Ever found yourself in a situation where you need to capture some videos secretly? Check out these high performance body cameras, and don’t miss that crucial evidence again.
When it comes to providing video evidence in a court of law, you better have the real thing. That’s the only sure way you getting acquitted. If not, you could easily get locked up. The best way to capture crucial videos in restricted settings is by using a small yet powerful camera. By their design and construction, body cameras suit all the above stated descriptions.
These equipment are vastly used by law enforcement agencies. Yet that’s not the only field where they are applied. You can use your body camera to capture colleagues and buddies enjoying fun moments during a fishing trip.
Have you ever wondered where those police video shots were recorded from? Those times when they are about to chase someone so bad but then at the same time they were able to give out a good coverage of the action? Well, all of those things are because of body cameras.
Body cameras enable you to record everything and have the effect of having a ‘hidden recorder’ around you. With this on your body, you would feel like you are a spy doing something amazing.
These things are actually very useful, not just in the police area, but also in order areas like sports, education and more. They serve different beautiful purposes and at the same time, they also come with different looks. Well, if you are considering having one awesome body camera, then have a look at this list.
Firstrend Portable Police Body Camera Up to 1296p 4000mAh
The PatrolEyes SC-DV10 Body Camera Up to 1296p 3200mAh
MIUFLY 1296P Up to 1296p 2900mAh
WOLFCOM Venture Up to 1080p 2700mAh
GoPro Fusion Up to 5.2k HD 2620mAh
Pyle PPBCM9 Portable Body Camera Up to 1080p 2000mAh
R-Tech Body Camera Up to 1296p 2900mAh
SAFEVANT 1296P Up to 1296p 3000mAh
Toughsty Mini Spy Shirt Button Camera Up to 960p 3000mAh
Campark ACT74 16MP Action Camera Up to 4k HD 900mAh
What is Body Camera?
Usually, when there are very important things that are needed to be recorded during human interactions, body cameras are the best in the business. It records way better than normal smartphone cameras, simply because they are a little bit hidden.
They also have long-lasting recording hours which will make you record clips as much as long as you want to. It could record good quality videos even at night, and even as far as it could go.
If you are not yet sure what is a body camera, think of it this way. Imagine you are a car, you bump into something, and you have a dashboard camera. The dashboard camera will be the body camera, and of course, you will be the car. The only difference is that you do not have to wear it all the time.
Do you need a body camera?
Well, it all depends on what reason you will be using it. Usually, they are used for law enforcement. If your profession is a little bit on that side and especially on the field, then you might want to consider having it.
It is a little bit pricey, especially those that are really good at the business. But if it would make your life easier, simpler and safer, then you should have this one in your possession, no questions. Just make sure you will be using it properly and for a good cause.
Type of Body Cameras
You should actually know what type of body camera you will need. There are not much of classification of body cameras out there, but you still need to check out some criteria of it.
You need to know how well it records, up to what frames, what quality and so on. Also, the battery size is pretty much important. You do not want to record important things and then have it stopped in the middle, you need to be well in choosing them. Also, there are several features that you might want to have there, so have a good look at it.
Factors to Consider when Buying a Body Camera
There are actually lots of things you need to consider in purchasing some of them. It is because it would cost you a huge amount of money. You do not want your money to go out somewhere else and then not be able to utilize the thing that you have bought. That is a huge bummer, though. Here are some of the aspects you to play close attention to when shopping for a good body camera.
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Video Quality
The video quality is the most important one on the list. Apparently, if you have a bad quality recording of your body camera, your camera,and your recording will be rendered useless after all.
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Viewing Angle
There are things that are happening around you during the recording. It would be best of you to look at the things that are happening on the surroundings, and if you were not able to capture what were those, then it would be a problem.
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Battery capacity
This feature needs to be checked out too. This will determine the length of your recordings. If your battery size is a little bit big, then expect your video recordings to go far and long. The longer the recording, the more you capture, the better.
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Playback power
This has got to do with the camera’s ability to retrieve the content in crisp clear quality. The playback capacity of a body camera has everything to do with its storage and other performance details.
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Memory capacity
This relates to the camera’s storage. You’ve got to check and conform that the camera has sufficient memory to store your videos. Depending on intended us, different body camera brands have different memory capacities. For instance, those used by law enforcement officers tend to have large storage space. On the other hand, body cameras used for casual video footages have small memory capacity. The good thing however is that you can upgrade the memory capacity with alternative MicroSD cards.
Enough of the petty details. Let’s now dive in and explore the different body camera brands. There are many brands, but in this review we’ll concentrate our efforts on just a few. This list of 10 constitutes editorial picks selected after a thorough evaluation and analysis of different body cam brands. Take time to compare each of the enlisted varieties for the best results.
Best Body Cameras of 2020 Reviews – Pros & Cons
<Best Overall>
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Firstrend Portable Body Camera
Because of that exceptional capability, this body cam is mostly used by law enforcement agencies. Some of its standout features include high performance sensors with a 2.0” Full HD display screen for video playback. The camera angle is 140 degrees wide with an F2.0 iris diaphragm. A high power 16X digital zoom makes it simple and easy to get the finer details of the target subject or object.
Firstrend supports a wide range of image quality resolutions. Some of these include 30p, 45p, and 60P. It is also compatible with the JPG photo format. It is powered by a 2000mAh high capacity battery. This is capable of lasting up to 2 hours on a single charge.
Some additional features for this camera include 6m – 10m night vision range. It works best in environmental temperatures ranging between 30 – 55 degrees. All the parts and components are encased in an IP68 protective case.
You can have as much as 7 recording options in this camera. Comes with two versions, the 32GB,and the 64GB.
The two versions have 2 different battery capacities, 3000mAh and 4000mAh, respectively. IT also has some High-Intensity Infrared LEDs, which will allow you to get footage for up to 30 feet away even in the darkest settings.
If you want a high performance body camera for personal or professional use, I strongly recommend Firstrend police body camera.
Why We Like It:
- 24/7 customers support
- Comes with a 40 day free return and 12-month warranty.
- Night vision capability with a (6 - 10) meter range.
- Supports a range of video resolutions and JPG photo format.
Why We Hate It:
- The battery – 2000mAh – is not very long-lasting.
<Best Budget Body Camera>
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The PatrolEyes SC-DV10 Body Camera
PatrolEyes supports true HD recording, something that makes it able to capture quality videos and images. It has an inbuilt ability to shift gears from normal day to night mode depending on light intensity. This allows for high quality video footages at night or during the day.
An integrated Wi-Fi functionality allows for easy change of settings and footage playback from your Android smartphone or iPhone. A 140 degree wide angle lens allows for recording details in a wide field of view. A body camera that is focusing its feature on it is a very good wide-angle night vision camera. This one is also sometimes used for law enforcement. It has a built-in 32GB memory card for storing all the video footages. It is powered by a 3.7V 3200mAh high capacity Li-Polymer battery capable of lasting more than 10 hours.
There is also a Wi-Fi connection that’s built-in in its system so that you can adjust everything else and get files directly from the app in your smartphone. It has a large storage capacity. This allows for capturing and saving many footages over a long duration. What’s more, this body cam is built light and waterproof. So, you can use it comfortably in rainy surroundings. You could even dive in a 3ft pool with it and it will still perform fantastically.
Why We Like It:
- Supports MOV video format
- Supported resolution modes include 1920 x 1080p@30fps, 1280 x720@60/30fps, and 848 x 480@30/60fps.
- Comes with Advanced Electronic Image Stabilization feature for recording moving objects with crisp clarity.
- Powered by a 3.7V 3200mAh Li-Polymer battery.
- Waterproof up to a depth of 3ft
Why We Hate It:
- A little bit expensive.
<Best for law enforcement officers>
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MIUFLY 1296P HD Police Body Camera
If you are a security guard, a bouncer, or better yet, a police officer, you want to account for all the events and happening during your shift. You need a powerful body cam to help you capture and record some foolproof and incriminating evidences. That what you get with Miufly.
It supports appendage of external lens, though this is purchased separately. Such peripheral appendages like lenses enhance footage quality, but even without them, this piece is still exceptional.
A high grade 2 inch LCD monitor on its back end allows for easy playback of the video footages. And you can record and save as many video footages as you possibly can, thanks to the 64GB internal memory.
For uninterrupted recording of your videos, this camera has a high capacity 2900mAh battery. The long battery life is capable of withstanding 10 hours of continuous use on a single charge. Because the recorded videos may be uses for legal purposes, this body cam only allows for footage deletion via USB. That is to say, you can only delete the videos from your computer.
It has a very good build, which makes it very robust-looking. Its capabilities too in terms of recording audio and visual are very superb. It can get clear and crisp sound with a high-quality video capture that could go up to 7 varieties of resolutions.
This one can also be very helpful because it could get some information that is very useful like the Time & Date stamp, GPS coordinates and User ID. It even has a motion-detection feature that would make it start recording once the activity has been detected.
What’s more, this cam is lightweight and fits easily on you jacket and you will still be able to undertake your routine tasks without weight concerns. And it’s GPS enables so all videos are saved per exact location and time of occurance.
Why We Like It:
- Powered by a 2900mAh battery capable of up to 10 hours non-stop use.
- Recorded videos can be password protected for security reasons.
- Good audio recording
- 64GB large capacity internal storage for safe keeping of all your footages.
- 2” LCD display screen for footage playback
Why We Hate It:
- No warranty.
<Best for Point of View recording>
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WOLFCOM Venture Body Camera
It is versatile and as such, comes with expandable capacity. You can append external lenses for POV recording. And you can also add an optional battery pack for longer durations of non-stop recording.
This could be one of the most versatile body cameras out there. It could easily convert into a bike camera or into a car camera, depending on how you wish to make it look like. Thanks to itsa rotatable lens, those 3 functionalities are available.
It has a 120-degree field of view which enables it to record up to 1080p video quality running at 30 frames per second. The internal storage is also up to 32GB. It's rechargeable battery could go up to 2.5 hours of continuous recording.
This brand is used by many police departments in the US alone. It is made of high-grade aluminum metal. In addition, it is small a compact in design hence can be fitted nicely on the jacket or anywhere else on the body.
Wolfcom body cam can be easily transformed into car or bike camera. Its rotatable lenses allow for easy camera configuration to lay onto flat or even horizontal surfaces on your car or bike.The package includes mounting accessories for which ever surface you choose to set it on. In fact, on bikes, it can be used as a head lamp while recording at the same time.
Something else about Wolfcom Venture is that it allows for addition of optional headset camera for Point of View (POV) recording. This allows you to include different view and angles to your footage for more clarity.
Why We Like It:
- Optional mounting accessories for bike, car visor, or suction cup.
- Features bright LED lights that can be used as bike head light while still recording at the same time.
- Digital flash for night time videos
- Supports optional headset camera for POV recording.
- Versatile and transforms easily into bike or car camera.
Why We Hate It:
- A little bit bulky.
- Slightly more expensive
<Best for Live video streaming>
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GoPro Fusion 360 waterproof digital VR Camera
It is compatible with iPhone 6s, iPad mini 4 and Android powered devices. Action cams can also go as one of those body cams. They do good quality video recording and at the same time give you maximum comfort. If you do not want to use it as a body cam, then have it as one of your action cams, simple as that.
With this body cam, you can create and share your footages on your smartphone. This allows for easy playback and video preview. You can edits and share footages on the GoPro app which can be downloaded from Google Play Store or App store.
GoPro Fusion will let you capture a fully-immersive 360-degree video. What’s packaged with that is the 5.2k resolution that could go up to 30 frames per second. Definitely way better than what we have in this list.
What’s more, this camera has a rugged design hence very tough and durable. It is waterproof to a max depth of 10m. It supports voice control and depending on the type of GoPro Body camera you own, you can be able to record TimeWarp videos and video live streaming.
Why We Like It:
- Astounding recording quality
- Supports GPS functionality and TimeWarp videos
- Comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions
- Some varieties supports voice control and image stabilization
- Supports spherical 5.2K30/3K60/4K60 video qualities
- Comes in a rugged design and is waterproof to a max depth of 10m.
Why We Hate It:
- Its battery capacity is not the best for long recording intervals.
<Best Multipurpose Body Camera>
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Pyle PPBCM9 Portable Body Camera
Pyle body cam features a 16GB internal memory for storage of all your files. It also features high grade LCD display for crisp clear video playback.
This one is a remote-controlled camera, which means you may be able to control it even if you are far from it. It has a very good capacity in terms of its recordings which makes it a very suitable one for law enforcement.
This will even let you have an easy transfer from your body camera straight to your computer device. This is because of the USB connection capability of it and the Micro SD card that is provided in it.
Why We Like It:
- It is powered by a High capacity Li-Polymer battery
- Has an inbuilt IR functionality for night vision
- Combines body cam, camcorder and voice recorder for exceptional multi-functionality.
- Supports quick and easy file transfer between the body cam and USB enabled device.
- It has a 16GB internal memory for storage of all the recorded video footages.
Why We Hate It:
- It is not waterproof and hence may get damaged when used in rainy conditions.
- The battery life is not ideal for long durations of use.
<Best Battery life>
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R-Tech Body Camera
Not just that, its long battery life is also something that you should be proud of. Its 859nm high-intensity infrared recording power is also a feature that is worth to look at.
Why We Like It:
- Wide field of view
- Two clips for easy mounting
Why We Hate It:
- Expensive.
- Short battery life
<Best 64GB internal memory body cam>
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SAFEVANT 1296P
But the best thing to look at it is the way you can operate this body camera. This one is very easy to control and you will not have a hard time manipulating it, even up to the night vision mode of it.
Why We Like It:
- Can provide 64GB memory capacity
- High capacity infra-red power
Why We Hate It:
- No remote control feature
- Not that user-friendly
<Best Body cam with sleek design>
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Toughsty Mini Spy Shirt Button Camera
Why We Like It:
- Very sneaky
- Can’t be easily noticed
Why We Hate It:
- Low video resolution
- Not that durable
<Best Wi-Fi remote controlled Body Camera>
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Campark ACT74 16MP Action Camera
There is a different kind of visual experience here, so this one is a little bit unique. It even has a waterproof design in case you will be shooting shots with water involved of it.
Why We Like It:
- Wi-Fi Remote Control
- Multiple viewing angles
Why We Hate It:
- Low battery life
- Not as durable
How to Pick the Right Dashboard Camera for You?
As was mentioned earlier, it will really depend on the purpose of why you are using it. Make sure you are not using it so that you will be doing some stupid things all along. Just like what was said, if you are someone who is the law enforcement side of the world, then this one is a very good tool for you.
You need to check out some things that you need to consider too, like the quality, build, battery, brand and more. Without those being not considered, your purchase of your supposed to be lovely body camera would be jeopardized and gone to waste.
Whatever you choose out there, make sure to have it used to the full. Do not make your purchase go to waste. Test out everything before being fully convinced of buying.