Photography

Tiny, ultralight Geco 1080p action cam mounts to sunglasses

Tiny, ultralight Geco 1080p action cam mounts to sunglasses
The Geco Mark II weighs just 20 grams
The Geco Mark II weighs just 20 grams
View 7 Images
The Geco Mark II weighs just 20 grams
1/7
The Geco Mark II weighs just 20 grams
Geco's Mark II measures 2.4 inches in length
2/7
Geco's Mark II measures 2.4 inches in length
The Mark II is designed to mount to many types of glass frames
3/7
The Mark II is designed to mount to many types of glass frames
Geco packages the Mark II with several sizes of elastic mounting bands
4/7
Geco packages the Mark II with several sizes of elastic mounting bands
The Mark II is a universal glasses cam
5/7
The Mark II is a universal glasses cam
The Mark II films HD footage from eye level
6/7
The Mark II films HD footage from eye level
The Mark II gives you DIY video glasses
7/7
The Mark II gives you DIY video glasses
View gallery - 7 images

The idea of video eyeglasses and sunglasses always sounds great at first – forget strapping a boxy camera to your head and get footage straight from your glasses. What's not so great is the limited selection and acquired taste nature of the options currently available. Not everyone is into the "Red Bull-chuggin' extreme" styling of the Pivotheads or the "forgot my sunglasses so bought these at the pharmacy" look of Eyez glasses. The tiny Geco Mark II action cam solves the problem by letting you build your own using the glasses of your choice.

Measuring 2.4 x 0.5 x 1.2 in (60 x 12 x 30 mm) and weighing in at 20 grams, the Geco Mark II is among the smallest HD action cams on the market. It's designed to strap to the temple of virtually any eyeglasses or sunglasses, filming the world from eye level through a 100-degree lens. It uses a simple set of elastic straps and integrated mounting clips to offer quick, versatile mounting.

Geco calls the Mark II the world's first glasses-mounted action cam and believes it will be useful for everyday life and professional purposes, things you'd never dream of wearing a head-mounted GoPro around to film. Of course, it'll also work for all those action sports that wearable cameras remain indelibly linked to.

The Mark II is a universal glasses cam
The Mark II is a universal glasses cam

The Mark II's diminutive package necessitates a lack of some of the features of other modern action cams, but it should make recording HD footage simple. An on/off/record button provides quick control, and the camera records .mov files in 1080p/30fps and 720p/60 or 30fps. Its 300 mAh lithium-polymer battery offers enough charge for an hour of 720p filming or 45 minutes of 1080p filming. The camera includes a microphone for audio recording, status LED light, microSD slot and microUSB port.

The basic hardware and limited filming times won't be endearing to many action cam users, but the Mark II should appeal to those looking for a simple cam without the larger size and more complicated mounting hardware of competitors. While it's made specifically for glasses, it's not hard to imagine how such a small, light camera could be useful for mounting with other equipment.

Geco held a 2013 Indiegogo campaign that appears to have never gotten off the ground, but it's continued working on the project and is on the cusp of launching the Mark II. The company was showing the cam at CES earlier this month and told us that it will launch for US$199.99, which will include the camera, several sizes of elastic straps, a waterproof case, an 8GB microSD card and charging hardware. Interested parties can can drop their information on the website sign-up to be put on the preorder list.

Product page: Geco

View gallery - 7 images
8 comments
8 comments
Mark Penver
My eyes are hurting from their captured footage...what a poor product.
Geoff Lemon
Great little device - and a seriously simply POV camera. It does take surprisingly good video to 1080p and there is no problem to peel off high def stills in editing. It's simple one button operation makes it a no brainer. Fixed focus is a limitation but that can be adjusted in post process editing. I got one to preview early and it's light, fun and a cinch to use.
EddieG
"...all those action sports that wearable cameras remain indelibly linked to." -- a link forged more by marketing perception than by actual value. There more tings to do with a cam like this than ski down a hill or ride a bicycle.
Gadgeteer
I have to agree with Mark Penver. The bitrate appears to be low, judging from their video, which is why they didn't use it for any fast action shots. Even with a relatively low level of motion, there's a noticeable level of artifacting. Throw in any fast movement and the image would probably break up.
Tdw21
Next to the fact it has just 60 mins of battery life, on the lowest resolution. I'm looking for a cam i could attach to my field-hockey goalie helmet, matches are 70 mins. This looked promising, but still, no cigar.
StWils
Like many products there is a strong chicken & egg issue such that features will improve as units sell and justify improving the product. I do not mind the limited image quality and storage as much as battery size. I would like like to see version 3.0 where a better camera has a long thin cable to a pocket-or-belt sized unit has way more memory and lots of battery capacity. I would also like to see flexible adapters and interfaces to enable using binoculars, scopes, and ready transmission of selected images via cell phone or other radio band space.
Nostromo47
Was the headline "tiny?" Maybe on Paul Bunyan. When one of the shortcomings of Google Glass was the obtrusive appearance of the device, this device, as small as it is, sticks out like even more of a sore thumb. In social situations, some people reacted rather badly to seeing someone in their midsts wearing Google Glass. At least the Google product was made with some attempt to look slick. While the industrial design of the Geco is pleasant, it sure does not appear to belong on the human face. However, in other situations, such as mountain biking with your buddies, the wearer should fit right in. As a head wearable action camera, the Geco looks to be much less awkward than the GoPro mounted on the crown of the head.
Brian Taylor
IMHO, head-mounted POV video is usually awful due to all the unavoidable extraneous head movement. Give me body-mounted POV any time.