSight camera turns on and when I open PhotoBooth it shows a blank screen. I tried to restart but the green light stayed on. Any suggestions on how I can fix this?

radarina wrote:
When I turned on my MaBook the green light next to the iSight camera turns on and when I open PhotoBooth it shows a blank screen. I tried to restart but the green light stayed on. Any suggestions on how I can fix this?
Welcome to Discussions, radarina
The restart was a the best first step.
Next, try all relevant suggestions from:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090
If your iSight problem still occurs in more than one app and more than one user account, the reset suggested there often restores proper function of inbuilt iSight.
However, if your built-in iSight still does not work after carefully following all the suggestions in the "How to Troubleshoot iSight" article, and if iSight does not show as a USB hardware device in your Mac's System Profiler, yours is most likely a hardware problem. In that case, contact Apple or an Apple-Authorized Service Provider for service.
We will watch for your status update.
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.4) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.4)
LED Cinema Display G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

Everything works on FW port EXCEPT iSight camera

I'm stuck. I have a 17" iMac G5 10.5.8 and an external iSight cam that used to work fine together. But at present, the iSight is not recognized by PhotoBooth, iChat, iMovie or even System Profiler. The Firewire ports both work when I use a Canon Vixia camcorder (which is recognized in all 4 apps listed), and external FW drives. The iSight camera works just fine on another iMac G5 that is the exact same model as well as a 17" iMac G5 ALS.
I've tried:
1. Resetting the SMU using the well-described method of plugging in the power cord while holding the power button as well as pressing the small button on the logic board, but no change (it doesn't even reset the clock).
2. Zapping the PRAM.
3. Booting into Open Firmware and using "reset-NVRAM" and "reset-all".
4. Disconnecting all other Firewire devices and plugging them back in various permutations.
5. Reading most of the 9000+ posts by EZ Jim.
For what it's worth, these iMac G5's were all falling prey to the famous bad capacitor problems on the logic board and their power supplies, and had become essentially unusable with random crashes, inability to wake from sleep, fans running full blast, etc. I replaced 73 bad capacitors among them and now all three iMacs are working great—except for the iSight on one as described above.
I'm open to suggestions...
Thanks,
Ralph

Ralph Parker wrote:
Thanks for your reply.
You're most welcome. ...
FWIW, I had also installed a new OS starting with the original install discs which were 10.3, (so I could get a few of the apps that came bundled with it), ...
If the old FW iSight won't work with the apps in 10.3, it won't likely work after updating.
and then upgrading .. in sequence ... topped it off with 10.5.8 Combo update...I noticed an inability of Disk Utility to repair several permissions...
Inability of Disk Utility (DU) to repair permissions can be caused by using a different OS's DU version. You MUST use 10.3 DU to repair 10.3 permissions, 10.5 DU to repair permissions on a startup disk running 10.5, etc.
(ACL found but unexpected on items in the System/Library/User Templates folder). Again, FWIW.
You may not have a problem if you are using the appropriate DU version while repairing permissions and are merely commenting on error messages such as the ones listed here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448
So long as the repair process ends with a statement that necessary repairs have been made, all is OK.
I will go back and zero out the drive and try again.
Having already tried that, I doubt that another reinstall will help you, but it cannot harm anything.
If there are bad caps or other components in the FW circuits, I would not expect my other FW devices (video and drives) to work properly.
Nor would I. Perhaps someone else has other ideas.
FIngers crossed.
We will watch for your status update.
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz Mac OS X (10.6.6); MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.6);
LED Cinema Display; G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11); iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9); External iSight; iPod touch 4.2.1

Kisight: How do I get my iSight working ? Trouble Shooting an iSight Camera. (Version 3)

Replacement for the second draft of this Thread   (To be removed if Published as Tip)
kisight: How do I get my iSight working ?
Trouble Shooting an iSight Camera. (Version 3)
Hi,     On many subjects Apple has Articles and Documents that can help.
In some case they are written by an Engineer or similar and can miss the mark for the average user.
In other cases they are crafted, detailed responses to an issue that has popped up many times in the Apple Discussions and take the best from many responses in those User-to-User Discussions, creating something that can not be surpassed.
This is the case of the Apple Article HT2090 on Trouble Shooting an iSight.
It lists steps and processes to go through for both Internal iSights and External ones.
However as with most things it does sometime pay to reword things differently so that people grasp the points in language they understand.
The info here is a reworking itself of two pages at ralphjohns.co.uk/EZ Jim pages namely EZ JIm's page 2 Where can I Find Help With My iSight ? and his page 4, How Can I Test My iSight is Completely Functional ? which were written several years ago and predate the Apple Article, being aimed at the External iSight. They have been updated since to address the Internal iSight as well but some of the comments are useful between the two types.
External First. For Internal iSights Start at 2b) (you will need to adjust some options/steps as the Internal is USB)
Steps
1) Pre Purchase
If buying an External iSight you should if you an get to see it in action.Apple no longer sells the External iSight so you will be buying it second hand.If you cannot get to see the device plugged in and working on Mac then check the smaller print of the seller and selling site as to nature of Returns and Faulty Goods.
2) Does it work ?
a) First of all Plug it in. It should come with a suitable mount (although there are variants on this) and a 6 pin to 6 pin Firewire cable.
Ideally it should have it's own Firewire port/socket on your computer. Connecting it "DaisyChained" to other devices can be a problem as they do not all use Firewire at the same Data speed.
It will then go through some checks as the OS powers it up and checks it's firmware.
Do not be concerned that the little green indicator light atop your iSight illuminates for a few seconds and then goes dark when you first connect your iSight or power on your Mac. Do not be concerned if you hear a soft whir as iSight attempt to focus either. Both these occurrences are normal. If your iSight passes the following tests, do not worry about this sound or the status of the green light.
There is no ON switch as such. It does have an iris mechanism that can be controlled by the User. The iris should be turned so you can see the Lens for the iSight to send pictures to an application.
b) Pick an Application to see the picture the iSight produces.iChat is one application you can use. Photobooth is another. iMovie (Version 4 or above for external iSight -- Version 6 or above for in-built iSight) and Comic Book (if bundled on your Mac) are yet more.
See this Users Tip for more applications Or this page for yet more.
Photo Booth is probably the simplest as it has no Preferences to choose a camera in the original version and is done from the Menu items in later versions (nor is there any setting in the OS) and Photo Booth will default to the External Camera if one is plugged in before the application is started.     If you see your self or what the camera is pointing at, It Works !!
3) If it does Not Work
a) Check Cables/leads. Re-seat the cable at both ends. DO this carefully as although Firewire cables are keyed to fit the right way it has been known to force them the wrong way.
Try another 6 pin to 6 pin firewire cable.
b) Unplug the cable from any other FireWire device and give the iSight it's Own FireWire port/socket on the Mac (exclude issues with other FireWire devices). It is important that this be a port/socket on your computer and that you know that it works. Do not use a port in a FireWire hub or another FireWire device or a FireWire port in an Apple Display for testing. (Also see d below if you have an 800 FIreWIre Computer)
c) Check System Profiler (Apple Icon menu top Left > About this Mac. > More Info Button)Open the Reveal Triangles to see the list and go to Hardware > FireWire. (Use USB for Internal Cameras)
If it appears here try booting or Logging in as another user on the Mac (Create a Test account if you don't have one) and try item 2b) above again.
d) With FireWire 800 computers you may have to change your FireWire 400 to 800 Adaptor or Cable to get full Audio functionality with Lion Apps
If it is not in the System Profiler you are almost certainly going to need the Trouble Shooting Article from Apple at this point. This Article may also be of help (number HT1317 What to do if your computer won't recognise a FireWire or USB device).
If you have not resolved things at this stage it is going to be time for an Engineer with Apple credentials.There are no user serviceable parts inside any iSight.
Other Items
Audio.
The External Camera has two mics inside.The volume it records at or plays through for iChat is controlled in System Preferences > Sound > Input tab (select device) and this should be set to get the blue response bar to at least half way (preferably three quarters) when you talk.The same applies to any other Mic, even the Internal one on laptops and some other Macs.
Firmware.
The System Profiler as detailed above should tell you the Firmware the iSight has. The current version is 1.0.3 and was updated in Panther. (Essentially it is an Audio compatibility update but does seem to help in other situations)
If your computer is running Panther (10.2.x) then use this Updater
If running Tiger (10.4.x) or Leopard (10.5.x) then navigate manually to your Hard Drive/System/Library/Core Services/iSight Updater and run the updater found there.
If an iSight is Plugged in on the Computer when you do an OS update and the firmware needs updating on the iSight this app is supposed to be triggered but it seem it may need a hand at times.
Focusing on the External iSight
Essentially the External iSight is self or Autofocusing.
If in doubt then try better lighting and strong colours as opposes to light or pastels.
(All built-in iSights are fixed focus. Therefore, unless a built-in iSight lens cover is dirty or smudged, any built-in iSight whose image is blurry needs service by an Engineer with Apple credentials.)
EZ Jim has these more specific recommendations for piece of mind.
Make a cross whose lines are about one-half inch or more wide on a plain background to use as a focus target. (I have even used black electrical tape.)
Turn on plenty of light and hold the target very still at about two or three feet from the lens. Watch iSight focus. (You may need to use a tripod or brace yourself to hold the target still enough.)
Then quickly move the target and hold it very still at about one foot away from the lens. Watch iSight focus.
Finally, move in to about six inches from iSight, and check focus there, too. (Holding the target still is more important as you get closer to iSight.)
This Users Tip by Ian Bickerstaff can give you clues for any application really "Look and sound good in iChat"
Other Info and Links
iSight Support info at Apple Links to Users Guide, Manual and many other topics on the External iSight.
Apple's iSight Firewire Connectivity FAQs
Apple's iSight Service FAQs
If you feel you have not understood or think you have not grasped something here or in the links so far try the iSight Discussion Forum
1:13 PM      Saturday; October 8, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Replacement for the second draft of this Thread   (To be removed if Published as Tip)
kisight: How do I get my iSight working ?
Trouble Shooting an iSight Camera. (Version 3)
Hi,     On many subjects Apple has Articles and Documents that can help.
In some case they are written by an Engineer or similar and can miss the mark for the average user.
In other cases they are crafted, detailed responses to an issue that has popped up many times in the Apple Discussions and take the best from many responses in those User-to-User Discussions, creating something that can not be surpassed.
This is the case of the Apple Article HT2090 on Trouble Shooting an iSight.
It lists steps and processes to go through for both Internal iSights and External ones.
However as with most things it does sometime pay to reword things differently so that people grasp the points in language they understand.
The info here is a reworking itself of two pages at ralphjohns.co.uk/EZ Jim pages namely EZ JIm's page 2 Where can I Find Help With My iSight ? and his page 4, How Can I Test My iSight is Completely Functional ? which were written several years ago and predate the Apple Article, being aimed at the External iSight. They have been updated since to address the Internal iSight as well but some of the comments are useful between the two types.
External First. For Internal iSights Start at 2b) (you will need to adjust some options/steps as the Internal is USB)
Steps
1) Pre Purchase
If buying an External iSight you should if you an get to see it in action.Apple no longer sells the External iSight so you will be buying it second hand.If you cannot get to see the device plugged in and working on Mac then check the smaller print of the seller and selling site as to nature of Returns and Faulty Goods.
2) Does it work ?
a) First of all Plug it in. It should come with a suitable mount (although there are variants on this) and a 6 pin to 6 pin Firewire cable.
Ideally it should have it's own Firewire port/socket on your computer. Connecting it "DaisyChained" to other devices can be a problem as they do not all use Firewire at the same Data speed.
It will then go through some checks as the OS powers it up and checks it's firmware.
Do not be concerned that the little green indicator light atop your iSight illuminates for a few seconds and then goes dark when you first connect your iSight or power on your Mac. Do not be concerned if you hear a soft whir as iSight attempt to focus either. Both these occurrences are normal. If your iSight passes the following tests, do not worry about this sound or the status of the green light.
There is no ON switch as such. It does have an iris mechanism that can be controlled by the User. The iris should be turned so you can see the Lens for the iSight to send pictures to an application.
b) Pick an Application to see the picture the iSight produces.iChat is one application you can use. Photobooth is another. iMovie (Version 4 or above for external iSight -- Version 6 or above for in-built iSight) and Comic Book (if bundled on your Mac) are yet more.
See this Users Tip for more applications Or this page for yet more.
Photo Booth is probably the simplest as it has no Preferences to choose a camera in the original version and is done from the Menu items in later versions (nor is there any setting in the OS) and Photo Booth will default to the External Camera if one is plugged in before the application is started.     If you see your self or what the camera is pointing at, It Works !!
3) If it does Not Work
a) Check Cables/leads. Re-seat the cable at both ends. DO this carefully as although Firewire cables are keyed to fit the right way it has been known to force them the wrong way.
Try another 6 pin to 6 pin firewire cable.
b) Unplug the cable from any other FireWire device and give the iSight it's Own FireWire port/socket on the Mac (exclude issues with other FireWire devices). It is important that this be a port/socket on your computer and that you know that it works. Do not use a port in a FireWire hub or another FireWire device or a FireWire port in an Apple Display for testing. (Also see d below if you have an 800 FIreWIre Computer)
c) Check System Profiler (Apple Icon menu top Left > About this Mac. > More Info Button)Open the Reveal Triangles to see the list and go to Hardware > FireWire. (Use USB for Internal Cameras)
If it appears here try booting or Logging in as another user on the Mac (Create a Test account if you don't have one) and try item 2b) above again.
d) With FireWire 800 computers you may have to change your FireWire 400 to 800 Adaptor or Cable to get full Audio functionality with Lion Apps
If it is not in the System Profiler you are almost certainly going to need the Trouble Shooting Article from Apple at this point. This Article may also be of help (number HT1317 What to do if your computer won't recognise a FireWire or USB device).
If you have not resolved things at this stage it is going to be time for an Engineer with Apple credentials.There are no user serviceable parts inside any iSight.
Other Items
Audio.
The External Camera has two mics inside.The volume it records at or plays through for iChat is controlled in System Preferences > Sound > Input tab (select device) and this should be set to get the blue response bar to at least half way (preferably three quarters) when you talk.The same applies to any other Mic, even the Internal one on laptops and some other Macs.
Firmware.
The System Profiler as detailed above should tell you the Firmware the iSight has. The current version is 1.0.3 and was updated in Panther. (Essentially it is an Audio compatibility update but does seem to help in other situations)
If your computer is running Panther (10.2.x) then use this Updater
If running Tiger (10.4.x) or Leopard (10.5.x) then navigate manually to your Hard Drive/System/Library/Core Services/iSight Updater and run the updater found there.
If an iSight is Plugged in on the Computer when you do an OS update and the firmware needs updating on the iSight this app is supposed to be triggered but it seem it may need a hand at times.
Focusing on the External iSight
Essentially the External iSight is self or Autofocusing.
If in doubt then try better lighting and strong colours as opposes to light or pastels.
(All built-in iSights are fixed focus. Therefore, unless a built-in iSight lens cover is dirty or smudged, any built-in iSight whose image is blurry needs service by an Engineer with Apple credentials.)
EZ Jim has these more specific recommendations for piece of mind.
Make a cross whose lines are about one-half inch or more wide on a plain background to use as a focus target. (I have even used black electrical tape.)
Turn on plenty of light and hold the target very still at about two or three feet from the lens. Watch iSight focus. (You may need to use a tripod or brace yourself to hold the target still enough.)
Then quickly move the target and hold it very still at about one foot away from the lens. Watch iSight focus.
Finally, move in to about six inches from iSight, and check focus there, too. (Holding the target still is more important as you get closer to iSight.)
This Users Tip by Ian Bickerstaff can give you clues for any application really "Look and sound good in iChat"
Other Info and Links
iSight Support info at Apple Links to Users Guide, Manual and many other topics on the External iSight.
Apple's iSight Firewire Connectivity FAQs
Apple's iSight Service FAQs
If you feel you have not understood or think you have not grasped something here or in the links so far try the iSight Discussion Forum
1:13 PM      Saturday; October 8, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

How can I use the built-in Isight camera with an external camera (usb/firewire) at the same time?

How can I use the built-in Isight camera and an external video camera at the same time?
I'm wanting to stream over Oovoo/Skype/etc. using 2 cameras.
Thanks

Simple question with a not so simple answer.
(a) If you mean that you want to run multiple apps simultaneously using a different camera with each app, you may encounter computing power limitations. Digital video is processor intensive. The only way to know if your Mac can do this it to try it. If the video does not work together but each app works when it it the only app running, you are likely overloading your Mac's ability to process and/or move all the required data in your data bus. You can get a better indication of whether this is the case by watching your Activity Monitor utility while running the apps you want to use.
(b) If you mean that you want to have more than one compatible camera connected to your Mac simultaneously for ease of changing between video sources, some, but not necessarily all, apps you are using to operate your camera(s) allow you to select between your cameras.
How you select among connected cameras depends on which application you are using. Here is how camera selection works in a few examples:
(1) For iChat, you can choose which iSight you use in the "Camera:" choices bar in iChat > Preferences... > Audio/Video that appears when more than one compatible camera is connected. Although your camera choices will be different, the choices bar will look something similar to the Preferences settings shown here:
If you cannot see the "Camera" choices bar, your Mac is recognizing only one (or none) of your cameras. In that case, consider the suggestions fromhttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 for iSight problems or refer to your other camera's documentation for help.
This particular choices bar solution applies ONLY to iChat. Most other applications also have settings that allow you to choose which camera to use. However, they do not all work the same way.
(2) For instance, iMovie HD's camera choice is NOT set via Preferences. When you have more than one compatible camera connected, iMovie6 HD uses a drop-down menu choice something like this (depending on which version of iMovie you use):
Note: Because I had no built-in iSight connected when I made this example, and because my external iSight was not connected, the drop-down menu showed only "Time Lapse." Because your Mac has a built-in iSight, your built-in iSight would show in the drop-down menu even when no other camera is connected. Connecting an additional Mac compatible webcam should allow you to choose either camera.
Other iMovie versions work slightly differently.
iMovie 9 (from iLife '11) uses a different camera choice button shown in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/9.0/en/mov39f84285.html
iMovie 8 (from iLife '09) is slightly different as explained in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/8.0/en/10172.html
In general, you can use your Mac's help for the application in use to find out how to select among more than one connected camera.
(3) Photo Booth in Snow Leopard 10.6.x and later uses the Photo Booth > Camera menu command to select which camera to use.
Note for readers with older Mac OS X: The previous version of Photo Booth that came with Tiger (10.4.x) is such a simple, basic app that it offers no menu selectable choice. Unless your built-in iSight is already occupied as the camera being used by some open application before you launch Photo Booth, Photo Booth will use ONLY your built-in iSight.
However, you can use the trick from ¶ 4 of http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302781 to let Photo Booth use an external camera.
(If you have an external Firewire camera connected, it may be used in preference to any USB webcam. If that is a problem for you, merely disconnect the problem Firewire device.)
(4) For FaceTime, launch the app and click the Video menu item.
If your Mac recognizes more than one connected compatible camera, a "Camera" section listing the cameras from which you can choose will appear there. Clicking on the desired camera name will let you select the one you want as shown in this image from my Mac Pro and LED Cinema Display:
If your Mac recognizes only one compatible camera, the "Camera" section will not appear in the Video menu, but FaceTime will automatically use the connected camera that is recognized by OS X.
(5) I do not use Skype oir Oovoo. For those or other apps, see Help for each app for info on how to select your desired camera.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Is there a way to turn off and On the isight camera or app to do it ?????

Hi
Does anyone know either of a Simple way to Turn off the isight camera on a Macbook pro (3.1 model with Snow leopard) or a simple program or Widget to do this ??
I have already Googled this but cannot find much - except disable certain files, or a Applescript by Techslaves.org called isight disabler , which seems great except I have to run applescript each time run this script, put in password, then select !
SO is there a Basic app or even a Way of making the isight disabler work like a simple app - or a way to do with Mac's settings ??
Any help is Appriciated
Thanks Mark

Globalmark wrote:
Hi
Does anyone know either of a Simple way to Turn off the isight camera on a Macbook pro (3.1 model with Snow leopard) or a simple program or Widget to do this ??
I have already Googled this but cannot find much - except disable certain files, or a Applescript by Techslaves.org called isight disabler , which seems great except I have to run applescript each time run this script, put in password, then select !
SO is there a Basic app or even a Way of making the isight disabler work like a simple app - or a way to do with Mac's settings ??
Any help is Appriciated
Thanks Mark
Barring some unusual circumstance, there should be no need to disable your built-in iSight because YOU decide when to use your iSight.
Some apps such as iChat allow you to enable and disable the webcam from menu commands.
Other apps such as Photo Booth only use the camera when you click the button.
However, if you REALLY want to disable, scripts like this one can easily disable and enable iSight.
http://techslaves.org/index.php?page=62
However, be aware that it simultaneously disables ALL USB webcams when active.
Although I do not recommend it, you can manually disable your built-in iSight by removing the "QuickTimeUSBVDCDIgitizer.component" file from your computer's HardDriveName > System > Library > QuickTime folder and restarting your Mac. Your built-in iSight should no longer work with any app.
P.S. Manually moving, renaming, or deleting files outside your Username/Documents folder
is generally a BAD idea unless you KNOW how it will effect OS X.
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz Mac OS X (10.6.6); MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.6)
LED Cinema Display; G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11); iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9); External iSight; iPod4touch4.2.1

Built in iSight camera no longer showing up or recognized by iMac

Hello there - I have a white 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac with a built in iSight camera, and the camera is no longer showing up, or is not recognized by the computer any longer. Very strange! The little green LED by the camera is not lit any longer, and the camera is not recognized any longer by Photo Booth, iChat AV, or any of the other apps that would use the camera. This is a real pain, because I am leaving for France in a couple days and am taking my MacBook Pro with me, and am hoping that I can use iChat AV to talk to my kids at home on the iMac. I do have an extra iSight camera that I have hooked up to the iMac and can use in a pinch, but I really want to use the built in camera on the iMac. Any hints / ideas / suggestions on what to do for this problem would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

No, unfortunately that did not help. I did the following...
1. See if the issue is application-specific. - Nope. Camera is not recognized in any of the apps that it should be recognized in, I tested iChat AV, PhotoBooth, ImageCapture, and iMovie.
2. See if the issue is user-specific. - There's only one user account on this Mac, so I couldn't do that.
3. Find out if the computer recognizes the iSight. I went into System Profiler and checked the USB profiler, and the camera does not show up.
4. Reset SMC or PMU. These just looked like different ways of restarting, which I did multiple times.
I have also run my Software Updates (on OS 10.5, which I did with a clean install from an OS 10.5 DVD by the way) and still no camera. This problem started happening with the original OS 10.4 (which it came with) and I was hoping a clean install of the OS would help, but no.
I'm wondering if resetting the PRAM might help, but I can't remember those keys you hold down while restarting (was it Apple-Option-P-R ?) or if that is just reaching waaaaay back to the pre OSX days.
Here's the kicker though - if I plug in a FireWire iSight camera, all is well. I'm really hoping that the camera isn't jsut dead, but it's starting to look that way. Would Disk First Aid or maybe DiskWarrior help?

Built in isight camera no longer showing up or recognized

Hello there - I have a white 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac with a built in iSight camera, and the camera is no longer showing up, or is not recognized by the computer any longer. Very strange! The little green LED by the camera is not lit any longer, and the camera is not recognized any longer by Photo Booth, iChat AV, or any of the other apps that would use the camera. This is a real pain, because I am leaving for France in a couple days and am taking my MacBook Pro with me, and am hoping that I can use iChat AV to talk to my kids at home on the iMac. I do have an extra iSight camera that I have hooked up to the iMac and can use in a pinch, but I really want to use the built in camera on the iMac. Any hints / ideas / suggestions on what to do for this problem would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Sorry to tell you, you're in the wrong forum, this is for G5 PPC iMacs. You need to be [here|http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1110].

ISight-Cam-Status-LED

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