I had the pill camera. It is smaller than those horse pill type vitamins but a little bigger than an Ibuprofen. It has a special coating which makes it super easy to swallow. Tell him to wear a loose shirt (no v-necks or sleeveless) lest all the wires and leads will show. He will wear like a clear fanny pack attached to a suspender type harness. That pouch holds the receiver and the receiver has wires that are attached to leads placed on different spots of the torso.
The pack, leads, and harness are a lot bulkier than I had anticipated before I went in, as I was hoping to take a nap when I got home - that was much harder than I ever thought it could be. It is painless and super easy. You go in the morning, put on the leads and harness, pop the pill, and 8 hours later you give them the receiver and the like back for them to go through.
And no, you do not have to retrieve the camera it is disposable (flushable.)