Re: Compact cheap "surveilance" camera

[IRO <irotemp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In article <1151300045.515892.131920@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
 bitsyboffin@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Something like the "L'espion S" (
> http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cameras/7886/ ) but with a much
> larger capacity so it can take and store an image every, say, 120
> seconds for a week, and even better if it had "night vision".  Doesn't
> need to be colour (8 bit greyscale is fine, only need to identify the
> people passing through, not judge thier fashion sense) or high
> resolution (probably could get away with 320x240, but 640x480 would be
> better).  Battery powered would be best, but I guess it could be
> plugged in if necessary, but we don't want to have it connected to a
> computer that then has to run 24/7, it would only be connected to the
> PC when we need to review the images.
>
> Anybody seen such an item?

I've been looking for one of these for years, particularly with motion
sensing to eliminate the hassles of  taking the photos and a choice of
card size to allow for busy sites needed to store a lot of images. Aim a
little higher with the specs, a 2 or 3MP image will avoid the nonsense
of the images shown in the newspapers or on TV taken from security video
cameras where you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between
Arnie and R2D2.

Because there is no need for a viewing screen or adjustable lens, the
cost could be kept very low. I reckon under $50. Sufficient for every
home & shop to have several and schools, businesses and such to order
them by the bucketful. The manufacturer would be shipping them by the
container.

I have seen one around US$380*, fine for guarding pedigree bulls but too
expense for ordinary folk.

The big advantage for said folk is that with every home having them,
quietly clicking away and being ignored until something goes wrong, is
that they would remove burglary as a career option. The crims would
never know when they were being photographed and couldn't roam about the
town wearing a ski mask all the time without attracting attention.

--
~IRO
(enzed = nz)
* Google "Cybereye". It is over complicated in some ways and doesn't use
a removable card. Close, but no banana.