Swann DVR-421 PenCam Mini Video Camera & Recorder

• Swann DVR-421 PenCam Mini Video Camera & Recorder Executive-quality Black Ballpoint Pen, Hidden Pinhole Camera

I tried three of the little keychain video cameras that look like a key fob that are extremely cheap but I couldn't get them to work before I got this.

First the good parts:

It works.

It takes nice videos for about an hour each.

There is no need for a separate micro SD card, this has it's own memory.

It's small and easy to use, with just one button for on and off.

It has two lights, a yellow and a blue one. The yellow one tells you it's charging.

The blue one tells you it's filming.

Now the bad parts:

There is only one. It is awkward to hold or use without someone knowing it's a

camera.

If you have this poking out of the top of your shirt pocket, I would think lots of people would be aware of what it is. These have been sold everywhere for many years.

And if you are a woman, in particular it is going to look out of place. If you try filming while you hold this in your hand it will look even more odd. If you put this on it's side on a table you will get a video that is sideways.

However, I can carry this in my purse to have a video camera handy for those times when I need one and don't have my cellphone. I never know what life will present each day but with one of these in my purse I'm ready to film it.

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Picture and video quality are pretty good for that size. Easy to connect via USB connector to a PC. It's not super sensitive to light though, so don't expect great pictures in a medium lit room. But outdoors, it does great.

As some reviewers mentioned on costco site, you should of course remove the two small stickers on the phone, especially the one that says it's a 2GB camera, if you want it to be truly stealth!

I would probably have given it 5 stars for price/performance if I didn't have a problem with the first unit.

UPDATE 2/2012: Actually back in May last year, I got a replacement unit, and it worked fine for the 2 or 3 times I used it. Then the pen tip would not retract anymore. Camera and button still work, but the pen is useless.

So since I got a problem with both units, I lowered my ratings from 4 to 2. They REALLY have a quality issue.

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Comes with a mini CD which I am not sure how I got it loaded on my PC but did. Instructions are in very broken English and not clear at all but I managed to get it working by knowing how to click on the drive and execute apps. I am not sure if it loaded or if Windows simply knew how to run it because it does connect to the PC via a USB connection. I was not sure if it physically connected good enough because with it mini SD card in the pen the cable did not fit completly snug but it did. If you have an adapter to place the mini card in a regular card or a nini reader it would help. The video quality is very good. The audio quality is mediocre but I have only used it for one day. If you need to document confrontations with whomever this is quite food for the money. Press the button for one second and make sure the indicator light turns blue and you are recording. Recording while walking is really interesting; looking more like a "Blair Witch" quality recording. Again, the video is very clear and the audio is too but there is a volume issue that I have not overcome yet. It is quite sufficient though for documentation. Conversations can clearly be made out but you have to turn the volume all the way up on the PC and the application. I have seen other similiar pens for $150+ and assume this one is probably made by the same manufacturer. For $150 I would be disappointed in the audio, for $50 I am happy with the purchase.

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This is a great pen. You get video and audio on it. I couldn't believe how good the quality is. the video is clear, and the audio is awesome too. You just unscrew the pen in the middle and there is a USB plug inside. Just plug it into your computer, and it plays in the windows media player. When you unscrew the pen, you will find a tiny switch by the USB plug. This switch changes the pen from video mode to still picture mode. I can put the pen in my front shirt pocket, go to the strip club, and record everything!

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This hidden mini pen camera is tops! It really works. Well, once I got around the operator's errors and screwups this little gadget is worth every penny. I hope they continue to produce this pen, perhaps smaller without a doubt other devices for more uses. ECELLENT PRODUCT!!

Also, as far as I am concerned the audio is EXCELLENT!! Great product.