Pinhole Spy Camera

The pinhole spy camera is a recording device designed to a covert method of surveillance. It is hidden behind or inside objects viewing its surrounding through a hole between 1/6 to 1/2 and inch. The pinhole spy camera has a huge range of devices that include many different types of models with a whole array of features.  Some of my previous hubs have covered the basics of the pinhole camera but due to the extensive nature of this device i felt it deserved a hub of its own.

Many of the pinhole spy cameras specifications are stats can be a little tricky to understand and unless you have a technical mind or have knowledge relating to the area it is highly unlikely you will know what some of the stats mean. Here you will find detailed descriptions of what these stats are to make sure you understand what your getting for your money.

Pinhole spy camera generally come with three types of lenses, these are board, flat and conical. A Board lens requires the largest viewing hole at approximately 1/2". Although this makes is more visible it allows much more light to enter the device and a better picture to be developed that encompasses a wider field of view.

A flat lens is only really usable on items that have an extremely thin depth. An example of this would be a shirt or other piece of cloth.  They offer a middle of the range field of vision and can work in low light conditions.

Conical lenses have the smallest or should i say narrowest field of vision. These cameras however on require the tiniest of holes to record from, the shape of them allows the lens to be placed as close to the surface as possible, the closer the lens to the surface the wider its field of vision.

Most of the basic camera specification are easy enough to understand, such as

Sensor Mode: Black & White or Color
Power Rating: 9v or 12v

The majority of these rating are just simple such as the size of the device and establishing your personal preferences. However, some of the other more important specifications are a little more cryptic and more technical. One example of this is the Resolution, most camera will give this in TV lines. Most people are used to seeing resolutions such as 640 x 480. TV lines does not get anymore complex than this. 1TV line is equal to 1 pixel. So 500TV line rating would essentially be a 500 x 500 screen resolution.

When looking at pinhole cameras one of the most important stats to look at it the cameras lux rating. But what is it? Simple put the lux rating is a metric unit of measurement which describes the amount of light that falls on an object.

A 1.0 lux rating should be able to produce an image from the light provided by a candle roughly 3 feet away. Many cameras claim to be able to drop as low as 0.2 lux.

There is a big problem when it comes to lux rating. Yes the camera may be able to produce an image but the level of quality of that image is subject to a person opinion. A camera rating 1 lux may produce a much better quality picture than a camera rated 0.8lux.  This is a very dodgy are, th ebest advice i can give is to always under estimate your lighting conditions to make sure you always have a camera that is able to make an image.

Black and White vs Color cameras is thought to be a silly question. A lot of industry professional will always recommend color, this is maybe because it costs more but theres more to this than you may think.

Color camera require much better lighting conditions to create an image than black and white cameras. It is therefore advisable that if you camera is going to be used either outdoors where lighting conditions vary greatly or in a dark room go for black and white. If you can be sure your lighting conditions will be sufficient then get color.

Some of the more expensive pinhole spy cameras automatically adjust to black and white under certain lighting conditions but be prepared to pay a lot of extra money to get this feature.

Motion Detection
Pinhole spy cameras cannot detect motion, motion detection is one of the jobs of the recording device such as a high quality DVR. Normal recording devices like a VCR DVDR or a standard DVR wont have this function.

The Camera Doesn't Record!
A common mistake is to presume the camera itself is the recording device. The device can't record unless it is connected to a recording device. The camera acts like your own eyes and the recorder our brain which stores the information seen.

Viewing footage on PC's
All footage unless stated is in composite video, this means that to send it via the internet of other device it will have to be converted into digital footage first.

This video demonstrates the camera and allows you to gage its size its variety of uses.