Since roughly October/November of 2016 all H480’s have had the 98* lens. There weren’t many 115* lenses shipped as none of the cameras were supposed to have had a 115* to begin with. That was an early manufacturing/assembly error. Those that returned their aircraft to Yuneec saw them replaced with 98* lenses. The sharpness difference is something any H owner can do by linking their computer with the camera WiFi and inputing a new sharpness command. If anyone desires the process I’ll post a text file later.
It’s very easy to publish “comparison” videos that deliberately make one brand look better than another, just as it’s very easy for someone using “auto”” settings to shoot a crap video when a better understanding of camera settings and photography would have generated a stellar video of the same subject. It’s a rare video that does not benefit from some level of post processing in any brand. If you want to be a photographer that turns out great work it isn’t going to happen overnight and be without some effort. It’s a skill that has to be learned over time, with practice.
As for the versions of the H-480’s ST-16, there are two. The original ST-16 for the standard version H-480, lacking a RealSense module, had/has a pair of dipole stick antennas. The ST-16 that was/is provided with the Typhoon H Pro, having a RealSense module, had a third mushroom antenna between the stick antennas. It is the same version of the ST-16 that is provided with the 920. Both versions of the ST-16 have the same number of transceivers inside, the difference is the Pro version, what some are calling an ST-16+, has a mushroom antenna added to the outside of the case between the dipoles. Performance differences between the two versions of Typhoon H ST-16’s is negligible. I have 3 ST-16’s, two standards and one for my 920, and I have not seen a performance difference between them. As far as I know there have been no other hardware changes to the H-480 ST-16 since it was first released. As for overall range, the stock antennas provide a range further than you can see the H if you maintain a clear path between the ST-16 and the aircraft. As operation beyond line of sight is illegal there’s no reason to add anything about longer range antennas.
Another physical difference between the standard and Pro H versions is at the 2.4GHz external antennas. The standard version has two exposed antenna wires while the Pro version has two hollow plastic tubes encasing the antenna wires. Do not mistake the tubes as being dipole antennas. Only those that converted their 2.4GHz antennas by removing the wire antennas and installing a dipole antenna kit have those. I have both the exposed wire version and one with the dipole conversion and haven’t noticed an appreciable range difference between them.
The H is a good ship and produces good video and stills for those having photographic ability. There are a great many people that will lie, misrepresent, and denigrate any other product to promote DJI. Pick the model that will suit you best and live with it. If you pick DJI hopefully their software will let you fly it. You certainly won’t have full ownership control over it. Read their entire EULA before making your decision.
