If you are looking for an affordable, yet high-quality foldable camera drone that truly delivers stellar performance, precise and is easy enough for a beginner with no prior flight experience to start with.
The Snaptain SP510 is the best camera drone under $300 designed for beginners and recreational remote pilots. It follows a similar foldable and compact design akin to popular DJI Mavic Mini and Holy Stone HS720.
This foldable drone was introduced to the consumer electronics market last year but quickly spread like a wildfire. What made Snaptain SP510 so popular enough that it captures the attention of beginners and recreational remote pilots?
Which is why I assembled an in-depth Snaptain SP510 review to help buyers like you make a conscious decision. Sometimes buyers buy something that they don’t expect it to work as advertised and end up having buyer’s regret.
The purpose of our in-depth Snaptain SP510 review is to help you avoid making these types of mistakes by getting to know ins and outs of this foldable camera drone. Without further ado, let’s get the ball rolling.
Introduction to Snaptain SP510
To kickstart our in-depth Snaptain SP510 review, I will introduce this camera drone to you. Ever since drones entered the consumer electronics market, they have changed a lot over the time. In fact, they are getting smarter, easier and accessible to beginners.
The Snaptain SP510 drone is a no exception. This foldable camera drone is designed for avid travelers and beginners who need a lightweight flying gadget that is capable of performing advanced aerial maneuvers.
But at the same time, it lets you capture beautiful stills and videos which you can share with your family members and friends on the social media platforms to showcase your photography skills.
If you haven’t never flown a drone before, then look no further because Snaptain SP510 is marketed as the best entry-level camera drone with dynamic performance and easy flight controls.
Our in-depth Snaptain SP510 review covers all mission critical points that you need to know about like design and build, camera quality, flight time and range, flight performance, features and such. That being said, let’s find out if this is the right drone for you.
Snaptain SP510: Design and Build
On the first impression, Snaptain SP510 comes in jet black coating that provides a professional appearance yet easy enough to spot in the air. The material which is used to craft this camera drone is made with durable thick ABS plastic that provides resiliency.
While premium drones such as Holy Stone HS700D and Ruko F11 Pro for instance are equipped with brushless motors which deliver higher RPM and extend overall flight time due to lower battery consumption rate.
The Snaptain SP510 uses brushed motors which have a tendency to wear out after a while. Although if that does happen, the brushed motors are pretty easy to replace and repair as the parts are widely available on Amazon.
In the front is where the camera is located. Unlike other camera drones, the camera is in a vertical-fixed position. Which means you only can adjust the camera vertically.
The battery is located in the rear. It features a battery status indicator which tells you how much juice it has left inside. Each battery lasts for up to 16 minutes per charge. Overall, the design aspect of Snaptain SP510 is solid with some minor drawbacks.
Snaptain SP510: Camera Quality
As I mentioned previously that this drone features a vertical-fixed camera. Thanks to integration of the GPS module, you can adjust the camera vertical settings remotely via remote controller.
The built-in camera is capable of capturing stills at a stunning 3840 x 2160 resolution with video starting at 2976 x 1680 @ 25 Frames Per Second (FPS). At the price tag that the drone is going for, it is pretty good.
Although, the camera isn’t mounted on any gimbal stabilizer. Therefore, you should expect some vibrations and shakiness when it comes to flying the drone.
If you plan to become a professional photographer in the future, but want to learn how to fly a drone first before you splurge on professional-grade camera drones such as Mavic 2 Pro / Mavic 2 Zoom.
The Snaptain SP510 is an excellent choice due to its flexibility and built-in remote capabilities that will definitely set the expectations as it guides you through the world of drones and mastering the basics of aerial photography.
Snaptain SP510: Flight Time and Range
In this part of Snaptain SP510 review, I will be talking about the camera drone’s flight time and range. The 1,500mAh battery which the drone comes with provides up to 16 minutes of flight time.
Time it takes to charge the battery takes around 2 hours to recharge from near-depleted to full. Also it is worth mentioning that the remote controller is completely rechargeable.
Which means you do not need batteries at all. Simply plug USB cord onto the remote controller to start recharging. The time it takes to fully charge a remote controller is around 50 minutes.
In combination with an impressive flight time of 16 minutes, Snaptain SP510 has a maximum remote control distance up to 500 meters. This gives beginners and recreational remote pilots plenty of flying space to soar around.
Snaptain SP510: Flight Performance
Any avid recreational remote pilots will tell you that flight performance is equally important to flight time and remote control range. For starters, the Snaptain SP510 drone is mounted with GPS installation.
Which means it communicates with satellites to obtain precise flight position and eliminates the need to adjust the drone’s stability manually. This allows a much easier and smoother flight experience for beginners.
In addition to that, the built-in flight systems enable the drone to monitor and adjust to its performance to maximize the correct amount of battery usage. No other smart camera drones have done this before and that’s what makes Snaptain SP510 a completely unique quadcopter.
When you first fly this camera drone, it will start off with the slowest speed setting by default. This allows beginners to learn the basics of flight controls. Afterwards, you can change the speed settings to match your piloting skills.
Snaptain SP510 does a great job at providing a learning rope for beginners with no prior flight experience to learn without putting up that much of hassle or frustration at all. A big thumb-up from me.
Snaptain SP510: Features
Lastly, the Snaptain SP510 review isn’t completed without talking about features. While this camera drone is incredibly affordable and marketed as the best entry-level quadcopter for beginners and recreational remote pilots.
It is packed with tons of features. In fact, Snaptain SP510 drone is capable of performing intelligent flight modes such as Follow Me Mode, Orbit Mode and Customization Waypoint Mode.
Follow Me Mode lets you select a subject to follow around. This flight mode is awesome for recording videos whenever you are alone and need a gadget to record you without the need of a second operator.
Orbit Mode lets you create a 360-degree immersive video of interesting objects such as cruise ships or buildings. In addition to that, you can create and customize your own flight path for the drone to follow.
Aside from these intelligent flight modes, Snaptain SP510 drone is packed with smart functions which focuses on safe flight navigation systems. Smart Return to Home button enables the drone to return to home point whenever you lose sight of the drone.
The foldable motor arms enable the drone to pack up in a compact space, which makes it easy enough to take with for traveling purposes. You also can adjust the speed setting to your own liking if you want to. Overall, Snaptain SP510 is a features-packed drone.
Why Buy Snaptain SP510
By then you have fully read our in-depth Snaptain SP510 review. Now you are wondering if you should buy this camera drone. I will say yes and here’s a number of reasons why you should buy the Snaptain SP510 drone.
This camera drone is features-packed with tons of intelligent flight modes and encompasses a number of safe flight systems that makes the entire flying experience easy, smooth and simple. In addition to that, the 16 minutes flight time and superior remote control distance allows you to capture stunning aerial perspectives with minimal efforts.
The Snaptain SP510 is truly marketed as the best entry-level camera drone designed for beginners and recreational remote pilots who have the desire to learn aerial photography. It serves as the stepping stone for beginners before moving on to more expensive camera drones such as Mavic Air 2 for instance.
Snaptain SP510 Review: Final Verdict
As we come to the conclusion of the Snaptain SP510 review, if you were to ask me whether to buy this camera drone. I would highly recommend it for beginners and recreational remote pilots.
I like this foldable camera drone because it is simple, packed with features and very easy to fly thanks to integration of GPS modules. Snaptain have done a great job at keeping this camera drone simple, yet smart enough to perform advanced flight functions.
I hope you found our in-depth Snaptain SP510 review helpful and insightful. If you have any questions or want to know about this camera drone, feel free to ask in the comments section below. Happy flying!
The Review
Snaptain SP510
This camera drone is features-packed with ton of intelligent flight modes and encompasses a number of safe flight systems that makes the entire flying experience easy, smooth and simple. In addition to that, the 16 minutes flight time and superior remote control distance allows you to capture stunning aerial perspective with minimal efforts.
PROS
- Affordable.
- Foldable and Compact.
- Good Camera Quality
- Beginner-Friendly
- Strong Performance
- Easy to Fly.
CONS
- Battery Flight Time is OK.