History Main / SpyCam

Subtrope of ShoePhone. See IncrediblyObviousBug for when this trope is parodied by featuring a camera that's bulky, noisy, covered in blinking lights, and all-around impossible to hide. Compare SurveillanceDrone and LiteralSurveillanceBug.

* In ''Film/TheEqualizer'', [=McCall=] conceals several cameras within mundane objects (a toy train and a wall clock, plus hacks the camera on his own home computer) to see the activity of the soldiers of TheMafiya (and [[TheDragon Nikolai]]) that broke into his home.

* In ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'', among the various spy items hidden in the Ankh-Morpork Embassy is "an iconograph small enough to fit in a pocket". ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' iconographs contain an imp that paints pictures, the spycam version has a "nano-imp" that costs over a hundred dollars.

** ''In Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService'', Bond uses a small camera to take snap shots of a map that shows where the "Angels Of Death" are to release a biological agent.

* In ''Film/TheTallBlondManWithOneBlackShoe'', several Spy Cams are in use to capture the hero when he arrives at the airport, hidden in places like fire lighters and cigarette packs.

** In a different episode, the boys randomly hook up electronically controlled objects to the Internet to see who, around the world, logs on to control them. One is a remote-controlled car with upward-pointing camera. Penny walks in, in a shortish skirt. The car leaps into life and rolls to between her feet as the camera angles up. Penny has an OhCrap moment, shrieks, and runs, with the camera-car following. (It is being controlled by nerds in Japan.)

* Before the digital age the CIA developed a fountain pen for photographing documents. Just to load the pen with film took such delicate precision that the CIA feared that if the inventor died, [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup they wouldn't be able to make any more]].

See IncrediblyObviousBug for when this trope is parodied by featuring a camera that's bulky, noisy, covered in blinking lights, and all-around impossible to hide. Compare SurveillanceDrone and LiteralSurveillanceBug.

Subtrope of ShoePhone.

See IncrediblyObviousBug for when this trope is parodied by featuring a camera that's bulky, noisy, covered in blinking lights, and all-around impossible to hide.

* Austin James in ''Series/{{Probe}}'' had various surveillance bugs concealed on his person, including a camera on one of his shirt buttons.

* In ''Film/DrStrangelove'', a general accuses the Russian ambassador of trying to take pictures of the WarRoom using a camera disguised as a pack of cigarettes. The ambassador claims that the spy camera was planted. It turns out that the ambassador was telling the truth - ''his'' spy camera was disguised as his pocketwatch (unless you believe that the ambassador brought two hidden cameras with him).

* As a homage to TuxedoAndMartini SpyFiction, ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'' naturally has the requisite [[ShoePhone spy gadgets]], but it's pointed out that a SpyCam is not necessary these days when every mobile phone has a camera. Still the kingsmen use their [[SpecsOfAwesome augmented virtual reality spectacles]] to record footage of the villain's location.

See IncrediblyObviousBug when this trope is parodies by featuring a camera that's bulky, noisy, covered in blinking lights, and all-around impossible to hide.

* Parodied in the 2002 film version of ''Series/ISpy'' with Alex Scott complaining about the size of his supposed "spy camera" (about the size of an old-school studio camera) [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything in comparison with the "sexier" pocket-sized camera of rival super-spy Carlos]].

* The Sticky Cameras of the ''VideoGame/SplinterCell'' series are launched by Sam's GrenadeLauncher, can be remote-controlled and access the same night and thermal vision modes of Sam's goggles. Some versions even have noisemakers and knockout gas canisters within them.

* [[TurnOfTheMillennium As of the 2000s]], the small size of cellphone cameras and memory chips poked the manufacturers to embed them in most unlikely devices: [[http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/326815/7201967/0/1224909136/spy_USB_Pen_Camera_Recorder_camera_video_camera_8GB.jpg a pen]], an [=USB=] [[http://www.securitybees.com/blogs/home/11273733-mini-usb-flash-drive-spy-camera-dvr-mini-u8-instruction-manual thumb drive]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpk-cGeHk0w a coat button]], even your dog's collar. Very much unlike the UsefulNotes/ColdWar age, they are ''affordable''. Nowadays, literally everyone can be a spy.

* As a homage to TuxedoAndMartini SpyFiction, ''Film/{{Kingsman}}'' naturally has the requisite [[ShoePhone spy gadgets]], but it's pointed out that a SpyCam is not necessary these days when every mobile phone has a camera. Still the kingsmen use their [[SpecsOfAwesome augmented virtual reality spectacles]] to record footage of the villain's location.

* In ''Film/DrStrangelove'', the Russian Ambassador uses a spy camera hidden in a matchbox to take pictures of TheWarRoom, but then is found out by General Turgidson. Later we see the ambassador taking more pictures with a second camera hidden in his pocket watch.

* Referenced in Simon and Garfunkel's song "America".
-->''She said, the man in the gabardine suit was a spy. I said, "Be careful, his bow tie is really a camera".''

Parodies will feature a camera that's bulky, noisy, covered in blinking lights, and all-around impossible to hide: see IncrediblyObviousBug.

* As a homage to TuxedoAndMartini SpyFiction, ''Film/{{Kingsman}}'' naturally has the requisite [[ShoePhone spy gadgets]], but it's pointed out that a SpyCam is not necessary these days when every mobile phone has a camera.

* Before the digital age the CIA developed a fountain pen for photographing documents. Just to load the pen with film took such delicate precision that the CIA feared that if the inventor died, they wouldn't be able to make any more.

* Before this the Mini Minox became the most popular camera associated with spies in fiction which was TruthInTelevision, though other subminiature models were also used -- such as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessina Swiss Tessina]] by such diverse spies as the Watergate burglars and the East German Stasi.

* ''Series/AgentCarter''. Howard Stark proudly hands Carter his latest invention, a fountain pen camera, and is miffed at her underwhelming response. "Did you know how long it took me to work out lens miniaturization?" (as the series is set in TheForties, he has a point). Peggy isn't any more impressed when she develops the film and finds out how Stark has been using the camera. "She seems...uninhibited."

* Before this the Mini Minox became the most popular camera associated with spies in fiction which was TruthInTelevision, though other subminiature models were also used, such as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessina Swiss Tessina]] by such diverse spies as the Watergate burglars and the East German Stasi.

* Before this the Mini Minox became the most popular camera associated with spies in fiction (which was TruthInTelevision, though other subminiature cameras were also used).

* ''Series/AgentCarter''. Howard Stark proudly hands Carter his latest invention, a fountain pen camera, and is miffed at her underwhelming response. "Did you know how long it took me to work out lens miniaturization?" (as the series is set in TheForties, he has a point). Peggy isn't any more impressed when she develops the film and finds out how Stark has been using the camera. "She looks...uninhibited."

* ''Series/AgentCarter''. Howard Stark proudly hands Carter his latest invention, a fountain pen camera, and is miffed at her underwhelming response. As the series is set in TheForties, he has a point.
-->'''Stark:''' Did you know how long it took me to work out lens miniaturization?

* ''Series/AgentCarter'', set in TheForties. Howard Stark proudly hands Carter his latest invention, a fountain pen camera, and is miffed at her underwhelming response. "Did you know how long it took me to work out lens miniaturization?"

* ''Series/AgentCarter''. Howard Stark proudly hands Carter his latest invention, a fountain pen camera, and is miffed at her underwhelming response. "Did you know how long it took me to work out lens miniaturization?"