Sirocam - F/AF/AF+ Review: Gorgeous Images, Flawed Execution

As someone who has worked with dental intraoral cameras for many years, I can say that the Sirocam AF line from DentsplySirona is a good option for dental professionals who are looking for a camera with a range of useful features. I've worked as an internal technician and dealer for the company for the past 7 years and have had extensive experience with these cameras.

One of the standout features of the Sirocam AF line is the foot pedal capture, which is a real lifesaver. It prevents blurry images that can result from small movements of the hand when pressing a capture button on the camera itself. Additionally, the workflow is intuitive, and the camera works seamlessly with the software, which makes your life as a dental professional much easier.

However, the Sirocam AF line is not without its issues. Compared to other cameras on the market, I've found that it is more prone to problems. There are a few reasons for this, but the primary one, in my opinion, is that there are simply too many points of failure. In typical German fashion, the camera has been over-engineered, which means that it will fail more often than other models.

The USB connection is a prime example of this issue. When it comes to USB connections, less is more. If you connect one cable between one device, it's going to be very reliable. However, if you then connect it through four different connection points, it's much more likely to fail. This is the problem with the Sirocam AF line. The USB cable runs from the PC to a relay PCB in the base of the chair, then to a connection point in the dentist element arm, then to a relay board in the dentist element, and finally to the connection flange on the bottom of the chair where the camera is connected by the user. And that's just the image path. The control path is separate and runs through the dental clinic network, which is vulnerable to all sorts of network issues.

All of these issues have workarounds that the Technical Service Team at Universal Dental Solutions can implement for you. However, at this price point, it's disappointing that they're necessary. That being said, the Sirocam AF line does have many strengths, and if you're looking for a camera with foot pedal capture and intuitive workflow, it's worth considering. Just be aware that it may be more prone to issues than other models on the market.

Troubleshooting

Shaky/stuttering images: This is a very common issue with these cameras, this usually means that there is a bad USB connection between the chair and the camera.

User Rectification steps:

1. Disconnect the grey USB cable from the back of the computer, leave for 5 seconds then reconnect

2. Check the connection of the USB connection on the dentist element arm, clean it with compressed air if necessary and reconnect (See image below for location) Lift the grey flap and there is a black connector there

Camera not capturing: This is another common issue, this means there is no network connection between the chair and the software

User Rectification steps:

1. Restart the chair, and check the Sivision and Siucom plus software are orange and green respectively in the windows program tray (small up arrow in the bottom right of the screen, near the date)

2. Restart the computer, follow the above steps

If these steps don't solve your issue, contact Universal Dental Solutions for advice or to arrange a callout on 1300 013 210