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So...I got frustrated with my Typhoon H, bought an Inspire 1. Here's what I know after 2 flights...

Ted

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Greetings fellow H users,

I've owned my H since the end of May. I've been hanging around here since that time to share my experiences and videos with everyone. I've also learned a good many things from your posts, thank you BTW.

I've been lucky perhaps, as I've had no problems with my H aside from the crappy camera that we ALL suffer with. I love flying my H. She's very responsive and goes where I want, when I want. I've logged about 100 flights so far with her and always feel in total control....but that **** camera made me increasingly unhappy.

So...I went out and bought an Inspire 1 v2 with the X3 camera. First time with a DJI product. I still own my H of course as well as a Typhoon G (GoPro 4 Black) and a Q500 4K. I thought some of you might find my comments after two flights with the Inspire interesting, so here they are...

Since i preordered my H back in the late winter, things with the FAA rules have changed quite a bit. The new rules make it possible for me to consider setting up some kind of drone venture. While the H may fly wonderfully, the camera is terrible and there's no upgrade in sight. The new rules and the poor camera pushed me into considering the Inspire. When they reduced the price to $1,999 (US) I couldn't resist...

I purchased my Inspire from Frank at Carolina Dronz. He offers tremendous personal service. I also purchased my H and Q500 4K from Frank.

Along with the Inspire I had to purchase an IPad Air 2, so the total initial cost with taxes and what not came to $3,200 (US). This includes 3 high capacity extra batteries. The initial cost for the H was a little over $2,000 (US) also including 3 extra batteries. The Inspire cost much more than the H, so to compare the two is unfair. That's not what this post is about. I'm not comparing or extolling the virtues of the Inspire versus the H. This is simply a commentary about my first two flights using the new bird.

The Inspire is heavy, much heavier than my H. Built of mostly metal and carbon fiber, with some plastic, the Inspire feels more solid and better built than the H. But this extra weight works against you with battery life and of course when things go wrong and they crash.

Unlike our H batteries, the Inspire has 'smart' batteries that keep track of charge cycles among other things. They also have firmware. You can set the battery to self discharge over a period of time, avoiding the dreaded full charge storage problem. I don't know yet if this is a good thing. Not thrilled about yet another item with firmware.

The base X3 camera performs much better than our CGO3+, and I have a 'good' lens on my CGO3+. On my X3 sample the entire frame is in focus. Better dynamic range is readily apparent along with more details. The nasty over exposed blowouts we get with the Yuneec camera are tamed here. The X3 suffers when trying to capture fast movements and the picture quickly breaks down into dancing pixels. The CGO3+ does a much better job at this in comparison. I wanted to purchase the Inspire with the X5 camera, but the $4,000 (US) ticket was too much for me. If I like the Inspire I can always upgrade. The Inspire v2 comes ready for the heavier X5 camera/gimbal weight. I should mention the X3 camera feels better constructed and of higher quality compared to the CGO3+. But the X3 is still a board camera without aperture control just like the CGO3+.

I've always been captivated by those guys doing long range FPV flights on DJI products. As I became more experienced with almost the entire Yuneec line, I salivated at the long range of the "Lightbridge" product, while I suffered with poor range. After my first test flight I was anxious to see what the range was. The range was the same as my H with the improved ITELITE antenna! I was shocked when the video started breaking up at around 2,400 feet, just like my H does in the same area. I brought her back, went back out and again the video faltered at the same distance. 2400 feet is far enough really, I could not LOS anyways with either craft at that distance. At this early stage, I'm a bit surprised with the poor showing here by DJI.

The Inspire flies a bit faster, especially in GPS mode. I'm too chicken to fly without GPS on my H, so the fastest I've gotten her is around 42 MPH in angle mode with GPS on. The Inspire gets up to 45 in a jiffy and goes even faster with GPS off, but I won't be trying that any time soon. I certainly can live with 45 MPH. There's no rabbit/turtle switch on the Inspire remote. I personally like that switch, not sure how to set this up easily on the Inspire yet. The H feels like a well planted sports car, going into turns happily and ready for whatever you throw at it. The Inspire on the other hand feels like a traditional boulevard cruiser. Fast and somewhat responsive, but that extra weight causes it to flop around more. It takes much longer to stop the Inspire compared to the H. I can understand now why I've seen so many videos of Inspires flying into trees and buildings while the pilot is trying to stop or change direction. While I'm very new to the Inspire, I prefer the flight characteristics of the H much better so far.

The IPad Air 2 is a great tablet. I'm a longtime Android guy, but the Air 2 works nicely in conjunction with the controller. I thought the larger screen of the Air 2 would cause the controller to be top heavy, but that's not the case. I've grown accustomed to the Yuneec way of doing things with the integrated video display on the controller. I must say that having the option to mount a smaller phone or a bigger tablet is a nice flexibility that we don't enjoy with the ST10+ or ST16. The Air 2 offers a much better display than either Yuneec controller offers, but of course it costs $525 extra.

The controller is well balanced and feels good in my hands. The ST16 looks much more professional than the toyish DJI controller. Aside from looks, the switches feel solid and work well. Boot times are almost instant with no waiting for the camera to connect like we do on the H. While the Inspire looks cool when it does the 'transforming' (landing gear) thing. I prefer the landing gear setup on the H. You need to put the Inspire into 'travel' mode when you want to stuff it into the case.

The software on the tablets controlling the drone is where DJI really seems to have the lead. The interface in the DJI Go app offers much more and better detailed information about what's going on. The Go app also keeps a flight log, has tutorial videos and a flight simulator you use with the bird powered on and the props off. I tried it and it works fine. You can relive every flight with the telemetry data and map overlay. The interface is just leaps and bounds ahead of what I've gotten used to with Yuneec.

Battery life so far is about 16.5 minutes average with the single 47 series battery. I have three of the higher capacity 48 series coming this week. Charge time is about 70 - 90 minutes. The battery is has been quite warm after the first flights, much warmer than the H batteries.

The case included with my Inspire is decent, but it won't be practical for checking in on a plane. It will work fine around town and trips in the car, but to fly on a plane another solution must be found.

What I've learned so far about the Inspire is that our Typhoon H birds are pretty **** good in comparison. DJI has awful customer service which I've only heard about. My experiences with Yuneec CS have been nothing but a pleasure with the 3 calls I've made over the last year answered promptly by a human who spoke English and helped me almost immediately. I dread ever having to call DJI.

It comes down to the camera my friends, the camera is the biggest problem we suffer with on the H. If they had an upgraded camera coming soon, I would've waited, but I need a better camera now, not next year.

So, after 2 flights am I pleased with the Inspire? Yes.
Would I upgrade again knowing what I know now? Yes.
Am I still hoping for an upgraded camera for the H? Absolutely.

I hope this post may help those in a similar situation. Happy flying!
 
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Congrats on your new drone. I have wanted an Inspire for a long time but always convinced myself to stay with the Phantoms due to portability (going on two years now that I've been convincing myself). I'd certainly love to have both drones (Phantom & Inspire) though.

The reason I bought the H was because at the time it was a cheaper option than the Inspire. That was of course at the time Inspires were around $2700. Certainly as you noted the camera on the H is a bit of a let down compared to the quality of DJI products. But, other than the camera I'm happy with my H purchase. One day though, I will have an Inspire!
 
That was fair, it's better to hear a honest comparison without total bashing. We all agree that the camera is the weakness on the H,yet some very nice video can be found on YouTube. Myself I don't shoot video, I've owned the H since the end of May also and have never snapped one picture,nada. I never bought the H or my other drones for filming,just looking. Mine are for property surveilance and security only. I'm waiting for the IR Camera by Yuneec or the XStar, which I would buy in a heartbeat if it comes out with their IR first, but I will go with another IR setup if neither pans out soon. Thanx Ted and good luck.
 
Perhaps not long in the future the H will have a better camera. We can hope.

Nice write up for the Inspire.
 
I as well was thinking of getting the inspire some time ago. It is a very good machine without a doubt.
Only thing that stopped me was I don't want a quad.
Inspire 2 may be interesting, but if it comes as a hex, well let me tell you I will get it.
I am waiting for DJI to bring in a small hex.....we will see.
My H, I love it. Looks like they are correcting some issues so that is excellent. Great aircraft.
 
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I can honestly say I won't buy an inspire. I like my Yuneec Q500+, my TH and my XStar premium. It is a matter of avoiding dji products. My cousin has owned two of them and because of their service his birds sit in his closets. They were still under warranty but dji said it was pilot error. CS at Yuneec is outstanding nuff said. Good luck with your investment Ted.
 
I own both TH and Inspire 1 v1. My stock Inspire can easily fly to a mile out at 200 ft altitude without losing video feed. Check your antennas. Both must be vertical in order to achieve the best range. You may also want to switch to custom and manually choose the best channel.

DJI go app is one of the reasons i bought an Inspire 1. After test driving the app, I was immediately sold. It has a built in simulator, battery monitor, flight log, adjust exposure by tapping on the screen, mini map and pan/tilt the camera by dragging your finger on the screen. Also, be sure to check out the third party app called Litchi. It allows you to plan waypoint missions without having to be up in the air. I tried it this morning and it worked well.
 
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The difference in features between the H and the inspire could have a little bit to do with difference in price maybe... And let's not forget the dji flagship has dramatically dropped it's price since the H was released.... Out of the goodness of their hearts d'you think?
 
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The difference in features between the H and the inspire could have a little bit to do with difference in price maybe... And let's not forget the dji flagship has dramatically dropped it's price since the H was released.... Out of the goodness of their hearts d'you think?
! LOL !;):confused::confused: And then I woke up !:eek:
 
I own both TH and Inspire 1 v1. My stock Inspire can easily fly to a mile out at 200 ft altitude without losing video feed. Check your antennas. Both must be vertical in order to achieve the best range. You may also want to switch to custom and manually choose the best channel.

DJI go app is one of the reasons i bought an Inspire 1. After test driving the app, I was immediately sold. It has a built in simulator, battery monitor, flight log, adjust exposure by tapping on the screen, mini map and pan/tilt the camera by dragging your finger on the screen. Also, be sure to check out the third party app called Litchi. It allows you to plan waypoint missions without having to be up in the air. I tried it this morning and it worked well.
Thank you for the tips VR.
 
I can honestly say I won't buy an inspire. I like my Yuneec Q500+, my TH and my XStar premium. It is a matter of avoiding dji products. My cousin has owned two of them and because of their service his birds sit in his closets. They were still under warranty but dji said it was pilot error. CS at Yuneec is outstanding nuff said. Good luck with your investment Ted.

I just recently purchased a second drone the X-Star Premium on Amazon Prime day and am very impressed with the camera. Its so sharp it cut me. But I do love my H (dont get me wrong) and can't wait for it to come home. Hopefully with the new camera for the H - I am receiving it will be better.

Here is a little video of my X-Star Premium flying over a lake. I was flying with a friend who has a DJI 3 and he was impressed with the X-star as well. I am just lately trying to understanding filming and processing video. So I am new to it but here you can see a 3 min video of how sharp the lens is.

 
I just recently purchased a second drone the X-Star Premium on Amazon Prime day and am very impressed with the camera. Its so sharp it cut me. But I do love my H (dont get me wrong) and can't wait for it to come home. Hopefully with the new camera for the H - I am receiving it will be better.

Here is a little video of my X-Star Premium flying over a lake. I was flying with a friend who has a DJI 3 and he was impressed with the X-star as well. I am just lately trying to understanding filming and processing video. So I am new to it but here you can see a 3 min video of how sharp the lens is.

I've been impressed with the X-Star. I hope you got yours at that $674 price point. I was tempted to buy one myself, but thought better of it as I'd like to maintain my marriage.
 
You can't say that about the x-star or will get the dji boys jealous and that will lead to the dark side.
So it will be x-star isn't as stable as the p4 on hover , it's too big , and all the other rubbish we have how got used too.
 
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It was super hard to resist at that price. I turned off my computer to avoid purchasing. When I returned a few hours later the low price was gone. Very good buy at that price. Congrats and good luck Samuel.

Thanks and yes - it was very difficult to not pull the trigger on that price. I was getting the shakes, sweats, and hebegebees . LOL :eek:
 
Thanks and yes - it was very difficult to not pull the trigger on that price. I was getting the shakes, sweats, and hebegebees . LOL :eek:
I myself got the hebegebees when I spotted that price, so I had to turn off the computer before going into purchase mode.
 
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I appreciate the honest comparison of the H and Inspire. I too own an Inspire 1, purchased it the week it came out. My buddy and I share ownership and we have countless, trouble free flights on it. Have never had the first issue. Thank goodness. Because when DJI kept my P3 camera for over 6 months for a simple repair, I swore off buying another DJI product. I mean, they were so bad to deal with. As far as my H, I have had a blast with it. I have had zero of the problems everyone is complaining about. The best thing about the H is that it is only going to get better, just like the firmware update this week added some nice features, and it's backed by a huge company in Intel. I can't recommend it highly enough. As far as the Inspire 2, I am interested to see how DJI tops the Inspire 1, but I will not be purchasing one (unless it's a hex that can fly 1 hour on one battery and has thermal night vision and can go 80 mph), but that will probably be the Inspire 22.
 
I just recently purchased a second drone the X-Star Premium on Amazon Prime day and am very impressed with the camera. Its so sharp it cut me. But I do love my H (dont get me wrong) and can't wait for it to come home. Hopefully with the new camera for the H - I am receiving it will be better.

Here is a little video of my X-Star Premium flying over a lake. I was flying with a friend who has a DJI 3 and he was impressed with the X-star as well. I am just lately trying to understanding filming and processing video. So I am new to it but here you can see a 3 min video of how sharp the lens is.


I've been hearing good things about the X-star. Is it underpowered as people are saying? What is the range and what are any other negatives in your opinion? For the money it looks tough to beat.
 
I've been hearing good things about the X-star. Is it underpowered as people are saying? What is the range and what are any other negatives in your opinion? For the money it looks tough to beat.

I haven't had it long enough to see any issues yet. What I can say is that my friend who has a DJI3 Pro - he was with me that day and we flew both at the same time. Prior to flight he sized them up and they are exactly the same size. He lined up the motors and they lined up pretty much exactly. I like my controller over his. Its got more features on the controller. My controller feels better in my opinion. The app is easy on the X and has mostly all the apps you need. I really couldn't see any fault yet. I will later post if I see any in the future. Otherwise its a great alternative to the DJI.
 

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