Helmet recorder

The view from a recorder.

Helmet recorders are standard field issue equipment for many UNSC Marines in the field.

When in combat with any other enemy, moreover the Covenant, they are instructed to turn these recorders on to get as much information on the Covenant as possible, such as behavior and tactics. Because such data is scarce, the Helmet Recorder is an invaluable tactical resource to the ONI and the UNSC forces, who often retrieve this data and then debrief the wearer about the audio and video data they recorded. They store their information in the processed Recorder Chips.

Trivia

• Apparently, Covenant Ossoonas are equipped with similar helmet-mounted recording units.
• Master Chief was equipped with something similar to a helmet recorder during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. Instead it was a fiber-optic cable with a camera. He used it to record an Engineer taking apart a car.
• The Master Chief got his first glimpse of the Flood while watching a recording he found in PFC Jenkins' helmet.
• Curiously, it appears that these cameras stop recording when the user is incapacitated, such as when Private Jenkins was attacked by the flood. It may be that the impact simply caused an equipment malfunction.