Hidden Cameras
 

Hey,

Where's the best place to buy hidden cameras, and remote microphones? I'm looking to do prank type things...where girls walk up to guys and put the moves on them (more as a humor thing, to laugh about - than as a website).

How do you transmit the video from the camera on them, back to a receiver / camera? As well as audio?

Do they hidden cameras store it, or transmit it? Basically I'm clueless, send me in the right direction someone!

Thanks,
Kevin

x10.com mini wireless batter powered cameras, i used to use it in my frat during parties...works awesome they cost like $99 bucks for 2 cameras...great shit

Ahhh, cool. I want to do this in remote (by remote, I mean not around a PC) locations. I have a Cannon ZR40 digital video camera...is there any way to transmit to this, and record like that? I'll need some kind of receiver to attach to it, is this possible?

Basically going to public locations, having a friend walk up to strangers and so something stupid, with a small camera on him / her taping the whole thing (audio/video) and transmitting back to me (20+ feet away, where they don't see me).

you need releases on the people that get videotaped.

dont play with fire, by not getting them

Not planning on publishing it anywhere, like a website...more of something for me and a few buddies to watch at home "oh man that was great, haha" and have a few laughs over. Just an entertainment piece...

more of something for me and a few buddies to watch at home

___________________________________________

That doesn't absolve you from the need for a release. :1orglaugh

Why do I get the feeling there is something more to this?

Hidden camera work isn't that easy to do, regardless of what the "spy" websites might have you believe. Not only do you have to have an effective rig that will pass casual inspection, it has to be handled properly- technique is more important than gimmacks.

Anyway, what you're talking about is a "body transmitter and field recorder" setup. The field recorder can be any camcorder that has AV line-in capability, meaning it has a VCR mode and has RC phone jacks for audio and video connections. To this, you attach the receiver's audio and video out lines.

Receiver will most likely be 12 volt DC (as well as the transmitter), so you'll need power sources for both. 1 or 2 amp/hour gel cells will work just fine.

On the working end, you'll need a remote camera head. Here you have a number of choices and it will be difficult to decide on a winner out of the gate. The lens is the first variable to consider.

You can go with a pinhole lens for the most covert, hard-to-spot setup. I'm talking a hole the size of this: <BIG>.</BIG> to peer out from the gimmack (the concealing object- such as a purse, baseball cap, tie clasp, etc). However, there is a trade off in going for an (almost) undetectable camera front. The pinhole lens has a fixed-on-infinity focus (where everything is equally a bit out of focus), there's a minor fisheye effect and they require a lot of lighting (small aperture you know).

Another lens choice is the 1/3" turrent mount. This offers the option of different focal lengths, typically 8mm, with about a 70 degree field of view, being the default. Focus must be preset but will give you a very clear picture within the depth of view once it has been attained (an 8mm lens has a forgiving depth of about 2 feet when set for a distance of 5 feet, so things are in sharp focus from 4 to 6 feet away). The lens itself is best mounted on a shiny black surface, where it tends to blend in.

The professional option is a C or CS mount. This is where you'll buy the camera head without the lens and choose a specific lens assembly to go onto it. There are a LOT of options within this category, including zoom and vari-focusing capabilities. Stay clear of this as a beginner but study it, if you do decide to get serious with it, this is really the way to go.

Next, is what the lens is mounted on. This has three choices as well. I'll discuss the board cam first, which is basically a bare printed circuit board with the imager chip mounted on one end of it. Sometimes there are two or three boards joined together with ribbon cable. The advantage with these is being able to configure the boards into different arrangements to suit the gimmack that encloses it. However, they're recommended for the handyman that has a kissing acquaintance with a soldering gun, because a lot of DIY is required to mount these and prevent shorts on the exposed circuitry, etc.

Next, there's the enclosed camera head assembly. These are best for the novice, since they are usually plug-n-play setups and only require mounting in the gimmack. Main consideration here is to ensure that you hook positive and negative correctly on the power supply, get them wrong and the camera is fried.

Finally, there's the professional camera head, they'll almost always have C or CS lens mounts and the video out won't be a RC phone jack. But they will have connections to control the lens assemblies that have focus and zoom capabilities.

The main consideration in the camera unit is the effective lines of resolution. Avoid the low end, 320-360, they'll be a disappointment. Try for 400 or better. Black and white is best for low light situations, can be IR enhanced in no-light situations and will generally offer more line of resolution than color. Also, color cameras have a great deal of variation on rendering color. If you go for color, go for the high end, cheaper won't do it.

Oh, and stay with CCD imagers. Though CMOS is cheaper, it's still a developing technology and the image isn't all that great yet.

Transmitter/receiver choices are many. For a body wire, stay away from 2.4 Gh, the water in the body really limits the range at that frequency. Better is 1.2 Gh and best is 900 Mh, though the last one is difficult to find a field receiver for since it's expected that one will use channel 59 on a cable ready TV for reception.

Let's see, that about covers it. Keep in mind that if the camera is on the person playing the prank, you're going to only see the subject of the prank and not get an overview of the situation. Oh, and if you really want to get some serious information from some practicing experts at this, check out http://www.iiiii.com/webnews/ where they've gone on at length for years about this stuff.

E-mail Romeo @candidcam.com

He has set up hundreds of them

:thumbsup :thumbsup

delta one niner...the Moral Cops are comming into this thread..calling for backup..:1orglaugh :1orglaugh

eh, could you expand on that a bit? :eek7

:) http://www.supercircuits.com/

Actually, I believe it does, since there's no money and no public performance involved.

Not to mention that's completely irrelevant since it sounds like he's doing it in public places, where no release is needed anyway.

Cheers,
Backov

lol

back up has arrived....
let discuss fake snuff sites and the merits of anti-semitism.......

can someone get [Labret} out of the can for a bit and let him know the thread is here...
that is all...move along folks, nothing else to see here, move along........

You guys are thick...this doesn't have anything to do with porn or adult material. We're talking going into malls, and asking stupidass questions to people, sometimes known as "pranks" (not getting up-skirt shots or something).

Also, FiveEyes, very nice response. GREATLY appreciated. If you could drop me an ICQ or AIM, I'd be greatly appreciative.

Also, fiveeyes, could you recommend some places on searching / shopping / finding more informatoin on the "body transmitter field recorder" setup?

Anybody have any idea where I could purchase some of this equipment, or an estimate on how much it might cost?

I order all my cams/ equipment from a company called ADI. Let me know what area you're from and I'll give you the 800 # to call. Just tell them what you are looking for and they'll point you in the right direction. http://www.adilink.com not sure if they'll have what you're looking for online but it's worth a shot, If not call em up.

:thumbsup

Ace-Ace, sorry, I don't do ICQ, AIM, IRC, etc. I type slowly and find that method of communication gets me very uptight. If you want to call and talk with me, I'm at 888-828-4929.

As far as more information on the subject, my reference to http://www.iiiii.com/webnews/ will work and membership is a trivial $15/year. Not only is there an active message forum that discusses the latest in technology, but there are complete archives that go back 5 years. You'll find about equal focus on what doesn't work as what does, as well as involved discussions on the legal and ethical aspects of hidden cameras.

As far as sources go, you can't get much better than SuperCircuits, both in price and offerings. Their descriptions and ratings are generally accurate (which cannot be said of most all "spy" offerings) and they'll also help to assemble a custom configuration, usually with off-the-shelf components at retail cost.

As a bit of cautionary advice- when you are within a shopping mall, you are NOT on public property, it is legally considered private property with public access. And keep in mind that shopping centers have had a great deal of problems with hidden cameras in recent years, what with upskirteers, cameras being placed within public restrooms and changing rooms being compromised (their own security being found to do these things at times!) Also, the recent emphasis on terrorist threats has security heightened in these locations and anything out of the ordinary can, and usually will, result in unpleasentness (being detained for questioning, escorted out, having equipment consficated, up to being arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace).

When you walk into a 7-11 they have posted on the front door before you enter, that they use live survellience. I beleive the same goes for hidden cameras at your house. Better safe than sorry. Get some kind of warning or disclaimer and hang it in view of all who enter you home. Just an idea.

:thumbsup

Again, this isn't for survellience - more for fun. One of the ideas was having one of my girl friends go up to one of my guy friends and act like she wants him, and pulls the old "I'm bored, wanna go fuck?" type scenario. With him believing it, and her leading him on...it could make for some great entertainment! :)

Fiveeyes, I'm looking around that Super Circuits site. Basically what I'll need is some type of camera (with a wire), a transmitter (900 mhz I guess is fairly good), and then a receiver (which will plug RCA -> digital camcorder to record) -- correct?

Correct.

First, make certain that your camcorder is capable of AV line-in. If it can record from a VCR, it'll work as your field recorder. You can use the flip screen or view finder to monitor the image in this mode.

The receiver will connect to the camcorder, either directly or with standard AV cords. The receiver will require a 12 volt power supply, such as http://www.supercircuits.com/STORE/p...item=2&mitem=7.

You may want to go with a complete package, such as http://www.supercircuits.com/STORE/p...tem=3&mitem=17 where you have a ready-to-use cell phone dummy and matching receiver. Check to make sure the recever is 12 volt operation before going that route though.

Oh, and I failed to mention a very serious point here (doh!)- 900 Mh is a restricted Amateur Band and, legally, you require at least a No-Code Technician's License from the FCC to operate equipment that uses it. However, the limited range of the units offered would rarely result in a complaint. But the penalties for getting caught using it w/o a license if a complaint is filed can be pretty stiff.

So you take your chances, or you get the license, or you can safely stick with 2.4 Gh equipment, which can be used for a body wire, just not as effectively.

Hmmm, alright. Thanks for the information, very much appreciated. My camera has an AV jack (I've used it for output, works fine) not sure if it'd work for input or not. Here's the camera:

http://www.bestbuy.com/Detail.asp?m=...at=&e=11099525

From the specs: "Line Input Recording - No". Meaning it isn't suitable for a field recorder, sorry. :(