If you are looking for a sturdy mini helicopter with a good camera for the beginner level expertise, Syma S107C Camera 3 channel remote control helicopter is the good start to look for. With notable global certifications and quality, this has just the features to start your journey of RC helicopters hobby. Take a look at the review and decide for yourself.
[toc]Construction
Syma S107C is built using sturdy metal chassis and plastic body that makes it durable as other Syma RC helicopters. The inner wheel mechanisms are made of plastic so that the self weight of the helicopter does not obstruct the flying experience of the toy. However being in light / mid size range, the Syma S107C RC helicopter is built more for indoor or non-windy outdoors to have the best experience.
Flight
Being a 3 Channel helicopter, the Syma S107C helicopter toy supports:
1. Ascend and Descend
2. Forward and Backward
3. Left and Right turns
Additional acceleration, suspension and LED light controls are also available in controls.
It is equipped with in-built electronic gyro system which balances the helicopter flight with suitable compensations.
Like many low to mid size helicopters., Syma S107C uses Infrared to communicate between the toy and Remote control. The maximum range of the control is about 10 meters. Be mindful not to use it in the direct sunlight as it will interfere with the infrared.
Camera
Syma S107C Camera 3 Channel Remote Control Helicopter uses pin hole camera mounted just below the helicopter body.
The Camera is extremely light weight and best for the beginners. The camera can either shoot straight or can look down too! The Controller carries two seperate buttons for Still photos or Videos. Photo output quality is 640 x 320 JPG format and the Video quality will be 640 x 320 AVI with Audio. The Camera has been fed with 512 MB of Micro SD card which can be removed after the flight and recording and saving in the gadget of your choice. The Helciopter also comes with a Camera USB cable which can be also directly connected to a PC to transfer the data before the next flight fun starts!
One of the user noted that for an approximately 5 minutes of flight recording, the Video file might be of 220 MB. Just for a quick note.
In order to remove the MicroSD card, just locate the card in camera box and push with your fingernail to eject.
There has been more positive reviews on the quality of the camera output. However one of the users pointed out that the Audio might not have been necessary as the hovering sound of helicopter takes most of volume of sound and also removing audio might have saved some more recording space. Nice analogy!
Special Features
Certifications : CE, ROHS, FCC, ASTM
Separate Cables for Charging and USB data transfer
Durable metal chassis and plastic body
Attractive LED nose light
Charging
Syma S107C Camera 3 Channel RC Helicopter is sold with 3.7V 150 mAh Li-polymer Battery which is chargeable using the Charger cable provided along with the helicopter. The Remote control (transmitter) needs 6 AA Batteries. Although I could not find any literature, it seems the AA batteries for the Remote control transmitter is not included in the package ordered. Manufacturer specification says 50-60 minutes of charging for full flight that will last for 6-8 minutes.
Included accessories
Online ordered Syma S107C RC Helicopter package contains Helicopter, Camera, 512 MB MicroSD Card, a USB charging Cable, a Data transfer cable and a spare tail rotor blade.
Dimension
Syma S107C Camera 3 Channel Remote Control Helicopter dimension is 21 cm x 10 cm x 4 cm and weight around 0.5 Kg.
Syma S107C Consumer Ratings
Syma S107C Camera 3 Channel Remote Control Helicopter has lots of reviews by users online with more than average rating. With all positive things about the helicopter in place, the consistent negative remarks have been that “helicopter swings a bit while taking a still photo” , “Sometimes charging is tricky” which are minor inconveniences than a fundamental product flaw.
Pros
Strong metallic frame
Good quality Camera for photos and Videos
Camera can be tilted to take photos in various angles
LED nose light as added effect
Certified by CE, ROHS, FCC and ASTM
Cons
Not suitable for outdoor (especially windy) use.
No Wall charger.
Swings a little while hovering and thus taking photos are a little tricky
Audio option of the camera while video recording is not much useful as the helicopter hovering sound interferes.
Price
Syma S107C Camera 3 Channel Remote Control Helicopter is probably the cheapest RC helicopter with camera available online without any compromise on basic quality and functionality.
