5 Best Wearable Cameras | 2019 Beneficial Buyer’s Guide

We’ve all seen the various science fiction, spy or crime movies where people infiltrate places with hidden cameras in their hats, glasses, ties or other such things. James Bond of course famously showed gadgets like cameras and/or microphones hidden in ink pens and other nondescript things. For a long time, these weren’t real, at least for the consumer market (you can bet the CIA and FBI had this technology for many years beforehand). Today, these are very real, and we’re going to look at some of the different approaches.

What is the best wearable camera? It is important that the device is well-camouflaged and does not arouse suspicions. At the same time, it should have a wide angle and record precisely what you need, say, the face rather than shoes of the person. Another essential aspect to consider is video resolution as it determines the quality of the footage. These devices often have very limited battery life, so if you need footage lasting for hours, make sure that the battery will not die in the heat of the moment. We believe that Brickhouse Security Eyeglasses fit these criteria best.

Why have we chosen this model? The eyeglasses are made of high-quality material and come with a fashionable frame so that you could wear them both with a suit and casual clothes. It looks natural because “the best-kept secrets are hidden in plain sight”. You may use the device hands-free and, more importantly, records videos at the face level. The product offers 1080p high-resolution footage allowing to capture details and an easy-to-use DVR.

This guide covers TOP-5 best wearable cameras that disguise themselves as a clip-on necktie, watch, pen, eyeglasses or a simple clip. You will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of each model as well as the features that differentiate them. You may take a look at a comparison chart featuring these products to facilitate your choice. Find out how spy cameras work and about appropriate and highly inappropriate uses of these. We are also going to talk about the ethical and legal ramifications of these because someone sure as heck needs to.

TOP-5 Best Wearable Cameras

Below, you will find a review of the TOP-5 best products at a price ranging from $40 to $170. They significantly differ in design so that you will pick an option based on your preference or needs, whether it is a watch, necktie, pen, or eyeglasses. These models have a different set of features, from high-definition 1080P video recording to the night vision function.

Body-Worn Necktie Hidden Camera | Brickhouse Security

So, this is probably one of the most “secret agent” things ever to exist, and yes, it does indeed work. This is a small camera that disguises itself as a convincing clip-on necktie. We had something like this during my days as a security officer, and I also used a version of this when I ran the arcade (we had a sign saying employees may have surveillance devices), so I can vouch that this concept does indeed work.

Features

• Resolution: 720x480 (decent, 720p at 4:3 aspect ratio)
• Memory: Onboard 16GB SD card.
• DVR: Yes, built-in.
• Battery Life: About 2 hours.
• Sound: No. Federal regulations don’t permit it.
• OS Compatibility: Windows and MacOS.
• Night Vision: No.

Performance

This is a decent enough device, but the problem is that the necktie it comes with is a bit shoddy and a bit dated in fashion. It doesn’t really fit a lot of uniforms or modern suits. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to replace the tie component if you know what you’re doing, and thus, this is recommendable where appropriate.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Decent video.
• Decent recording capacity.
• Easy to change the tie component.
• Not a bad price.

Cons

• Bad battery life.
• No Linux/Android support.
• No sound, due to legalities.

Conclusion

This is a recommendable enough device, all things said and done.

1080P Mini Body Camera | Lenofocus

This is something more like the body cameras that police wear, albeit much less sophisticated and rugged – their cameras are tough stuff to say the least. Like most of these public-marketed cameras, it does not allow sound recording, though covert sound recording devices also exist.

Features

• Resolution: 1080p, not half bad.
• Memory: Onboard 64GB SD card.
• DVR: Yes, built-in.
• Battery Life: About 4 hours.
• Sound: No. Federal regulations don’t permit it.
• OS Compatibility: Windows and MacOS.
• Night Vision: No.

Performance

This is a bit beefier than the necktie camera, but it’s also a lot more difficult to hide. You probably shouldn’t be hiding this, but rather just use it as an obvious body camera for security, employees and so on. For that, it works magnificently, and I’ve worked with something like it before.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Very affordable.
• Great resolution.
• Nice capacity.
• Quite durable.
• Removable memory.

Cons

• No Linux/Android support.
• No sound, due to legalities.
• Not very covert.

Conclusion

This is a less covert solution, but you probably shouldn’t be that covert, let’s be frank.

Price: Check the current price

Spy Pen Camera with Night Vision | Portocam

This pen camera is mainly useful as an added security measure in the same sense that surveillance cameras are. It’s just much less obvious, and as such, criminals are more likely to be caught as they assume they’re not being watched.

The downside is, if you actually spot it, it’s pretty obvious.

Features

• Resolution: 1080p, not half bad.
• Memory: Onboard 64GB SD card.
• DVR: Yes, built-in.
• Battery Life: About 4 hours.
• Sound: No. Federal regulations don’t permit it.
• OS Compatibility: Windows and MacOS.
• Night Vision: No.

Performance

For office or home security, this is a decent solution. One place I rented, I actually had one of these because I suspected my land lord of going into my space without notice nor permission, and rifling through my things. Sure enough, he was, and I wouldn’t have been able to prove it without a hidden camera like this.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Very affordable.
• Great resolution.
• Nice capacity.
• Removable memory.

Cons

• No Linux/Android support.
• No sound, due to legalities.

Conclusion

This is also a real pen, so if you’re slick and make sure suspects see you write with it, they’ll dismiss it all the more.

Price: Check the current price

Clear Eyeglasses HD Hidden Cam | Brickhouse Security

This is something like what we used to record those flea market trips, but honestly, I think the best use of these if for things where you just want convenient hands-free camera recording.

I’ve used something like this for urban exploration as well, just because I could be hands-free. Oddly, the ones we used did record sound, but now, these aren’t allowed to.

Features

• Resolution: 1080p, not half bad.
• Memory: Onboard 64GB SD card.
• DVR: Yes, built-in.
• Battery Life: About 4 hours.
• Sound: No. Federal regulations don’t permit it.
• OS Compatibility: Windows and MacOS.
• Night Vision: No.

Performance

This is very good for ensuring your safety by catching people in the act, or proving you were harassed. They also work well for just casual footage of a place in operation, for inspections, as people will largely ignore you, and your data will be accurate.

These are pretty fashionable, too. What’s your excuse, Google?

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Very affordable.
• Great resolution.
• Nice capacity.
• Removable memory.

Cons

• No Linux/Android support.
• No sound, due to legalities.

Conclusion

I recommend these for intra-office investigations and reviews, or for just hands-free camera use. Their disguise is less about being covert and more just looking like you don’t have a camera to steal.

2k HD Watch Covert Camera | Brickhouse Security

This is the other very “secret agent” concept. There is a real watch here, albeit not nearly as nice of one as it makes itself out to be. Of course not, it’s for recording footage, not being a durable and stately timepiece.

This is good for security use, mainly.

Features

• Resolution: 1080p, not half bad.
• Memory: Onboard 64GB SD card.
• DVR: Yes, built-in.
• Battery Life: 60 minutes.
• Sound: No. Federal regulations don’t permit it.
• OS Compatibility: Windows and MacOS.
• Night Vision: No.

Performance

I only see this being that useful for security or on-the-fly quick shots of something hard to catch. This isn’t very practical for long-term covert recording due to being attached to someone’s arm, and so it’d move around too much and even cause motion sickness.

But for a select few uses, this could actually be pretty handy.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Very affordable.
• Great resolution.
• Nice capacity.
• Removable memory.

Cons

• No Linux/Android support.
• No sound, due to legalities.

Conclusion

If you aren’t sure if a watch camera is the best idea, it probably isn’t. If it sounds like the ideal solution, it probably is. This is the most niche of these, all things said and done.

How Does a Wearable Camera Work?

The miniaturization of camera technology for the consumer market owes its origins to the cameras placed in PDAs and cell phones, all the way back to the late 90s. Of course, these early compact cameras had garbage resolution and frame rates, but this has improved dramatically in the past fifteen or so years.

Wearable cameras are built from the same basic technology a smartphone camera uses, and often has similar microphone technology as well. They generally use either button cell batteries, or a compact rechargeable lithium ion battery of the same basic technology phones use. They usually have a compact SD card storage either internal or removeable as well.

The difference is that this technology isn’t put in a phone, tablet or handheld gaming device. Rather, it’s placed in a disguised case that can make it look like any number of things. These disguises can include hats, glasses, neckties, jewelry, watches, ink pens or generic forms easy to integrate into other things readily.

Dumping the data is usually done via USB, or by removing the storage device, and reading it directly. Most of these devices have a finite battery life due to being so compact, seldom more than a few hours, often about an hour on the nose. They tend to get a remarkably good amount of resolution, though the price escalates nearly logarithmically as the resolution and storage capacity increases in most cases.

Beyond that, they’re really just run of the mill compact digital camcorder.

How to Use a Wearable Camera?

We’re going to look at three basic points with this section, because with this kind of technology, we’re treading precariously on the fine line of right to privacy, at least in the Americas, Europe and Asia. In other words, there are appropriate uses of these, and highly inappropriate uses of these.

Inappropriate Uses

One set of inappropriate uses of these are in most public spaces, recording people without their knowledge or consent. This also applies to using them to record private property when invited as a guest. Recording private citizens in this manner, without their knowledge nor their consent is not only inappropriate and unethical, it is severely illegal in most developed nations.

Ethically Dubious Uses

These may or may not be illegal, as the technicalities with this are confusing, and in some countries such as the US, vary from one township to the next, which is just crazy. Use of these devices to secretly record interactions with employees, such as is very common with YouTube personalities who do secret shopping, isn’t outright inappropriate, but is dubious to say the least.

If the privacy of employees is preserved in these cases, however, most would agree it’s somewhat “okay” to do this, as being sneaky like this is the only way to candidly capture this sort of thing. In my personal experience stories, one such use like this will come up.

Very Appropriate Uses

Sometimes, it’s okay to secretly record situations. In the workplace, provided there is some sign generally showing that surveillance exists, using these to candidly catch employees misbehaving is acceptable. This is also acceptable when doing “secret shopper” investigations within a company, especially if some document employees sign upon accepting a job, in some way, states that this may happen.

It’s also appropriate to use these if you have been repeatedly mistreated as a customer, to capture employees doing so, to report them to their superiors, as long as the video isn’t made public and thus compromising privacy rights. This is also acceptable for a guaranteed tamper-proof recording of police or security personnel being violent or inappropriately disrespectful, or in catching an abusive family member in the act. When criminal activity like this is being thwarted, covert recordings stop violating rights, and become something known as “evidence”.

What to Look for When Buying a Wearable Camera

These all work more or less the same way, but their form factor affects just how well-camouflaged they actually are. Their capacity and battery life are also crucial, depending on what you’re recording and for how long.

That in mind, let’s take a look at some things to consider before you buy one of these – even cheap ones aren’t truly cheap, after all.

• Environment – Where are you going, and what are you trying to seem like, when you use this? Obviously, if you’re in a very casual setting, a necktie is going to stand out like a sore thumb, as might an ink pen or pocket-residing camera. Also, be careful with something like a watch, as the environment will damage it – these are not really quality watches, they are cameras, and won’t be as durable as a military or diving watch.

• Battery Life – Remember, these often have very limited battery life, so if you’re going to be recording for a very long period of time, and can’t sneak off to swap out a battery or recharge, you may need to get a couple different styles of camera that you can simultaneously wear, which have decent capacity, so when one dies, you can casually turn the other on.

• Recording Quality – Depending on what the video is for (remember our discussion of propriety here), you may or may not need really high resolution, and the storage capacity to support such. If it’s for evidence (court-legal or otherwise), this is actually somewhat less of a concern.

My Personal Experience with Wearable Cameras

I have no actual precautionary tales with this sort of thing, as I feel our brief discussion of when these are and aren’t acceptable to be used, covers that well enough. But, three little examples of times I’ve used them do show good examples of when you’re not being a creep or criminal by using one of these.

The first is my dubious use. I used to accompany a friend to flea markets in the southern California area, as he hunted for video game collectibles. A lot of the sellers wouldn’t deal with people with cameras, despite there being no rules against them. They would just not cooperate very well, or would lie when they knew the world was watching.

He has a hat with a camera, and I had a pair of glasses with them, and while it made for some somewhat low-quality footage that was shaky as hell, it always got us real footage with the sellers being genuine. We always blurred out the faces of other patrons, especially children, so we felt we weren’t being untoward. No seller ever came to us after the videos hit YouTube, actually complaining, and the owners of the flea markets, when they found out, never tried to stop us.

Another was about a year later, same eyeglass camera. I temporarily lived in a low-income area of LA (I knew it was temporary at the time, much to my relief). I honestly never had any run-ins with “rabble” as the local residents were either antisocial or actually rather friendly. The cops in the area, however, just got untold joy from harassing people unprovoked, no matter who they were.

This was before the body cam laws for police, so I took to wearing my glasses, and archiving the footage of them harassing me or my neighbors. After a while, I turned it in, and those police actually lost their jobs. This is an example of catching crime negating any ethical ambiguity it would otherwise have.

Finally, when I worked security at a mall some time before these, we had necktie cameras that went without uniforms. They actually weren’t as sophisticated nor compact as the example in this list, but we used them for the same reasons police no wear body cameras. To ensure we weren’t abusing our power, and to ensure our safety as well as to always get crimes on “tape”.

FAQ

What is the best wearable camera?
Probably the pocket camera or the eyeglasses.

Can it record conversations?
No, federal regulations prohibit this. Oddly, back when we were using this kind of thing, they did record sound, so these regulations are a fairly new thing it would seem.

Are these wearable cameras able to record videos at night?
There do exist versions of the technology that can, but they generally aren’t common due to the computing power that needs – computing power not present in such a compact device.

Do these devices come with an SD card?
Some do, some don’t, though they all use compact flash (SD technology) for storage.

Can a wearable camera be connected to my smartphone?
Some can but not usually. This would require Bluetooth which is hell on battery life, to say the least.

Pros & Cons of Using Wearable Cameras

Pros

• This is excellent for appropriate candid surveillance, such as monitoring employees for surprise inspections or reviews. They think they’re just dealing with a customer, and as a result, you’ll see how they’re treating customers.
• This is also great for keeping law enforcement and security personnel honest, as they never know when they may be recorded, and this technology is usually required for them to wear as well. The abuse of power in security and law enforcement has been a big problem in recent years – truth be told, it’s always been a problem, but instant news has really made us aware. While most law enforcement and security people are good people who just want to help maintain order, there’s a bad apple in every barrel, right?
• While you should use discretion with this, it’s the only way you’re going to get amateur footage of places like storefronts and so on, without the Heisenberg uncertainty principle causing associates and employees to act out of the norm.
• It’s a good safety precaution in some cases, as I myself learned when I lived in that shady neighborhood.
• If you have a good enough camera, it’s a good way to shoot honest footage without worrying about the interviewee or actor staring at the camera (not looking at the camera is a crazy hard thing to do).

Cons

• Privacy is a big problem with this kind of thing. There are presently no laws in most places regulating the purchase and wearing of these devices, only the right of people to demand they not be recorded if they become aware of the camera’s presence. This presents very Orwellian concerns.
• If you’re not sure if it’s okay to use this technology, it probably isn’t. But, determining the ethical semantics with something like this is a real landmine to say the least.
• Technically-speaking, these are limited in battery life, picture quality and durability as well.

Conclusion

Use your best judgment, and consult laws before any use of this technology. There are positive uses of them, but there are just as many unethical or outright illegal uses as well. If you have a good reason for this technology, we are confident that one of these will suit your needs.