Swann PenCam Mini DVR

The Swann PenCam is a tiny colour video camera housed in a ball-point pen. The device produces date and time-stamped MJPEG AVI files: 352x288 video at 12 frames per second and mono audio in PCM format at 8000Hz/128kbs - these figures derived from G-Spot.

Swann's little gadget gives very acceptable results in daylight. But under low/artificial light, performance is not so hot. What's more, the audio is usually out-of-synch with the video, and the built-in microphone 'gain' is rather high, meaning that, on playback, the voice of the person with the PenCam in his/her breast pocket could be slightly distorted. Excessive background noise, as encountered on public transport, could also pose problems. Yet, in a typical office or vibrant home, other people's voices are recorded clearly enough.

At any rate, a video editing program can enhance brightness, contrast and audio levels to make movies that are ideal for evidential purposes. You can also produce better soundtracks by capturing audio separately on a pocket voice recorder (like one from Olympus) and synching it up to the video later during editing.

Other things you should know are:

1. Swann's PenCam is designed for Windows;
2. Besides recording video and audio it works well as a 2 GB external storage device;
3. It writes just like an ordinary pen;
4. Three ink refills are included in the box.

So, while a more expensive device may produce better AV results, I reckon that the Swann PenCam is a sound investment for anyone who needs to make secret videos, is an avid YouTuber, or simply wishes to have fun at parties.

Finally, I must stress that, despite what you may read elsewhere, Swann's PenCam works at only 12 frames per second - a rate that, in my view, is more than adequate for most purposes.