Photo Frame Camera

Even in the modern world a favourite or special picture in a frame on a desk or on the side in a living room or maybe bedroom certainly does not seem out of place. The Photo Frame Camera was conceived with this in mind providing an everyday object in which hide a camera ‘in plain sight’ without arousing suspicion.

Photo Frame Camera – Exceptionally Covert Design

Just like our hidden audio recorders, covert camera systems are designed to be discreet, but in the case of the Photo Frame Camera, locating the camera, that is positioned in a dark area of the picture is almost impossible even under the closest of scrutiny. With the camera naturally viewing out of the front face of the picture frame through the glass, it is the ideal room surveillance device, which means that the product is able to neatly fit into many room environments without attracting any suspicion.

Multiple Recording and Memory Option

This camera system produces high quality, 720p HD video with audio and time/date stamping on the recorded footage, which is quite often crucial for evidential reasons. Although it is pre-programmed in through-the-lens motion activated mode, the unit can be easily setup to, scheduled and timed recording if required. The recording system also has an overwrite function for continuous recording with memory storage capacities of 32 GB as standard or 64/128 GB as a paid upgrade at time of purchase if required.

Battery Powered – Extended Recording Capability

The rechargeable batteries are sandwiched between the image and the back cover, so concealed from view. When fully charged the system has a straight recording time of up to 30 hours, however, the motion activation system will assist much longer deployment times of 2 to 3 days when placed in an area with less frequent activity. When triggered, the system will record for the period that there is movement within view of the camera. During extended times of activity recording of footage will autosave after 10 minutes and another recorded file will automatically commence with no gap. Recording in sections like this reduces the incidence of corrupted files and therefore makes the system more reliable. This internal battery is recharged using the supplied USB charging lead via computer or the mains power supply.

Automatic Low-Light Switching

One common shortfall of many covert camera systems is the ability to record in very low light conditions. The Photo Frame Camera system has an auto-switching capability that allows the system to record full colour during standard lighting conditions and then automatically change to monochrome (black and white) footage when the light fades or becomes particularly subdued. It should be noted that this does not mean that the camera can record in total darkness, just reduced lighting conditions.

Playback on Both Mac and Windows Computers

Along with our wifi spy cameras, offloading recorded video from the photo frame camera device memory is simple. Remove the back cover to reveal the operating system, switch off, then plug into a desktop PC or a Mac connecting the PCB USB port to a laptop computer, using the supplied USB wire and then offload the video onto the connected computer. Footage can then be played back on-screen generally using the standard pre-installed media player for the computer.

N.B. The picture shown is one taken by ourselves. We chose this because the image colouring made it far easier to hide a lens looking through a dark part of the picture. You may wish to supply your own image to us for a special build. You however will need take into consideration the need for dark/black areas in the chosen picture to enable us to make the camera lens discreet. Please call us to discuss should you wish to use your own picture.

• Cleverly concealed spy camera system incorporated within a photo frame
• Made in the UK. Engineered with covert deployment in mind – Camera lens is effectively impossible to identify
• Simple to use – ‘plug and play’ technology with no specialist knowledge required
• Primarily set for ‘thru the lens’ motion activated video (with audio) recording (alternative setup made easy through included software widget
• Video Resolution: 1280 x 720p @ 20 Frames per second
• Will record in colour perfectly in daylight, but has auto-switching to night mode for when the lighting gets very dim in the area of deployment (changes to black/white)
• Excellent quality CMOS pinhole lens – decent wide camera view angle: of 62 degrees
• Time and date stamping on video recordings – perfect for evidence gathering
• In-built rechargeable 4800 mAh lithium-ion battery providing nearly 3 days deployment time (after a full battery charge)
• Incorporated as standard 32 GB digital memory capacity providing over 16 hours storage for recorded HD video footage (64 GB or 128 GB capacity available at extra cost)
• Possible to program for looped recording – saves having to delete files from memory regularly.
• Gapless split time 10, 15 or 20 minute recordings (preset for 10) – if one file is corrupted, not all recording is affected
• Charge battery from PC or mains outlet. USB cable and mains adapter supplied
• Optional additional battery and charger for quick-swap of the battery pack – faster redeployment
• Compatible with Windows OS 10, 11 as well as Mac OS X – no specialist software required for playback
• Dimensions: 25.5 cm wide x 20.5 cm high and 25 mm deep
• Perfect for at home or in the office where a picture on the side on a desk or wall would not arouse any suspicion

Is it possible to run the Photo Frame Camera from a mains supply?

It would look really odd having a power lead coming out of the back of a picture frame and there is no hole for the lead in the frame back. We offer an optional changeable battery pack

Which way does the camera face?

The spy camera is positioned so as to view the room environment, which the photo frame would be normally facing.

If somebody took the back off the photo frame would they be able to tell that there was a camera system installed?

It would be obvious because the camera module PCB, battery pack and associated wiring would be exposed.

How do I watch back the video recordings?

It is simply a matter of removing the back cover and connecting the device to a computer via USB lead to play back recorded files.

Does playing back the files require any special software?

No special software is required as such, although some computers may need an updated media player. We recommend a free download of either VLC Media Player which will ensure that there are no problems playing back recordings.

Does this device record sound?

Yes, there is a microphone within this device. The microphone will be able to record voices within a reasonable distance.

Is the video recorded good enough to be able to recognise faces?

Absolutely yes, it is very easy to identify people on the footage as long as there is enough light in the environment that the recording takes place.

You will need the following to use this equipment:

• A computer with speakers attached is required if wishing to playback recordings with the audio on your PC or Laptop
• You will need a media player on the computer for playback of video / audio files (computers generally have one as part of their operating system). It maybe worthwhile downloading a free media player. We use VLC Media Player at Spy Equipment UK
• The unit records approximately 30 minutes of video/audio per Gigabyte of storage, so 32GB provides space for 16 hours of video.
• You may wish to choose a rechargeable battery pack from the dropdown menu for a quick redeployment of the system
• The picture shown is one taken by ourselves. We chose this because the image colouring made it far easier to hide a lens looking through a dark part of the picture. You may wish to supply your own image to us for a special build. You however will need take into consideration the need for dark/black areas in the chosen picture to enable us to make the camera lens discreet. Please call us to discuss should you wish to use your own picture