Boblov M7 body cam review – will this turn your head?

Body cameras are an essential tool for many professions where it's useful to keep evidence of interactions with the public – security guards, bouncers and many more can benefit as well as police and others.

They also have potential advantages for those who regularly have to walk sketchy neighbourhoods, and even people who just like to remember. The M7, like some, can also serve as a dash cam, so it encompasses more than one evidence collection need.

I've mentioned in previous reviews that the 'Boblov' name reminds me of the British 'Bobby', and the M7 certainly seems to target the professional end of the bodycam market. I'll get into the details, but what we consider pro features include the resolution, the battery life (can it stand a whole shift), GPS logging, and the quality of the night vision lighting.

The key features we look for in this category are image quality (especially at night), recording time, rugged build, and the simplicity of charging, reviewing, and downloading content. 

Boblov M7: Build and handling

The Boblov is of broadly cuboid shape, and at a very brief glance might look like any other body camera. The camera, however, is in its own cuboid block at the top – also housing the array of infra-red light needed for night mode and the indicator LEDs – and it can be rotated to face the front or back, giving the device a 'selfie mode'.

The rotation can be at any point, but clicks happily into positions 30-degrees apart on the 180-degree journey from front to back (you needed to pick your position before you start recording). On the front there is also a logo, microphone covers, and a big 'record' button (repeated on the side). At the back, there is a 2-inch color screen with 4 buttons below. They function as Menu/OK, Up, Down, and Back controls for a simple menu that nevertheless provides a lot of choice and never gets confusing.

On the left side (from the back) we find the power key, the light / night button and the charging port – USB-C covered with a rubber flap. Opposite are a microphone button which puts the device into a sound recording mode, a record button (which seems to do the same as the one on the front) and one marked with a camera or siren).

Above the screen is a clip a little like a flash shoe into which the two supplied clips can be mounted. While most of the weight of the device is below this point as the battery is in the lower body, it still becomes an inevitable fulcrum and arguably the camera's body below that point isn't enough to keep it pointed where you want. re-directing the lens partly counters this, but clipping on the breast pocket introduces a lot of movement as you walk.

Boblov M7: Performance

In operation, the Boblov isn't exactly slick, but it isn't difficult to use either. The menus are quick to respond, the buttons are tactile and rubberized to prevent ingress 

Some might complain that the GPS takes a few moments to find the satellites, but all devices do that and not all body cameras have GPS.

The charge time isn't quick, at about 4 hours, but you're unlikely to be doing this in a hurry (and hopefully you get that long between shifts!) Charge is via the more modern USB-C socket – also the point of communication, which is where I and the camera rather fell out. My computer of choice is a Mac and Macs, it seems, don't like all exFat formatted drives. The internal memory of the Boblov (which can't be removed) is exFat.

This is odd – exFAT is the go-to cross-platform format and, although it is not journaled, so not as error-tolerant as other file systems, it should still work. (Oh, and a check in the Terminal window told me the block size was the same as the disks I had that worked.)

Boblov M7: Camera Performance

Sadly I'm not able to provide my own samples here, but we've seen other uses produce good-quality video from their cameras.

Playing the video back on the device is perfectly possible though, and the color screen is perfectly adequate to review footage once you've got to grips with the four-button control system. The speaker is a little tinny, but you can also hear the sound, and the quality is impressive.

In daylight, the camera seemed to make the sensible choice to expose more for the humans than the sky. The wide-angle effect is visible, but that's a good thing; we can be confident we're picking up evidence.

Boblov M7: Overall Verdict

Any device which sends me to the Terminal window on my Mac, before eventually requiring me to seek out a Windows computer, will not earn a 5-star review from me, which is a shame because otherwise this seems – within its niche – to be a very solid product.

The other issue which frustrated me, but wouldn't be a problem for someone with a better-fitting uniform, was the design compromise made with the placement of the body clip. When trying to use it in the breast pocket, it just didn't hang as well as other body cams I've worn (including those from Boblov). Tihs was solved by the adjustable lens, but the main reason I needed to tip the camera was because the whole device was leaning forward.

Technically, though, the camera performs reliably and the buttons are not a strain to get used to. The flexibility of the poseable camera is useful, especially when combined with the dash-cam mode. Ultimately, though, I can't help feeling that, if your only need is as a body cam. Most of the time, a suitable wide-angle lens and a clip mount at the top of the camera will be a more reliable means of collecting evidence for the average body cam user.

So, that's the crux of the verdict – if the adjustable camera is useful to you, then all the tech is there. If you've got shoulder straps on your uniform, or a sturdy pocket for a cam somewhere then great. Otherwise simple might be better.

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If you like the idea of an adjustable body cam, but don't need the power to go all night long or GPS, then there is much to be said for the smaller and lighter 4-hour battery Boblov A22, to be found in our best body cam guide.

It's well worth checking our guide to the best body cameras, though if you're needs tend more toward video quality than long battery perhaps check the best action cameras. Don't forget you might even save on your car insurance with one of the best dash cams.