First look: Hands-on with Ray-Ban’s new camera glasses

Facebook’s collaboration with Ray-Ban is officially out in the open, with Ray-Ban Stories unveiled on Thursday.

We say “officially” because the high-tech glasses leaked a few hours ahead of the launch, with images of the glasses and packaging making their way online.

The glasses give users a way to capture photos and video, listen to music or take phone calls without having to whip out their phone and, in theory anyway, step out of the moment.

If the concept seems familiar it’s because Snap did something similar a few years ago with the Snap Spectacles. The sunglasses filmed footage that could be uploaded to the user’s Snapchat account and shared on their stories.

The Ray-Ban Stories pair with the Facebook View app instead, and users can easily save the footage.

The Ray-Ban Stories are available in a number of different styles, including the classic Wayfarers, Meteor and Round. They look just like regular Ray-Bans save a few differences: the two camera lenses beside each of the hinges, the button the right arm that controls photos and video, and the subtle open speakers that deliver audio to the wearer.

There is no Facebook branding, except on the box. It’s all about Ray-Bans.

When you turn the glasses on first, you’ll need to run through a quick set up process that involves pairing the glasses with your chosen device. In this case, it was Android, and I was up and running in a few minutes; downloading the Facebook View app to run through it.

Simple

Then things are very simple. Press and hold the button to take a photo, or press once to take a video. You get a small audio notification when video starts and stops, so you ’ll know it’s happening.

For everyone else, an LED will activate on the front of the frame, just above the lens to let them know you are recording. The LEDs can be dimmed but not completely disabled, ostensibly to protect privacy. Those LEDs will give away to anyone watching when you are recording. It wouldn’t take much to neuter that measure though; the Snap version had a similar indicator that could be easily disguised with some tape.

The clips are limited to 30 second s in length, which sounds short but captures quite a lot. And the 5 megapixel camera set up captures everything in good quality.

Shooting accurately

It takes a while to get the hang of shooting video accurately with the positioning of the cameras – I cut out quite a bit of what I was trying to record on the first few tries. Once you get your angles though – it’s always about the angles – it is easy to capture the footage.

On the right arm you have touch controls that control a number of functions – adjusting volume, answering, ending and rejecting calls, or activating Facebook Assistant for voice commands by tapping and holding.

As always, battery life is key. The glasses wouldn’t be much use if the battery went just as you needed it. The more you capture the quicker the battery winds down. The storage case works as a charger too, giving you extra power when you need it.

And what about privacy? Facebook is keen to stress that your memories are just that – yours. The footage is encrypted, to protect it. Facebook says it will collect some data on the glasses and app to make sure it is all working as it should, but you choose what footage you share and what photos you allow Facebook to access.