Should I buy the Q500 4K or...

[MichaelM]

Hi. I'm buying my first drone/quadcopter/SAV or whatever the "in" word is for them this week, in the next few days. I originally had my heart set on a Phantom Pro but just yesterday I caught a glimpse of the Q500 4K package going for about £150 cheaper than the P3P with a hard case and an extra battery and this has thrown my plans into disarray.

The way I see it, P3P vs Q500, the P3P minus points are it has a shorter flight time per charge and theres a better chance of the props getting into the camera's field of vision and it looks like a big lump of white plastic but on the plus side it can shift, it has a better camera (slightly) and is an industry leader. The Q500 on the other hand, is slow, both in speed and to react to signals, oh and to charge as well, and it has some strange (sometimes frighteningly so) foibles, like the mad 25ft dash it makes away from you if it accidentally takes off in smart mode (sometimes with disastrous results). On the plus side, it comes with everything you'll need for both in the air and on the ground, And it looks the business as well (if only it came in white as well). Oh, and did I mention its £150 cheaper than the P3P at the minute as well? I have no way of testing either of them as I live in a city and there aren't many wide open spaces around. But I have seen the DJI range in a few consumer electrical stores and they look like, well, a big lump of white plastic.

So taking these things into consideration, and I want you to think with your head here and not your heart, if it was you who had to make the decision between the two, which would you go for?

 

[agrafton]

anything DJI, at the bottom of this page click on the DJI Phantom link it will speak for itself. I have 2 DJI's and the Yuneec Q500 4K.
When the Yuneec is flying it's fantastic, when it's flying that is, in two years I have about 10 maybe 11 good days when its flying that is.
Just my 3 cents.

 

[MichaelM]

When the Yuneec is flying it's fantastic, when it's flying that is, in two years I have about 10 maybe 11 good days when its flying that is.
Just my 3 cents.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you saying that the Q500 is unreliable or its too lightweight to fly in even slightly windy weather? I had read that, unlike the phantoms, the Q500 is heavier and better equipped to fly in windy weather.

And which link at the bottom of the page are you referring to? The "phantom pilots" one?

 

[NRRTRAINS]

I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you saying that the Q500 is unreliable or its too lightweight to fly in even slightly windy weather? I had read that, unlike the phantoms, the Q500 is heavier and better equipped to fly in windy weather.

And which link at the bottom of the page are you referring to? The "phantom pilots" one?

with the Q500 4K you can fly in 10 to 12 MPH wind with very little problems the GPS will hold steady , i have flown in 15 plus MPH winds the only small problem is landing in a strong wind , what i do is i hover close to the ground and kill the motor's just as it touches down . you get what you pay for every year the technology gets better and that's what ever body wants with that comes a price . you wont go wrong with the Q500 4K it a great quad every thing you need in one carry case .

 

[MichaelM]

anything DJI, at the bottom of this page click on the DJI Phantom link it will speak for itself. I have 2 DJI's and the Yuneec Q500 4K.
When the Yuneec is flying it's fantastic, when it's flying that is, in two years I have about 10 maybe 11 good days when its flying that is.
Just my 3 cents.

Okay I've taken your advice and gone for a Phantom 3 Pro. It should arrive before the end of this week so I'll let you know my findings. I have a pretty big back garden to practice in and there is a park with big open secluded aread for when I'm ready to take things up a notch before graduating to full (well, amateur) Pilot.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply with your views.

 

[MichaelM]

with the Q500 4K you can fly in 10 to 12 MPH wind with very little problems the GPS will hold steady , i have flown in 15 plus MPH winds the only small problem is landing in a strong wind , what i do is i hover close to the ground and kill the motor's just as it touches down . you get what you pay for every year the technology gets better and that's what ever body wants with that comes a price . you wont go wrong with the Q500 4K it a great quad every thing you need in one carry case .

Thanks for the reply. And it was nice to hear from someone who actually owns and pilots one of the Q500's. But I decided to go with the Phantom 3 Pro because I got a pretty good package including 2 extra batteries and 2 x 64gb sd cards as well as prop protectors, backpack, and lightstrip/headlights. Hopefully if things work out with the P3P, I'll maybe move up to a Typhoon H.

 

[NRRTRAINS]

Thanks for the reply. And it was nice to hear from someone who actually owns and pilots one of the Q500's. But I decided to go with the Phantom 3 Pro because I got a pretty good package including 2 extra batteries and 2 x 64gb sd cards as well as prop protectors, backpack, and lightstrip/headlights. Hopefully if things work out with the P3P, I'll maybe move up to a Typhoon H.

no matter what you buy good luck . the P3 and P4 are good quads the one thing we all need is luck with our quads . i have seen a P3 and a P4 fly many times they fly as good as any quad on the market . have fun .
fly safe