Lipstick camera
Encyclopedia
A lipstick camera is an extremely small video camera
which is approximately the size of a typical tube of lipstick
. They are useful for capturing images that a conventional camera would not be able to capture due to size or weight constraints.
Examples include showing a poker
player's hand, looking inside a hockey
penalty box, or providing a "point of view" angle by mounting the camera on a helmet
. The camera itself only has just enough electronics to capture the image, typically on a 6mm (1/4 in) Bayer filter
CCD
. It is connected by a cable to a somewhat larger box where the image is processed into a standard video signal which can be recorded.
The camera suggested the Mike Bonifer thriller film, Lipstick Camera (1994), about a woman who hopes to get into TV news, borrows a friend's camera and obtains incriminating pictures sought by two former East German spies.
Video camera
A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...
which is approximately the size of a typical tube of lipstick
Lipstick
Lipstick is a cosmetic product containing pigments, oils, waxes, and emollients that applies color, texture, and protection to the lips. Many varieties of lipstick are known. As with most other types of makeup, lipstick is typically, but not exclusively, worn by women...
. They are useful for capturing images that a conventional camera would not be able to capture due to size or weight constraints.
Examples include showing a poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player's hand, looking inside a hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
penalty box, or providing a "point of view" angle by mounting the camera on a helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
. The camera itself only has just enough electronics to capture the image, typically on a 6mm (1/4 in) Bayer filter
Bayer filter
A Bayer filter mosaic is a color filter array for arranging RGB color filters on a square grid of photosensors. Its particular arrangement of color filters is used in most single-chip digital image sensors used in digital cameras, camcorders, and scanners to create a color image...
CCD
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
. It is connected by a cable to a somewhat larger box where the image is processed into a standard video signal which can be recorded.
The camera suggested the Mike Bonifer thriller film, Lipstick Camera (1994), about a woman who hopes to get into TV news, borrows a friend's camera and obtains incriminating pictures sought by two former East German spies.