The Tactical Head Cam is similar to that used by the military or police, its a head worn camera that sees what you see. No delayed reaction time to seeing something, for example; lets say your investigating on your own in a small area you have in your hands a camcorder, a flashlight your EMF meter is on the ground, you hear something from behind you and you turn to look, where is the camcorder facing? Is it still in front of you is it filming the EMF meter? Where ever the camcorder is facing it wasnt seeing what you saw as soon as you saw it did it?

Theres been variations of Helmet cameras and such in the past but this model removes the bulkiness and introduces a far more comfortable alternative to real time reaction video footage.

The model Im using came from Spy Gadgets.com (click here to see more of what they have to offer)

Camera Specifications:

Image Sensor - High Resolution, 1/3" DSP, CCD (Sony EX-View Super HAD)
Effective Pixels - NTSC:768(H) x 494(V) PAL:752(H) x 582(V)
H. Resolution - 580 TV Lines(NTSC)/ 520 TV Lines (PAL)
Min. Illumination - 0.1 Lux

Click Here For Photo



Paul

After further research and taking the camera apart I decided that there was simply to much risk in modifying the camera and removing the IR Filter, unlike some cameras the filter it attached to the CCD Chip housing and removing it can cause damage. So I had to look into different cameras now I found one that already allowed for nightvision however it is approx twice the size of the original bullet camera. This means it will not fit in the headset so I now I needed to modify that, fortunately I had the idea that a microphone holder would do the trick but I now needed to find a way to attach it, with a little ingenuity I was able to put something together that works perfect (even if I do say so myself).

Anyway, here's the photos cant wait to get this out in the field:





I love it what a plan comes together...

I recently saw a question concerning the size of this camera which asked why not use a pin hole camera. The answer is very simply, QUALITY. The original camera that came with the headset was whats known as a lipstick camera ie its the size of a lipstick BUT I couldnt get it to work nightvision, so I looked into other cameras the best I found for both quality and cost was the camera I currently use. which is a high resolution nightvision camera with IR LEDs, the best pin hole cameras are only 320lines and where as some are nightvision the distance they cover is minimal and not worth using.

Whats the point of using a camera if the quality of picture is rubbish?

So hopefully that covers a few of the comments concerning the whys and wherefores of the POV camera

Hi Paul,
I was just wondering if there are any new developments with the tactical head-cam? I am very excited about this new idea, but had a couple of questions... First off, what kind of media does it record to and how long can you record for? Also, I am a bit concerned about the illumination. Do you have any ideas how to further aid the on board IR LEDs for a brighter picture? Sometimes I go a little over-board, but I like my videos super-lit-up with infrared. I always use at least 1 or 2 IR illuminators with my Sony handycams. Thanks!
-Craig

Distance wise not bad, it could do with more illumination for out doors. I have been using it while investigating with GHI.

I actually run it to a portable DVR I bought from Hong Kong on ebay, it cost me $89 and records in HD onto an 8gb card, it also has a 4" screen for playback (or for me to put movies onto it and watch while im on the plane)

Im thinking of building a small unit to hook onto the other side of the headset that would have additional IR illumination. But thats just in the thinking stage right now

Right on, that all sounds pretty cool. If at all possible, do you think that you could upload a test video shot with your tactical camera sometime? That would be great... I would love to see how it currently looks shooting in an indoor environment. I'm still pretty impressed that a camera that small can take good IR video. Thanks Paul!