In The Box

• Yuneec Typhoon G quadcopter
• ST10+ radio transmitter
• GB203 gimbal for GoPro
• 5400mAh 3S LiPo battery
• LiPo charger
• CGO steady grip
• 4x CW & CCW sets of propellers
• AC to DC adapter
• USB adapter and car charger

Technical Specification

• Dimensions: 420x210mm / 16.5×8.3″ (565mm / 22.2″ diagonal)
• Weight (with battery and GoPro): 1700g / 60oz
• Flight modes: Smart (Follow Me and Watch Me), Angle and Home
• Flying height: Max 122m / 400ft
• Flight speed: Max 8m/s
• Battery: 5400mAh 3S 11.1V LiPo
• Flight time: Up to 25 minutes
• Transmitter: 10ch 2.4GHz with 5.8GHz video downlink for GoPro
• Operating temperature: -5C to 80C

Design

Let’s start by looking at the design. The Yuneec Typhoon G is most definitely one of the biggest drone for a GoPro. It has a diagonal of 565mm / 22.2″, so the exact same size as the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K. In comparison, a DJI Phantom 2 is only 350mm.

The quadcopter itself is made out of pretty good quality plastic that comes in black and gunmetal grey. It has some pretty big legs that seem to be pretty snap proof. They also keep the drone at a comfortable height where the gimbal and camera won’t be damaged. The gimbal can also be removed and attached to a CGO steady grip. I personally like the design of the Yuneec Typhoon G. It has some pretty nice LEDs underneath the motors and the style is kind of futuristic but nothing over the top. Only negative thing that kind of bothers me is the size. It isn’t as mobile as smaller drones. You are going to need a car to travel around with it.

Instead of having a plain boring transmitter like on the DJI Phantom 2, Yuneec has created something beautiful. It is called the ST10+ transmitter and it has a built in LCD touch sensitive screen that is powered by Android. It has the standard 2 joysticks for flying the quadcopter, there is a wheel on the left side which moves the gimbal up and down (kind of delayed a little), and a wheel on the right which sets the maximum flying speed. There are a bunch of other buttons and sticks as well but those don’t really do anything special. You can configure them yourself though!

The LCD screen has a pretty low resolution (480p) so don’t expect really high quality view from that. It displays all the live information about the flight (such as battery level) and even live feed from a GoPro. Having live feed from GoPro built in is a huge advantage.

Flying & Features

With these modern drones, the most important part ,when talking about flying, are the flight modes. The Yuneec Typhoon G comes with 3 standard flight modes: Smart, Angle and Home. The Smart mode is also divided into 2: Follow Me and Watch Me. Those 2 only work with a GoPro attached to it.

Smart

When flying the Typhoon G in smart mode, the drone won’t fly further than 90m / 295ft from your transmitter. There is also a maximum altitude limit of 122m / 400ft. These limits can be changed via the Typhoon GUI software. I wouldn’t recommend doing that personally as these limits have been set by the Yuneec for a reason.

Also the Smart mode makes flying the drone a little bit different than normally. The controls are always relative to the Home position, despite which way the front of quadcopter is facing. So if you have lost the sight of your Typhoon and don’t know how to bring it home, then just pull down the right stick and it will come back towards you. Also the Follow Me and Watch Me submodes recognise your position by the transmitter. So if you want them to work then you have to carry the transmitter around with you.

Angle

The Angle mode is for more experienced UAV pilots. You have complete control of the aircraft, the distance limit has been removed (height limit still at 122m / 400ft). The range of the Typhoon G largely depends on the location you are flying. The first indication of flying too far is when you start to lose live feed from a GoPro (at around 150m / 500ft). If you don’t care about live feed then you should be getting around 270-365m / 900-1200ft of range. Not the longest distance but nothing bad either. I mean these type of drones aren’t really meant to be flying crazy distances.

Home

Home mode is pretty self explanatory. Just flick a switch button on the remote and the Yuneec Typhoon G will fly back to the set home location. Always make sure you have done your preflight checklist and locked all the GPS satellites before flying. The amount of locked satellites can be seen right on the transmitter. A huge plus for the drone is that it locks satellites pretty fast.

Really the main negative part of the Typhoon G is the range of live feed (150m / 500ft). It is pretty low but then again, the only other drone I can think of that has this, is the 3DR Solo. But that quadcopter is also way more expensive.

The GB203 gimbal is compatible with the GoPro Hero3, Hero3+ and Hero4 models. Surprisingly enough, the drones propellers are not seen in the footage. So that is a huge plus. You might sometimes notice dark horizontal lines while flying towards the sun. That is a shadow coming from the propellers.

As far as the flight time goes, I know that Yuneec promises up to 25 minutes. In theory that is possible, if you aren’t using the GoPro. I managed to get 15 minutes with the live stream and everything turned on. So still nothing too bad. If you want longer flight times then you might have to look into getting a drone that comes with an integrated camera, such as DJI Phantom 3 or Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K.

Conclusion

Would I recommend the Yuneec Typhoon G? Of course! It is an exceptional drone for $499 and in my opinion a much better choice than a DJI Phantom 2. Is it better than the 3DR Solo? I think not but I also wouldn’t call it much worse. The 3DR Solo is just easier to transport. So if you are choosing between those 2, it really comes down to 2 things: budget and transportability. If price matters and you aren’t planning on taking it on long hikes then the Typhoon G is a better choice. Not to mention that it already comes with a gimbal.

Also the Yuneec Typhoon G and GoPro Hero4 Black combo does produce better videos than the Typhoon Q500 4K. Only issue is the flying and live feed range. So again, if a longer range is important to you then you should look at a drone with either an integrated camera or a more expensive option. If you do already own a GoPro though, then I really can’t recommend a better drone for $499.

The post Yuneec Typhoon G Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

In The Box

• Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K
• ST10+ remote control
• ProAction Steadygrip
• CGO3 4K gimbal camera
• LiPo battery
• 2 sets of propellers
• AC to DC adapter
• 8GB MicroSD
• Sun shield and neck strap
• Aluminium case

Technical Specification

• Video quality: 4K 30/25/24fps; 1080p 120/60/50/48/30/25/24fps
• Photo quality: 12MP
• Camera field of view: 115°
• Max flight height: 120m
• Weight: 1700g
• Flying modes: Smart, Angle, Home
• Features: Live stream to LCD screen in radio controller
• Flight time: 22 minutes
• Price: $1084

Design

The Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K is a big quadcopter. That is literally the best way to describing it. It has the dimensions of 420x420x240mm / 16.5×16.5×9.4″. And that is without the 13 inch propellers. It also weighs 1.7kg with both the camera and battery. To be fair I’m quite surprised it doesn’t weigh more. That is actually really good for a drone of that size.

Most of the drone is made out of plastic. It comes with a shiny gunmetal grey and black finish. The quality of the plastic is alright, it isn’t the weakest type but not also the strongest.

As I mentioned before, Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K comes with a camera that is removable. Something that isn’t possible on the DJI Phantom 3 series drones. The removable camera is called CGO3 and it is attached to a gimbal. Just like the drone itself, the camera is big as well. Much bigger than on DJI phantom 3. But the gimbal has no issue with that and balances just as well.

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K comes with its own radio for controlling the quadcopter. It is called ST10+ remote control. And as you may guess, even that is big! ST10+ has the dimensions of 240x188x114mm / 9.5×7.4×4.5″. However it does have a 5.5″ Android LCD touchscreen built inside it. You can pretty much view all the necessary data you need on there. The only issue I have with the screen is that it is only 480p so the resolution could be better. The screen is also very bright so you have to use the sun shield during sunny days.

The ST10+ radio controller also has dual joysticks, a toggle switch for changing flight mode, a huge red button for stopping and starting motors. It has also got buttons for capturing images and videos and dual levelers to adjust the maximum throttle and tilt of the gimbal.

Being able to control the gimbal and camera from the remote is a must for all drones. One thing I did find annoying however was that the connection between gimbal and remote was a bit laggy. Like it took a little to respond.

You probably noticed that the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K also comes with a ProAction Steadygrip. That is basically a handheld mount that you can attach to the drones CGO3 gimbal camera. It is powered by 8 AA batteries and it should be able to live off that for 45 minutes. The handheld has a Mode button, a wheel for adjusting gimbals tilt and a power switch. So pretty simple.

The ProAction Steadygrip has also got a place for a smartphone. There is a free CGO3 app for both iOS and Android. You can connect your smartphone to the CGO3 gimbal camera via WiFi. It provides live feed and you can also change settings through it.

Flying

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K connects with the ST10+ radio controller really quick. However it won’t take off until it has fully locked to all the GPS satellites. You can override this manually but I wouldn’t recommend flying without it. I don’t see a real reason to either to be honest, unless you wish to fly indoors. This is a big drone so it isn’t made for flying fast or doing anything crazy. If you do want to fly indoors then it is technically possible but again I wouldn’t advise it. It doesn’t have any positioning sensors that would keep the drone steady indoors. So pay that in mind as you might crash into anything really.

The quadcopter has 3 flying modes available: Smart, Angle and Home. The Smart mode is recommended for beginners. It makes the Q500 fly in the same direction that you push the control sticks to, regardless of which direction the drones front/nose is pointing to. It basically uses a Follow-Me feature that keeps the drones position relative to the radio controller. There is also a Watch-Me feature in the smart mode. It makes not only the drone follow you but the camera as well.

The Angle mode is for more experienced users as it makes the controls relative to which way your drone is pointing. This is actually the proper way to fly drones so I personally recommend to start with the Angle mode. Even if you are a beginner. Home mode makes the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K fly back to you.

The negative part about Yuneec is that you can’t set any pre-planned waypoints. This is something that DJI recently released for their Phantom 3 series and what I personally really like.

As I mentioned before flying the drone is easy and you can stream live feed to the LCD screen in your controller. The video is streamed over 5.2Ghz band and the drone operates on 2.4Ghz. This means that if your drone gets too far then the video will stop transmitting before your controller does. You can tell if it has gone too far by looking at the live feed. If you suddenly start losing connection then it might be best to turn back. I managed to fly 270m / 900ft in a crowded area before losing connection. In a rural area I managed to get 365m / 1200ft.

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K is pretty stable. I mean it does have its moments when it wobbles in the air, mostly during stronger winds. But the gimbal works perfectly and keeps the video completely stable. The drone is also crazy quiet.

I managed to fly the quadcopter for around 22 minutes on a single battery charge. It takes around 2 hours to fully charge an empty battery.

Video

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K camera has a really good lens. It doesn’t create a fisheye distortion that you get with GoPro action cameras. The lens actually captures so much that if you are moving forward at top speed then it will also capture the propellers at the top.

The cameras max resolution is 4K and it can be shot at 30, 25 or 24fps. Now 4K video quality is pretty much the best you can get at the moment on consumer drones. On the Q500 the 4K video is beautiful. It has a lot of detail and sharpness. But the quality also largely depends on how good you are with settings.

For example, by default the camera is set to Automatic mode. Which means is that it keeps changing white balance and exposure based on conditions. Even when I flew around the same location, colours would kind of shift every time. That is best seen if you take a video. You can’t really trust the live feed on the LCD screen as the colours and video quality on that isn’t 1o0% accurate.

Luckily there is a Pro mode. Enabling that lets you manually configure white balance and also capture Raw images in DNG format. Autoexposure I would say works pretty well. You can change it on LCD screen if you wish to.

One annoying thing about the footage is that the sides are a bit blurry. Like the quality is amazing at the center of footage. I would even say better than on the DJI Phantom 3 Professional. But as you move away from the center you start to gradually see less detail. Might be that they have gone with a way too wide angle lens.

Besides the 4K video resolution you can also shoot in 1080p. With 1080p you can capture videos at 120, 60, 50, 48, 30, 25 and 24fps. So if you need a smoother video than 4K can offer then switch to 1080p. It also uses less memory and that is a problem. You can’t see how much memory you have left on the radio control. It will just give you an error message if it’s full.

Conclusion

The Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K is a good looking drone. I really like what you get for the price. The camera gimbal set is removable and can be attached to a handheld gimbal that comes with the drone. If you want to then you can even attach a GoPro to it. The radio controller has a built in Android LCD screen. And most of all the camera and gimbal are amazing. Even though the drone itself isn’t as stable in air as DJI Phantom 3, you won’t notice that in any video as the gimbal works just perfect.

Only drawbacks are the size and lack of features. Like it is far too big to fit in a backpack so if you are planning to take go hiking with it then it probably won’t work. Also its competitors already have way-point planning so it is a shame that is not possible with Yunteec. But if you mostly travel by car and don’t want way-point planning anyways then this is probably the best bang for buck drone with 4K camera at the moment.

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K

An amazing drone with a removable 4K camera made by a company called Yuneec. Comes with plenty of accessories such as a handheld for the camera and aluminium case.

$1,084.00

Buy From Amazon.com

The post Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

In The Box

• Solo drone
• Solo transmitter
• Battery & charger
• GoPro frame for mounting

Technical Specification

• Dimensions: 25cm/10in tall, 46cm/18in motor to motor
• Flight controller: Pixhawk 2
• Max altitude: 122m
• Max speed: 89km/h (55mph)
• Range: 0.8km (0.5miles)
• Max payload: 420g
• Battery: 4S 5200mAh LiPo
• Flight time: 25 minutes / 20 minutes with payload
• Weight: 1.5kg (3.3lbs)
• App requirement: iOS 8.0 and later, Android 4.3 and later
• Compatible with GoPro HERO3, 3+ and 4. Optimized for GoPro HERO3+ and 4
• Streaming live video quality: 720p

Design

Compared to other consumer quadcopters, Solo has a somewhat military like look. It is made out of high quality plastic that is super strong and feels real solid. But the best part is that it is roughly the same size as Phantom 3, which makes it perfect for traveling. 3DR has also thought about that and included self-tightening propellers, which are quick to unscrew!

At the top of the craft you will find a battery slot that only fits 3DR made special batteries. Personally I’m a bit dissapointed they have decided to do this because the spare batteries ($150) cost way more  than standard LiPos. I guess this is great from a business point of view as DJI has done this as well. Well the battery is 4S 5200mAh LiPo that lasts for around 25 minutes of flying or 20 minutes with GoPro.

Underneath 3DR Solo there is a place to mount a gimbal or the GoPro frame that comes with the drone. There are also LED lights under the arms which will help you determine which way your drone is pointing from far away. They also make your drone visible when flying at nights!

Solo comes with a brand new smart controller that can be connected to smartphones or even tablets, just like the Phantom 3 series. Using a tablet gives you a much larger display for live video. And the best part, 3DR Solo is both iOS and Android compatible!

There are also a couple of clever buttons that make flying the drone much easier. For example there is a “FLY” button, which launches the drone into the air and a “return to home” that makes the Solo fly back to you.

The controller has a small LCD display at the center. It displays useful information such as battery life of your drone and info about your gimbal if you have one! Maybe the only negative thing I would point out about the screen is that it has a glossy finish so it can be hard to see during sunny days.

If you are planning on using a gimbal then you are in luck! The controller has plenty of clever features to help you at controlling the gimbal. For example there is a little paddle for adjusting your cameras tilt angle and two buttons that can put the camera at pre-saved angles!

But there are also some hidden design features on Solo, which are quite amazing. Firstly there is an expansion slot which can be used to house for example a parachute in the future. Or 3DR is also working on optical flow sensors that will improve indoor flying. They claim that optical flow sensors are much better than sonars that the Phantom 3 series are using! This is a great add-on for anyone flying indoors.

Also Solo is pretty upgradable. You can easily swap the motor pods for more powerful motors when they come out and with that increase your drones payload! This is something you can’t do to other consumer drones without having to make modifications.

Flying 3DR Solo

Flying a 3DR Solo can be compared to flying a DJI Phantom. The controls are exactly the same out of the box and you can fly it both manually and with a GPS, which makes it super easy to fly. In GPS mode you can simply let go of your controls and the Solo will just hover in position. You can even edit heights and speed restrictions in your smartphone via the 3DR Solo App.

Honestly flying it is amazing. Solo is super stable, like even when shooting videos without a gimbal you notice much less shakyness compared to some other drones. Obviously it is still there but not as much. Just check out the video below!

The real brain inside the drone is the popular 3DR Pixhawk 2 flight controller which works together with a second 1GHz Linux-based computer! There is a pretty clever reason for this as well. Instead of making your transmitter directly communicate with the flight controller, it now communicates first with a Linux computer. If your flight controller should stop getting commands for some reason then the Linux computer will reboot and your Solo will just hover while it does that. If your controller still doesn’t work then your Solo is made to return home! What this should do is eliminate fly-aways but as with technology, nothing is ever 100%.

But what is truly amazing about Solo are the flying features, also called as Smart Shots, that turn your drone into a video shooting machine. Simply tap the button at the bottom left corner of the Solo app and you will get a screen of features called Cable Cam, Orbit, Selfie and Follow!

• Cable Cam is a pretty interesting feature that I haven’t seen on other drones. Firstly you need to choose a starting point and press the A button on your controller. Then you have to fly to the finish point and press the B button. What this does is record your start and finish. Then once you press the play button, your Solo will start flying in a straight line from finish to start. Also if you changed the direction of your camera then it will also smoothly move the camera direction back to how it was at start. This helps you create super smooth videos.

• Orbit mode is something that I personally love. Orbit does exactly what the name suggests, it makes your drone orbit around a selected point and keep its camera fixed on the center. For example you can use this to get amazing footage of an old light tower.

• Selfie is a unique mode for all who love to take selfies! It basically puts yourself in the middle of your aerial shot. It makes the Solo fly up and back and expand the surroundings to reveal the world around you!

• Follow me is pretty straight forward. The drone will lock on you and stay focused on your position. When you move the Solo moves.

Filming with GoPro

Shooting videos with a GoPro has been made really simple. Firstly you can mount your camera to the Solo by the special frame that comes with your Solo or a special gimbal. Once you have done that you need to attach the drones HDMI cable to your GoPro. Once you have done that your drone is ready to send live video to your smartphone or tablet!

But the real question is, do you need a gimbal? Well first of all, the video will obviously be much more shaky with the original case. Also you won’t be able to change your cameras direction or tilt. So if you are truly serious about aerial videography then you will probably require a gimbal.

The problem is that the 3DR Solo gimbal is quite expensive. So I advise adding all of these components together and seeing if you can afford it. What’s the point of getting an expensive drone if you can’t use all of its features?

Conclusion

3DR Solo is an amazing drone for shooting videos with a GoPro! The Smart Shot features help you capture aerial shots that might otherwise be impossible or difficult! Perhaps the only downside of this amazing drone is the price, which can be way too much for most of people.

DJI has already added most of those features to their Phantom 3 series and those come with a camera. This is why I recommend 3DR Solo for those who are serious about aerial photography and wish to keep using their GoPro. I personally prefer Solo to Phantom for this exact reason as I’m not exactly a fan of built-in cameras. If you are willing to spend at least $999 on a drone then Solo is a fantastic choice!

3DR Solo

The Best drone for GoPro made by 3D robotics! Has many features such as GPS, Return to Home, Live Video to Smartphone, Follow Me Mode, Mission Planner, Orbit & Selfie ...

$730.00

Buy From Amazon.com

The post 3DR Solo Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

DJI Phantom 3 Standard & Advanced

Design & Performance

Design wise it is exactly the same as the other Phantom 3 series models but on a closer look you´ll find some small changes that actually make a noticeable difference in performance.

Firstly you´ll find that there are no sensors under the drone that the Advanced and Professional version have. That is pretty much a step back for indoor flying. If all of your flying is done outdoors then this won´t really be a problem.

Second change that you might not notice is that the motors are positioned upright like on the older models and not tilted. The tilt however makes a difference in shooting aerial videos – it makes the drone way more stable.

Overall performance is pretty much the same as the Advanced and Professional. The DJI Phantom 3 Standard comes with the same 4S 4480mAh battery and has the same flight time. Gimbal and camera look exactly the same from outside with of course a difference in recording resolution and output but I will write more about that below.

Sadly with the Standard you won´t be getting the brand new DJI controller but instead the older one that the Phantom 2 models had. It features 2 sticks to control the throttle, rotation and tilt of the drone. There are also two switches on the sides: S1 and S2. Depending on the flying mode and status these switches are used for configuration and auto fly home. There is also a “wheel” on the left to tilt the camera either up or down with the gimbal.

For live streaming DJI Phantom 3 Standard is connected to the DJI Pilot via a smartphone like on the other models. There is a difference however. The video is streamed live via WiFi not the high quality DJI Lightbridge technology. So obviously the quality isn´t as good or smooth but for me personally, it was more than enough and I don´t require a high quality live feed on my phone. Also even tough you don´t get the newest controller, they have modified the old one enough that you don´t require a signal booster for live video as you did on the Vision plus.

PS! In order to control and use the camera you have to connect the DJI Phantom 3 Standard to the DJI Go App which is currently out for only iOS… Android version coming soon.

Video & Photo Quality

From the official specs it seems that the Standard has the exact same camera with the Sony EXMOR 12MP sensor and f/2.8 FOV 94° 20mm lens. The difference however comes in the video resolutions and recording modes. Surprisingly perhaps the Standard can shoot 2.7K videos compared to the Advanced 1080p. The difference however comes in the max frames per second. Standard only has 30fps max at 1080p compared to Advanced 60fps. Which allows you to shoot smoother slow motion videos.

Overall the camera is great. The colours are rich and vibrant, the image is sharp all across the frame. Having the ability to change settings such as exposure and sensitivity gives you more freedom. Shooting photos is just the same as on the other Phantom 3 models. DJI Phantom 3 Standard has got the exact same photography modes:

• Single Shot
• Burst Shooting: 3/5/7 frames
• Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5
• Bracketed Frames at 0.7EV Bias
• Time-lapse

UPDATE! Downloading and installing the latest firmware, and updating the DJI GO app to the latest version (iOS V2.2.0 and Android V2.1.0 ), will enable the long waited Waypoints, Follow Me, Point Of Interest, Home Lock and Course Lock modes!

• The Waypoint mode allows you to predraw a path you wish for your drone to fly. It also gives you free hands to moving the camera as you wish while your drone is flying the preset path.
• Follow Me mode makes the Phantom 3 keep its camera on you at all times and also flies automatically when you should move.
• Point Of Interest makes your Phantom 3 automatically revolve around an object, person, or place of your choice in a perfect circle.

Conclusion

DJI Phantom 3 Standard is a great entry-level product into aerial videography and photography. The small and simple design make it simple to carry around and incredibly easy to fly. If you want a good drone with a camera AND you are planning to mostly use it outside then this drone should cover all your needs. Of course the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced is a more capable drone but if the price is a deciding factor then the Standard version isn´t a bad choice at all.

The post DJI Phantom 3 Standard Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

First of all you need to know that the DJI Phantom 3 comes in 2 types: the Advanced edition ($999/€1099) and Professional ($1259/€1399). The only difference between those 2 is the camera. The Phantom 3 Professional features a 4K quality video camera while the Advanced edition shoots at 1080p.

In The Box

The Phantom 3 comes in the typical egg box type package. In the box you can find the Phantom 3, remote controller, 4 pairs of self-tightening propellers, intelligent flight battery, battery charger, power cable and a bunch of accessories (incl 16GB Micro-SD).

Design

From the top the drone looks exactly the same as the DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus. If we look from the bottom however, it’s a whole different story. The body is still made out of white plastic and comes with legs, which have been made wider to make landings easier. Also it keeps the legs out of the camera view.

Main dimensions

• Weight: 1292g (Including battery & propellers)
• Diagonal (Incl propellers): 590mm
• Diagonal (Motor to motor) 350mm

As you can see the dimensions of the drone are exactly the same as on the Phantom 2. Which is especially good news to those who have already bought a case or a backpack. Those who have a cut foam inside might have to make some modifications for the new legs to fit.

On the underside of the drone we can spot 2 new sensors: optical flow and ultrasonic sensors. I’ll talk about those further on under features. The arms have 2 red LED lights that are built in small transperent “bubbles”.

Internally the battery compartment looks rather similar, with some cosmetical changes (including a new battery contact setup). WARNING! Phantom 3 has a completely new intelligent battery which is 4s not 3s! Therefore the Phantom 2 batteries can not be used!

The most exciting upgrade for me is the whole new design of the remote controller! It looks almost indentical to the 1 that comes with Inspire 1. It is made out of high quality plastic and on the sides there are soft rubber pads which make holding really comfortable. There are new added buttons and switches that make controlling the drone alot easier.

Flying

The first thing you should do is download the DJI Pilot app onto your smartphone. It is available on both iOS and Android. After that you can hook up your smartphone to the controller via USB port. Now you can register your Phantom 3 into the DJI system. Whats good about registering is that all of your flights are tracked and documented through the app. This allows you to view all your flight history and analyze problems if any should occur.

Now it’s time to fly and it’s just as good and easy outside as the previous version! What has been changed is the flying indoors. Phantoms have never been that good indoors and quite hard to stabilize due to GPS problems. That has now been fixed by the new optical flow and ultrasonic sensors. The sensors assist the flyer when hovering between 0 to 3m (0 to 10ft) and the Phantom 3 is much more stable now when hovering indoors.

The flight time is around 18 minutes, depending on your flying. I usually end at the 18 minute mark. Even though the new battery packs more power, I’m guessing most of it goes to the added sensors and lightbridge. Thanks to the Pilot app you can also monitor the on board battery level.

UPDATE! Downloading and installing the latest firmware, and updating the DJI GO app to the latest version (iOS V2.2.0 and Android V2.1.0 ), will enable the long waited Waypoints, Follow Me, Point Of Interest, Home Lock and Course Lock modes!

• The Waypoint mode allows you to predraw a path you wish for your drone to fly. It also gives you free hands to moving the camera as you wish while your drone is flying the preset path.
• Follow Me mode makes the Phantom 3 keep its camera on you at all times and also flies automatically when you should move.
• Point Of Interest makes your Phantom 3 automatically revolve around an object, person, or place of your choice in a perfect circle.

Lightbridge

What is Lightbridge? Ok lightbridge is a 2.4GHz Full HD digital video downlink. What this does is send real time video from the camera onto your screen. The usual video downlinks are usually quite bad quality. Lightbridge however is one of the best in the market with amazing Full HD quality. This allows you to capture videos and photos exactly how you see it on the screen. The addition of lightbridge is one the main reasons to upgrade to Phantom 3.

Camera And Gimbal

As you know by now the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced and Professional only differ from the Video recording modes. I’ll show examples of video quality of both of them below.

What’s the same about them is the lens, sensor and still photography features. The camera has a 12MP Sony EXMOR sensor with a 94º lens. What I like about the lens is that it doesn’t distort images unlike most action cameras do. The camera allows you to take still photos, use time-lapse and burst shots. What I feel is the biggest upgrade about Phantom 3 camera is the image capture buffer speed. It allows you to take raw images without any delay.

An interesting photo mode that the Phantom 3 has is the Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB). Basically the camera automatically takes 3 or 5 photos with different exposures. This can be used later to make HDR photos.

Supported file formats:

• Photo: JPEG, DNG
• Video: MP4, MOV (MPEG-4)

The camera is attached to a high quality 3-axis gimbal. If you have a Vision+ then you know how you can pan the camera straight forward and down, 90 degrees. On Phantom 3 the gimbal allows you to pan the camera up 30 degrees! This allows you to add more sky into your shots.

PS! The camera can’t be removed like on the Inspire 1!

DJI Phantom 3 Advanced

DJI Phantom 3 Advanced is the cheapest model at $999 on Amazon. It has a 12MP Sony camera that can shoot Full HD 1080p videos up to 60fps.

DJI Phantom 3 Professional

DJI Phantom 3 Professional is the most powerful model at $1259 on Amazon. It has the same 12MP Sony camera but can shoot videos at 4K up to 30fps.

Conclusion

To be fair, even though I prefer drones where I can use my own camera, the Phantom 3 is an excellent drone for consumers who want the complete package. The on board camera is really good and even better than most cheaper action cameras.

If you are looking for a simple out of the box camera drone with livestream capabilities then the DJI Phantom 3 is the best for you. Advanced or Professional? That’s totally up to you, if you need the 4K quality or not.

The post DJI Phantom 3 Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

Yep this is probably something that you will all have to deal with once you have bought your first drone. I have found that the best DJI Phantom backpack is unarguably the ThinkTank Airport Helipak ($239). (Also compatible with the new DJI Phantom 3!)

ThinkTank Airport Helipak

First of all, if you are planning to travel around with your newly bought drone you will need a bag or a case. A backpack is the simplest solution for a Phantom series sized drone.

Dimensions

• Exterior Dimensions: 14” W x 20.5” H x 9” D (35.6 x 52.1 x 22.9 cm)
• Interior Dimensions: 13” W x 18.8” H x 7.6” D (33 × 47.8 × 19.3cm)
• Laptop: 11.8” W x 17.3” H x 1.4” D (30 × 44 × 3.5cm)
• Weight (with all accessories): 4.6 lbs (2.1 kg)

Design

The design of the Airport Helipak is simple but effective. The exterior case comes in one colour – black. First thing you’ll notice is the sturdy built, how it keeps its shape, lightness and the high quality material used. The exterior fabric has water-resistant coating and overall a thick feel.

Like all backpacks it has adjustable shoulder straps and also removable waist belt. In addition the backpack also has handles on the sides of the bag for when you don’t wish to carry it around in hand.

But the real reason to buy this bag is the inside. Unlike most of its competitors, ThinkTank hasn’t used pre-cut foam. Instead they have cleverly designed the inside with removable dividers that allow you to design the inside according to your need. This means that the ThinkTank Airport Helipak can also be used as a DJI Phantom 3 backpack!

ThinkTank Airport Helipak can easily fit any of your DJI Phantom, charger, controller, GoPro camera, 15″ laptop, spare propellers, extra batteries, 7″ LCD screen and more. They have actually separated the drone stuff and laptop area (padded).

Only thing that you have to consider is that you’ll need to remove the propellers to fit your drone in. The inside has plenty of pouches for them as well. What ThinkTank has also done is add little red PVC covers for the tip of your motors. They have really thought about everything!

Also another thing I love about the inside is that you can remove all of the dividers and use it as a plain backpack.

PS! You can technically also use the ThinkTank Airport Helipak with other drones. Just make sure the inner dimensions fit and you should be able to change the inside accordingly.

Carrying

Carrying the Airport Helipak on your back is amazing. Unlike your normal backpack, it wont drag you behind but instead sits straight, almost glued to your back. ThinkTank claims it to offer lumbar support and I can verify that.

Thanks to the clever sizing of the backpack, it can also be taken onto the plane with you. It fits into your standard commercial airplanes overhead compartment without any problems (Do check with your air carrier first just in case).

Also I especially love the handles. They make it so much easier to carry it around the airport and on the plane.

Conclusion

ThinkTank is a very well known company in the camera bags industry and their first drone backback is just as good.

If you have any of the DJI Phantom drones and you travel around then this is a bag you have to get. The $239 price tag is not that bad and should be treated more as an investment. Not to mention that unlike the other drone cases, Airport Helipak can also be used as a normal bag for traveling.

The post ThinkTank Airport Helipak: DJI Phantom Backpack appeared first on Drone GoPro.

It doesn´t matter if you have been flying for years or just beginning, the Walkera QR X350 is an excellent quadcopter to have. For $390 you will get GPS, action camera carrying capability, decent flight time and a DEVO7 transmitter!

Walkera QR X350

This drone is pretty small, measuring at 11.38″ x 11.38″ x 8.07″ (290 x 290 x 205 mm). Walkera also has a “Return to Home” feature.When using that the quadcopter uses the on-board GPS to automatically land itself. This feature is handy when you are just starting. You can also turn the controlling to manual mode which will allow you to have full control over the drone.

Source: Walkera.com (Camera not included)

Walkera QR X350 also has an altitude sensor. That combined with GPS allows you to set the drone at a specific height and it will stay there until you decide to move it. This is extremely good while shooting videos or taking pictures.

As far as build quality goes, it is OK. The plastic feels rather cheaply made and it isn´t the strongest quadcopter, but for the price it is average.

Flying

Flying the quadcopter is as simple as flying a DJI Phantom. Before flying you need to do all the required calibrations. The DEVO7 transmitter is a little bit complicated so read the manual before flying!

For a better idea of flying, watch the video by tonytypes below:

Flight Time

Walkera claims around 25 minutes of flight time. This largely depends on the way you fly but you can expect around 15-22 minutes of flight time. Also it only takes an hour to charge the battery!

If you are planning to add a camera then it will lower the flight time quite a lot. Bare in mind that for that it is also recommended to use a gimbal, which would remove the vibration caused by motors. Maximum added payload is 7 ounces (198g).

Conclusion

If you are looking for a cheaper DJI Phantom alternative then this is the way to go. Yes the build quality is no where as good and the materials used are cheaper. For $200 cheaper, however, Walkera QR X350 is still definitely one of the best bang for buck quadcopters at it´s price range.

The post Walkera QR X350 Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

The IRIS+ quadcopter can now be purchased for $599 at the 3drobotics store or buy from Amazon.

Source: 3drobotics.com

Specifications

• Maximum payload: 400g/0.8lb
• Flight time: 10-15 minutes
• Weight with battery: 1282g
• Autopilot hardware: Next gen. 32bit Pixhawk with Cortex M4 processor
• GPS
• FlySky FS-TH9X RC Transmitter
• 3-cell 11.1V 3.5Ah Li-Po Battery
• Integrated GoPro camera mount with vibration dampener
• 3DR Telemetry Radio (915 MHz for USA, 433MHz for EU)

In The Box

The IRIS Multicopter box includes the following:

• Ready-To-Fly IRIS+
• Transmitter
• 3DR Telemetry Radio (915 MHz for USA, 433MHz for EU)
• Micro USB cable
• Android OTG cable
• 3500mAh 3S battery
• Li-Po charger
• Charger bag
• Extra red legs
• Manual and flight checklist

IRIS+ Quadcopter

The IRIS+ quadcopter has a beautiful and simple design. Build quality is really good and even the arms feel solid, which is quite rare. The arms and legs are produced from Zytel Nylon which provides wear, abrasion and impact resistance. The plastic cover is made of strong plastic and you can tell than the drone can take quite a few bumps.

Even though this is a ready to fly drone, you still need to attach propellers to the motors before you can start flying. There are stickers on arms to help you with which way they go. Everything needed to put the drone together is in the box. Also I would advise on buying a cheap propeller balancer in order to make sure all the props are balanced.

As far as the inside goes, the wiring inside the drone is neat and easily understandable. All of that is under a cover that can be easily removed for future upgrades.

What I really like about this quadcopter is that it has an integrated GoPro mount at the front the body and you can also install a gimbal mount under the drone. Also the propellers wont show in any video you should shoot, thanks to the wider wingspan.

Flying

IRIS+ is like the DJI Phantom in the way that it is quite easy to fly. Everything about this drone is pre-configured so you can pretty much get straight to flying.

The drone has basically 2 options: you can fly it completely manually with the transmitter or set a destination with an android tablet. For the last, all you have to do is attach the 3DR Telemetry radio to your tablet and enjoy the amazing features. There are 2 versions: 915 MHz for USA and 433MHz for EU. You can also attach it to a computer or an android phone. The mobile app for the drone allows you to simply draw the path. The pre-programmed GPS path points allow the drone to be used for professional activities such as mapping. This is something new when it comes to drones in the consumer market. It can basically be set on autopilot.

IRIS+ also has a powerful cross-platform software that allows analysis and flight planning. It runs on Windows, OS X and Linux. It’s also really simple and allows simple point and click configuring.

Another plus when it comes to flying is that the start up is very quick compared to other quadcopters.

The transmitter has all the most popular flying modes. Including the manual mode, called Stabilize, which allows you to experience the full power of the IRIS+ multicopter. It also has the Return To Launch mode just in case you should lose control. The Return To Launch mode lands the drone super smooth.

The flight time is quite poor to be honest. It is claimed to be 10-15 minutes but really you’ll probably be experiencing 12 minutes and with a gimball around 8 minutes. Of course you can always buy a bigger battery, which the drone allows you to. With a 5000/5450mAh you can expect around 17 minutes of flight time and 14 with a gimbal.

Credit: http://www.kooltoyz.co.uk

Camera

IRIS+ doesn’t have a built-in camera so if you wish to shoot videos then you have to use an external one. IRIS+ is built for GoPro so that’s the most hassle free way but you can also use any other similar options. The drone has an integrated mount at the front and also the possibility to attach a gimbal under the drone. This drone is quite powerful so it has no problem flying with a camera attached.

PS. If you plan on using a gimbal then you might also want to buy the drone with bigger legs. They come as an optional extra.

PS! When using a GoPro with IRIS+, please ensure that the WiFi is turned off; this can cause interference between IRIS+ and the controller.

To enable FPV flying experience you need to buy the 3DR FPV LiveView GoPro. This setup enables live video link with a programmable on-screen-display.

Source: 3drobotics.com

Battery

IRIS+ comes with a 3500mAh Li-Po battery. Thankfully though the drone does allow using a bigger battery such as 5000mAh 3S Li-Po.

This is a huge advantage because IRIS+ allows you to use any 3S LiPo, compared to DJI Phantom series which demands for only their own brand. The plain LiPos are up to 3x cheaper than the DJI ones which makes the IRIS+ a much better investment in the long run.

Conclusion

The IRIS+ quadcopter is an excellent out the box drone! No other drone provides fully autonomous GPS flying for $599 so if pre-drawn flight paths are a must for you, then this is the best drone to get. Perhaps the only thing that’s a bit lacking for the price is the flying time but that can easily be fixed by getting a bigger battery for around $30.

PS. This isn’t exactly a beginners drone so it’s recommended to have some previous flight experience.

The post IRIS+ Quadcopter Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

Specifications

• SONY Exmor 12MP
• Full HD CMOS Lens
• Auto Exposure and White Balance
• Up to 32GB MicroSD Storage
• USB 2.0 & HDMI Video Out
• 2.0″ LCD
• 3.7V 1050mAh Li-Po Battery
• 1080p 60/30fps, 720p 120/60/30fps, WVGA 240/60/30fps
• Built-in Wi-Fi & Microphone

In The Box

Inside the box you can find the SC500 Camera, LCD, USB Cable, Battery, Adhesive Pads for Mount, Pouch, Instructions, Waterproof Housing, Square Mount, Round Mount and Mounting Screw. The huge advantage is definitely the LCD which is included, unlike the GoPro for which it’s an extra.

The BlackVue SC500 Sport Camera costs around $500 on the UK Amazon.

SC500 Sport Camera

The total weight of the camera is 112 grams. This includes the camera, battery and rubber shock holder. The LCD screen is an extra 22 grams but that’s not necessary to use on a drone.

The size of the camera is 55x43x25mm. Or with the LCD 55x43x35mm.

As you can see it’s no bigger than the GoPro and the weight is definitely under any drones payload.

Wireless

SC500 Sport Camera can be connected to an android or iOS device via an app. You can change all the specs via the app and it even features a “live view” option. This will let you see everything the camera sees in real time.

There have, however, been reports of the Cameras Wi-Fi interrupting with the drones GPS and radio control systems. That is due to the similar frequencies.

Video

The camera has 2 video modes which include more specific modes:

1. Standard mode: 1080 60fps and 30fps, 720 60fps and 30fps, 480 60fps and 30fps
2. High Speed mode: 720 120fps and 480 240fps

As far as the battery goes, the company claims up to 2 hours of battery life when shooting at the highest quality. The reality is that this is only possible without LCD and wireless. Once you start messing around with those the battery life drops to around 1 hour.

For a better idea of the quality watch the videos below.

Accessories

The mounts available are pretty much the same as the mounts on GoPro. They even look similar. The only mounts currently available are the ones that come with the camera.

BlackVue SC500 vs GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition

The specs of the both cameras are quite similar. The GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition does offer also higher resolutions but the quality of them isn’t good enough to consider them a threat. When looking at videos they are quite similar as well but I’d give the advantage to GoPro. They just seem a bit sharper.

When shooting in the dark it’s a whole different story. The SC500 is by MILES better when shooting in a place with less light sources.

Price wise they are quite similar as well if you add the LCD to the GoPro. The same can be said about the weight.

As far as accessories for drones go, they are both the same. There’s hardly any difference and the adhesive mounts even look the same. When it comes to other mounts such as wrist wraps, helmet straps etc, there is no competition with the GoPro. Sadly the BlackVue just doesn’t have any.

BlackVue’s battery life is basically the same as the GoPro’s. So really there isn’t THAT much of a difference between the 2 cameras.

Conclusion

In conclusion BlackVue has come out with an excellent camera. For those who don’t like the GoPro it can be a good choice. Personally I’d rather go with the GoPro Hero3+ Silver Edition. It’s cheaper and better bang for the buck.

If you shoot a lot of night time in the city videos then go with the BlackVue SC500.

The post BlackVue SC500 Sport Camera Review appeared first on Drone GoPro.

Specification

• Drone: Hubsan X4 H107D FPV
• Motor(X4): 0820 Coreless
• Frequency: 2.4GHz + 5.8GHz (Video transmission)
• Transmitter: 2.4GHz 4 channels vs 4.3 Inch LCD
• Flight distance: 50 – 100 meters
• Live video distance: around 100 meters
• Battery: 3.7V 380mAh Li-Po battery
• Flight time: around 7 minutes
• Camera: 0.3 MP, resolution: 640 x 480

Hubsan X4 H107D FPV

The drone measures about 114 mm diagonally. The build quality is quite good and it feels solid in hand. The cover of the drone and propellers are made out of light quality plastic.

Hubsan X4 comes with a 3.7V 380mAh Li-Po battery. It provides around 7 minutes of flight time and it takes 30 minutes to charge it. This drone also comes with a built in camera.

One of the good things about this drone is the ability to make modifications. Also the price is quite good. For $180 you get the Hubsan X4 H107D and transmitter.

Transmitter

The transmitter is high quality and feels compact. It has a 4.3 inch color LCD screen. It has the usual flying sticks and mode button. It has also got a MicroSD card slot in case you wish to record videos.

Camera

Honestly, the camera on the drone is nothing special. It’s a 0.3 megapixel camera with a 640 x 480 resolution. The image displayed on the LCD is 720 x 480. However the video is recorded at 720 x 240 for some reason. I have no idea why and the only solution is to convert it to a higher resolution later on a computer. The live video distance is around 100 meters which is quite good for such a camera.

The camera is good for flying live FPV. I wouldn’t use it for recording videos though. It just isn’t good enough for quality videos and if that’s what you are looking for then it ain’t for you.

You can see the quality of the video image below.

Modifications

Making modifications to the drone is more for experienced users. For example you can add a better camera module which would make the video much better. The drone is too small for an external action camera so you can forget doing that.

You can read more about possible modifications here: The Hubsan X4 H107D FPV (smallest FPV quadcopter).

Flying

Flying the thing is harder than flying a bigger drone such as a DJI Phanton 2. This is due to the fact that the Hubsan X4 H107D doesn’t have a GPS to hold the position in air. This also means that you can’t track the drone if it goes out of range. Nor does it have a fly home feature. That’s why you shouldn’t fly it too far from you.

Conclusion

Hubsan X4 H107D FPV is an excellent drone for beginners who wish to learn flying in FPV mode. It has a lot of spare parts so crashing isn’t that big of a deal.

But that’s all it’s good for. If you are more serious and want to shoot high quality videos then choose a bigger and more powerful drone.

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