The j5create JVCU100 1080p webcam is one I picked up years ago in 2019, to use with my Mac Pro 3,1 back then. After spending a few minutes exploring a curiosity and going through the entire process of decoupling it from my main desk setup, I found out it actually works on PowerPC Macs!
.
.
As it turns out, this is old news – the website says it’s compatible as far back as Mac OS X 10.4.11 in particular. Interestingly, it says it requires at least Windows 8 if you’re using Microsoft’s OS, an operating system which was released a whole 6 years after Mac OS X Tiger.
.
Specs
- Connection: USB 2.0 Type-A, DC5V/160 mA ±6 mA (4.92 ft. (150 cm)
. - LED Indicators: Red = device is receiving power, Green = Camera is active
. - Optical: 1/2.9” Image Sensor with Auto Shutter
. - Field of View: 82°
. - Total Effective Resolution: 1932 (Horizontal) × 1088 (Vertical)
. - Protocol: UVC 1.0/1.1/1.5 & UAC, driver-free
. - Sensor: 2 Megapixels, with Low light enhancement
. - Mic: Built-in “high-fidelity” microphone
. - H x W x D: 2.09 in. (5.3 cm) x 4.02 in. (10.2 cm) x 2.11 in. (5.35 cm)
. - Weight: 110g
. - Output Formats: H.264, MJPEG, YUV2
- H.264 and MJPEG: Up to 1080p30
- YUV: Up to 640 x 360
- MPEG-4 AVC (Advanced Video Coding)
.
System Requirements
- Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger or Later (confirmed)
. - Microsoft Windows 8 or Later
. - Chrome OS™ with UVC support
. - Works with: LINE®, Zoom®, Facebook® messenger, Skype®, joinme®, RingCentral® , Amazon® Chime™, ClickMeeting™, BlueJeans®, GoToMeeting®, Adobe® Connect™, Microsoft® Teams.
.
Full resolution view in Leopard
To see a full resolution image of your webcam in Mac OS X Leopard, you’ll want to download an alternative app to take pictures with such as UVC Camera Control for Mac OS X. This app was made by Dominic Szablewski in 2009, and allows you to change some settings with your camera:
- Auto Exposure on/off
. - Exposure time duration
. - Auto white balance on/off
. - White balance and gain settings
Photo Booth
You get less of the widescreen effect in Photo Booth, but the image still looks okay. Photo Booth makes the image look more pixelated than when using CameraControl. Unfortunately I can’t get the webcam to record video using the ScreenFlow app, it just keeps crashing even if it’s able to produce a view finder image.
Cheap and abundant on ebay
Although I bought one of these ~$50 brand new in 2019, the second one for the Power Mac G5 was $12 shipped! I think it’s a really good value for a quality camera which could be used on a 2000s era PowerPC Mac or even an early intel system.
In Conclusion
As our beloved Apple gear ages, new devices are made and sold by companies which may happen to be compatible with our older Macs. While app compatibility can be hit or miss, you can modernize your PowerPC Mac a pinch without overspending, with this sleek looking webcam.
.
