Spy video cameras are ideal for homeowners who want to ensure that their cleaner can be trusted or that their babysitter is acting in an agreeable manner. They are also of use to wildlife enthusiasts who wish to keep track of rare species or by homeowners who wish to find out which animal is causing disruption to their garden. A CCTV spy camera installed inside or outside of your home or business premises can give you an additional sense of security during the hours of darkness. The purchase of a mini spy surveillance camera is a small price to pay, knowing that it will provide you with increased peace of mind.

Mini spy cameras can be used by wives who are suspicious of what their husbands are really getting up to on a night out or by brides-to-be who want to find out how their fiancés behave during their bachelor’s parties. A spy surveillance camera can capture the footage of you and your friends on a night out. You can hide the camera in the pocket of your shirt so that you can remember exactly what happened during an alcohol-fueled night out without having to rely on your somewhat hazy memory.

Perhaps you caught the attention of a celebrity on a recent night out and wished you had evidence for all to see. With a night vision spy camera, you can record all the antics and even have your own slice of fame. You will not have to hide your spy camera system from view as its minute dimensions mean that it is ideal for use by those on the move. You could even attach it to your head gear to capture the thrill of partaking in extreme sports.

Mini spy cameras offer many of the same features of larger spy camera surveillance devices, including full-color and nighttime surveillance as well as voice recording of the highest clarity. The majority of mini wireless spy camera systems can record footage consistently for up to four hours. The surveillance footage is recorded onto a small memory card in the form of a special video file. The memory card can then be removed from the device and inserted into a personal computer or a cell phone so that the footage it contains can be viewed. Spy video cameras do not usually possess internal memory storage meaning that you can easily remove any captured evidence from the device.

A spy video camera is a small, inconspicuous, inexpensive surveillance device that can provide invaluable, irrefutable evidence. However, you should never use the evidence captured to confront someone directly.  Instead, you should always present it to the appropriate authorities. Before buying a mini spy camera, you should make yourself aware of the laws that relate to secret surveillance in the area in which you reside.

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.