Upgrading 27inch display iSight camera

Given the amount of work and the risks I really don’t think its wise to even try. The difference is not that much to be beneficial, that’s assuming it would even work (I haven’t tried doing it).

I think you’ll find getting a clip on camera will be cheaper and offer even better performance!

Hi all, yes this is possible and quite easy. I’ve done it myself (installed the OEM FaceTime HD camera from a 27” Thunderbolt Display into a 27” Apple Cinema Display). Both displays are mechanically identical for the purposes of this tear down , and have the same opening and closing process. Both cameras use the same USB2 interface via a 5 pin flex cable. I bought a used camera from a Thunderbolt Display for a few dollars on eBay. And I followed the tear down process from iFixit to the point where I removed the camera from the Cinema Display, then installed the new camera with no modifications. They look identical, have the same connector and dimensions and attachments. I managed dust and installed the display panel and used suction cups to put the glass screen back in place.

Apple Thunderbolt Display Teardown

Follow Steps 1 to 6

Skip to step 16 for camera removal, dont remove the flex cable, just disconnect the camera

Install new camera with same screws

Steps 6 to 1 for reassembly

Following the steps above, I now have a Cinema Display that shows “Display iSight” for the installed camera (e.g., on Zoom camera settings) but returns a 1280x720 still and video which is an improvement of the 640x480 original. Interestingly device name seems to be a trait of the monitor it’s installed in. And performance seems fine. I have occasional single-frame blanking on the image itself, but I believe that’s a symptom of using it with a PC as I don’t get the same on a Mac.

To do this successfully, I bought the suction cup kit recommended in the teardown to take off the magnetically attached front glass, and used a driver kit to remove the display and connectors.

With these changes and attached to an Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Dock with a DP to MiniDP converter from Startech, my 27” LED Cinema Display is a great replacement for my Thunderbolt Display and has a longer life ahead of it (Display Port video, USB2 sound, camera & microphone supported broadly) vs the finicky TB displays