Review: 8GB HD-DVR Waterproof Camera Watch

Ever fancied yourself a bit of an MI5 agent – who hasn’t.  With this multi-function waterproof camera watch you can not only take covert photos, but record audio and video, and it looks pretty hot too.

What makes this watch camera stand out is that it not only records video/audio and takes photos (at high definition), but it also doesn’t look like a cheap Chinese piece of excrement. It resembles a serious looking dive watch, with all sorts of knobs and dials, compass, fiddly bits and enough digits and numbers to make you a little dizzy and persuade your breakfast to reintroduce itself all over your lap.

Waterproof to 30m

The manufacturers say it’s waterproof to 30 metres, but this is really a guideline so I would only recommend you use this at shallow depths – or in the bath to covertly take videos of your lady’s white bits. And if she kicks up a bit of a splash about it, simply assure her that underwater photos are known to take off 4.7kgs, and due to the refraction of light underwater: cellulite is rendered invisible to the camera’s CMOS chip. So it will really look like a photo of Gisele Bundchen’s white bits under water.

When using the watch underwater you would need to use the waterproof sealing knobs (supplied) to ensure that no water seeps into these holes. Understandably you won’t be able to record audio underwater – a pity though, because what a peaceful world it is underwater. You would be able to record your SCUBA dive, or shenanigans in the waves, or even your wakeboarding session – the watch has a multitude of applications.

Downloading Your Media

Right out the box you can get cracking and get recording. The supplied USB cable which looks similar to a headphone jack at one end and has a standard USB plug at other, is both the data cable and charger. To download your images, sound files and videos from your watch you would simply need to unscrew the knob on the side and plug in the USB cable. Your PC will automatically recognise and install driver for the device, but if asked, insert the supplied disk and use the drivers found there. You can play videos and view images etc right off the watch’s internal drive; and the watch pops up as an additional hard drive in My Computer.

Video Specifications

You are able to record video in low light conditions however you will get the best results from using it in a well lit room or by using it outside in daylight.

The video compression (at 640*480 resolution) captures at roughly 0.58MB’s per second. So a 1 minute video will take up roughly around 35MB’s. Photos take up between 180k and 300k per image. (Audio recordings significantly less than video.) But with 8GB’s to play around with you can be sure that you won’t run out of space too quickly. Work on around 220 minutes of video recording before you’ll start to run out of space.

Instructions

With English not being the most widely spoken language out in the east, the “Engrish” translated instructions might make you more confused than anything. So below are rough instructions on how to use your waterproof DVR watch.

Record video:

1.       Press and hold bottom left. Red/Blue comes on then Blue standby light glows. (now in standby)

2.       Press and hold for +- 1 sec, Blue then flashes 3 times. Now recording

3.       Press and hold for +- 1 sec to stop recording and save file.

Record audio:

1.       Press top left while in standby, then flashes Red when recording. Press again to stop recording

Record image:

1.       In standby mode, quickly press top left to take photo.

What’s included:

• 8GB Waterproof HD-DVR camera watch
• CD drivers
• USB cable
• Charging adapter
• Waterproof sealing knobs

The following are a few more images of the watch, as well as images taken with the watch’s camera, to give you an idea of the quality.