Review: Swann PenCam

Posted by Bengaul

September 1, 2009

Overview:

Have you ever thought you might like to record the conversation you had with a colleague regarding the idea you could have sworn you said you had, but has somehow became a co-workers? Or perhaps would like to know who keeps stealing your Post-It notes. Maybe you would like to have the verbal quote the builder gave you on record? All this is now possible with the Swann PenCam DVR-421, a ball point pen that contains a secret camera. The version I have for review is the Gold 2GB model, but there is a 4GB Silver model as well. Quite simply, you can put this pen in your pocket, and record all that is going on around you for surveillance purposes, or simply for a laugh.

box

Review:

The Swann PenCam comes packed with a USB cable, three spare nibs, a manual, and a quick start guide. You also get a CD containing the manual in PDF, a codec for the clips you record, and a copy of VLC Media Player to play them on. The pen comes in two halves, the bottom half contains the retractable nib, while the top half does all the camera work. The top half is also the home to the USB connector that allows you to connect the pen to retrieve your footage, and charges the Lithium-ion battery.

openBox

The lens for the camera is situated just above the clip, there are also two tiny holes the other side of the of the pen, one for the status lights, the other presumably for the microphone. There is also a small switch just above the USB connector that allows you to either shoot film or take a picture. To turn the camera on, you hold down a button on the top of the pen, waiting for the status indicator light to hold a steady orange. You are then ready to go. Press the button again once to start the recording.

The camera records 1280 x 1024 still images, and 640 x 480 video. At that resolution, the camera uses approximately 25MB per minute, and for the 2GB model, should give you about one and a half hours of recording. That’s assuming that the battery lasts, which of course it won’t, because it will only last for about ninety minutes. Ninety minutes should be enough though to record a fair amount of whatever it is you are pointing at. A nice feature is the ability to add the date and time to the video you take. You can accomplish this by adding a text file to the root of the USB drive, then booting the pen.

USBconnect cam

The video that the camera takes is very passable in good light, but does deteriorate the darker it gets. The photos are also subject to the same issues, but both are still capable of capturing the blueprint for the doomsday machine under internal lighting conditions. My only problem with recording were the status lights. When the camera is switched on, the light at the back glows orange, and when recording, the light glows blue. This is all well and good, and lets you know what is going on with the camera, but there should be a way of turning the light off. When I had this camera clipped into my top pocket, the light would reflect off the shirt I was wearing. An instant give away that it’s more than a simple pen, and certainly a cue for blofeld to shoot.

penandpound

As a pen the DVR-421 is better than you might expect, but don’t think you could use it as your only writing instrument. The weight of the camera and the associated gubbins in the top half make this too heavy to be comfortable, and the size also conspires to make this a bit unwieldy. The overall look of the pen is good though, and certainly gives the impression of just being a pen, while a little large certainly doesn’t stand out as much.

2009-08-31 15-24-37

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJwPU4EyZeo

The Gaj-It Verdict:
Design: 7/10
Usability: 7/10
Features: 6/10
Value: 7/10

We Say:

As a covert surveillance tool, the Swann PenCam is an accomplished product. Offering convincing camouflage, in a convenient design. Apart from the bright LED on the back, you would not know this was a camera, and a bit of black tape should put paid to that. Does exactly what it says on the tin, though at £90.00 you will need to be serious to buy one.

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