Author Topic: stealth video-taping made easy (Read 13344 times)

saxophone · « **on:** June 03, 2005, 03:06:17 PM »

check it brah

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_16/601-9279271-6004923?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B0007QN8AG

itook2much · « **Reply #1 on:** June 03, 2005, 10:17:23 PM »

10x Optical Zoom/100x Digital Zoom

Provides incredible zooming ability. Variable speed control is activated by automatic sensing of the amount of pressure applied to the zoom tab.

MPEG4 Video Clip Recording

Record an MPEG-4 digital video clip, which has high picture quality and takes up little memory space. Video can be stored directly to your Memory Stick or transferred to your PC via USB.

680K Movie Optimized CCD

Delivers high-resolution video images with superior color resolution and detail. It surpasses the conventional camcorder with digital quality and its high performance PC interface.

Suitable for outdoor activities

Camera body is pocket-size and offers a non-slip surface. The included external remote lens offers wide-angle capabilities, is weather-resistant, and allows for hands-free shooting.

Multi Function Capabilities

MP3 Player, Voice Recorder, Data Storage, Web Cam.

Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)

Minimizes unwanted picture shaking caused by hand movement during recording.

Photo Mode Function

Allows for easy picture taking (800 x 600 resolution) and the ability to save still pictures into Memory Stick or Memory Stick PRO.

512MB Built-in Memory

Allows you to take photos and MPEG4 movies more conveniently. Combining built-in memory and Memory Stick PRO allows you to store your still images, MPEG4 movies, and important documents and files allowing you to review them anytime, anywhere.

http://product.samsung.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?eUser=&prod_id=SC-X105L%2FXAA

Depechemode1993 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2005, 08:40:49 PM »

is that good? I would definately buy if so. I don't know much about cameras.

seethreepo · « **Reply #3 on:** June 12, 2005, 10:04:11 PM »

anyone know the highest capacity memory stick you can buy ?

a quick search found 2 gig cards for 300 bucks .. how much video would this hold?

Ed. · « **Reply #4 on:** June 13, 2005, 12:46:44 PM »

i think a 60 minute mini dv video transferred to your computer is around 10gigs. (maybe not that much, but its pretty big) you then encode it to mpeg2 for dvd, i'd imagine mpeg4 quality isn't as good as normal dvd quality then. kind of the mp3 of video.

GNRArnold · « **Reply #5 on:** June 13, 2005, 11:44:54 PM »

Size of these things is never the issue, keeping it out of the eye of security and getting good shots is always the hard part.

Ed. · « **Reply #6 on:** June 14, 2005, 01:00:29 PM »

i think sony makes a great little mini dv cam which is great for stealth video. I honestly haven't looked at any of the mem stick cameras cuz of their compression.

as for hiding it in the first front rows, it can definitely be done. sitting in the front row might make it easiest as all. just hold it in your lap with a sweatshirt or bag or something over it with only the lens sticking out.

all of my stealth video is usually done from the balcony of places, where i just throw it on the ledge and put a hoody over it. however, i usually never zoom in or move the shot around. i figure if i'm the only filmer, its better to get all the action rather than just the lead singer and whatnot.

Simp-Dawg · « **Reply #7 on:** June 28, 2005, 01:03:43 AM »

i picked one up on a whim (fopr $530) to try to shoot panic at red rocks...definitely not gonna cut it if you want a quality shot, not to mention some other downsides. however, it is definitely a cool little (and i mean small!) toy for low-quality, non-professional applications.

first off, it fits in the palm of your hand, and i mean just the palm, not the fingers too. it's tiny. has a little 2" lcd that swings and swivels so you can see what you're shooting. no viewfinder though. the external lens is slightly bigger than a mic in diameter and about 3" long. there's a little power button on the external lens and it takes AAA batteries (2). everything is rubberized and there are only a few buttons on the main unit...which i didn't think the functions of them were all that user-friendly in the couple minutes i actually used it. but the build quality was pretty good, ergonomics weren't bad.

battery life is pretty week...even with the optional larger capacity battery, which i didn't have, you only get about 2+ hrs of recording, according to the manual.

it takes memory stick pro which i don't like cuz only a few devices work with it...i thought it was sd cards which i liked at first because my camera tkaes those...but no. 1gb was $129 instore and that much storage only gets you about an hour of record time, even at the lowest settings.

the low quality is definitely low...even high quality is pretty bad on a larger screen. this is not professional photo/videography. the internal lens is better than the external, and you can zoom only with the internal. external is pretty grainy looking and you won't get a lot of detail out of a tape made back from the section.

the external lens uses the only i/o port (besides a dock/power cable port) to connect, so there's no hooking up external mics. maybe you could from the little docking station it has that hooks up to the dock port, but i didn't try that. anyway, the built in mics are pretty worthless for music. you'd have to mix in a tape later.

as far as stealthing it, it is tiny...and you could easily disguise it as a mic if people aren't looking for it....maybe even if they are, if you cut a hole in a windscreen i guess. you could easily mount it in an AT8410.

there's about 5-6 feet of cable between the cam body and external lens...not too shabby.

anyways, recapping the major downfalls:
1. subpar video quality
2. short battery life
3. uncommon and expensive media
4. no audio inputs

that said it still would be a cool toy to have, maybe i'll keep it if i can get my friend at the retail store to get me a deal on another one...if not, i'm taking this back as it's not quite worth what i spent on it, to me, if it doesn't perform to my liking for taping applications.

Nick's Picks · « **Reply #8 on:** June 29, 2005, 04:25:13 PM »

I was thinking about this...

what about a PC based camera? like some USB or firewire job on a long cable.
hoist it up on a mic stand...camo it. run the audio feed and video right into laptop.
synch it later..or on the fly if possible.

that would probably fly. i'll poke around and see whats out there for usb cameras

The Kilted Taper · « **Reply #9 on:** June 29, 2005, 04:32:11 PM »

Out of curiosity, can you post a sample of the video, just so we can see the quality, or lack of.

Simp-Dawg · « **Reply #10 on:** June 29, 2005, 07:27:13 PM »

i suppose i could use yousendit.com to email it out....pm me your email addy if you'd like to see the clip and i'll do it tonight.

Chad817 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 29, 2005, 08:35:31 PM »

Quote from: Nick's Picks on June 29, 2005, 04:25:13 PM

I was thinking about this...

what about a PC based camera? like some USB or firewire job on a long cable.
hoist it up on a mic stand...camo it. run the audio feed and video right into laptop.
synch it later..or on the fly if possible.

that would probably fly. i'll poke around and see whats out there for usb cameras

probably possible, but webcams are usually pretty awful in low light, not to mention they don't zoom (at least to my knowledge). I doubt the results would be worth the effort.

Nick's Picks · « **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2005, 07:41:46 AM »

i'm not talking some shitty webcam.
I'm sure there are better video cameras out there w/a PC interface of some sort.

Simp-Dawg · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2005, 11:34:48 AM »

Quote from: Nick's Picks on June 30, 2005, 07:41:46 AM

i'm not talking some shitty webcam.
I'm sure there are better video cameras out there w/a PC interface of some sort.

if there are i haven't seen them. the external lens on this thing may as well be a web cam i think...i will try it once more, hopefully tonight at mule from a closer distance and see how it turns out.

bossanova · « **Reply #14 on:** October 11, 2005, 05:39:37 PM »

Thanks for the posts on the SAMSUNG, I had thought about buying one,
but ruled it out due to the poor image quality, and battery life.
COSTCO had them online for about $599 so I was going to just buy one
and try it out, return it if I didnt like it.

Regarding methods of stealth taping, I have done the following,
successfully from the 2nd row, with security all around me.

My camcorder is a JVC DVM-5U, bought it in 1998.
It is the 2nd or 3rd generation of the paperback book style camcorder from JVC.

I taped it in black electrical tape, to disguise it as a pair of binoculars.
I made sure there was no silver color, or led red lights showing.
I also created a dummy fake 2nd lens from a bottle cap, to make it look even more like a pair of binocs.

I held the camera sideways, like holding a pair of binocs.
I was able to tape the whole show from 2nd row with security on both sides of me.
I was a little worried that people would think I was kind of close to be using binoculars,
but noone bothered me.

Since the camera is turned on its side.
The picture turns out sideways, but you can rotate it using Ifilmedit or other software,
since it is digital

In future I'd like to get a SONY HC90, and paint it all black,
or disguise with black tape.
This camera is much smaller and looks like a pair of binoculars,
or monocular.

My other idea for stealth video, is using the "Howie Mandel" glasses,
to a DVR. The quality is not great though, only 380 lines of res,
and no zooming, so only good for 1st row, but then you dont need zoom.
Camera sees what you see.
Low light is prob not good either.
Also very expensive.

There are also button, and hat CCD cameras, and other glasses cameras.
They would be mostly stealth, with wires going to a portable DVR.

Hope this gives people some ideas on how to do stealth.

Looking for other peoples ideas on how to disguise cameras,
hide them, etc.

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #15 on:** October 27, 2005, 07:24:09 PM »

well, if security looks at it they will think it is a camera and come investiage. I highly doubt anyone would look at it and think, oh that must be a monocular. heh, if that mistake was made, less people would get caught trying to film shows. What usually happens when you get caught filming?

sabre · « **Reply #16 on:** October 27, 2005, 09:24:55 PM »

Quote from: BuddyGoodness on October 27, 2005, 07:24:09 PM

What usually happens when you get caught filming?

Usually one of four things happen:

1. You are asked to stop taping.
2. Your video tape is confiscated (and not returned)
3. Your videocamera is confiscated (and returned after the show)
4. You are kicked out of the venue

Numbers 1, 2 and 3 have all happened to me.

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #17 on:** October 28, 2005, 02:55:08 AM »

hmmm, I wouldn't let them take my camera, I would rather leave than stand the risk of loosing my camera. What have your odds been and is there less chance of getting caught if you are in the general admin crowd or trying to blend in on the balcony, I know the video will come out better on the balcony.

bossanova · « **Reply #18 on:** October 28, 2005, 12:46:39 PM »

Quote from: pluto on October 27, 2005, 09:24:55 PM

Quote from: BuddyGoodness on October 27, 2005, 07:24:09 PM
What usually happens when you get caught filming?

2. Your video tape is confiscated (and not returned)
3. Your videocamera is confiscated (and returned after the show)

For 2. you keep a blank tape on the floor under your seat.
When they ask for the tape, you open the camera, but drop the tape under your seat away from the stashed tape. Then reach under your seat and give them the blank stashed tape.
Then at least you have whatever you recorded up until they take the tape
I guess that only works if you are in a seat.

For 3.
I have had a digital camera taken away and returned to me after the show.
However, the pictures I took were still on the camera, as they didnt delete them.

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #19 on:** October 28, 2005, 10:59:47 PM »

Hahaha

hydrobud · « **Reply #20 on:** November 04, 2005, 03:06:24 PM »

check this badboy out: http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-SONY-DCR-PC55-MiniDV-Handycam-Tiny-Camcorder_W0QQitemZ7559388765QQcategoryZ20333QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

not affiliated

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #21 on:** November 04, 2005, 03:39:30 PM »

Heard the video is at best mediocre on those things.

fozzy · « **Reply #22 on:** November 04, 2005, 03:56:17 PM »

anyone every look into any of the minature ELMO/panasonic/Sony Remote Head Camera w/ a control unit and feeding something like a Sony DSR-11 or Sony GV-D1000 or GV-D900

bossanova · « **Reply #23 on:** November 04, 2005, 04:40:15 PM »

Quote from: fozzy on November 04, 2005, 03:56:17 PM

anyone every look into any of the minature ELMO/panasonic/Sony Remote Head Camera w/ a control unit and feeding something like a Sony DSR-11 or Sony GV-D1000 or GV-D900

Viosport also makes helmet cams.

Looks like the ELMO's are higher resolution, 470 lines vs. 380 lines.

That was my idea, use one of these into a portable DVR.
Seems like there is a power box too, then the AV out to the DVR

It would be easy to disguise one of the helment cams as a pair of binocs.
Just get a cheap pair of binocs, and insert the helmet cam into one of the sides.
The wires could double as a strap.

bossanova · « **Reply #24 on:** November 04, 2005, 05:06:58 PM »

http://www.viosport.com

has actual adventure footage from the helmet cams.

They have a 520 line res model too.

Cost is $200 for the 380 line cam
$330 for the 520 line cam

I wonder how it does in low light, probably only good for outdoors shots.

hydrobud · « **Reply #25 on:** November 04, 2005, 08:55:49 PM »

Quote from: BuddyGoodness on November 04, 2005, 03:39:30 PM

Heard the video is at best mediocre on those things.

according to sony it has a 500 lines of resolution.

Quote

I wonder how it does in low light, probably only good for outdoors shots.

this is the specs on the viosport S.C.O.U.T. CAM

Resolution 520 TV Lines
CCD Chip Sony Ex-View® 1/3"
Lens 3.6mm
Field Of View 72.5 degrees
Light Sensitivity 0.2 Lux F 2.0
Power Supply 12 VDC (+/- 10%)
Power Consumption 1.2 W (+/- 10%)
Weight 105 g
Dimensions 23 mm (Ø)
x 80 mm (L)
H x V (pixels) NTSC: 811 x 508
PAL: 752 x 582

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #26 on:** November 05, 2005, 10:45:01 PM »

Got crappy ratings here.

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-DCR-PC55-Camcorder-Review.htm

hydrobud · « **Reply #27 on:** November 06, 2005, 05:41:12 PM »

i guess you really can't count on sony to be honest about the quality.im sure they want to sell as many as they can before they abandon it.

bossanova · « **Reply #28 on:** November 14, 2005, 01:42:48 PM »

I've posted a pic of my
stealth binoc camcorder.

Here is the other thread:

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=23785.new;topicseen#new

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #29 on:** November 14, 2005, 06:19:49 PM »

Looks good.

bconnolly · « **Reply #30 on:** December 06, 2005, 03:34:01 PM »

Quote from: pluto on October 27, 2005, 09:24:55 PM

Quote from: BuddyGoodness on October 27, 2005, 07:24:09 PM
What usually happens when you get caught filming?

Usually one of four things happen:

1. You are asked to stop taping.
2. Your video tape is confiscated (and not returned)
3. Your videocamera is confiscated (and returned after the show)
4. You are kicked out of the venue

Numbers 1, 2 and 3 have all happened to me.

I've had 1, 2, and 4 done to me.

I was filming Scissor Sisters at Neumo's in Seattle. I had my VX1000 posted up on a halfwall by my head (pre-set the angle and let it sit static). About 40 minutes into the set, I felt the camera strap (which was in my hand for security's sake) tug away and I looked over to see the camcorder leaving it's comfortable seating. I followed the camera while still holding the strap and I ended up outside with some meathead looking at me.

"Give me the tape."

"But, I..."

"Give me the tape."

"Ok, just a second... Jesus."

"Give me the fucking tape."

*Gives him the tape*

*Door closes, guard goes inside*

*Sad panda is left sitting outside with his camcorder and no tape*

I walked home feeling no huge loss. Just thankful my camcorder wasn't tossed into the street or taken away. Stealthing with a full-body is tough. And, now that I'm thinking about it, he never actually asked me to stop taping so I guess I've never had #1 done to me.

On-topic for stealth filming, though, I always thought it would be awesomely futuristic if a company made a 3CCD camera that mounted on some thick-frame glasses unobtrusively. The viewfinder could even be translucently laid over one of the lenses (wow, that would be disorienting).

Also, you could zoom and focus by sending messages to the camera with your mind. THE FUTURE IS NOW!

guitard · « **Reply #31 on:** December 06, 2005, 07:57:05 PM »

Quote from: mojomonkee on December 06, 2005, 03:34:01 PM

On-topic for stealth filming, though, I always thought it would be awesomely futuristic if a company made a 3CCD camera that mounted on some thick-frame glasses unobtrusively.

I know a policeman who used to work undercover and he had a video camera mounted in some glasses and he used it while working undercover in the narcotics division to bust drug dealers. This was around ten years ago. So the technology is there. The quality of the video probably sucked pretty bad, but was good enough for what he was doing.

Would be interesting to see how far the technology has improved.

bossanova · « **Reply #32 on:** December 06, 2005, 08:03:12 PM »

There are glasses cams, and helmet cams.
The resolution is about 400 lines.

Howie Mandel uses glasses cams in his comedy act.

Yeah, the future is a glasses cam to a portable DVR.

Problem is they are too pricey now, and quality is not that good.
Also, no zooming, so probably only good for first few rows.

bconnolly · « **Reply #33 on:** December 06, 2005, 08:16:47 PM »

Yeah, but what I'm talking about is the quality of a pro-sumer camcorder (like a VX1000 or an XL1) built into that size. I know, it's ridiculous, but it's what I want. Maybe just the quality of a decent DV camcorder lens then just run the data cable behind your ear and into your bag/pocket where the video is captured and stored on a microdrive.

Damn I got excited just typing that.

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #34 on:** December 10, 2005, 12:46:07 PM »

That would kick ass, as long as it didn't record the video to mpeg format on the hard drive like the hard drive camcorders do.

bconnolly · « **Reply #35 on:** December 14, 2005, 03:06:59 PM »

Quote from: BuddyGoodness on December 10, 2005, 12:46:07 PM

That would kick ass, as long as it didn't record the video to mpeg format on the hard drive like the hard drive camcorders do.

What do you want? Raw video? Don't kid yourself, any video recorder uses some sort of compression. Video is just too huge.

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #36 on:** December 15, 2005, 09:19:27 AM »

Well if it is putting it on a 30gb or higher hard drive I think it can hold an hour and a half concert in a less compressed format. I would like as least compressed as possible so the guy who edits my videos will have an easier time with it.

jojolimited · « **Reply #37 on:** December 19, 2005, 12:16:23 PM »

A company called Cineform has tools to convert mpeg2 to an editor friendly format. Mainly because all the current prosumer HDV cames record in mpeg2 to save space and fit on a MiniDV tape.
They have stand alone, and plug ins for Sony Vegas and Adobe Premier. They also save space on your HD because of the compression they us (Wavelet). They have become sort of a defacto standard on the PC platform. You can download trial version to check them out. The format they convert to can be edited much easier than mpeg2.
A version called ConnectHD is included in Sony Vegas.

I also believe there are some plug ins for Virtual Dub and AVISynth (both free and open source) to batch process stuff to different formats...
usually YUV format which is also editor friendly.

BTW, since this is an audio centric site, you all might want to check out Vegas since in addition to being a great Video Editor, it's also
a multitrack audio recording app the offers 5.1 surround mixing and output.
You can download a free save disabled trial from Sony Media Software site. (Vegas, Acid Pro, SoundForge used to owned by SonicFoundry).
They have consumer versions of everything for under $100.00 US each.

Just a thought.
oh....www.cineform.com for the mpeg2 conversion software

guitard · « **Reply #38 on:** December 19, 2005, 09:16:25 PM »

Quote from: jojolimited on December 19, 2005, 12:16:23 PM

A company called Cineform has tools to convert mpeg2 to an editor friendly format. Mainly because all the current prosumer HDV cames record in mpeg2 to save space and fit on a MiniDV tape.
They have stand alone, and plug ins for Sony Vegas and Adobe Premier. They also save space on your HD because of the compression they us (Wavelet). They have become sort of a defacto standard on the PC platform. You can download trial version to check them out. The format they convert to can be edited much easier than mpeg2.
A version called ConnectHD is included in Sony Vegas.

I also believe there are some plug ins for Virtual Dub and AVISynth (both free and open source) to batch process stuff to different formats...
usually YUV format which is also editor friendly.

BTW, since this is an audio centric site, you all might want to check out Vegas since in addition to being a great Video Editor, it's also
a multitrack audio recording app the offers 5.1 surround mixing and output.
You can download a free save disabled trial from Sony Media Software site. (Vegas, Acid Pro, SoundForge used to owned by SonicFoundry).
They have consumer versions of everything for under $100.00 US each.

Just a thought.
oh....www.cineform.com for the mpeg2 conversion software

Great info ~ thanks for posting.

BuddyGoodness · « **Reply #39 on:** December 24, 2005, 02:16:08 AM »

No kidding, that was a great post. I would +t you if I could.

Scuba Jeremy · « **Reply #40 on:** January 09, 2006, 09:59:47 PM »

How well does this thing perform in low light? This sort of thing looks like just what I'll want for taking some "nice" video to go along with the tour I'm recording later this year. I want a recorder that will record to flash media (about 1 or 2 gigs), be able to upload via USB2.0 or Firewire 4 pin, and be able to tape in moderate to low light. It looks pretty good, but if it's not that great, I'll look elsewhere. My budget is right about $600 minus tax, so it looks like it fits my range. But I really want to go tapeless. Thanks!

Author Topic: stealth video-taping made easy (Read 13344 times)

Depechemode1993