Camcorder

The Camcorder is an electronic device used by Miles Upshur and Waylon Park to record info and events, as well as help navigate dark areas with its night vision feature (NVF). The camera is labeled as a Spatlin HDD Night View.

Information
The camcorder is the most prominent tool Miles uses throughout the game. It is also needed for journal entries by simply filming written messages or events.

The camera comes with a night vision feature, which is required to illuminate dark areas seen in the camera's screen. Using night vision requires battery power when used, making it necessary to manage the use of it so the battery power is not wasted when night vision is not needed. Using night vision on any person will make their eyes seemingly glow.

When the battery has become fully drained, the night vision's range will be reduced substantially. To regain the night vision's full power, another battery must be reloaded in the camera. Even if the player runs out of batteries, the night-vision on the camera still works for short amount of time, with poor quality that worsens in night-vision and lack of audio capture. When a battery's power is about to be depleted, the night vision will flicker. Batteries can be found scattered around the environment.

The camera also has the feature of zooming in and out, giving the chance to scout moderately far ahead. Zooming can also be used in conjunction with night vision, as the night vision will illuminate any surface the camera is zoomed in on, making it very useful for spotting enemies from a distance in low light.

When Miles is captured by Richard Trager, Trager takes the camera and props it on a sink to record himself cutting off Miles' fingers.

In the Female Ward, during a botched long jump by Miles, the camera falls off Miles' person and into a hole in the ground, forcing Miles to travel back down to get it as it's still needed to navigate dark areas. When the camera is found and retrieved again, it is badly damaged, as one side of the screen is cracked and the camera's view will malfunction and flicker at random times.

There are some instances where Miles will use his camera regardless of the player's control. Such as filming the death of Billy Hope and when the Walrider kills Chris Walker. When the Walrider is invisible, the night vision feature can reveal him.

The camcorder reappears in the DLC, Outlast: Whistleblower, and is used by Waylon Park in the same way as in the original game. The camera is taken off of a tripod just as the Mount Massive Asylum Slaughter begins.

When retrieving the camcorder after escaping Eddie Gluskin's torture, the player loses all of their batteries and the camcorder's power is nearly depleted.

Trivia

 * The camcorder's display design appears slightly different in the first demo version, such as displaying STBY in the top left corner instead of REC: 0:00:00.
 * In the first demo version, Miles reloads four batteries at once.
 * The crack and flickering on the camcorder once its damaged can be removed by turning effects in the graphics settings to very low.
 * The camcorder is modeled after Sony HDR-CX550V Handycam.