Bodycam recommendations?

July 9, 2020 3:37 PM

I need a body cam I can trigger without others noticing. I am unable to get my cell phone out and start recording in time. I will only be using this body cam in situations where it is completely legal. I will not be posting any video to the internet, but I do want the body cam to stream to the cloud (privately) in case it is discovered and ripped off my body. I do not have unlimited funds for this purchase. Does anyone have a recommendation for a body cam that would work in this situation?
posted by KayQuestions to Technology (6 answers total)

You can build one from a Pi zero really easily and for next to nothing. Dunno if it fits all your needs but it sounds like a start...
posted by deeker at 3:45 PM on July 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Without rolling your own (see above), you're probably going to end up with something like this, which is frankly among the better options I've found. There's another one with more transparent pricing, but with a minimum order requirement of ten units.

You'll need to be wearing a jacket in order to pull it off with any aplomb; there are cables to route and antennae to hide.
posted by aramaic at 4:04 PM on July 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Search for "pen cam". There are self-contained video recorders that send to local storage, and aren't obviously cameras.
posted by sourcequench at 4:28 PM on July 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: or some very tiny action cams can be put in a 'dash-cam' mode where they are constantly recording in 5 minute clips and then if an incident occurs you can just go and pull the clip you need after the fact.

a polaroid cube with a portable usb battery would be really small and effective.
posted by exparrot at 8:03 AM on July 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: To clarify the question: I have no ability to build one as suggested by deeker. I am very impressed, though. I need something that comes already set up, where I press a button one time and it records continuously for about 30 minutes. If I have to give up something to get small size (I can't wear a jacket in this situation), it would be exporting the video via wireless/LTE link in real time. In searching "pen cam" I see eyeglasses that are combined with a pen cam. I think. This seems all very complicated. Can I just use an extra cellphone, stick it in my pocket with the camera facing out, and have it record continuously for 30 minutes? How do I make sure the camera stays on?
posted by KayQuestions at 9:11 AM on July 12, 2020

Best answer: If you need uploading to internet + you don't want complexity, then I think your best bet is a second cellphone + an appropriate app designed specifically for this use case.

e.g. If you wanted it for recording interactions with the police, ACLU has an app that does exactly what you want ACLU Mobile Justice. However it uploads and shares the videos with ACLU, which might not be what you want. (It's possible the app has a setting you could change that would fit your needs).

My guess is that you'll have trouble finding an app that does this for free, since there are real costs involved in offering users unlimited video uploads. But I'm pretty confident with some search on play store / apple app store you'll see several options you can pay for.
posted by vegetableagony at 8:44 AM on July 13, 2020 [1 favorite]