Microcircuit, or microchip, video cameras are miniature cameras about the size of a US quarter or smaller and have been around for about ten years. These tiny video cameras have been the cutting-edge of surveillance technology. The cameras are everywhere and are especially useful for documenting instances of theft in the workplace or capturing video evidence for later use in court.

Pinhole video cameras are micro-video cameras that have been designed with a small pinhole in the front of them. They are optimized so that the image sensor can obtain images through a hole the size of a pin, making them very easy to hide and use in covert situations. Many professionals in the surveillance business offer ready-made setups of micro-video cameras built into just about anything including clocks, teddy bears, coffee pots, lamps, radios, etc.

Pinhole and Microcircuit Cameras hidden inside of everyday objects and then used for surveillance around the home are oftentimes referred to as nannycams or nanny cams. The name became popular when videos of babby sitters and in-home child care workers, who were abusing children while the parents were away, began surfacing regularly in the nightly news.

When choosing a nannycam, or building one for that matter, it's important to watch the quality of the board cameras you are going to obtain simply because the US market has been flooded by low quality cameras that have a limited life and a high rate of failure. One company hawks them for as low as $29.95 but this is definitely not the type of camera you want to use for professional or long-term applications. It's also important to note that these cameras require that you wire them in the proper manner for power supply and video output which can be confusing to albeit the most technology saavy users.

It's also important to be aware of the available features of these cameras. Here is what to look for:

Automatic Electronic Shutter Adjustment
Video cameras need to have an electronic shutter that automatically compensates for lighting changes. You will find that cameras without AES will under or over expose the resulting image.

Resolution
Resolution is the number of lines that compose the image captured; more lines equals a better resolution equals a better picture. Many of the lesser expensive cameras have resolution of 360 lines or below. I suggest looking for cameras with 400 lines or better.

Light Rating
Light ratings for cameras are measured in