[Etnier]

I'm considering a Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision or Fusion to add to my AL iMac: the fixed camera position on the iMac limits it.

WIll these cameras work?

[Cold Warrior]

Sometimes they do. Check out macam, which does a good job of making many webcams work with OS X. It's free too.
macam 0.9.1 - MacUpdate

I use macam's quicktime component, and it lets me use my logitech quickcam pro on Skype 2.7b with an older Mac.

[Etnier]

Thanks. This is a big help!

[CharlesS]

What you need is a camera that is UVC compliant. UVC cameras will work with your iMac - non-UVC cameras will not. Check this page:

Answer

The rightmost column, "UVC Supt." is what you should look at. Get a camera that has that box checked, and it should work in OS X and in iChat without drivers.

Don't rely on macam for drivers - it'll work okay if you're using something like Skype, but iChat for some reason is picky about the cameras it supports, and you won't be able to get it to work with a non-UVC camera without using a hack that may compromise your stability and that will probably stop working in a future version of Mac OS X.

[Etnier]

Thanks for this as well.

[DocMacPS]

Only the 9000 Pro Logitech model is a SURE BET. It was only made with a single part # and it's UVC compliant. For the half dozen others you have to cross reference part #'s, serial #s because some of the IDENTICALLY NAMED, IDENTICALLY LOOKING webcams were made with different internal parts! Most people can't be bothered trying to decode the geeky chart at Logitech's site. With the advent of UVC - Universal Video Class USB webcams - finding a Mac compatible web cam will be alot easier. If you've got USB 2.0 ports & OS X Tiger 10.4.9+ or Leopard 10.5 you have native support for UVC webcams - no drivers needed. But finding UVC webcams is tricky. There's a short-list of IT JUST WORKS models at http://www.mac-compatible-web-cam.com This long-standing MESS of trying to find working cams will soon be a thing of the past. A Modern Mac + Modern OS + USB 2.0 + UVC webcam = Happy Video Chatting.

[aepple]

I just purchase a logitech camera for my leopard run power book 17' and it works great. i took the camera out of the box, plug it in, restarted my powerbook... and it was ready to go.

[Cadaver]

Apple sells a couple of different models in the Apple stores, and I think they sell some through their website, too (but too lazy to check). I was at my local Apple store over the weekend and saw someone buying a Logitech cam along with a Mac Pro and a 20" (I think) display.