Cameras for Handheld Devices

Device Camera for Usability Testing Handheld Devices A handheld device camera from Ovo Studios is the most flexible device camera you can purchase.

Dimensions for all components are customizable and the armature system and base can be designed to support devices of any shape or size. Furthermore, the flat base can be tailored to the width of the slimmest of handheld devices, or it can be enlarged for stability if you want users to rest a device on a table.

In the picture at right, a flip-phone is mounted on the cradle. Our custom armature and device-attachment mechanism give you the flexibility to mount and capture any handheld device, even challenging ones like flip phones. Other device cameras have clamps that work best with flat, rectangular devices or have camera goosenecks that aren't long enough to shoot a tilted LCD.

Our cameras are extremely high resolution, perhaps the highest on the market, with a total NTSC array density of 811 x 508 pixels.

If you have a standard Ovo Studios fixed lab, an Ovo Studios Device Camera will integrate into your usability lab architecture and will be selectable as a video source via software just like any other camera in your lab. Of course, it will not have software control of Pan/Tilt/Zoom because these cameras do not pan, tilt, or zoom.

Are You Sure You Need a Device Camera?

If your lab has a ceiling camera, chances are you can monitor user interactions with handheld devices using the ceiling camera. Simply fasten the device to an angled support and then zoom your ceiling camera in all the way. An "angled support" can be as simple as piece of 2x4 lumber that is cut to an appropriate slope; you can paint it if you want to get fancy. Velcro with an adhesive backing can be purchased at any fabric store and is a good way to fasten devices to the angled support.

Some folks are happy to put a camera on a tripod that shoots over a user's shoulder. In this setup, you could dedicate a team member to manually keeping the device in view or you could try using a remote pan/tilt/zoom camera to keep up with the user.

If You are Still Interested in a Device Camera from Ovo Studios

If you are interested in learning more about an Ovo Studios Device Camera, please contact sales@ovostudios.com and someone will contact you soon. Or, feel free to call Scott or Rich at any phone number listed on the Contact Us page.

Camera Technical Specifications

Signal System	NTSC	PAL
Image Sensor	1/3" High Resolution Super HAD CCD
Total Pixels	811 x 508	795 x 596
Effective Pixels	768 x 492	752 x 582
Horizontal Resolution	520 TV Lines
Electronic Shutter	1/60 - 1/50,000 (sec)	1/50 - 1/50,000 (sec)
S/N Ratio	More Than 50dB (AGC Off)
Sensitivity	1.5 Lux @ F2.0
Sync System	Internal
Gamma Correction	0.45
Video Output	1 [Vp-p] Composite 75 ohm unbalanced
Current Consumption	180mA or less
Input power Sources	DC 12V
Operating Temperature	-10 C to +50 C
Board Lens	f3.6mm
Remote Control	A/D Key (Brightness, Zoom)
Dimensions	38mm x 38mm

"Does your device camera clamp to a British taxi?"

One of our customers needed to usability test some point-of-sale hardware in London. And they needed to test in a taxi. And they needed to capture the user's face too.

Handheld device camera with two cameras

The above picture is a custom armature we fabricated to support two cameras. The only place we could clamp the armature was the Plexiglas divider that separates the driver from the passenger.