Pivothead 1080 Hd 8mp Video Recording Camera Polarized Hand-free Sunglasses, Durango Matte Black

The image quality is REALLY good. It has a Sony 8MP CMOS sensor, so its nothing cheap. The view point is pretty small, which means the image is not going to be as sharp as a good camera phone, but its not bad. I am debating if I should upload some test images or videos I took, because I know Amazon compresses video reviews like crazy, and I don't think it would be a good indication of the quality of the glasses. I will look over what I have shot again, and see if I can find something decent.Sound quality is better than I would have thought. I don't know where they hide the mic, but I was impressed. Once again, its not great, but its way better than I was expecting.The optics of the lenses are great, and Pivothead sells different kinds of lenses you can put in these (perscription, transition, clear, yellow, etc). Of course, your camera images are going to look the same. The camera has auto white balance, brightness and contrast, and it actually works VERY well. I can easily take video and walk from inside to shade to outside, and the image adjusts quickly and adequately.Pivothead is a US company, and it shows in the quality of the build, their thoughtfullness in accessories, and support in both older models and in developing newer models. This said, their prices are higher than other products that advertise to do the same thing, but the difference is going to be in quality, both of the device, the lenses, and the quality of your video and imagesThe field of view of the camera is actually pretty good. Even though you have no viewfinder, the position of the camera on the glasses means that if you are just looking at what you are wanting to shoot at, you are probably going to capture it. Obviously it is not going to work if you are looking at somehting at the edge of your perephial vision and don't turn your head, but it does work pretty darn well. I can film people having conversations with me, and not have to worry if I am cutting off hands or anything.There seems to be image stabalization in these. While it could be better, its a heck of a lot better than I thought it was going to be, especially while walking or running (this might also be what is causing some of the softness to videos - not bad, but it could be sharper).Fully customizable options for video and picture quality, and for what options you what to happen when you press a button.While someone could see the rocker switch on your classes if they got close to you, I hung out with friends all day, and they never noticed anything weird about the glasses. You can also see the camera, but no one really seemed to notice. However, reaching up to turn it on and off and to hit the rocker button seems weird, so might not be ideal for total survailance.As far as I know, no one could see the LEDs thorough the glasses. I tested it by shooting myself in the mirror. I haven't tried it with clear lenses yet, though.Complaints -Yeah, the SD card is built in, and there is no way to replace it. That said, if you are recording video, you get roughly the same recording time as you do battery life (approximately an hour). On the plus side, this keeps the design simple and light (although it is still heavier than regular sunglasses, it IS noticable until you get used to it).The LED lights are almost useless - you cannot see them while wearing the glasses, which means slightly removing the glasses if you want to verify that you are indeed recording (or even powered on).You cannot take a photo while recording video. Pivothead's engineers said this is due to hardware limitations in current models, but they are considering adding it in future models.Battery life too short, SD card too smallOn really fast movement, video image starts to ghost and blur and drop frames (possibly interpolated frames?). While this isn't an issue for most things (say, driving, walking, people watching, recording sporting events, etc,) it is an issue if you have to rapidly turn your head, or if you are trying to use it on rides at amusement parks. And it is not BAD, but it is enough to be annoyingThere is a bit of weight to these things. If you have ever worn glasses with real glass, the weight shouldn't bother you, but it may be a bother to some who are expecting light sunglasses.The desktop software is not that great at transfering files - it seems to do a copy instead of a move. This can be annoying since you have to use the computer to remove files from the camera - you cannot delete without a computer (so if you are on vacation, carry a laptop with you so you can download pics and videos). On the plus side, it mounts as a regular SD card / camera, so as long as you know how to browse files on your phone or comptuer, and how to move files, you should be fine. Use the software only for configuring the options on the camera.while there is a power button and a rocker button, you are supposed to be able to configure the rocker button in anyway you want. So short press forward for 1080p30 video (or 25 if you set it to pal), Long press forward for 720p60 (or 50 if you are in pal), short press backwards to take 3 photos in rapid burst, long press for 16 photos. However, in the few times I have taken these out to shoot stuff, I have never been able to get the long-press options to work - ie it starts recording in 1080 as soon as you press the button, and seems to take your photos as soon as you press the back button, so no chance of it even accepting a long press.I don't think there is a way to turn off the LEDs (I will have to double check), so if you really are trying to do survailance / hidden camera or something (such as laying your glasses on the table or someplace for a few mintues - not that I tried), this might not be the best solution.Overall-Overall, I am happy with these - they work well, and are of good quality. There are some things that the developers should look at addressing on future models. The price tag does seem a bit steep for a novelty item (although this would be GREAT for filming sports from the POV of the athlete without having to strap a gocam on them), but if you go with a competetor's cheaper product, you probably won't be happy with the quality. I am glad I went ahead and paid more and go this product.Overall, if you are looking for a quality POV product, this is probably what you are looking for and is probably going to be the best in its field. Just don't plan on using these to record a 2 hour concert or something (although it did last all day for me at an amusement park filming and taking pictures here and there)

I think that these Pivothead's are great & have used them for multiple sports venues. I really like that the camera is in the middle of the 2 lenses vs other glasses that have the cameras on the outside edge, as I have a pair like that & will miss part of my POV. The video quality is great for up close. My one critique is for long range shots, wish there was a zoom button. Looking forward to augmented reality glasses that will incorporate this technology & move it forward.If you'd like to see the quality of this pair, here's a YouTube video of a baseball game shot with this pair of glasses:[...]

Needs a wider field of view.... audio is hit and miss but overall I am pretty darn impressed with these glasses!

Great and works great

I purchased these Durango glasses directly from Pivothead with additional Clear Chameleon Lenses for the total cost of about $275.Pros:> Polarized> Interchangeable Lenses> Stylish> Camera is in the centerCons:> Short battery life> NON-REPLACEABLE BATTERY> Gets EXTREMELY hot> No expandable storage> Hard to see the status LEDs> Camera pointed about 15* upwards, so you have to look downThese glasses lasted just a bit over a year of very little use. I probably have about 2-3 hours total recording time on them before the battery swelled and stopped working. I reached out to Pivothead to get a replacement battery and they ***WILL NOT*** sell you one. They told me "Maybe you can find one online and replace it yourself." The catch is that it's a proprietary battery pack that has to fit in a very tiny area, so it has to be that specific pack to work. I've found similar ones on a Chinese outlet site, but being lithium batteries I don't want to risk an explosion and fire on my temple (that's where the battery sits!) That basically means the only option is to throw them away.As for the the Clear Chameleon Lenses straight up don't work, as they're Photochromic Clear to Grey in sunlight. Well they always just stood clear so basically useless.

I've owned the Durango original series for a couple of years. The first year was great and I was shocked at the quality of the pics and film I recorded. This is truly hd! Incredible! Best camera I've owned. I am however worried about how hot the device gets near the temple (where it's nerve center is for power button, etc.). Right from the start this area of the sunglass heats up to the piont it's unwearable and I have to stop recording, remove and power off for awhile. Thing is, they start heating up pretty much immediately - it doesn't take long for them to get to that point. So although this is one drawback, it's kind of a big one. And I'm not sure if its reaponsible for this other problem (that ended my love affair with these) is that they stopped recording or taking pics after the one year mark exactly. Per Instruction included, I double checked that memory was deleted from device but to no avail. I've done that process a few times it just won't record anymore. After checking the Pivothead.com website today (3/30/18) I'm seeing more instructions under troubleshooting involving reformatting it's internal card so I am going to do that this afternoon to see if that works. Hopefully it will because the company gave a one year warranty which is of course right after these started acting up so no more warranty. If the memory reformat is successful I would love to edit this review and get this up to the 5 stars I want it to be. Stay tuned.