Every home should have an endoscope… but not for THAT!

When you write about cameras, you don't just get to test the glamorous mirrorless and DSLRs – or, as an expert in drones, the best flying cameras. You also get to experience the full range of possibilities that optics offer, and one of the technologies I use to help around my home – and that I regularly test for Digital Camera World – is increasingly common (which is great) and increasingly being called 'endoscopes' (which I find a bit strange).

Here's the thing. When a technology is new, it's expensive and not many people can get hold of it. So it goes where it is really needed and where the resources are high. That makes sense.

Tiny cameras that can be navigated carefully from a distance to give you a look inside things, well, that is obviously something of immense use to doctors. And so the first time I ever heard the word 'endoscope' it, and you'll have to bear with me as I pause, well… it involved being put up somebody's 'end' to check for signs of bowel cancer.

These days you can now buy cameras that take the same basic principle – tiny camera on an extending, flexible rod – and get hold of them for less than $50 and turn them to all kinds of purposes.

They're ideal if you've lost a key down the drain, or want to see what is blocking the drain. You can use them to check for signs of mice under the bed, or examine the car's engine to determine how the parts are wearing.

At first there was quite a clear distinction, too, between the products. These devices, for DIY or practical purposes, were called 'inspection cameras' or 'borescopes'. For me that was great, because I didn't have to picture them being inserted anywhere too fleshy and human.

In fact, we call our guide the best borescopes and inspection cameras.

The thing is, now, when I look through these products on popular internet retailers, I now see that there has been a bit of a shift. Clearly the term 'endoscope' doesn't evoke such prudishness in most people, but it has got the most public attention – because there are a huge number of what I think of as borescopes listed with terms like "industrial endoscope."

The word "industrial" seems to be gently warning people that they shouldn't be inserting it anywhere about themselves, but scroll further and you'll find plenty of others that omit it and are still definitely not medical grade.

This does not mean that they aren't incredibly useful things to have around the home. You can even get versions that save money by plugging into your phone screen, and even wireless ones (though wireless can introduce a bit of lag).

Just remember that some tasks – not many, perhaps, but some – are best left to the professionals!