VIDCASTIVE 1080P Mini Body Camera with Night Vision

Hasn’t worked well and it didn’t charge for a long time. I needed to return it

$40 for this slapped together piece of junk?! Wow.
This thing is Horrible!
Video quality is So low, I’d be shamed by it in the 80s.
Operations are just as uncomfortable.
Avoid at all costs!!

EDIT: Sadly, I’m returning this because the battery won’t hold a charge overnight.

1. Decent, budget, personal bodycam, audio recorder, webcam, etc. Picture quality is good, depending on lighting.
2. Lacks image stabilization, which would be a nice feature but probably not possible at this price.
3. It’s too easy to accidentally press buttons to stop recording.
4. Has a small, color screen for viewing vids, pix and settings. “Screen saver” is actually a screen blanking feature which means that you don’t go around with the screen constantly on while recording.
5. It requires about as much light as one needs to read in order to produce a usable video. Five LEDs provide lighting, which they call “night vision”, out to about 12 feet. Forget about any covert use at night. It would be better if the lights and camera were infrared.
6. The lens rotates 180º. It would be better if it went a bit more to allow the lens to be slightly depressed as it tends to point upward when worn in the shirt pocket.
7. Seems lightly constructed. Would probably not survive a fall onto a hard floor but I’m not going to test it. I also won’t vouch for it in the lightest rain.
8. Configuration is via a menu system.
9. Comes with a manual but you need a microscope to read it.
10. When connected via USB it gives you a choice to access files, act as a webcam, or charge only.
11. I had to remove and reinsert the micro-SD card, after which it worked.
12. When you rotate the lens 180º so that it faces the same direction as the screen, you have to press and hold the “up” button to flip the image right-side-up. However, the video is a mirror image. I suppose most video editing software can correct this.
13. There a “nannycam” or motion detection feature that starts recording when movement is detected in the image and which continues to record for about 20 seconds after the motion ends. This uses significant battery power, so the useful time in this mode is only about 7 hours before a recharge is required. Useful to see who comes into your hotel room while you’re out but not for long-term monitoring of your property.
14. There’s a slight zoom capability but it does not seem like a very useful feature. It might be better if the lens had a wider angle of view.

I charged this camera several times but never got to use it. After charging it, I would set it down or put it in my shirt pocket believing it was turned off and sometimes I would find it turned on or I would just find it with the battery drained as if it had been on. I was contacted the company for help.
Update 1: I changed initial my review from one star to 4 stars as I received a reply from the company and they apologized for the problem and they stated they will be sending me a replacement camera.
In later correspondence with the company, I was told if you only press the on/off button momentarily, it can turn off the viewing screen but not the whole camera. You have to hold it for a bit. The viewing screen does close quickly but you do have to hold it until the screen changes images and then shuts off. I must say, the customer service is excellent. I still haven’t tried out the camera as I forgot it on the charger but it is definitely holding the charge now.

I wanted something light and inexpensive for daily walks or travel. Although this is a very light product the picture quality is lacking. It also crashed the first time I used it so I’m a little in the future.

This is extremely better than I had thought. The packing was very good. The device is awesome. The picture quality is very acceptable. No- it’s not 4K. But for a small compact video (audio) device, I am impressed. I especially like the small screen. I need to know that what I am videoing is being videoed! This puts my mind at ease being able to see it and immediately play it back. The camera rotates up and down as well. This ranks high on my list of best purchases I’ve ever made on Amazon.
I’m buying one for my car and one for my home/office too. In this crazy world we live in, I consider this a ‘must have’ item. Oh- charges very quickly. Cord was included. The only thing I wish was included, would be a soft carry bag to put it in. I found a thick sock works well.