Our casual home security cameras are a perfect tool to save our house from theft and burglary. They serve the purpose of their manufacturing.
But if you try to use them for some other purpose then I guess you have nothing but a complete failure in your hands at the end.
The purpose of recording someone discreetly, recording lectures, and keeping an eye on the nanny can only be done when you own something compact, workable, and most importantly, unnoticeable.
So the best option I could think of is a button camera. Yeah, that’s right.
There are discreet wearable cameras available in the market that look like buttons and fit perfectly in your shirt, and suit buttonholes.
So, for a long time if you wanted to play the spy game or actually wanted to record some discreet activities, then here are the 5 best button cameras handpicked by me.
Table Of Contents
Top 3 Picks
IMAGE | PRODUCT | SPECIFICATIONS | VIEW ON AMAZON |
Best Button Camera With Audio Video Recording  | Wiseup Hidden Button Camera |
| |
Full HD Button Camera  | Spy-Max Button Camera |
| |
Best Overall  | GooSpy Button Camera |
|
Best Button Cameras
1. Wiseup
Making a place in the list of the 5 best small button cameras is not easy. The camera needs to be flawless in all aspects and be the best of its kind.
If you want to catch someone red-handed while they ask for a bribe from you, your home security camera will fail to capture that person.
Normal surveillance cameras are bulky in size and easily detectable. But the problem of discreet working is solved by button camera like Wiseup.
The 3 casual black buttons that come with the mini button spy camera easily go with most of your shirts and suits.
The buttons perfectly hide the camera behind them and everything seems to be normal while you are actually recording the audio and video of the victim. This makes it one of the best button spy cameras with video and audio recording.
Only the size of the Wiseup button camera is small, but its working is equally great. With 1920x1080P HD quality video recording, the person you want to record will be clearly visible.
You can choose to record in 1280x720P quality to drain less battery and record for a longer period.
With a 16 GB memory card that comes with the HD button camera, it’s possible to record long continuous videos without fretting about space.
If the included 16 GB memory card is not enough for you then it’s possible to extend the SD card up to 32 GB.
The amazing battery backup of 6 hours and continuous recording feature has helped me record long office meetings without my boss and colleagues even knowing about it.
But the time when there’s nothing going on, the recording is simply a waste of battery and storage. That’s where the motion detection feature of the spy button camera comes in handy.
Switch the camera to the motion detection mode and leave the camera on standby. Motion detection will activate the camera only when there’s a movement within the range of the camera, it saves a lot of battery. In my testing I found it to be working equally well as motion detection spy camera apps which I tested earlier.
If you think the recording is not necessary and just a photo will be enough proof, simply click a photo.
If you look at the design of the camera, it’s a small button camera attached to a decent-sized wire and a small box at the last.
And you must be thinking that there are so many functions available with the camera but how to control them, right?
Well, there’s a wireless small controller that comes with Wiseup Hidden Button Camera. This small controller looks exactly like a car controller and it also has a small hook attached to it.
Just attach the camera controller with your car keys and don’t let anyone suspect the controller. The other person will think it’s a normal car key but in reality, you’ll be controlling your hidden camera attached to your shirt button.
2. Spy-Max
Are you looking for the best button spy camera that can record everything in full HD? If yes, then embrace this high-end spy button cam which also happens to be the most expensive product on the list.
It costs 3 to 4 times more than other wearable spy camera buttons, but it is still value for money.
It records video in full HD 1080p with 30fps. Moreover, this spy camera button has a wide 75-degree viewing angle which is hardly seen in a button size camera. This guarantees that the video it records will be of high quality.
However, while using the HD button camera I found that it can only record HD video and not audio. So if you are looking for a button spy camera with audio then sorry this isn’t for you. However, you can capture crystal clear photos using it which kind of compensates for no audio recording functionality.
In my test, I also noticed that this shirt button spy camera can last up to 30 hours on a full charge. Also, it can record continuously for up to 22 hours, all thanks to its 128GB MicroSD Card. Not to forget it comes with a motion detection sensor which can save lots of battery and space.
Overall, if budget is not a concern for you then it is the best button spy camera that you can opt for especially if you are looking for a wearable spy camera with HD recording.
3. GooSpy
This mini button camera from Goospy is one of the smallest spy cameras that you can find on the market today with a dimension of 7.1 x 4.4 x 2.4 inches.
The dimensions must be looking quite large as compared to the claim of the smallest camera, right?
Well, in reality, this button size camera is really small if you only consider the size of the lens. The dimensions are big due to the length of the wire attached to the lens.
The small size of this discrete wearable camera makes it a perfect gadget to discreetly record the activity of other colleagues and someone for whom you want to record evidence.
With 1080p video quality from its 5 MP camera, this tiny button for spying captures good quality video. Just replace the GooSpy camera with your coat/shirt button and record continuously for 60 minutes.
The 90-degree viewing angle of the camera makes it possible to give you a complete view of the room when the camera is placed somewhere at the corner.
Keep an eye on every activity of your kids and nanny even while you are not physically present. Just place the camera somewhere unnoticeable and view everything with the live streaming feature.
All you need to do is, install the supported iOS and Android app and connect the camera and app with WiFi.
The motion detection feature starts recording the video when a motion is detected. A 30-second video is recorded and saved in the memory card and a photo is captured and uploaded on the app which you can see from your smartphone.
So that you don’t miss the photo, you get a push notification on your device.
The list of features that the app provides doesn’t end here. It’s possible to remotely playback, download, and delete the video files saved on the SD card.
If your concern is, what if the camera doesn’t work for me? Well, in that case, you can return the camera within 30 days and get a full refund for your product.
If you face some problem using the camera within 18 months of purchase, then you’ll get a replacement as the button hole spy camera is covered with a warranty.
4. Elite ETSPY
This wireless mini shirt spy button camera for men and women has a completely different design when I compare it to other button cameras on the list like the GooSpy and Wiseup wearable spy camera.
You don’t need to engage yourself with typical wires surrounding the camera. Instead, there’s a small box attached to the camera that can easily replace the button in your suit, shirt, or your t-shirt.
With just 2.32 x 0.91 x 0.43 inches in size and 0.48 ounces in weight, it’s one of the best spy button cameras for discreet recording.
I won’t say high quality, but you can record a decent quality video with the 480p video quality resolution of the camera.
The camera completely resembles your coat/shirt button due to which no one could ever imagine that a casual-looking button is actually a gadget recording all their activities.
Simply replace the button of your coat with this camera and record important lectures, and meetings. Rest the coat on a hook and save your house from burglars and predators.
You get an 8 GB micro SD card included with this spy button camera for recording long videos, but it’s possible to extend the camera to 32 GB.
If continuously in use, you can record the videos for 40 minutes which in my opinion is very less. So battery backup is a downside of the camera according to me.
On the other hand, it takes about 2 hours for the camera to charge completely.
With the motion detection feature, save your SD card from filling quickly as the camera only records video after detecting some motion.
The camera automatically saves the videos on the SD card every 10 minutes. So you don’t need to worry about the recorded files getting lost.
If your micro SD card has no more space left, it doesn’t mean you can’t secure your house and belongings now. With the loop recording feature, it’s possible to overwrite the existing files with the new ones.
Spying and discreet recording are not the only things you can use this gadget for. Capture all the beautiful scenes and moments by simply clicking pictures.
If by chance this button video camera doesn’t work for you then you can return the camera within 30 days and get every single penny back.
You also get a 1-year warranty if you face some technical problems with the camera.
5. ESROVER
Last on the list is a micro hidden button camera from the brand called ESROVER. It is one of the smallest button cameras on the list with just an 8mm lens.
It comes with multiple button attachments which will easily match your t-shirt, shirt, and coat buttons. This means it is easy to hide this buttonhole camera without anyone getting suspicious.
The 7-hour battery life on this shirt button spy camera is less than what you get with Spy-Max HD Button Camera. But then it is also way cheaper than that. However, the low battery life is compensated with its motion detection and live streaming feature. This means you can see the live video recording on your Android or iPhone.
You also get a 12-month warranty with this button size camera.
Final Verdict
Sometimes you feel the need to record some moments that are not possible with your normal use cameras. Basically, you don’t want to record those things with your normal cameras and you want something that can do the work discreetly.
For this to happen, you look for some special type of camera that records the person in front without coming into notice.
These special types of cameras are known as spy cameras. One such type of spy camera is a button spy camera.
These cameras replace the button of your t-shirt, shirt, or coat, and record the lectures or unethical activities covertly.
Buying Guide
Purchasing a button spy camera is easy, but purchasing the best one is a tough job. So, just for our beloved users, I have prepared this buying guide so that you can make the best purchase possible.
If you find all the things mentioned in this buying guide in a button spy camera, then no doubt, it’s the best button spy camera you can purchase.
And if not all but most of the things are present, still it’s a product worth purchasing. So let’s see what factors should be kept in mind while purchasing a button camera.
1. Replaceability
This article is specially written for people looking for a camera that looks like a button and can replace it.
So it’s important for a button camera to easily replace your suit or shirt button without someone noticing.
For this to happen, it’s important for the camera to resemble the button in all the ways possible. Most of the suits and shirts come with a black button, so it’s better if your camera also has a black color.
Similarly, the shape of the camera also matters a lot. What’s the point in purchasing a spy camera with a square shape when you have a suit with round buttons and vice versa?
So make sure that your button camera replaces the buttons of your apparel without showing much of a difference.
2. Size
A camera with large dimensions claiming itself to be a button camera simply means that the camera is contradicting itself.
How can you expect a button camera to be bigger than the size of a button? So make sure that the camera you want to buy has a lens size equal to a standard shirt button size.
Sometimes it’s possible that the product information claims the huge size of the camera. But it’s not necessary they are only talking about the size of the camera lens.
In those cases, the dimensions of the product include the wire attached to the lens, like in the case of most of the products on our list.
So make your decision wisely and choose the button camera with a small lens size. But don’t leave a good camera if the dimensions are as big as it can be due to the length of the wire.
3. Weight
The weight of the button camera is equally important as the size of the camera. If your button camera is bulky in weight then it’s going to be really difficult for you to adjust it again and again.
And if by chance you are recording someone covertly, then there might be a chance of revealing your spy button camera.
And if that happens, I don’t need to tell you how problematic it could be for you.
So when it comes to the weight of your camera, compromise is a big NO!
4. Battery Life
Would you like to purchase a car with the worst mileage? No one would, right?
The same goes for the battery life of the camera. You want to purchase the camera for the safety of your house, pets, or kids, or for other purposes like discreet recordings of someone or your lectures.
And with low battery backup, you just take the risk of leaving the job incomplete.
This makes battery backup an important factor that one should look up in a button spy camera.
5. Functionality
The functionality simply means other features that one gets along with the camera, other than basic recording features.
Some of the cameras also support apps that provide you with a handful of amazing features.
These features are live streaming of videos, and remote controls like playback, download, and delete options.
Other amazing characteristics include loop recording and motion detection features which let you record videos without filling the space of your SD card.
When there’s a motion detected by the camera your apps also get notifications for the same. It can be a really important feature and you might save yourself from a big loss.
