Many years have passed, and there still hasn't been a webcam with such a refined and elegant design as Apple's iSight . However, for obvious reasons, it's currently an unattractive solution. So why not use a Raspberry Pi Zero to upgrade it and give it higher image quality?
PiSight, the webcam you'll want on your computer
Apple's iSight camera has been considered by many to be one of the company's best-designed products. This webcam was revolutionary in its time, both aesthetically and in terms of image quality . Thanks to its FireWire connection, it offered faster data transfer, resulting in much smoother video.
The problem is that Apple did not continue updating it and when the rest of the manufacturers began to launch models with higher resolution and capacities, it stopped making sense. To this was added that the company itself began to add webcams to all its laptops, iMacs and even its screens for those who used a Mac mini or Mac Pro.
However, some people still use the iSight as a webcam today. Of course, they've updated it to offer higher image quality. How have they achieved this? Quite simply, by using a Raspberry Pi Zero and the official camera for the Raspberry Pi. This is how PiSight was born.
How to build your own PiSight
If you liked the idea of ​​upgrading your Apple iSight camera to have your own PiSight, here's everything you'll need . To start, you'll need one of Apple's webcams, which you can find secondhand on eBay or other buy-and-sell platforms.
Once you have it, you'll also need a Raspberry Pi Zero and its official camera. These two things are easy to find, as the Raspberry Pi Zero costs only €26 on Amazon and the official camera around €30. The rest are a series of additional components that you can find on the GitHub page created by Max Braun, the author of this project.
With all the materials and components in your possession, the only thing you have to do is empty the interior of the Apple iSight and be left with only what you will need: the outer casing. From there and with the use of a 3D printer you create a part that will allow you to hold the Raspberry Pi Zero and its camera.
With all of this done, the only thing left to do is install and configure the software that allows you to use the Raspberry Pi Zero as a webcam on any computer. To do this, simply follow the instructions that Max Braun also shares on his GitHub page. If you've done other Raspberry Pi projects, you'll know it's not complicated.
Once done, you will not only have one of the coolest webcams, but also a device that improves video quality. Although for quality nothing better than using a camera from one of the manufacturers that offer support to use them as a webcam after installing its own Driver and the camera to a computer via USB.