The hidden spy camera was originally a tool invented for use during war, is small size enabled it to be used to gain intelligence from the enemy without their knowledge. This information was often extremely top secret and proved invaluable for the sides that had the technology at their disposal. Over the years the cameras available have been advanced considerably, they have become more and more sophisticated. The technology used to run the cameras has become so compact of time that it is now small enough to fit into a spy pen camera. This gives the user the ultimate in subtlety, it allows them to literally slide then pen into the top pocket of say a suit jacket and survey the entire room. The pen can be equipped to take photos intermittently so the user can obtain all the information or evidence that they require.

The many spy cameras available today are not only used by the army, private investigators and even normal households have found ways of making use of their amazing technology. The private investigator obviously has many needs for the spy equipment. Their job is nearly always to be inconspicuous to their subject, the spy cameras tiny stature enables the private investigator to be just that.  This technology has helped many an investigator who was looking into suspected affairs. This is practice is particularly common across the United States where many spouses employ the use of a private investigator. These investigators often make use of spy camera glasses too.

Hidden cameras today are as common in a normal household as they are in an investigators bag. The rate of burglaries is at a global high and people are taking more and more drastic actions to help to stem the problem. The technology of the spy cameras allows them to be positioned at any point around the home to view any potential intruders. If an intruder does gain entry to the house, catching them on a camera can be the difference between having your items returned and not. This camera footage can even assist the police in attaining a conviction as the clarity on many products is excellent.

The level and quality of the spy camera or video camera that you purchase should be guided by the amount and the value of the goods that you have in your property. If you just have the usual, television, stereo and furniture that most households have then it is wise to go for something good value. It is best to position a camera at the front and the rear of your property to warn off intruders.

If however you own a business and the value of your property is therefore much higher it is advisable to invest a lot more in the volume and quality of the equipment. Although this may seem like a large outlay it will last for a lifetime and will prove an invaluable investment.

Spy pen cameras are made by dozens of manufacturers, usually as part of a product line that includes surveillance equipment, mini spy cameras, nanny cams, and others.  Companies are constantly improving on the spy pen market, as well.  What once was the fictional gadgetry of James Bond and other spy movies is now available for anyone doing a search on the Internet.  Realistic, thin DVR pens store up to 16GB of video and audio and look like any nice writing instrument.

Spy camera technology can trace its roots back to the beginning of photography, when daguerreotypes were made on copper plates through a chemical process.  Even during WWII, the idea of fitting a video camera into a pen pocket was the stuff of science fiction.  The closest approximations may have been the cameras disguised as cigarette boxes that took a picture when an extended cigarette was depressed.  As the  1930′s and 40′s camera technology advanced, smaller and smaller film cameras were produced for the purposes of spying, including the French Lumiere ELJY, the popular petal camera, which was the size of a coin, and a coveted camera called the Micro 16 which could be hidden in a packet of cigarettes.

Today, spy cameras can be made to fit anywhere, and even spy camera glasses are made to keep an eye on the unsuspecting.

There are a number of reasons a company or individual may need or desire the use of a spy pen camera or other surveillance device.  The most immediate thoughts that come to mind are use for undercover surveillance, either of suspected criminals, cheating spouses, or another situation in which evidence is needed against the other party.  Industrial or government espionage can certainly find a use for these devices as well.

For the average person who may not have multiple enemies or countries to spy on, there are still legitimate uses for spy cameras.  Keeping valuables safe at home or at the office may require low-profile surveillance equipment like a spy pen camera or spy surveillance camera.  Normal security cameras that serve to keep an eye on multiple areas of a home or office are easy to spot, and therefore, easy to avoid.  Place a spy video camera in the exact location of a safe or computer for example, and it has the ability to record hours of digital data while remaining concealed.

Spy surveillance cameras in their many shapes and forms are not just for big budgets.  For less than $100, an average consumer can choose from mini spy camera packages, spy pen cameras, and even sunglasses fitted with a recording device.  With technology making it so easy to keep tabs on someone, the potential for crossing legal boundaries is always there, right?  Not necessarily, because the use of spy surveillance cameras in the United States is legal, although there are statutes against other forms of surveillance, but that is for another article.