RunCam Swift camera review

If I count correctly, this RunCam Swift camera will be the fourth model I have the luck to review from the manufacturer with the slogan “Born for RC fanatics.”

From my experience with RunCam, I can say that they respect their customers, which is at least as important as the quality of the products. For example, they always try to challenge the customers to give feedback (positive as well as negative) to improve their existing products with newer firmware or in any other ways. It is not surprising that they have already managed to build a solid Facebook community around their brand.

RunCam has two kinds of cameras: analog ones like this Swift, which are dedicated to first-person-view flights, and digital ones with a DVR function that allows one to record the journey of the flight.

As all the racing quad-copters I own now come with a dedicated camera, I plan to use this camera on a small racer that I just started to build around the Redcon Phoenix 210 frame kit.

Enough with the courtesy. Let’s go back to the RunCam Swift review and see if there is any improvement compared to its predecessor, the PZ0420M (aka SkyPlus).

RunCam Swift quadcopter camera review

The package was delivered extremely fast, in 5 days, and I’m probably among the first people to receive this camera :). As my wife used to say, fast is not necessarily good, the camera’s cartoon box has been totally destroyed during dispatch, it looks like someone stepped on it. Luckily, the tiny camera was unharmed. It seems that shipping companies offer for free crash and durability tests. D.

RC Swift’s package is very generous. Besides the tiny camera, I found inside the box the following: lens cap, base bracket, hanging bracket, back cover, screws, 5D OSD cable, three wire FPV cable, AV-out & power cable user manual. Many camera/lens manufacturers, forget to include a lens cap. That tiny, inexpensive piece of plastic can protect the lens from unwanted scratches during storage and transportation.

Unlike the PZ0420M, which is naked as a worm, this new RunCam Swift camera is encapsulated in a protective case and is delivered with two types of mounting accessories.

RunCam Swift review – Camera specs

• SONY Super HAD II CCD image sensor (1/3″);
• 600TVL horizontal resolution;
• 2.8mm with 90-degree FOV lens;
• Wide input voltage range, DC 5V to 17V (suitable for 2s, 3s and 4s LI-POs);
• Low power consumption;
• Excellent light senility, 0.01Lux/1.2F min. illumination;
• The electronic shutter speed for PAL video standard is 1/50 to 1/100,000sec;
• Digital Wide Dynamic Range (D-WDR);
• Digital Noise Reduction (2DNR);
• Automatic gain control (AGC);
• Backlight compensation (BLC);
• Accurate exposure algorithm;
• OSD menu;
• CVBS (RCA) video output for real-time image transmission:
• Ultra-compact design, 26mm x 26mm x 30mm;
• 12g net weight.

While this RunCam Swift is smaller than its predecessor (SkyPlus), the specs of these two models are very similar (or even identical). In terms of size and form factor is more similar with the HS1177 cam.

On the backside of the camera, there are two tiny connectors. Through the two-pin plug (OSD and GND), the included OSD cable can be connected, which allows for configure and fine-tuning the camera. Don’t be afraid to play with the settings; there is also a “reset to factory” option if you mess up something.

The secondary connecter (Video, GND, and 5-17V) powers the camera and connects to a wireless image transmission module. I opted for an Aomway Mini 5.8Ghz 200mW 40CH video TX and the Eachine LCD5802S FPV display to test this camera.

If you want to peek inside the camera, consider that the mainboard, with its sensitive CCD sensor, is not secured and can easily fall out from the housing.

As I’m not an expert, describing the camera’s image quality with words is tough. Luckily, I ordered a tiny DVR to record my FPV flights a few months ago. After I adapted its stupid connector to be compatible with the RunCam Swift, I could directly record the video signal that is coming out of the camera (check out the video below, upload in progress).

Pricing and availability

Those interested in this lightweight FPV quadcopter camera can be ordered from the manufacturer’s online shop here (orange color will be available starting in May).