Typhoon H w/ Real Sense Dramatic Price Drop is a Kick in the Head.

[deMARCOman]

Joke's on me! Well this is annoying. I paid $1,499. w/o the Real Sense and then had to wait 6 months.

I just found the H on Amazon for $1,199. including Real Sense, wizard and a backpack.

Now if I want the Real Sense I still have to pay $500.+ What a boot in the face.

Lesson learned. Never again will I race out to buy some new to market product and then suffer the fact i way overpaid as well as their not doing all the R&D necessary --the consequence being having to jumnp thru the hoops multiple times with software upgrades some of which introduced more problems.

 

[Rayray]

I think there have been at least 2 sales prior to now for the same low prices.

I paid 1900 for a RS TH in July 2016. I have flown it, still flying it, ever since. I've had worlds of fun, taken innumerable pics and videos for over a year. I did all upgrades as they came along with never a problem.

So should I have waited until now to buy one a lot cheaper? I would not change anything...(I might add that I have 4 total now, 2 with RealSense).

 

[deMARCOman]

This is common with any new product or technology.

Yeah.. but the fact they know what they charged / are charging and haven't the decency to at least make some half-hearted attempt giving those who paid that premium price a discount on real sense. The result being they lost a customer.... I'll search out every other manufacturer before ever buying from Yuneec again. Which, as things go, is going to be very soon and with a budget of 5K. Your loss Yuneec. lol.

 

[deMARCOman]

I think there have been at least 2 sales prior to now for the same low prices.

I paid 1900 for a RS TH in July 2016. I have flown it, still flying it, ever since. I've had worlds of fun, taken innumerable pics and videos for over a year. I did all upgrades as they came along with never a problem.

So should I have waited until now to buy one a lot cheaper? I would not change anything...(I might add that I have 4 total now, 2 with RealSense).

Different perspective I guess. Sorry I said anything.

 

[Rayray]

No problem, and I still like your Dunes video.

 

[djkelly57]

@deMARCOman,

I can really understand where you are coming from. It is a sad fact that whether it is Cell Phones or Drones, as consumers, we face these things on a daily basis. From the surprise sale at the big box store or the 12 hour sale at your favorite on-line retailer. It doesn't help when we feel that they are callous to the fact of what it does to us. I compared your story to another I read of a company that sold a drone. This drone was plagued with many problems. Customers complained loudly and the company heard them. They released the updated drone for nearly the same price. Now how was that fair to all the people that bought the first drone and did all the beta testing for free? I'm not here to bash another company or to make light of what you have encountered. I just don't know how you are going to find something better. If, in fact you do, please share your good fortune with the rest of us.

 

[PatR]

We should note that Yuneec has expanded the versatility of the H with each firmware upgrade, allowing older manufacture dates to match functionality of newer manufacture dates without requiring the purchase of a new aircraft.

 

[Bob520]

Yeah.. but the fact they know what they charged / are charging and haven't the decency to at least make some half-hearted attempt giving those who paid that premium price a discount on real sense. The result being they lost a customer.... I'll search out every other manufacturer before ever buying from Yuneec again. Which, as things go, is going to be very soon and with a budget of 5K. Your loss Yuneec. lol.

How about when you buy your first Solo at $1500. Fast forward, and best buy is selling the for $300. I bought four more for less than my first and they never discounted the axiom gimbal. What you failed to mention is the pro version of the Typhoon H also comes with the pro version of the controller, not just the realsense module. I bet there's one out on the interweb for less than full price. Not that RS really adds anything to the TH system, yes it avoids during follow me mode. But it also slows down the airframe and uses more battery.

 

[PatR]

There were 10 refurb Solo's on E-Bay day before yesterday for ~$178 apiece...

 

[kd4pbs]

Back in about 1980-something, a company I worked for bought a TRS-80 Model III computer system for somewhere North of $10K. Complete with 20MB hard drive. Not too many years later, that whole system was sent to the scrap pile due to it being worth only about $10 in scrap, and $0 in usefulness.
The company I work for now, in 1989, purchased a 240KW UHF TV transmitter (5MW Visual, 500KW Aural ERP). I think the whole package, including installation, in 1989 dollars was somewhere close to $500,000. 7 years ago, when it was still quite serviceable, and only about 20 years old, I was one of the ones that cut it into pieces and loaded it into a dumpster.
The last new vehicle I ever purchased was in 1997, and paid $27,000 for it. I couldn't even sell it for $2000 when I got rid of it in 2014.
My cell phone was close to $700 just a year ago. I think it's worth about $100 now, used, and I can get it for $250 new.
That's the price to play, I guess

 

[Rayray]

Apologies...

 

[kd4pbs]

I see I might not be the only one that geeks out reading old computer product advertisements!
It always amazes me how much the stuff cost back in the day. And I remember those days, dreaming of having a job where I could afford such ridiculously priced pieces of equipment. It eventually turned into a minor addiction that I had to reign in. It was just such a rush to go into a hamfest and walk out with a piece of computer or amateur radio equipment that used to cost a gazillion dollars, all for the price of one Ben Franklin portrait. The problem turned into where to put it all!

 

[nicholas hickman]

Yeah.. but the fact they know what they charged / are charging and haven't the decency to at least make some half-hearted attempt giving those who paid that premium price a discount on real sense. The result being they lost a customer.... I'll search out every other manufacturer before ever buying from Yuneec again. Which, as things go, is going to be very soon and with a budget of 5K. Your loss Yuneec. lol.

Not being rude but I have no idea why you are so upset with Yuneec. As others have pointed out and as you must have experienced with numerous other things - their relative value falls with time, sometimes very sharply. If you can't swallow that fact do not adopt new technology, wait for the prices to drop. I'm pretty sure Yuneec and countless other manufacturers would LOVE to charge us the original RRP for ever!

 

[Tuna]

Never go to Canon 5D Mk III Body UK Best Price Compare Now! - you can watch prices going up and down like crazy.

The only big thing to remember is that if you buy near holiday seasons, or either of the two big trade shows (CES in January, or InterDrone in September) you are likely to see big price changes and new products being launched.

 

[FlyingLow]

I think there have been at least 2 sales prior to now for the same low prices.

I paid 1900 for a RS TH in July 2016. I have flown it, still flying it, ever since. I've had worlds of fun, taken innumerable pics and videos for over a year. I did all upgrades as they came along with never a problem.

So should I have waited until now to buy one a lot cheaper? I would not change anything...(I might add that I have 4 total now, 2 with RealSense).

RayRay - What is your take on realSense.
The H with RealSense is being sold for the same price as an H without it.
Prices being equal

I think there have been at least 2 sales prior to now for the same low prices.

I paid 1900 for a RS TH in July 2016. I have flown it, still flying it, ever since. I've had worlds of fun, taken innumerable pics and videos for over a year. I did all upgrades as they came along with never a problem.

So should I have waited until now to buy one a lot cheaper? I would not change anything...(I might add that I have 4 total now, 2 with RealSense).

RayRay..which of your H's do you prefer.... With RealSense or without?

 

[Gurusonwheels]

i think yuneec advertised the H as a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY DRONE .
it does not take professional photos neither does it include the necessary features for a professional to do there work .

now they reword professional as commercial and desert the H ...

not a company im going to continue to do business with .
they promised a SDK .. non ....

false hope ....

they simply should not have used the word professional when advertising the drone.
professional and commercial could be taken as the same .

 

[kd4pbs]

Just to play devil's advocate, please point us in a direction so that we may learn what professional photos are. Also, please point us in a direction to find where it's established as to what features make an sUAS a professional one.
You know what the technical difference between a professional and a non-professional is, don't you?
For reference, there are indeed certain standards, such as "broadcast quality" or "cinema quality" when pertaining to video and audio. Those industries are certainly "professional" or "commercial" industries, and the camera on the Typhoon H is indeed capable of creating video that meets both broadcast and cinema quality pictures, and the flight control capabilities certainly meet the requirements of a knowledgeable, professional sUAS pilot to create those images. There are plenty of cameras that also have to meet other commercial or professional standards. Professional astronomy cameras are one type that comes to mind. Not one single sUAS manufacturer makes a camera that would be considered professional astronomy quality, much less even amateur astronomy quality.
I'd say that at the price that this particular sUAS sells for, even when brand new, retail price, it is an amazing deal for price versus capability, coming from someone who has paid more than 20 times that amount on a standard definition "broadcast quality" analog video camera, lens, and Betacam VTR in the not too distant past.
Then again, I don't think that more megapixels=more quality, like the vast majority of "drone" flyers.

 

[Rayray]

RayRay..which of your H's do you prefer.... With RealSense or without?

The H with RealSense is being sold for the same price as an H without it.
Prices being equal

You may be referring to Amazon's price at the moment of $1200 for a RS TH. If I were in the market I'd grab it quick. Amazon prices often swing wildly.

My preference? Since I do have the choice, I use whichever suits the circumstances. For commercial use, I would not use RS. For Watch Me mode if I ride through a grove of trees, I had better have RS. If it's even mounted, not turned on, it drops max flying time a minute or two.

Percentages? Say 85/15 or even 90/10 not using RS. I admit I do like to watch it pilot the craft.
Excellent question, thanks.

 

[Gurusonwheels]

Just to play devil's advocate, please point us in a direction so that we may learn what professional photos are. Also, please point us in a direction to find where it's established as to what features make an sUAS a professional one.
You know what the technical difference between a professional and a non-professional is, don't you?
For reference, there are indeed certain standards, such as "broadcast quality" or "cinema quality" when pertaining to video and audio. Those industries are certainly "professional" or "commercial" industries, and the camera on the Typhoon H is indeed capable of creating video that meets both broadcast and cinema quality pictures, and the flight control capabilities certainly meet the requirements of a knowledgeable, professional sUAS pilot to create those images. There are plenty of cameras that also have to meet other commercial or professional standards. Professional astronomy cameras are one type that comes to mind. Not one single sUAS manufacturer makes a camera that would be considered professional astronomy quality, much less even amateur astronomy quality.
I'd say that at the price that this particular sUAS sells for, even when brand new, retail price, it is an amazing deal for price versus capability, coming from someone who has paid more than 20 times that amount on a standard definition "broadcast quality" analog video camera, lens, and Betacam VTR in the not too distant past.
Then again, I don't think that more megapixels=more quality, like the vast majority of "drone" flyers.

Does not matter if it was a good deal or not . it was deceitful practice to label it professional and then come out with another labeled commercial .

Think what you may ..

[emoji1]

 

[Tuna]

Does not matter if it was a good deal or not . it was deceitful practice to label it professional and then come out with another labeled commercial .

Think what you may ..

[emoji1]

You cannot base your purchasing decision on a word. You should not base it on the specs of a complex product like a drone. You should always base it on trusted reviews and an honest assessment of your personal needs. At the time the Typhoon H was released, it was competitive with most other high end machines in the market - the market where DJI sell the Mavic PRO and the P4 PRO. By now you should know that Pro does not have a magic meaning that a drone exactly fits your needs.

18 months later, the H520 is being sold specifically for commercial use - mapping, surveying, police, fire and emergency services and so on. The tools that come with it are designed for that target market, NOT for hobbyists, and (as far as I can see) not as a general purpose camera drone. It seems reasonable to me for them to use words to describe that usage, which is quite distinct from being a all round machine like the H.

The drone industry is moving at an incredible pace, so there's no reason to expect things to stay constant just to suit your needs.