video surveillance

[novelist]

I'm writing a book where the heroine is a private investigator, covering a 5-year span from about 2002/3 to the present.

In the scenes set in the present, she uses a button cam connected to a mini-DVR, which I assume she'd tape to the small of her back or inside her thigh so it's not obvious when she's wearing a bit of a slinky dress.

What about the scenes set in 2002/3? I'm assuming everything would be that little bit more bulky?

Any tips greatly appreciated.

[Buenchico]

Small cameras (with pin-hole lenses) were available in 2002. Take a look at this:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Technology/Inte rnet/Question407429.html
(Similar cameras were on sale 5 years ago).

While the whole unit is just over 1" square, the actual lens is in the front of the conical part, with a diameter of less than 2mm.

Such cameras can easily be hidden inside, say, a handbag. ()nly a 2mm hole is required). However, that's not the whole story because your character would also require a power source for the camera and a video recording device to attach to it. The power source could be any suitable 12V battery. 5 years ago digital recording was still fairly new; it's more likely that your character would have used a Sony Video Walkman, with Hi-8 video tape, to record the images:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=220157149023

The technology, referred to here, was used by BBC Watchdog reporters about 5 years ago.

Chris

[rojash]

"5 years ago digital recording was still fairly new"... not that new, Chris - I got my first mini DV camera in 1998, and according to JVC they introduced their first UK model in 1996. I remember when I got mine, Sony (I think) were also pushing to replace domestic VCRs with DV versions - although they didn't make much headway.

[novelist]

Thanks Chris and Rojash. That does help me. I'm going to have her with a recorder in her handbag in 2002, because I'm assuming that even if it is digital, it's bigger than the deck-of-cards-size ones on the market today and more difficult to hide under clothing.

I appreciate your time and the links too!