Kamre Camera Sunglasses – Hands On Review

In this article I am going to review a pair of Kamre Full HD Camera Sunglasses that I bought from Amazon. I mainly wanted something cheap to capture my sporting experiences from time to time.

Kamre Camera Sunglasses - Review

After having used the product for a couple of weeks, I thought I would share my experiences with you. This way you can hopefully make an informed decision, whether these glasses would suit your needs.

If you do not want to read the whole review and instead want a quick opinion, then skip to the end to read my conclusion about the product.

Key Technical Specifications

Before going to the actual review of the product, here are the main technical specifications for the product.

Dimensions (unfolded) : 5.9 x 6.9 x 1.5 inches  (15 x 17.5 x 3.8 cm)
Weight: 1.76 ounces (~50g)
Sensor: 5MP CMOS Sensor
Video: 1920*1080P, 30 frames per second, MOV format
Lens Angle
: 65 degree wide angle
Memory: Not included, max 32GB Micro SD, Class 10 or better
Battery: 450mAH, Li-polymer
Recording time: ~60 – 80 minutes
Battery charging time: 2 to 3 hours
Power Adapter: DC V5 1A
OS Support: Windows / iOS
Working temperature: 14F – 158F (-10 to 70 °C)

Unpacking

The package arrived very quickly for me (kudos to Amazon). After removing the shipping wrapping, the actual box of the glasses looks like this.

Kamre Camera Glasses Box

Included in the package are:

  • KAMRE camera sunglasses
  • Protective case for the glasses
  • USB cord and power adapter (type A plug)
  • Soft cleaning cloth
  • User manual

Below is a photo of the actual items.

Kamre Camera Glasses Items

Memory Card

The Micro SD memory card is not included with the package and you must buy it separately.

The device supports maximum 32GB capacity, class 10 (or better) micro SD card.

What does class 10 mean?

SD cards come with different classes (class 2, class 4, class 6, class 8, class 10). The main difference between them is the serial data writing speed.

For example, the write speed of class 4 SD card is 4 MB/s. This is suitable for everyday use (transferring and storing files, playing songs, and watching videos).

Class 10 (which is recommended for this product) has a speed of 10MB/s and this is suitable for continuous full HD photo and video shooting. This is what we need for the Kamre camera sunglasses.

I did not try lower class SD cards for the product (and whether it would work), but there were reports from users, that the glasses were unable to record any video this way.  

Before First Use – Charging

It was instructed by the seller via email (and also in the manual) to charge the device for 2-3 hours before first use (to activate the battery)

In my case, the charge indicator LED light turned from red (on the right) to blue in approximately 30 minutes of charging.

Kamre Camera Glasses Indicator Lights

This should indicate that the battery already got a full charge. However, I did not disconnect the cable and let it charge for 2,5 hours like instructed.

Before First Use – Memory Card

The glasses do not have any built-in memory and will not work until you enter a suitable micro SD memory card.

Like mentioned earlier, the SD card is not included in the package and you must purchase it separately. I got myself a 16 GB, class 10 micro SD card for 5$ and it seems to do the job nicely.

Enter the SD card with the pins facing inwards like on the picture below. You will feel a clicking action when the card is correctly in place. (similar to most other devices that use SD cards)

Kamre Camera Glasses SD Card

And that is it, the device is now ready to be used. The instructions (in paper form) were clear and understandable and I had no problems.  There was also link to video instructions if anything was left unclear.

Control Buttons of the Glasses

There is actually only one main button to control the glasses. The button located on the left frame handle of the glasses starts and stops the recording and is also used for turning the device on / off.

Kamre Camera Glasses Control Button

To turn the glasses on, you press the button once.  In reality, after you do turn them on, they also start recording right away. You can understand that the device is currently record when the blue indicator light is blinking.

Kamre HD Camera Glasses Indicator Light

To stop recording you promptly press the button again. After that, the blue light will stay on, indicating that the device is in standby mode.

To turn the glasses off, you have to hold down the control button for about 2-3 seconds. You can verify that the glasses are off when all the lights have turned off.

There is also a reset button next to the USB cable plug. This is used in case the glasses stop working unexpectedly (more instructions in the manual that comes along). In my case, I haven’t had any problems with the glasses and I therefore haven’t used the Reset button either.

Change Device Settings (Optional)

With these glasses, you can control some of the settings. These include:

  • Set correct date and time
  • Set if you want the date and time to be displayed in the video or not (top left hand corner)
  • Length of the recording (1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes)

These setting are configurable on SportDV.txt file, that is automatically created when you have correctly entered the SD card and then connected the device to your computer via USB cable.

To update any setting, you must first change the field UPDATE value from N to Y. You can then follow the explanatory examples in the configuration file to make necessary configuration changes.

Kamre Camera Glasses Settings

After making changes, save the configuration file in your text editor. The changes will have applied next time you start recording the video.

The Looks

The looks of the glasses is debatable I guess.  Some like that kind of style while others (my wife for example) say these are for douchebags. I personally think the looks of the glasses is fairly good. Not your Oakleys or Ray Bans, but they look like normal sunglasses.

The camera is located in middle of the frames (see the first image of the post). As I am currently writing this paragraph, the glasses are a little more than a meter away from me. From that distance, the camera hole starts to blur out and blend into the overall black frames. It really is not that visible or noticable (and yes, my eyesight is fine).

However, if you were to have a 1 on 1 conversation with someone in close range, I am pretty sure they would notice that something is not quite right with the sunglasses. Therefore, these glasses are probably not ideal for your James Bond undercover activities.

Build, Feel And Wear Comfort

My first impression when holding the glasses, was that they are lighter than expected. But understandably, due to the built in tech, they are still heavier (1.76 ounces or ~50g)  than your average glasses.

Instead of plastic, the glasses have a nice rubbery finish to them. This also helps to better secure them on your ears and nose. I could shake my head like a furious madman and the glasses stayed in their place like an obedient dog.

Supposedly the rubber material of the glasses also helps to better absorb any hits and falls the device will encounter. I didn’t go and test this out however.

How did the glasses feel when wearing? Surprisingly good. They did not feel heavy or otherwise uncomfortable. By now I have gone also gone through longer periods wearing them and the verdict stays the same.  The lenses are also visually nice to look through while offering protection from UV rays at the same time.

One thing to keep in mind is that the glasses are quite wide. If you are the kind of person who has a really narrow head (like my wife again), they will look quite big on your face. However, even in this case, they grip to your nose and ears nicely.

Overall, there is not much to complain here. A decent finish and wear comfort. Especially for the price they sell for.

Video and Audio Quality

Now we are going to talk about probably the most important factor – quality of the video recordings.  This is after all the primary goal of the glasses.

And you know what? I could go and try to describe the quality with words, but showing you the real videos taken with the camera will probably give you much more information.

Below is a video that I took on a crispy winter day with some sunshine, while riding my bicycle.

The overall quality is quite good I would say. There is some rattle and shaking from the snowy ground, but this is to be expected. The squeaky sound also comes from the snow. It can be seen that the objects on the left are more sharper and crisp than on the right which got less light.

In order for you to have some comparison points, I recorded a couple of videos with two devices in the same conditions. In addition to Kamre Sunglasses, I had a Canon Powershot G5 X (1080p, 60 fps) in my hand and so this is what I used.

Please do take into account that these products are not really comparable, when it comes to the price (~750$ vs 65$) and specifications. But I think it will help you better understand what to expect.

Indoor – Kamre vs Canon Powershot G5 X


Low Daylight – Kamre vs Canon Powershot G5 X

Night – Kamre vs Canon Powershot G5 X

Conclusion About Video Quality

It can be seen from the videos, that there indeed is a noticeable difference in the definition and sharpness of the videos.  Kamre sunglasses are especially starting to suffer in the darker conditions. However when you think about it, normally you wouldn’t use sunglasses in the dark at all, would you?

When the light conditions are at least fairly good (like in the biking video) the video quality is quite decent. For my regular untrained ears, you can’t really complain in the audio department either.

One thing I do want to point out is that the camera of the glasses is aimed slightly more upwards than you would probably expect. This is good for bicycle or motorcycle riding, but could be a bit too high for other activities.

Since the glasses do have quite a good grip on the handles, you can manually position them slightly up on the ears. This way the camera will be aimed lower than usual.

Additional Questions You Might Have

Are they waterproof?  They are class IPX4 (resistant to water splashes from any direction). Not suitable for use in rain or underwater sports.

Can you take photos? No, only videos

How long does the battery last? About 60-80 minutes of continuous video taking

Maximum Video Length? 10 minutes maximum (configurable), then the file is rotated and video is continued in a new file. So for a 30 minute video, there would be 3 separate 10 minute files

Can you change the lenses? No

Can you playback the video? No. You must connect the glasses to your PC via USB plug and play them there.


Final Verdict

When I would have to conclude the Kamre HD Sunglasses with only a couple of words, I would say decent value for the price. You just have to have the right expectations.

What I liked

  • They are cheap
  • POV (point of view) hands free video has several applications in real life
  • The glasses have a nice rubbery and durable finish
  • With the help of the instructions that came along, I had no problems setting the glasses up and quickly understood how to operate them.
  • Firm grip on the head, glasses won’t go loose
  • Video quality in good light conditions

What I did not like

  • The camera is aimed slightly too upwards for some activities (can be corrected though)
  • Video quality suffers as light conditions get worse

If you are after top end video quality and want to shoot POV videos, then these sunglasses are not for you. You are probably better off to pay more and purchase a Go Pro with a head-mount for example.

However, if you want cheap sunglasses with UV protection that you could use while driving, cycling, fishing, etc and also capture videos occasionally, they do their job. If the glasses sparked interest in you, you can check more information and the latest price from Amazon.

Martin Rakver

I am a software engineer and tech enthusiast. During my free time, I like to immerse myself in the world of virtual and augmented reality, which I believe will be more and more prominent in the years to come.

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