A body camera is the one recording device in this shop that works better when everybody can see it. It is worn openly, on the chest, and the deterrent effect of a visible camera is a large part of what you are buying. That single fact changes the legal position, the mounting decision and the specification you should care about, and it makes this the simplest category here to buy correctly.
This guide covers all nine items in the Bodycams range, $44 to $735: eight cameras and the chest harness that holds them. They run from a $277 offline 4K recorder to a $733 dual-lens unit that streams live over 4G with GPS tracking and push-to-talk. What separates them is not picture quality, which is good across the range, but how long they last, how footage gets off them, and whether anyone else needs to see it while it is happening.
Is this legal in New Zealand? Yes, and more comfortably than covert recording. Because you are part of the conversation you record, section 216B of the Crimes Act 1961 puts the audio on the right side of the line. If you use one at work, the Privacy Act 2020 applies and people need to know they are being recorded, which an openly worn camera largely handles by itself. Security staff also need a licence or certificate under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010. Full detail below.
Contents:
Quick Picks
Seven situations. All nine items are in the comparison table below.
Start here: the $278 4K recorder
VIM-POLICECAM12, $278. 4K at 30fps with a 36MP sensor, a 110 degree lens, 64GB built in, six infrared LEDs reaching about 10 metres in the dark, and an LCD screen so you can check framing in the field. IP54 and rated to a 2 metre drop. The 1500mAh battery gives about 6 hours at 1080p. The box has a tripod, a lanyard and a clip.
For one person who wants a record of their own shift, this does everything the expensive units do. It records, it stamps every clip with date, time and user ID, and it survives being dropped. The WiFi is a direct hotspot from the camera to your phone for playback, which is all most single users need.
Note there is no docking station in the box on this one. It charges by USB cable, which in practice means somebody has to remember to plug it in. See Battery, Docking and the Shift Problem for why that matters more than it sounds.
Don't buy this one if your shift runs past six hours, or you need footage while it is happening.
Best for long shifts: hot-swap batteries
VIM-POLICECAM18, $446. The Philips unit, and the one that solves the problem everything else has. Two 3000mAh batteries giving 18 hours, swappable in seconds without going back to base. A 10 second pre-record buffer so the start of an incident is already saved before you press anything. 4K at 30fps, 54MP stills, a 144 degree lens which is the widest in the range, eight IR LEDs reaching 5 to 10 metres, WiFi RTMP live streaming so a supervisor can watch, voice control for hands-free start and stop, IP68 and a 1.5 metre drop rating. A single battery gives 9 hours, and the dual battery charging dock is included.
Battery is the single biggest cause of missing footage on body cameras, and hot-swapping is the only real answer to a double shift. The pre-record buffer is the second thing worth paying for: incidents do not announce themselves, and by the time someone reaches for a camera the important ten seconds have already happened.
Budget for a card. This is the only camera here that does not arrive able to record. It takes a microSD up to 512GB and no card is supplied, so add one to the order: a 128GB Samsung EVO is $77 and a 256GB is $111. Buy the card at the same time rather than discovering it on day one.
Don't buy this one if you need location tracking or streaming beyond WiFi range. That needs 4G.
Best value, and the toughest build
VIM-POLICECAM10, $379. 2K at 2306x1296 with a 32MP sensor, a 140 degree lens, 64GB built in, a 2.0 inch LCD, and WiFi for remote live view and app download. About 10 hours at 1080p or 5 hours at 1296p. IP66, a 2.5 metre drop rating and anti-fog protection.
Two things make this the value pick of the range. It is the only camera under $400 that ships with a second battery and a docking station, so you get spare power and a charging habit for less than the units above it. And it is the toughest thing here: 2.5 metres is the highest drop rating in the range, and it is the only one with anti-fog, which matters if your people move between a cold yard and a warm building all night.
Don't buy this one if you want 4K. This is the 2K unit, which is still ample to identify a face at conversational distance but will not let you zoom in as far afterwards.
Best for evidence integrity
VIM-POLICECAM17, $490. 4K at 30fps with a 140 degree lens, 128GB of sealed internal storage with no removable media at all, RSA and AES256 dual encryption on every file, and a 2 minute pre-record buffer, which is by far the longest here. A 4400mAh battery giving over 16 hours at 1080p, or 8 to 10 hours at 4K. IP66 rising to IP67, a 2 metre drop rating, and an operating range of -20C to 65C. The box includes a docking station, a wall charger, a belt clip and a rotatable crocodile clip.
Sealed storage and file encryption exist for one reason: so nobody can argue the footage was altered, including the person wearing it. If recordings might end up in an employment investigation, a Disputes Tribunal claim or a prosecution, that chain matters more than resolution does. Recordings cannot be opened or edited on the device.
The 2 minute buffer is a genuinely different capability from the 10 and 30 second buffers elsewhere in the range. It captures the lead-up, not just the trigger, and it can be set to 60 or 30 seconds if you would rather keep the files smaller.
Don't buy this one if you need to swap out storage or hand a card to someone. Sealed means sealed.
Best for managing a team in the field
VIM-POLICECAM4G3, $735. The top of the range and a different class of device. Two lenses, front recording 2K and rear recording 1080p, switchable on the touchscreen mid-recording or mid-stream. Live 4G streaming to a control room with no WiFi needed, real-time GPS position on a map, push-to-talk two-way intercom over 4G with no range limit, a 30 second pre-record buffer, SOS that sends coordinates and opens a live stream, a 2.8 inch Android touchscreen, three night vision modes using four IR LEDs plus a laser for distance, and a dock that charges the camera and a spare battery together. Two 3050mAh batteries are in the box, each good for up to 11 hours.
It ships with a 128GB card already fitted, so it works out of the box, and takes up to 256GB if you want more. IP68, so rain and immersion are not a concern. You supply the SIM; any New Zealand carrier works.
Battery swaps are covered by a 60mAh internal backup that keeps recording while you change packs, so there is no gap in the footage. For anyone running guards across multiple sites, the combination of live view, map position and push-to-talk replaces a separate radio system and answers the question every operations manager actually has: where is everyone and what is happening right now.
Don't buy this one if nobody is watching the other end. Live streaming has no value without someone monitoring it.
Best 4G at a lower price
VIM-POLICECAM4G2, $590. 2K recording with a 32MP sensor, 140 degree lens, 4G plus WiFi plus Bluetooth, GPS logging position with every clip, SOS alerts, two-way audio through a built-in mic and speaker, motion detection recording, a 4400mAh battery rated at over 15 hours at 1080p, 64GB internal, IP67 and a 2 metre drop rating, with a docking station and power adapter in the box.
If you want live streaming and GPS but not the dual lens or the touchscreen, this saves $144 and keeps the two features that matter most for oversight. GPS tagging on every clip is the underrated one: it means a recording can be placed at a location as well as a time, which is what turns footage into evidence.
You supply your own SIM and data plan. There is no subscription on top of that.
Best when the camera must not be on a network
VIM-POLICECAM13, $390. 4K at 30fps, 36MP stills, a 140 degree lens, 128GB of internal memory covering a full shift at 4K, six IR LEDs to 10 metres, 8.5 hours of battery, a magnetic docking station that charges without cables, IP65 and a 2 metre drop rating. It also carries red and blue warning LEDs on the body, which are visible during a confrontation and do deterrent work before anything escalates.
This one records and nothing else. No streaming, no remote access, no account. For sites with no network, contractors who are not allowed on a client's WiFi, or anyone who simply wants the footage to exist in one place until they physically retrieve it, that is a feature rather than a gap.
Best storage headroom, and the best microphones
VIM-POLICECAM16, $390. 4K at 30fps, 32MP stills, 128GB internal plus microSD support to 512GB, which is the only expandable storage in the range. Eight 850nm infrared LEDs, a 140 degree lens, a 2.0 inch IPS screen, a 2500mAh battery, IP66 and a 2 metre drop rating.
Two things set it apart. Dual microphones with noise reduction, which matter more than people expect, because a body camera lives on a chest under a jacket in wind and rain and most of the value of the footage is what was said. And Wide Dynamic Range with 3D de-noise, which is what stops a face going black when someone stands in a doorway with daylight behind them.
Like the VIM-POLICECAM13, this one has no connectivity at all. It records locally and you retrieve the footage over USB. Note there is no docking station in the box.
Don't buy this one if you need streaming, GPS, or a dock.
Buy this with any of them: the $44 harness
VIM-HARNESS, $44. A polyester shoulder and chest harness adjustable to about 125cm, made for cameras with a long alligator clip.
Clipping a body camera to a shirt pocket or a lapel is the most common mounting mistake, because fabric moves and the camera ends up filming the ground, the sky, or the inside of a jacket. A harness gives the clip something rigid to grip and holds the lens at chest height pointing forward. It is the cheapest thing on this page and it has more effect on usable footage than the difference between 2K and 4K.
All Nine Compared
Sorted by price. Two things worth reading across the whole table before you compare anything else: which models include a docking station, and which arrive able to record. Six of the eight include a dock. The VIM-POLICECAM12 and VIM-POLICECAM16 do not. The VIM-POLICECAM18 is the only one with no storage supplied.
| Model | NZD | Video | Storage | Battery | Connectivity | Build | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIM-HARNESS | $44 | Accessory | Accessory | Accessory | Accessory | Polyester | Shoulder and chest harness to about 125cm. For cameras with a long alligator clip. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM12 | $278 | 4K 30fps, 36MP | 64GB built in | 1500mAh, about 6h at 1080p | WiFi hotspot to phone | IP54, 2m drop | 110 degree lens, 6 IR LEDs to 10m, LCD. Charging dock. Also ships with tripod, lanyard and clip. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM10 | $379 | 2K 2306x1296, 32MP | 64GB built in | 3000mAh. 10h at 1080p, 5h at 1296p. Two batteries in the box | WiFi remote and live view | IP66, 2.5m drop, anti-fog | The toughest build here and the cheapest with a spare battery. 140 degree lens, dock included. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM13 | $390 | 4K 30fps, 36MP | 128GB built in | 3000mAh, 10 hours | None. Records only | IP65, 2m drop | Magnetic dock included, no cable to align. Red and blue warning LEDs. 6 IR LEDs to 10m. Novatek chipset. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM16 | $390 | 4K 30fps, 32MP | 128GB built in, plus microSD to 512GB | 2500mAh, over 8h at 1080p | None. Records only | IP66, 2m drop | The only expandable storage. Dual mics with noise reduction, WDR and 3D de-noise, 8 IR LEDs. No dock. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM18 | $446 | 4K 30fps, 54MP | microSD to 512GB. Card not included | 2 x 3000mAh hot-swap. 9h single, 18h dual | WiFi live view to a phone | IP68, 1.5m drop | 144 degree lens, the widest here. 10s pre-record, voice control, 8 IR LEDs 5 to 10m. Dual battery dock included. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM17 | $490 | 4K 30fps | 128GB sealed, no removable media | 4400mAh, over 16h at 1080p, 8 to 10h at 4K | WiFi hotspot, file transfer | IP66 up to IP67, 2m drop | Pre-record to 120s, the longest here. RSA and AES256. Rated -20C to 65C. Dock, wall charger and two clips included. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM4G2 | $590 | 2K, 32MP | 64GB built in | 4400mAh, over 15h at 1080p | 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS | IP67, 2m drop | Live 4G streaming, GPS on every clip, SOS, two-way audio. Dock and power adapter included. | View |
| VIM-POLICECAM4G3 | $735 | 2K front and 1080p rear | 128GB supplied and fitted, takes up to 256GB | 2 x 3050mAh hot-swap, up to 11h each, 60mAh gapless backup | 4G, GPS, push-to-talk | IP67 | Dual switchable lenses, live stream, map tracking, PTT, SOS with GPS, 30s pre-record, 2.8 inch touchscreen. Dock included. | View |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Prices are NZD and were correct at the review date at the foot of this guide.
Mistakes That Cause Returns
Seven, and only one of them is about the camera.
- Clipping it to a shirt pocket. Fabric moves, the clip rotates, and you end up with a shift's worth of footage of the ground. This is the single most common reason body camera footage turns out to be useless. Spend $44 on the harness and mount it rigidly at chest height.
- Assuming every camera comes with a docking station. Six of the eight do. The VIM-POLICECAM12 and VIM-POLICECAM16 charge by cable only. Check the packaging contents on the product page before you order for a team, because a cable-charged camera in a shared kit is a flat camera by the third week.
- Ordering the VIM-POLICECAM18 without a memory card. It is the one camera here with no internal storage. It takes a microSD up to 512GB and none is supplied, so it arrives unable to record a single second until you fit one. Add a card to the same order. Every other camera in this range has storage built in.
- Buying on resolution when battery is the constraint. Every camera here records well enough to identify a face. Not every camera here lasts a shift. A 1500mAh unit at about 6 hours and a dual hot-swap unit at 18 hours are the same picture quality and completely different products.
- Assuming a 4G camera works everywhere. Live streaming needs mobile coverage at the moment of the incident, and coverage in a basement car park, a stairwell, a loading dock or a rural site is often nothing. Every 4G unit here still records locally, so nothing is lost, but do not plan an operation around a stream that will not connect.
- Forgetting the SIM. The 4G cameras take your own SIM with a data plan on Spark, One NZ or 2degrees. That is your cost to arrange and there is no subscription from us on top of it. Note that with all 3G services in New Zealand switched off since 31 March 2026, there is no longer any fallback below 4G, so check the coverage map for the actual sites your people work.
- Buying live streaming with nobody watching. A live feed is worth exactly as much as the attention on the other end. If there is no control room and no supervisor rostered to monitor it, the $733 unit is doing a $389 job.
- Not telling staff before you roll them out. Requiring an employee to wear a camera changes their working conditions. Doing it without consultation engages the good faith duty in the Employment Relations Act 2000 and turns a safety measure into a grievance.
- No plan for the footage. Recording is the easy part. Decide before you buy who downloads it, where it is stored, who can watch it, how long you keep it and when it gets deleted, because under the Privacy Act 2020 all of those are your obligations from the first day the camera is switched on.
How to Choose
Four questions in this order. By the third, there are usually two cameras left.
1. How long is the shift?
Match the runtime to the shift and then add a margin, because quoted figures assume 1080p and continuous recording drains faster in cold and in the dark with the IR LEDs running.
Up to about six hours: VIM-POLICECAM12 at $278. Around eight and a half: VIM-POLICECAM13 at $390. A full day: VIM-POLICECAM17 at $490 with over 16 hours, or VIM-POLICECAM4G2 at $590 with over 15. Doubles, back-to-backs, or a camera shared between shifts: hot-swap batteries, which means VIM-POLICECAM18 at $446 or VIM-POLICECAM4G3 at $735.
2. Does anyone need to see it while it is happening?
If no, stop here and buy on battery and build. Most single users are done.
If someone needs to watch from the same building, WiFi streaming is enough and VIM-POLICECAM18 covers it. If someone needs to watch from anywhere, that is 4G, and it brings GPS with it: VIM-POLICECAM4G2 at $590 or VIM-POLICECAM4G3 at $735.
3. Where does the footage go afterwards?
This decides more than people expect, because it is the daily task rather than the occasional one.
A cable to a computer is slow and someone has to remember. A dock is better, and most units here include one. VIM-POLICECAM13 uses a magnetic dock, VIM-POLICECAM17 uses USB-C contact points, and VIM-POLICECAM4G3 charges a spare battery at the same time. WiFi transfer straight to a phone on site is faster again, which is what VIM-POLICECAM17 is built around.
4. Will the footage be disputed?
If a recording might be challenged, buy for integrity rather than resolution. VIM-POLICECAM17 at $490 seals the storage so there is no card to swap, encrypts every file with RSA and AES256, and blocks editing on the device. Sealed media also means there is no moment at which anyone could have removed the card, which is the question that actually gets asked. Pre-record matters here too, because the argument is almost always about what happened immediately before the camera came on.
Battery, Docking and the Shift Problem
Nearly every body camera failure is a power failure. Not a fault, just a flat battery at the wrong moment, and it is worth understanding the three ways this range solves it.
Quoted runtime is not shift runtime
Manufacturer figures assume 1080p, continuous recording and room temperature. Real shifts are not that. Recording in 4K instead of 1080p costs you battery. Running infrared LEDs through a night patrol costs more. A 4G camera holding a mobile connection and streaming costs more again, and a weak signal costs the most of all because the radio works harder to hold on. Cold drains lithium cells faster, which matters on a winter night shift anywhere south of about Taupo.
The practical rule is to buy at least a third more runtime than the shift length, or buy hot-swap and stop calculating.
Hot-swap is the only real answer to a long day
VIM-POLICECAM18 at $446 carries two 3000mAh packs for a quoted 18 hours, 9 hours per battery, and you swap a flat one for a fresh one on the spot rather than returning to base.
Worth knowing that VIM-POLICECAM10 at $379 also ships with two batteries and a dock, which makes it the cheapest way into spare-battery working by a clear margin. It is 2K rather than 4K, and that is the whole trade.
VIM-POLICECAM4G3 at $735 goes further and solves the problem hot-swapping creates: a 60mAh internal backup keeps the camera recording during the swap, so there is no gap in the file. If continuity of footage matters, and in a disputed incident it does, a gap is exactly the thing the other side will point at.
Docks are about habit, not speed
A camera that charges on a dock gets charged. A camera that needs someone to find a cable does not, and by the third week it is flat at the start of a shift. This is the whole argument for docking and it is a human one rather than a technical one.
Six of the eight cameras include a dock: POLICECAM10, 13, 17, 18, 4G2 and 4G3. The POLICECAM12 and POLICECAM16 do not and charge by cable. If a camera is shared between shifts or worn by someone who is not naturally tidy, that difference is worth more than a resolution step.
Three approaches among the six. VIM-POLICECAM13 uses a magnetic dock, which is the most forgiving because it aligns itself. VIM-POLICECAM17 uses USB-C contact points and ships with a wall charger too, so charging and offloading happen in the same motion. VIM-POLICECAM4G3 and VIM-POLICECAM18 both charge the camera and a spare battery together, which is what you want when a camera is handed between shifts rather than owned by one person.
Pre-record is the feature people wish they had bought
A buffer means the camera is always recording into a loop it keeps discarding, and pressing the button saves the loop as well as everything after it. Incidents do not give notice. By the time someone reaches for a camera, the shove, the first words or the moment the vehicle pulled out has already happened.
Three lengths in this range. VIM-POLICECAM18 buffers 10 seconds, VIM-POLICECAM4G3 buffers 30 seconds, and VIM-POLICECAM17 buffers 2 minutes. Ten seconds captures the trigger. Two minutes captures the build-up, which is usually the part in dispute.
Fleet and Multi-Officer Deployment
Everything above is about one camera on one person. Running several across sites is a different problem, and only the two 4G units solve it.
What 4G actually buys you
Three things, and they are worth separating.
Live view means a supervisor can see what an officer sees, in real time, from anywhere with coverage. Useful when a situation is escalating and a decision has to be made by someone who is not there.
GPS means every officer's position appears on a map, and every recording carries coordinates. The second half is the part that matters legally, because a clip that can be placed at a time and a location is far harder to argue with.
Push-to-talk, on VIM-POLICECAM4G3 only, is a two-way intercom over 4G with no range limit. It genuinely replaces a radio system for teams spread across sites, and it is the feature that changes the total cost of a deployment rather than just adding to it.
Coverage is the constraint, so check it first
Live streaming only works where there is mobile data at that moment. Basement car parks, plant rooms, stairwells, loading docks and older concrete buildings are frequently dead, and so are plenty of rural sites. All three New Zealand networks completed their 3G shutdowns on 31 March 2026, so there is no slower fallback to drop back to: it is 4G or nothing.
Before committing to a fleet rollout, walk the actual sites with a phone on the network you intend to use and check data, not bars. If a site has no coverage, the camera still records everything locally and you retrieve it at the dock, so nothing is lost. Just do not build a procedure around a stream that will not exist.
Practical rollout notes
- Buy one more camera than you have officers. One is always charging, being repaired or in someone's car.
- Order cards with the cameras if you choose the VIM-POLICECAM18. It is card-only and none is supplied. A fleet of them with no cards is a fleet that records nothing on day one.
- Set user IDs before day one. Every camera here stamps date, time and user ID onto footage. That stamp is what makes a recording attributable, and a fleet of cameras all stamped with the factory default is a fleet of anonymous footage.
- Decide the recording rule and write it down. Always on, or on at the officer's discretion, or on for defined interactions. Each is defensible; having no rule is not.
- Dock at the end of every shift, without exception. Make it the last step of handover rather than an individual's responsibility, and pick a model that includes a dock so there is something to dock into.
- Set retention now. How long footage is kept, and what triggers keeping a clip longer. Under the Privacy Act 2020 you must not hold personal information for longer than you need it.
Key Specs Explained
Resolution, and why 2K is not a downgrade
4K at 3840x2160 gives you detail to zoom into after the fact, which is how a plate or a lanyard ID gets read. 2K is roughly 2306x1296 or 2560x1440 and is still comfortably enough to identify a face at conversational distance. Note that both 4G cameras here record 2K rather than 4K, and that is a deliberate trade: streaming 4K over mobile data is not practical, so those units spend the bandwidth on getting the footage out live instead.
Field of view
110 degrees on VIM-POLICECAM12, 140 degrees on most of the rest. At chest height and conversational distance, 140 degrees keeps someone in frame when they move to your side, which happens constantly in a real interaction. This is a bigger practical difference than 2K versus 4K.
Infrared, and how far it really reaches
The figures here are honest and short: about 10 metres, from six or eight 850nm LEDs. Beyond that the image is black rather than grainy. Note 850nm produces a faint visible red glow at the lens, which on an overtly worn camera is not a problem and is arguably useful.
Wide Dynamic Range
On VIM-POLICECAM16. WDR captures bright and dark parts of a scene in the same frame, which is the difference between a usable face and a black silhouette when someone stands in a doorway or in front of a shop window. For retail and reception work, where people are constantly backlit, it matters more than the resolution number.
IP ratings and drop ratings
IP54 resists splashes and dust. IP65 and IP66 handle sustained rain. IP67 and IP68 survive immersion. For outdoor patrol work in New Zealand weather, IP66 or better is the sensible floor, which is most of this range, and VIM-POLICECAM18 and VIM-POLICECAM4G3 are both IP68. Drop ratings run from 1.5m to 2.5m, with VIM-POLICECAM10 the toughest at 2.5m and the only one with anti-fog protection, which is worth knowing if people move between a cold yard and a warm building all night.
Storage, sealed versus expandable
Three approaches here. VIM-POLICECAM17 seals 128GB inside with no removable media, so nothing can be swapped, ejected or lost, and files are encrypted. VIM-POLICECAM16 takes microSD up to 512GB on top of 128GB internal, so you can hand a card to somebody or archive a long deployment. VIM-POLICECAM18 is card-only to 512GB with no card included, so it needs one bought with it.
Pick based on whether your risk is tampering or running out of room. Sealed storage is the stronger evidence position, because there is no point at which anyone could have removed the media. Removable storage is the more practical one for long deployments and for handing footage to somebody who needs it.
VIM-POLICECAM4G3 sits in between: we fit a 128GB card before it ships, and it accepts up to 256GB.
Where you need to supply a card, use a high endurance or Class 10 card rated for continuous video, because loop recording overwrites the same cells all day and ordinary cards fail early under it. The Samsung EVO range runs $29 for 32GB to $110 for 256GB.
Encryption
RSA and AES256 on VIM-POLICECAM17, meaning recordings cannot be opened or edited on the device and unauthorised access is blocked before files leave it. If you are handling other people's personal information, which under the Privacy Act 2020 you are the moment you record someone, this is also a security control you can point to.
Operating temperature
Only VIM-POLICECAM17 publishes a figure, and it is a wide one: -20C to 65C. Worth noting because lithium batteries lose capacity in the cold, so a camera that quotes a low-temperature rating is telling you it has been tested for winter night work rather than assuming it.
What is in the box, and what is not
Read the packaging contents rather than the headline description, because they do not always agree. Docking stations are included with six of the eight. Storage is built in on all but the VIM-POLICECAM18. Spare batteries come with the VIM-POLICECAM10, VIM-POLICECAM18 and VIM-POLICECAM4G3. SIM cards are never included on the 4G models, and any New Zealand carrier works.
Warranty
Up to one year on the cameras in this range. Note that the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 sits over the top of any stated warranty period for goods bought for personal use, and requires goods to be of acceptable quality and fit for purpose regardless of what a warranty document says. Goods bought for a business can be contracted out of the Act, so if you are buying for a security firm or a fleet, the stated warranty is the operative term and it is worth reading before a large order.
Audio
Every camera here records sound, and for most incidents the audio is the evidence. VIM-POLICECAM16 is the only one with dual microphones and active noise reduction. VIM-POLICECAM4G2 adds a speaker for two-way audio, and VIM-POLICECAM4G3 turns that into full push-to-talk.
Choose by Role
Security guard, single site
Long shifts, unpredictable people, mostly outdoors and often at night. Runtime and build are what you buy. VIM-POLICECAM18 at $446 for 18 hours on hot-swap batteries and IP68, or VIM-POLICECAM10 at $379 if the site is rough on equipment, since it takes a 2.5m drop and has anti-fog. Add the harness. Remember that paid security work in New Zealand requires a certificate of approval, covered below.
Retail, hospitality and reception
Short confrontations, indoors, and almost always backlit by a shopfront window. Wide dynamic range and good audio beat resolution here. VIM-POLICECAM16 at $390 for WDR, 3D de-noise and dual noise-reduced microphones. The visible camera does much of the work on its own, and a de-escalation policy that starts with pointing at it works better than any specification.
Healthcare, aged care and community support
Allegations here are hard to disprove and the footage protects both parties. Evidence integrity is the priority. VIM-POLICECAM17 at $490: sealed storage, encrypted files, over 16 hours, and WiFi so a supervisor can review one specific recording within minutes rather than after a formal process. This is also the setting where the Privacy Act obligations are heaviest, because health information is sensitive. Get your policy written before the cameras arrive.
Delivery, courier and field service
Proof of delivery and proof of conduct, all day, in and out of a vehicle. VIM-POLICECAM18 at $446 covers a full route on hot-swap and its 54MP stills read a label or a door number clearly. Pair it with the dash camera in the vehicle so the drive and the doorstep are both covered.
Private investigation and process serving
Documentation is the product. VIM-POLICECAM16 at $390 for 512GB of storage headroom on long jobs, or VIM-POLICECAM17 at $490 where the chain of custody will be challenged. Private investigators in New Zealand are licensed under the same Act as security staff.
Events, crowd control and licensed premises
Situations escalate in seconds and change in the retelling. Pre-record is the feature. VIM-POLICECAM18 at $446 buffers 10 seconds and streams over WiFi to a control room. For a large venue with people spread out, step up to VIM-POLICECAM4G3 at $735 for map positions and push-to-talk.
Multi-site operations and fleet
Guards across several locations, with someone accountable for all of them. VIM-POLICECAM4G3 at $735 per unit, or VIM-POLICECAM4G2 at $590 if you need live view and GPS but not push-to-talk or the second lens. Read Fleet and Multi-Officer Deployment above before ordering, particularly the part about walking the sites to check data coverage.
Sites with no network at all
Remote work, client sites where you are not permitted on the WiFi, or anywhere the footage should simply stay put until you collect it. VIM-POLICECAM13 at $390 records to 128GB, charges on a magnetic dock, and has no connectivity to configure or worry about.
FAQs
Are body cameras legal in New Zealand?
Yes. Wearing one openly and recording your own interactions is lawful. Because you are a party to the conversations you record, the audio sits inside the one-party consent rule in section 216B of the Crimes Act 1961. Using one at work brings the Privacy Act 2020 into play.
Do I have to tell people I am recording?
If you are recording for an organisation, yes in substance. The Privacy Act 2020 requires people to be aware their information is being collected. An openly worn camera plus clear signage generally satisfies this, and stating it verbally when an interaction begins is better again.
Do I need a licence to work as a security guard in New Zealand?
Yes. Paid security work requires a certificate of approval for the individual and a licence for the business, issued by the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010. The camera is unregulated; the work is not.
Can my employer make me wear one?
Generally yes, if it is introduced properly. Requiring a camera changes working conditions, so an employer should consult first, explain the purpose, and put a policy in writing covering when it records and who watches the footage. Doing it without that engages the good faith duty in the Employment Relations Act 2000.
Do the 4G cameras need a subscription?
No subscription from us. You supply a SIM with a data plan from Spark, One NZ or 2degrees, and that plan is the only ongoing cost.
Will a 4G camera work in a basement or a rural site?
Only where there is mobile data. Streaming fails without coverage, though the camera keeps recording locally regardless, so you still get the footage when you dock it. With all New Zealand 3G networks switched off since 31 March 2026, there is no slower fallback below 4G.
Does the docking station come with the camera?
With six of the eight, yes: the POLICECAM10, 13, 17, 18, 4G2 and 4G3 all include one. The POLICECAM12 and POLICECAM16 charge by USB cable and have no dock in the box. The packaging contents on each product page lists exactly what is included.
What is the warranty?
Up to one year. If you are buying for personal use the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 also applies on top of that, requiring goods to be of acceptable quality and fit for purpose. Business purchases can be contracted out of the Act, so for a fleet order the stated warranty is the term that governs.
Do these come with a memory card?
Most have storage built in, from 64GB to 128GB, and need nothing added. Two exceptions: the VIM-POLICECAM18 is card-only up to 512GB with no card supplied, so order one with it, and the VIM-POLICECAM4G3 ships with a 128GB card already fitted and accepts up to 256GB.
How long does a body camera actually last on a charge?
Between about 6 and 18 hours here, depending on the model. Real runtime is shorter than the quoted figure whenever you record in 4K, run infrared at night, hold a mobile connection, or work in the cold. Budget about a third more than your shift, or buy hot-swap.
What is pre-record and do I need it?
The camera continuously buffers footage it keeps discarding, so pressing record also saves what happened just before. Buffers here are 10 seconds, 30 seconds and 2 minutes. If the disputes you expect are about how an incident started, it is the most useful feature on the camera.
Can body camera footage be used as evidence?
Yes, and it commonly is, in employment matters, Disputes Tribunal claims and prosecutions. Keep the original file unedited, note the date, time and who was wearing it, and do not crop or re-encode the copy you intend to rely on. Improperly obtained material can be excluded under the Evidence Act 2006.
How long should I keep the footage?
Only as long as you need it for the purpose you collected it. The Privacy Act 2020 does not set a number, so set your own retention period, write it down, apply it consistently, and keep clips longer only where there is an actual incident or complaint attached to them.
Responsible Use in New Zealand
Overt recording sits on much firmer ground than covert recording. The same law applies nationwide with no regional variation, and for a visibly worn camera most of it works in your favour.
Audio. Under section 216B of the Crimes Act 1961, recording a private conversation you are taking part in is lawful. A body camera worn by a person in the conversation is exactly that situation, which is why body cameras avoid the problem that catches concealed devices left in empty rooms.
Video. There is no general prohibition on filming in a public place or in premises you control. The hard limit is unchanged: making a visual recording of a person where they reasonably expect privacy, such as a bathroom or changing area, is an offence under sections 216G to 216N of the Crimes Act 1961 carrying up to three years. A body camera does not change that, so it comes off before you enter those spaces.
Privacy Act 2020, which is the main one for organisations. Recording someone collects their personal information, so you need a lawful purpose connected to your activities, collection must not be unreasonably intrusive, and people generally need to be aware it is happening. A visibly worn camera plus signage does most of the awareness work. You must then hold the footage securely, use it only for the purpose you collected it, and not keep it longer than you need. Anyone recorded can ask for access to footage of themselves. Decide how you will answer that before somebody asks.
Security and investigation work is licensed. Under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010, individuals doing paid security or investigation work need a certificate of approval and businesses need a licence, both issued by the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority. Buying a body camera does not confer any authority, and wearing one does not give you powers you would not otherwise have.
Employees. Requiring staff to wear cameras changes their conditions of work. Consult before you roll out, explain the purpose honestly, and write a policy covering when the camera records, who can view footage, how long it is kept and what happens to it afterwards. Section 4 of the Employment Relations Act 2000 imposes a duty of good faith, and a rollout done to staff rather than with them tends to end up in a personal grievance regardless of how sound the safety reasoning was.
Health and safety. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 a business has a duty to manage risks to workers, and for lone workers, night staff and people who face aggression, a body camera can form part of that. It is a control, not a solution. It records an assault; it does not prevent one, and it should sit alongside procedures rather than replace them.
Monitoring a person. The Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment came into force on 26 May 2026. Watching a person, and recording a person, are named as specified acts, and a pattern of them carries up to five years. Whatever a device was sold for, using it to build a record of where a particular individual goes and who they see is that conduct.
Publishing footage. Do not post recordings of identifiable people online. Even lawfully captured footage can engage the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 once it is published, and it will almost always breach your own Privacy Act obligations. Footage goes to the police, the employer or the tribunal, never to social media.
Using a recording later. Keep the original unedited, note the date, time and wearer, and preserve the user ID stamp. Improperly obtained evidence can be excluded under section 30 of the Evidence Act 2006, so how a recording was made matters as much as what it shows.
This guide is general product information for New Zealand customers and is not legal advice. If you are deploying cameras across a workforce, or a recording is likely to be used in an employment matter or a court proceeding, get advice specific to your situation.
Related Guides
Body cameras are worn openly. These cover the rest of the range.
- Wearable Cameras for the covert equivalents. Buttons, caps, watches and bags, worn when the recording should not be obvious.
- Dash Cameras for the vehicle half of the same job. Most people who need a body camera for field work need one of these too.
- Voice Recorders if sound is all you need. Smaller, cheaper, longer runtime, and the same one-party consent rule applies.
- Hidden Cameras for fixed cameras that stay in a room rather than moving with a person.
- Counter-Surveillance if your concern is being recorded rather than doing the recording.
Shop Body Cameras
The shortest path is three questions. How long is the shift, does anyone need to watch it live, and will the footage be disputed. Those three answers pick the camera before you compare a single specification.
Eight cameras and one harness, $44 to $735 and the whole range is above. Only the VIM-POLICECAM18 needs a memory card added to the order.
Browse all Body Cameras, add a card from Memory Cards, or see the covert alternatives in Wearable Cameras.
Last reviewed August 2026.