Is there any such thing as a stealth camera?

[pianoplayer88key]

Do any stealth cameras exist? Basically what I mean, is you take a picture, and whoever is in the vicinity, or within sight of the camera, can't see the camera even though they're looking right at it.)
(I'd want it to at least have halfway decent image quality - basically what a low resolution (2mp, for example) point-and-shoot with modern sensor technology would have, for example.)

This could either be because:
1 - the camera is disguised as something else that's not normally known to have photographic capabilities.
2 - you take the pic indoors / at night when it's too dark to be able to see the camera
3 - you take the pic outdoors in the daytime when the subject is too far away to see the camera without binoculars. (It'd need to have enough zoom or resolution to get a 2 megapixel 3/4 portrait of a person.)

Is there any such thing? I think I've heard of category #1 type cameras, but what about #2 or #3?

P.S. this is NOT posted in "What Camera Should I Buy" because I'm not yet ready to buy one of these yet, and don't have any idea when I will be.

[fionndruinne]

A camera's got to look like a camera to have good image quality. The structure of a lens is such that if it's tiny, or flat, or whatever, it's not likely to be very good. Especially with any kind of zoom power. Take a look at cellphone cameras for example.

[pianoplayer88key]

My cell phone camera's quality would be acceptable for what I'd be looking to do with this. (It's a Motorola A1200. Also I think the iphone's camera would be ok, or the Nokia N95 (but it might be a little too much resolution)

[Turn]

I think the 1Ds Mark III would be small enough

[pianoplayer88key]

The 1DS is way overkill. I don't need 21 megapixels, clean images at ISO 6400, an F/1.2 lens, interchangeable lenses, etc.

At the largest, I'm thinking something no bigger than a 4-AA-powered LED bicycle headlight.

[fionndruinne]

If you want video, they make such things. There's not much call for still photography in such a format, though.

[jekostas]

Do any stealth cameras exist? Basically what I mean, is you take a picture, and whoever is in the vicinity, or within sight of the camera, can't see the camera even though they're looking right at it.)
(I'd want it to at least have halfway decent image quality - basically what a low resolution (2mp, for example) point-and-shoot with modern sensor technology would have, for example.)

This could either be because:
1 - the camera is disguised as something else that's not normally known to have photographic capabilities.
2 - you take the pic indoors / at night when it's too dark to be able to see the camera
3 - you take the pic outdoors in the daytime when the subject is too far away to see the camera without binoculars. (It'd need to have enough zoom or resolution to get a 2 megapixel 3/4 portrait of a person.)

Is there any such thing? I think I've heard of category #1 type cameras, but what about #2 or #3?

P.S. this is NOT posted in "What Camera Should I Buy" because I'm not yet ready to buy one of these yet, and don't have any idea when I will be.

No, because this is mostly considered not legal.



There is a reason why all camera phones sold in NA are required to have electronic shutter sounds.

[pianoplayer88key]

My phone has a way disable the shutter sound.

It doesn't matter, though. People can still see that there's a camera lens on it, so they can figure out that I may be taking a picture.



Also, why is it not legal? The FBI I'm sure has higher end versions of what I'm looking for, so it can't be illegal. It's not like I'm going to be taking nude photos of people through their bedroom windows, OMG!

[JLV]

You might want to look at the Minox DM1

[jetrim]

Do any stealth cameras exist? Basically what I mean, is you take a picture, and whoever is in the vicinity, or within sight of the camera, can't see the camera even though they're looking right at it.)
(I'd want it to at least have halfway decent image quality - basically what a low resolution (2mp, for example) point-and-shoot with modern sensor technology would have, for example.)

This could either be because:
1 - the camera is disguised as something else that's not normally known to have photographic capabilities.
2 - you take the pic indoors / at night when it's too dark to be able to see the camera
3 - you take the pic outdoors in the daytime when the subject is too far away to see the camera without binoculars. (It'd need to have enough zoom or resolution to get a 2 megapixel 3/4 portrait of a person.)

Is there any such thing? I think I've heard of category #1 type cameras, but what about #2 or #3?


Most of the ultra small cameras with special properties are video, not still, but you should be able to pull still frames off a video clip without too much hassle (seem like video would be better though). For long distance stuff, the are any number of point and shoot models w/ 18-20X zoom. beyond that, there are quite a few extra long lenses 600mm+ out there for DSLRs

But what if your intended subject has one of these?
http://www.dynaspy.com/images/laserdetector1.jpg
http://www.dynaspy.com/product_info.php?products_id=173

[Screenclutter]

I think the 1Ds Mark III would be small enough

Add a telephoto to this or any dSLR and lots of people won't know you've taken a picture of them. Most people aren't used to hearing a camera shutter.

[DonSchap]

Well, this is pretty killer small ...

39330 (http://www.dynaspy.com/product_info.php?products_id=28)

Can you imagine someone walking into your home ... and dropping one of these off? OMG ... enough already!

[Turn]

Add a telephoto to this or any dSLR and lots of people won't know you've taken a picture of them. Most people aren't used to hearing a camera shutter.

exactly, I was making a joke

har har

[Rooz]

i heard the lastest stealth camera is the shape of a can of coke. the lens is inside the can and as you tilt it up to take a sip it takes a photo via the base. you zoom in and out with your tongue. the best part is that after you complete your shoot it morphs into an x-wing fighter and you can fly back to your starship to PP the photos while having a coffee with obi, yoda and han solo.

[Rhys]

http://spymaster.co.uk/camera.html

[pianoplayer88key]

JLV....
if what I'd get isn't either extremely good in low light, or doesn't have an extremely long lens, I don't want it to look like a camera, or cell phone, etc.

Jetrim....
The vast majority of places I intend to use something like this, it's extremely unlikely for one of those to be there.


Screenclutter...
One of my criteria for a stealth cam is one that's not detected without electronic means, even if you're looking right at it (meaning looking at the photographer, for example). Not hearing the shutter sound would help, which is one reason a dSLR is not an option (mirror slap).


DonSchap.....
I've seen things similar to that. How good is the image quality in low light, compared to a point and shoot? (Obviously it won't have the 12 megapixels of a F100fd, but even 2 megapixels would be more than enough, and even 640x480 (0.3mp) i could make do with if i absolutely had to, so long as my subject almost filled the frame.


Rooz....
lol.... not quite what i was looking for... i don't need those extra features :D


Rhys....
other than their lack of mobility, those are more along the lines of what type of thing I'd be looking for - something that's not usually thought of as a camera, that has photographic capabilites. Thing is, I'd be using it on the go.
I seem to remember a couple years ago hearing about an in-watch camera, but it had like a 1/16" sensor and was like 128x96 resolution, and I'm sure ISO 50 on it was as noisy as ISO 51200 on a current ultrazoom, and the lens was probably 14mm (way too much wideangle for that low resolution) F/22.
(Edit... i didn't scroll down past the 1st 2 items on rhys' link before posting... some of those others might look interesting, if they can be used portably on battery power. Add a way to store the images to a 16GB SDHC card), and an intervalometer that'll shoot as fast as autofocus lag & the 266x card writing speed will let me, and I'm all set. Also, considering the low resolution (a little lower than VGA) are they fairly clean at ISO 1600 or 3200, or is the sensor small enough as to offset that?

[Margus]

Also, why is it not legal?
In my country it is illegal to record images or the talk of other people without them knowing. The reason is elementary personal privacy and it's quite understandable. Don't know about your country, however.
But ask yourself - how would you personally like the idea that someone is taking photos and videos of you without your permission and without you knowing about the existence of the camera? Or if someone is recording your phone calls and the morning chat of your family in your kitchen and living room? Sorry dude, but I don't understand your interest. Kind of sick.

[jekostas]

In my country it is illegal to record images or the talk of other people without them knowing. The reason is elementary personal privacy and it's quite understandable. Don't know about your country, however.
But ask yourself - how would you personally like the idea that someone is taking photos and videos of you without your permission and without you knowing about the existence of the camera? Or if someone is recording your phone calls and the morning chat of your family in your kitchen and living room? Sorry dude, but I don't understand your interest. Kind of sick.

Oh, don't worry. He's never actually going to buy anything.

[erichlund]

If you are looking for something to carry, then your capability is going to be very limited if want to truly disguise the camera. If you are able to mount the camera, then camouflage options increase greatly. On the other hand, now you have to consider ways to aim, zoom, focus and shoot. There are computer based security systems that can do this, but you are talking about a significant investment and the possibility that you need to modify the system to your specific need.

As others have said, it's, at the very least, rude to take stealth photos of people. If this is a security camera, that's another matter entirely. You have the right to protect your property. Another legitimate use would be for candid shots at an event, which would only be OK it the responsible adult population were made aware of it and did not object, and had a say in the retaining of any photos from the camera.

[Beowulff]

... you take a picture, and whoever is in the vicinity, or within sight of the camera, can't see the camera ...

As nobody else has yet asked (and I can see a legal minefield looming on the horizon), I'll ask the obvious question: Why — specifically — do you need this facility?

Cheers :)

[jetrim]

I seem to recall pp88key saying something about stuying to be a private investigator in the not too distant past.

There are a ton of gimmicky "stealth cameras" out on the market - just google [spy camera] - some work, some don't http://russianwomendiscussion.com/Forum/Smileys/classic/Huh.gif