Typhoon H CGO3+ camera has a focus problem. Period.

[banned user]

Wow that is a bad lens choice, first off its half the FoV of the stock lens but it's also not high enough resolution it's optimized for a 10MP camera. This lens is a better choice 3.97mm f/2.8 82d HFOV 16MP(No Distortion) – Peau Productions both for FoV and resolution

Half the field of view was the point, he wants to zoom into trees for inspection.
They way they market these board lenses is generally in suitability relating to MP of the sensor which is far as I know is more to do with the pixel height not the total pixel volume of the sensor...i.e it is a crude MTF description not fitted to any particular pixel pitch or lens. I'd guess that a 10MP lens would be fine or very little noticeable difference between that and a 12.4MP lens, buy hey...I don't know anything really about these, but from a quick look around it looks like like it might be difficult to find a longer focal length advertised at 16MP.

Another thing he could do would be to stick a Go-Pro on a carbon boom from the bottom of the H and he could go right ahead and stick that in all it's glory into where it needs to go.

 

[banned user]

I take it by retrofitting differnt lenses I would invalidate my warranty .... Possibly be an idea to have 2 cameras !

- If your trees are not very high, I've stuck a light weight handheld 3D gimbal G4S onto a 12 meter carbon fishing pole, and clipped on my iPhone on the bottom and been able to stream video direct from the go-pro to the phone and make nice shots where I could not fly a copter.

 

[cokeaddict]

Hey Cokeaddick - Where did you find the original footage you used in the first video? I'm curious, as it does look like a less wide lens, with less spatial distortion.

From Memory it was you tube But it was a few weeks back and I didn't make a note sorry. Wasn't expecting to share it anywhere then. I did edit it on my system though to remove the boring bits.

 

[cokeaddict]

The physical shape of the CGO3+ camera makes a lot of sense.


The second video you posted shot with the 3.97MM replacement lens looks terrible. the subject matter is nice,but the focus is soft around the out part of the videos frame.

Ok fair call but on my 4K screens its amazing. Maybe uploading it to vimeo reduced the quality of it somehow. Anyway, The issue is well known now so lets hope Yuneec gets it sorted soon. I am holding off until I hear something positive from them. I emailed both USA and China about the lack of quality as a future customer and waiting for a reply from someone..i hope.
Maybe we should start doing you tube reviews and make sure they know we are not happy.

 

[cokeaddict]

Thanks, I think the $140 is a great investment. Coupled with some lens covers for different light settings I think the arial shot will be great. I plan to play around with the focus for long distance to check if there is a difference as I have read conflicting opinions about this.

I really do understand the upset about the lens and its a shame because now I see the Sony sensor is very capable with the right lens or with the tuning of the stock one. I never expected to get DJI's X5 or X5R 4K quality or control of focus as this does not hold the same price tag but with the upcoming upgradability of the H I'm glad I have joint you guys and gals in the Yuneec adventure.

Way to go for doing the mod. I have already ordered this lens 3.97mm f/2.8 82d HFOV 16MP(No Distortion) – Peau Productions

The 16MP will help and 4K is always a bonus. So I liked what you posted in the video. Its heaps better than what we are offered. Post work on that video will really bring it up nicely. enjoy your H buddy.

 

[cokeaddict]

Check this out..... Not a Yuneec video but WOW impressive quality from the X-Star 4K camera

 

[dxer]

I just read about some news coming for Typhoon H.......it seems they will replace lens in future production of this product.
Here is the whole thing:
Security Check Required

 

[Adamday331]

I just looked at the pictures already in the st16 gallery. They include a picture of the camera which appears to have a different cover. The photo has a silver outer ring and mine has a black. Also in the St 16 settings > camera you can choose between cg03 and cg03 pro. The cg03 doesn't have the option to choose between stills and video. Is the cg03 the photography part of the camera and the pro for the video? Just curious as to what each is for.

 

[DroneNVnyc]

Way to go for doing the mod. I have already ordered this lens 3.97mm f/2.8 82d HFOV 16MP(No Distortion) – Peau Productions.

You will love that lens. Just take your time when removing the epoxy. Also remember the orientation of the wires as seen in the how to video a few pages back.

I got my H for the sole purpose of filming arial video in my homeland Armenia. I have not been back in 20 years and I want to bring back some 4k memories and this was the best option for the money. As most guys on this thread I was upset about the lens and knew there had to be a better option.

I'm glad I took the dive and installed the lens.

 

[CAPTAINDRONE]

Check this out..... Not a Yuneec video but WOW impressive quality from the X-Star 4K camera

Looks like a 60FPS video which is wise to shoot in when there is fast motion.

 

[DroneRanger]

Just finished an A-B test on the TH vs. my I1v.1. The camera system on the Inspire produces a superior image to the GCO3+ in color rendition, resolution, and edge sharpness. There is very little distortion compared to the lens on the Typhoon as well. However, as an aircraft, the TH flies better and is more stable than the Inspire IMO. It handles better in moderate winds and has better positional accuracy, I just wish the camera was better. Sigh.....

 

[ChrisP]

The camera system on the Inspire produces a superior image to the GCO3+ in color rendition, resolution, and edge sharpness

Same is true for me now that I've returned my YTH and bought the Phantom 4 instead. All the camera quality I expected from the Typhoon H (but never got) is available with the Phantom camera. An enormous relief after 4 weeks of trying to get a solution to this camera disaster.

Also, while I was forced to make the change because of Yuneec's failure with the CGO3+, I must admit, I'm starting to really like the way the Phantom 4 flies as well, a huge improvement over the Phantom 3 ( I have a friend who owns one, I've never flown the 3). Sorry, but it's true. I really love this craft, its better than I thought. I miss the H, but not as much as I thought. The fact is Yuneec appears to have rushed out an improperly tested camera system, and then failed to address the issues forthrightly once it was established by users, and then went completely silent when those same users REALLY wanted to find justification to stay with the Yuneec brand and the H system. BIG mistake. As I've described, the last conversation I had with thier customer support made clear that they believed I was a captive customer. Well.... I'm not.

Now that I'm currently in the DJI ecosystem, it will take one heck of a great camera improvement as well as other improvements to ever get me back. Frankly, I'm sharing my experience with everyone I know.

Bad product roll-out 101...

 

[Burntpixel]

Same is true for me now that I've returned my YTH and bought the Phantom 4 instead. All the camera quality I expected from the Typhoon H (but never got) is available with the Phantom camera. An enormous relief after 4 weeks of trying to get a solution to this camera disaster.

Also, while I was forced to make the change because of Yuneec's failure with the CGO3+, I must admit, I'm starting to really like the way the Phantom 4 flies as well, a huge improvement over the Phantom 3 ( I have a friend who owns one, I've never flown the 3). Sorry, but it's true. I really love this craft, its better than I thought. I miss the H, but not as much as I thought. The fact is Yuneec appears to have rushed out an improperly tested camera system, and then failed to address the issues forthrightly once it was established by users, and then went completely silent when those same users REALLY wanted to find justification to stay with the Yuneec brand and the H system. BIG mistake. As I've described, the last conversation I had with thier customer support made clear that they believed I was a captive customer. Well.... I'm not.

Now that I'm currently in the DJI ecosystem, it will take one heck of a great camera improvement as well as other improvements to ever get me back. Frankly, I'm sharing my experience with everyone I know.

Bad product roll-out 101...

Very well said Chris. I too have taken the same route you have. After returning my H,I will receive my Phantom 4 this week. Hopefully Yuneec will address the myriad concerns over the H,then I will revisit their product line. I may even skip the H entirely and go with their upcoming release if it delivers the functionality I am looking for.

 

[DroneRanger]

Well, all I can say is, "Me too". I'm still within the return period for both the TH's I purchased and they're both going back for refund. It would be a near perfect AC if not for the lousy camera. While I do enjoy my Inspire, the stability and redundancy of 6 rotors is something I want. I guess that it will just not be the TH that gives it to me (at least not this iteration). Too bad as today, in windy conditions, the TH held position much better than the I1 did.

 

[ChrisP]

Too bad, as today in windy conditions, the TH held position much better than the I1.

Small additional comment: we've had remarkably good performance in (moderate) wind with the Phantom 4. It drifts a bit because its so small and light, but while in motion I'm impressed with how it deals with wind. Once above obstacles, we've found gusts and sudden changes to be manageable. Watch me eat my words a week from now if it crashes, but so far so good.

 

[DroneRanger]

Another thing about the TH that is hard to give up as compared to the I1 is setup time and portability. There is no comparison between the two. I will admit however that the I1 is made better and is more robust. But after a crash, the TH would be far cheaper and easier to repair.

 

[DroneNVnyc]

All this talk about DJI i figured I'd jump in to.

Look hands down for the money I paid (after 30% discount from a friend at B&H) I have to say I love the TH. Even though it cost me a bit more after the mods I did, but I really ended up loving the product especially with all its features. I already have a buyer for my TH back home in Armenia after I use it to film my one month trip (if i can keep her in once piece), so the question is will I remain a Yuneec guy or joint you guys on the DJI team? I'm sorry to say, but I would have to go with an Inspire and X5R cam. I sold myself on the 4K of the TH like you guys, but after doing more research I understood that for better video quality DJI is just light years ahead.

To be honest its tough for me to compare the two products as they are intended for two different markets with two very different price points. Even my buddy at B&H can only get me 10% discount on DJI products and that sure says a lot.

Here is a screen shot of my video today (which still needs lens tuning) against my first flight with stock TH lens in the same area with about the same backdrop.
The screen shot was taken on my Hackitnosh with both videos open side by side in VLC.
No Color correction was done on either video.

My jaw dropped when I saw the two together, I just had to share with you guys.

So for you guys keeping the H that 3.97mm lens is the way to go.

 

[Jussaguy]

I'm not really sure they even hit 60. I just looked at many videos I took with the Typhoon and they are all coming in at 50 (see graphic below). The "Data Rate" is showing 49.9 Mbit/s for a 4K video at 30 FPS at a resolution of 3840 x 2160.

View attachment 1575

I'm reading through this thread and so this might be already answered or discussed but maybe you're not using an SD card that is writing fast enough.

People need to be using UHS-3 SD cards. Those are the only ones that are guaranteed to never write below 65 or something like that.

They are much more expensive but you'll get better video and less or no drop frames.

This is the card you need.

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Plus-MicroSDXC-Memory-Write/dp/B012DTJ8NU

 

[CianMcLiam]

Video spec is usually quoted in Megabits, memory card speeds are in Megabytes, so 8 times the data throughput of the video spec.

 

[Dragonflyerthom]

Adam must be getting old it looked good to me. Thanks for sharing. Fly safe