If you ever desired a blaster with a in-built camera to record all your gameplay then take a look at ECS-12. Nerf Cam ECS-12 was released as part of the Elite Series of blasters in the year 2014. This is meant to be one of a kind blaster, the first and the only one integrated with a video recording camera inside. A small display screen is also present right where a scope would be, so the player could actually see what he’s recording live on the screen. The camera, the screen and the actual blaster are all integrated seamlessly to deliver some great fun, both on and off the field. As with other Elite blasters the Nerf Cam blaster is also advertised only for kids 8 years and above. It would seem that the additional digital accessories might make the blaster heavy, but that’s not the case. They weight only about four pounds and should not be a problem for kids to play with.

The blaster

The Nerf cam ECS-12 is a flywheel blaster very much similar to the famous Stryfe model. This blaster is also clip-fed. Though out of the box it comes with a 12-round magazine and darts, it can be upgraded to 18-round magazine or a 35-round drum that can be bought separately. The firing is semi-automatic. Meaning you would have to press the acceleration trigger to rev up the flywheels and press the primary trigger to release a dart. Each trigger press releases a single dart. This gives a greater control over your dart expenditure.

The Stock that is integrated is permanent and it is neither detachable nor adjustable. But the build is rigid, with enough length to give a stable hold while firing the blaster. There is no slot for barrel extensions. But there are two tactical rails present for both the fore-grip and optics attachments, which need to be bought separately.

Performance wise the Nerf cam blaster performs as good any Elite blaster, given the internals are the same. The muzzle speeds though seem to be four or five fps lesser than the series average of 70fps but this isn’t noticable enough to affect the gameplay. There is a jam access door as well to remove any darts that get stuck while firing, even if it happens only rarely.

The camera

ECS-12 Blaster comes with a built-in 0.3 megapixel camera. This small yet innovative device is able to take pictures and record videos at a speed of 20 frames/sec. The screen of the camera is 1.77 inches big, and includes a crosshair in between to indicate targets to be or not to be shown in the recording. The camera also includes buttons that can switch from photo to video mode. The buttons can also delete the recordings, play them at will, or sort through the collection. The button to activate video recording is conveniently and separately present at the left of the blaster near the fore-grip tactical rail. If the sun’s glare gets to the screen, the user can bring down the orange shade for more visibility. Below the primary camera buttons, the SD card slot is be located. A 4 GB memory card is included to store your recorded videos. The locations of the buttons allow easy navigation while using the camera too.

Pros

  • Truly the first and only camera-blaster available right now.
  • A premium product from Nerf adding another dimension of fun for the kids, replaying their favorite moments when it pleases.
  • The SD card can store up to 2000 photos, or 2 hours of video recording.
  • A set of mini speakers are integrated with the blaster, so.., when you playback the recorded video, you can hear the audio as well. Pretty neat!

Cons

  • It requires a total of eight AA batteries to perform; four for the blaster, four for the camera. This is a huge number of batteries for a Nerf gun. But the blaster can be operated separately even if there are no batteries present for the camera. Thanks to two separate battery trays in different locations for individual purposes.
  • The flywheel mechanism is only loud as any other elite blaster but this sound gets recorded along with the video as well. This might be a problem when replaying the video where the motor sound is heard prominently.
  • The major con of this blaster is the pricing. It retails for around 80 dollars. This price is majorly for the included camera, mic and speakers integrated. The camera still is bit sub-standard, with sub-par video and audio quality, especially in this age and time.

To summarize, this is a perfectly sound product, with its price on the higher end. If you think an integrated camera will augment the nerf experience and be more fun, then the Nerf Cam ECS-12 is the best and the only choice you got.

You could purchase from Amazon at prices starting from 84 dollars.    Check Price