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Video Camera Glasses

SIY

SIY

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Technical Expert
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I got a crazy idea of documenting some development and construction projects with video. For this, a nice hands-free POV-capable setup would be incredibly helpful. In doing a preliminary look, almost anything of quality seemed to only come in sunglasses style (and electronics construction is very much an indoor sport). And to a novice like me, the online reviews seem all over the map.

So I thought I would turn to this community of technogeeks and ask for advice and recommendations. I don't need too much "smart" capability (e.g. Siri or Alexa) or built in viewing screens, just good quality video that I can dump onto my computer after I'm done recording and suitable for indoor bench use.

Suggestions?
 
I mean cops wear body cams, but yeah a lightweight gopro style camera is probably how to go.
 
SIY said:
Can those be worn without getting in the way?
Click to expand...

Something like this should do the job:

1714526703818.png


Seriously, do you really want POV? It would be really jarring to a viewer. Why not a camera mounted above your bench/table looking down from a fixed point. It would be stable while you poke around and build chit.
 
restorer-john said:
Seriously, do you really want POV?
Click to expand...
Yes.

One concern is performance in less than massively bright light- what's the spec I look for to tell me if it will resolve what's going on underneath a board or between tube sockets without direct flood lighting readjusted for every bit of the chassis I'm working in?
 
SIY said:
Yes.

One concern is performance in less than massively bright light- what's the spec I look for to tell me if it will resolve what's going on underneath a board or between tube sockets without direct flood lighting readjusted for every bit of the chassis I'm working in?
Click to expand...
Your best bet will be to have a light attached to it so that when you move it moves. Ability to see in low light is a combination of lens speed, and sensor size. Neither of those are going to be spectacular in any kind of small format. Good rule of thumb would be the camera on your phone is a best case scenario approximation of where your expectations should be.
 
312elements said:
Good rule of thumb would be the camera on your phone is a best case scenario
Click to expand...
That's actually pretty good. I'd be happy with that, I just need it to be able to do POV without the camera accidentally banging into a transformer or (worse) an output tube.
 
sam_adams said:
Seriously. Nobody wants to watch a maker video that includes one hunting around under the workbench for that screw that just dropped on the floor.
Click to expand...
That's why God invented editing. :D
 
+1 for a GoPro if you want actual good quality video. The lenses are very "fisheye" / wide because it makes action sports POV look like you're going fast, but other than that they are popular for a reason. I avoided getting one for a long time but the quality and usability are simply quite good, the budget options are simply not very good in comparison, I've found. And you can get all sorts of head, chest, necklace-style or other straps.

Low light performance is also pretty good on the recent models.

They should be pretty easy to find secondhand, and you can probably buy with confidence as long as they don't appear damaged, since they're built to be used by people flinging themselves down mountains and off ramps and such.

The only drawback is the sound on a GoPro is not very good, but I think you can get wireless mics for them if that's an issue.
 
How about spywear glasses with good resolution ?


-will be of least interference.
-will record exact area of interest as your eyes sees it
- will have less to and fro motion compared to side attached camera
- with proper (ambient) lighting on object, detailed recording can be done even with budget camera.
- surrounding people will be less suspicious of the activity :)

Regards
 
restorer-john said:
Seriously, do you really want POV? It would be really jarring to a viewer. Why not a camera mounted above your bench/table looking down from a fixed point. It would be stable while you poke around and build chit.
Click to expand...
Agree. Don't body mount. Look up the Lockpickinglawer for a good example.
 
How about I duct tape a GoPro (there's a few floating around here) on my head tomorrow and see what it looks like when working on a piece of gear? Just normal lighting.
 
Hiten said:
How about spywear glasses with good resolution ?


-will be of least interference.
-will record exact area of interest as your eyes sees it
- will have less to and fro motion compared to side attached camera
- with proper (ambient) lighting on object, detailed recording can be done even with budget camera.
- surrounding people will be less suspicious of the activity :)

Regards
Click to expand...
Something like that with higher resolution/frame rate would be ideal; I don't care about the "hidden" part, but the other aspects of form factor are almost ideal. (Unfortunately, the brand isn't given in that video and their Amazon link doesn't work)
 
Amazon USA shows good number of results. Search '4k HD glasses camera'. Is brand important ?
Ignore my hidden feature note. My failed attempt at humor. :facepalm:
 
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