SVAT CCDBW Mini CCD Pinhole Camera Kit (Black & White)

by SVAT Electronics

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches ; 0.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000GIP98E
• Item model number: CCDBW
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 28, 2006

Product Description

Want the chance to see what you have been missing? The Spy Eye CCDBW miniature pinhole camera is the perfect solution for low cost, undetected, do-it-yourself surveillance. The kit comes with everything you need to get monitoring. This camera brings miniature cameras to a new level of quality with high resolution and the production of crystal clear images. This camera is very small (31x31x18mm) but just as powerful as most full size cameras with a high resolution of 380 TV lines. The size makes it easy to conceal in objects you already have in your home or office. This miniature secret agent covertly keeps watch at all times, especially when you cannot. Just imagine all of the applications for this extremely small camera. The possibilities of undetected hiding places are virtually endless. Now you can discretely monitor entryways, children's rooms, garages, home offices, shops or any other area in your home or business. The mounting bracket gives you a stable platform to place the camera. This small spy camera easily connects to a TV, VCR, computer or DVR for recording giving you the opportunity to see what the Spy Eye sees at any time. Because of its small size, the Spy Eye CCDBW camera can easily and discretely be hidden anywhere.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars image quality is good, but generates heat, May 18, 2008

By 

KaGe (nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SVAT CCDBW Mini CCD Pinhole Camera Kit (Black & White) (Electronics)

I bought the pin hole B/W camera because it
a) has good resolutions specs
b) has pin hole configuration so that i could install it any where
c) comes with its own installation bracket
d) includes a mounting bracket
e) small enough form-factor to be inconspicuous

Wish list:
a) had a direct digital output instead of NTSC output. I however understand that this is specific to my application. Since this component is targeted at all users, it makes sense to keep it NTSC / composite video to cater to the greatest / most-supported market

b) the camera could be powered by the connection itself. Instead it requires its own separate dc input from a wall-charger. This means to heavy wires (coax for composite video + power cable) tugging on the camera. Again, this probably would be possible only if it were a direct digital output camera

What i don't like about this:
a) the connector to retrieve the signals from the camera is very flimsy. I saw its sheath come back in the very first application! and i wasn't being forceful at all. i just attached it to test the camera and kept the camera on the table.

b) The cable juts out about half an inch from the back. This makes installing it flush with a wall completely impossible. Consequently, the cable's own weight a lot of strain on the connector if the camera is suspended because the wire constantly pulls on the connector. This is perhaps why a) happened in the first place. When installing this, ensure there is enough space at the back for the cable and that the cable is supported with enough slack to keep the connector straight and connected. This increases the apparent "depth" of the camera to about 4-6 inches, making it a little conspicuous

c) Generates heat. a lot of it! as i was testing it out, the camera became relatively pretty warm in a matter of minutes! I definitely wasn't expecting this because web cams of similar form factor definitely do not get this warm. This is perhaps due to the analog composite video output. It probably consumes a lot of power and needs enough signal strength to drive the analog video over the long cable.

The heat and the cabling issues imply that this camera is definitely not suited for covert or covered use-cases. It must has enough space behind it and enough ventilation to keep the electronics from frying themselves.

I would recommend this for any application that needs a cheap b/w camera that can be open-air installed. If you're thinking covered scenarios, this will not do. Even if you managed to provide a battery source to power the camera, the heat generated would be prohibitive.

1.0 out of 5 stars It over-heats quickly, May 21, 2010

By 

Shonta Alexander - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SVAT CCDBW Mini CCD Pinhole Camera Kit (Black & White) (Electronics)

It was a fire hazzard. The equipment got really hot really fast and it was missing a cable. Sent it back and got most of my money back. They wouldn't cover shipping and handling.