When do you think dji will bring out a match to the Yuneec Q500 Typhoon . It looks way better, has no flyaway's fly's longer and so it goes on. What do all you guy's think of your phantom. ???????? :?: :?:
Yuneec Q500 Typhoon
- Thread starter renagade
- Start date
I've had my Phantom since November 2013 and in February last year I built my F550 Hex.
This year after seeing all the new goodies on display at the Las Vegas CES my thoughts started wandering about acquiring a new multirotor. I've ruled the inspire 1 out of the equation as it is so unreliable evidenced by the high volume of issues current owners are experiencing. Walkera's Voyager is still in Unicorn land, and the Hubsan/Hobbico Ora isn't due for release until April'ish.
The Yuneec Q500 appears to have been a big hit in the CONUS and mainland Europe but has only landed on UK shores in the last few weeks. From what I have seen it is a very nice, easy to use, stable and reliable quad. More importantly I've only heard good things about the after sales support. There were some reports about the Yuneec falling out of the skies but this was identified as users hitting the Arm/Disarm button by mistake. I understand Yuneec were very quick to act on this and have changed the function so that the operator has to press the big red button for a length of time before the craft arms and disarms.
If I didn't already have the two multirotors mentioned earlier my choice would be the Yuneec. For me the advantages over the Phantom are:
It has a larger wheelbase with larger props and lower Kv motors which makes it far more stable in the air.
The camera assembly is far more serviceable and doesn't have the inherent weaknesses as the unit fitted to the VisionPlus.
The support staff, at least in the CONUS, are far more approachable than those of DJI. See the recent video by "The FPV Guy"', Bo Lorentzen, on YouTube where he took his Yuneec Q500 to Yuneec for repairs.
The cost of consumables, such as batteries and props, and spare parts are cheaper than those for the Phantom V2's.
Yuneec will shortly be releasing a 4K camera and are rumoured to be implementing groundstation/waypoint type functionality.
As I have said if I only had either the Phantom V1 or the F550 the Yuneec would be at the top of a very short list.
Regards
Nidge
This year after seeing all the new goodies on display at the Las Vegas CES my thoughts started wandering about acquiring a new multirotor. I've ruled the inspire 1 out of the equation as it is so unreliable evidenced by the high volume of issues current owners are experiencing. Walkera's Voyager is still in Unicorn land, and the Hubsan/Hobbico Ora isn't due for release until April'ish.
The Yuneec Q500 appears to have been a big hit in the CONUS and mainland Europe but has only landed on UK shores in the last few weeks. From what I have seen it is a very nice, easy to use, stable and reliable quad. More importantly I've only heard good things about the after sales support. There were some reports about the Yuneec falling out of the skies but this was identified as users hitting the Arm/Disarm button by mistake. I understand Yuneec were very quick to act on this and have changed the function so that the operator has to press the big red button for a length of time before the craft arms and disarms.
If I didn't already have the two multirotors mentioned earlier my choice would be the Yuneec. For me the advantages over the Phantom are:
It has a larger wheelbase with larger props and lower Kv motors which makes it far more stable in the air.
The camera assembly is far more serviceable and doesn't have the inherent weaknesses as the unit fitted to the VisionPlus.
The support staff, at least in the CONUS, are far more approachable than those of DJI. See the recent video by "The FPV Guy"', Bo Lorentzen, on YouTube where he took his Yuneec Q500 to Yuneec for repairs.
The cost of consumables, such as batteries and props, and spare parts are cheaper than those for the Phantom V2's.
Yuneec will shortly be releasing a 4K camera and are rumoured to be implementing groundstation/waypoint type functionality.
As I have said if I only had either the Phantom V1 or the F550 the Yuneec would be at the top of a very short list.
Regards
Nidge
A co-wroker just got his Q500 this past Friday. I'm sure we will be talking about it. I'm sure he also won't mention any issues with it... since it cost a lost of money. He did mention what Nidge mentioned, being able to easily kill the motors while in flight. Yeah... let's place the stop button right in the middle of the controller and only require a quick tap to stop. What could go wrong. I do think the camera set up is _much_ better. Not that I would but what if someone wanted to use a different camera? I don't think it's possible on the Q500. What you bought is what you get.I also like the landing gear. Much better as it's wider and larger. If you are not going to pan left and right with the camera, why not make them wider.
One draw back IMHO is the size of the machine. It's _huge_ as compared to the Phantom. Put it in a case and it needs it's own trailer.
. Not a big drawback but I suspect it could be a pain. Try a short hike with one.
I also do not like the display being built into the controller. Again... no options. It is also a small screen and in an awkward position on the controller. I suspect a person would be accidently touching the screen while flying and messing up the view.
Do they not fly away some times? From what I see they have only been out a few months so I suspect they are not as widely used as the Phantoms.
I don't think the flight times are any better then the Phantom 2s.
Don't get me wrong... I think it's a great UAV (I've never used one and only had my Phantom for a few weeks). If I knew about it before the Phantom it would have been a very tough choice. I'm hoping that it "helps" DJI become a better company.
One draw back IMHO is the size of the machine. It's _huge_ as compared to the Phantom. Put it in a case and it needs it's own trailer.
. Not a big drawback but I suspect it could be a pain. Try a short hike with one.I also do not like the display being built into the controller. Again... no options. It is also a small screen and in an awkward position on the controller. I suspect a person would be accidently touching the screen while flying and messing up the view.
Do they not fly away some times? From what I see they have only been out a few months so I suspect they are not as widely used as the Phantoms.
I don't think the flight times are any better then the Phantom 2s.
Don't get me wrong... I think it's a great UAV (I've never used one and only had my Phantom for a few weeks). If I knew about it before the Phantom it would have been a very tough choice. I'm hoping that it "helps" DJI become a better company.
tcope said:
Apparently, and I've seen this quoted by both Yuneec and DJI ( the Yuneec tech support guy, Ryan, and Tahoe Ed on the Inspire forum) that in some countries it is a requirement that the motors can be turned off in flight in an emergency situation. This is also effecting the Inspire, allegedly, as the CSC position can be achieved in flight and this is the technical reason given why one poor chap's inspire plummeted to the ground and shattered.
In the case of Yuneec's big red button they have updated the firmware so that a definite press, rather than an accidental tap, is now required to stop the motors.
I agree that the position of the monitor on the transmitter could have been better placed but it's not designed as an FPV screen, the latency is too great for this to be effective, but more as an aid for framing the shot.
I think this year could prove to be an interesting one as other manufacturers start to release their products onto the market. Diversity is a good thing and it will be refreshing to see different features rather than blatant clones where the primary differences are the quality of the parts, Phantom / Walkera QX springs to mind. DJI have for the most part had a sort of monopoly on the consumer/ hobby RTF multirotor scene so increased competition for this customer base will benefit future purchasers.
Regards
Nidge
A buddy of mine picked up a Yuneec Q500 Typhoon a few weeks ago and he has let me fly it a few times. I must say I'm very impressed with it. I've been doing a bit of research on them since he got his, tossing around the idea of buying one myself.
I think the price is quite reasonable - same as the new Vision Plus at $1299, but the Yuneec has more bells and whistles. Also the company makes full size aircraft, and apparently much of the Blade heli and quadcopter lineup is manufactured by Yuneec and then rebranded. So they are not a new company.
I am not a photographer so my perspective is strictly from a hobbyist point of view.
The video from the Q500 is the smoothest I've ever seen - just incredibly smooth (check out the youtube videos), but the quality is not as nice as a GoPro (don't own a Vision so I can't compare), but it suits me just fine. Also the color correction is a bit off, and the videos look like the colors are over saturated (I don't mind that either), but that can be corrected post production I'm told.
There are two switches on the radio that allow one to shoot video or stills remotely from the ground, and the radio is basically built around the touchscreen Android tablet. The tablet (screen) is at the bottom of the radio, and I see a lot of people complain about that, however I've not seen a single OWNER complain about it, and I had no problem moving my eyes a few inches further down to view the screen. Not a big deal IMO. However the radio cannot be used for FPV flying as the video transmission is WiFi based and there is a significant lag when your flying more than a few hundre feet away. The screen is for framing shots and determining orientation, and it displays telemetery.
The cut off switch requires a 3 second hold to cut power to the props, is bright red and not easy to mistakingly hit. Yuneec has mentioned there will be a software update that will disengage this switch if the drone is over 2 meters AGL as a further safety feature.
The Q500 is bigger than any of the Phantoms, but people are buying a case off Amazon that measures 22" x 17" x 12.5" that fits the rig nicely. I have phantom cases bigger than that...
The follow me feature is pretty cool and if you fly in the open, a good option to have on your drone.
Also Yuneec is going to introduce a 4 K camera this spring, and I like that the camera/gimbal unit is a one-plug quick connect so you can remove it in seconds. The new camera will take less than 30 seconds to switch to, and if you order a Q500 before the end of this month, Yuneec will send you the hand held gimbal for free. They also promise to have an update this spring to enable waypoint missions.
The biggest difference I saw was how SLOW the Q500 flies - 15 mph top speed in SAFE mode - like a big lumbering hot air balloon, lol. Supposedly some owners have updated the software to fly faster and enable new flight modes. I believe you can fly slighlty faster in Angle mode which is the other out-of-the-box mode.
And it is cool looking! And the quality feels a lot more substantial than many of the other drones on the market.
I think the price is quite reasonable - same as the new Vision Plus at $1299, but the Yuneec has more bells and whistles. Also the company makes full size aircraft, and apparently much of the Blade heli and quadcopter lineup is manufactured by Yuneec and then rebranded. So they are not a new company.
I am not a photographer so my perspective is strictly from a hobbyist point of view.
The video from the Q500 is the smoothest I've ever seen - just incredibly smooth (check out the youtube videos), but the quality is not as nice as a GoPro (don't own a Vision so I can't compare), but it suits me just fine. Also the color correction is a bit off, and the videos look like the colors are over saturated (I don't mind that either), but that can be corrected post production I'm told.
There are two switches on the radio that allow one to shoot video or stills remotely from the ground, and the radio is basically built around the touchscreen Android tablet. The tablet (screen) is at the bottom of the radio, and I see a lot of people complain about that, however I've not seen a single OWNER complain about it, and I had no problem moving my eyes a few inches further down to view the screen. Not a big deal IMO. However the radio cannot be used for FPV flying as the video transmission is WiFi based and there is a significant lag when your flying more than a few hundre feet away. The screen is for framing shots and determining orientation, and it displays telemetery.
The cut off switch requires a 3 second hold to cut power to the props, is bright red and not easy to mistakingly hit. Yuneec has mentioned there will be a software update that will disengage this switch if the drone is over 2 meters AGL as a further safety feature.
The Q500 is bigger than any of the Phantoms, but people are buying a case off Amazon that measures 22" x 17" x 12.5" that fits the rig nicely. I have phantom cases bigger than that...
The follow me feature is pretty cool and if you fly in the open, a good option to have on your drone.
Also Yuneec is going to introduce a 4 K camera this spring, and I like that the camera/gimbal unit is a one-plug quick connect so you can remove it in seconds. The new camera will take less than 30 seconds to switch to, and if you order a Q500 before the end of this month, Yuneec will send you the hand held gimbal for free. They also promise to have an update this spring to enable waypoint missions.
The biggest difference I saw was how SLOW the Q500 flies - 15 mph top speed in SAFE mode - like a big lumbering hot air balloon, lol. Supposedly some owners have updated the software to fly faster and enable new flight modes. I believe you can fly slighlty faster in Angle mode which is the other out-of-the-box mode.
And it is cool looking! And the quality feels a lot more substantial than many of the other drones on the market.
Hey guys,
Ive had a Q500 since the first of this year and really like it. I also have a P2V with rotorpixel that has been a great quad (some minor issues...but nothing I haven't overcome).
Take a look at my YouTube channel for some cool videos produced by the Typhoon (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-LzQS ... t7xcZVc5ug).
It is an excellent video platform for sure - with plenty of strengths and weaknesses. Take a look at some of the comments below the videos where we talk about FPV latency and other issues.
Ive had a Q500 since the first of this year and really like it. I also have a P2V with rotorpixel that has been a great quad (some minor issues...but nothing I haven't overcome).
Take a look at my YouTube channel for some cool videos produced by the Typhoon (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-LzQS ... t7xcZVc5ug).
It is an excellent video platform for sure - with plenty of strengths and weaknesses. Take a look at some of the comments below the videos where we talk about FPV latency and other issues.
I've had my Q500 for two weeks now and selling one of my Phantoms to get it must be one of the biggest mistakes of my life, It arrived with a completely flat TX battery and no USB charger in the box. The gimbal adjustment is so slow you could go make a cup of tea in the time it takes to go from one end to the other. The screen on the tx is too small to be of any use and the video lag is terrible, 4 seconds sometimes and if you link your tablet to it the lag can increase up to 10 seconds. They have a wonderful feature in "smart mode" where if you take off and the quad deems you to be too close it will fly off and try to get to the required safe distance from you, it doesn't matter if that means trying to fly through a wall or a tree; it will just do it. I've never got any longer flight times out of it than I get out of my Phantom and it moves around the sky like it's dragging an anchor behind it. I've heard good things about the customer service in the USA but believe me; over here in the UK there is no customer service, Horizon Hobby are the importers for the UK and they have never answered any of my e-mails. I eventually contacted Yuneec CS in Germany and they sent me out a new TX battery and a USB charger. Unfortunately they have not got back to me about two drift aways I had a couple of days ago, on both occasions the quad would not respond to any input from the sticks; it just drifted away to the right and nothing but nothing would make it go left. There has been other alleged fly aways reported and one guy has e-mailed me telling me his motors stuck on full throttle and one eventually burst in to flames. Horizon Hobby have had his brand new Q500 for the last 2 weeks and he's heard nothing from them, good look with that one mate.
The video seems to have less artefacts than the vision camera, but looks a bit soft or too much noise reduction in some sequences.
Colour balance can be a bit odd too?
I think potential is there to get very good results if you are accomplished in processing.
Not convinced it has more 'useful' features - is ground station-style option there yet?
It is good there's a serious competitor to DJI as it should help keep both of them on their toes.
Colour balance can be a bit odd too?
I think potential is there to get very good results if you are accomplished in processing.
Not convinced it has more 'useful' features - is ground station-style option there yet?
It is good there's a serious competitor to DJI as it should help keep both of them on their toes.
I bought a Phantom 1 not very long ago and with all the complications getting a gimbal on it, getting it to work right, not having or wanting a smart phone, etc. I opted to go haywire and get the Q500+ . Although flying the P1 was fun, I am only interested in photo/video and I think this is a much better platform and not a bad deal considering what you get. Quad, Camera, Extra props and battery, charger even with a car adapter, 8GB card and instructions that actually make sense not to mention good customer service..... Oh almost forgot also a case
Yes the camera sometimes has a hard time handling changes in light/color but it isn't bad at all with just a little tweaking and a lot depends on what monitor you watch on. I have a Panasonic 3DHDTV hooked up to one computer and that is always my final test... pretty awesome. I rarely take stills but I don't think they are as good as the video from what I've seen but you can always extract a frame from video.
Here is the most recent of 8 uploads to my youtube channel. I have done no changes to color or lighting on some of them. This one was especially hard for the camera shooting into the sun as I was much of the time. Minor adjustment to saturation.
Excuse any funky music you don't like or some minor editing rough edges, these were all thrown together rather quickly.
Yes the camera sometimes has a hard time handling changes in light/color but it isn't bad at all with just a little tweaking and a lot depends on what monitor you watch on. I have a Panasonic 3DHDTV hooked up to one computer and that is always my final test... pretty awesome. I rarely take stills but I don't think they are as good as the video from what I've seen but you can always extract a frame from video.
Here is the most recent of 8 uploads to my youtube channel. I have done no changes to color or lighting on some of them. This one was especially hard for the camera shooting into the sun as I was much of the time. Minor adjustment to saturation.
Excuse any funky music you don't like or some minor editing rough edges, these were all thrown together rather quickly.
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Great review on an interesting machine. Thanks!
From a purely subjective view, I don't like the looks of the Q500, but I could live with it.
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