Yuneec or DJI ? Why not both ?

[Scott99]

So, I was leaning towards a DJI Phantom Standard as my first premium drone (what I consider premium is $500-$1200). Then I saw a good deal for the Yuneec Typhoon Q500+ and jumped into the Yuneec pool (should be getting it Feb 9 2016). My question to you guys and gals is, does anyone here have both a Phantom and a Typhoon ? I know some people on Youtube have several of what I call premium drones. I would call DJI and Yuneec the Mercedes and BMW of the $500-$1200 range. Also both of them have made incredible upper echelon drones that are way out of my price range for this hobby I'm just getting into. So what say ye all, do you have both (or other premium drones ?) or are you a Yuneec fanboy ? Which isn't a bad thing to be.

 

[Prairie Pyro]

I would have jumped on the deals being offered for the DJI but after visiting the 3 closest shops carrying the DJI line, only one had one in store and where not that thrilled about it. The other two shops gave up on DJI because of poor CS. Both were saying they where having great success with the craft and CS of Yuneec. I pulled the trigger on a open box G for $30 over the price of the ST10+ controller alone this AM and can hack and use the rest for learning and backup

 

[Satellite View]

Hi, I have 1 Phantom Vision +, 1 Phantom 3 Advance and 3 Yuneec Q500 4k & G and the reason I have so many is for my business which is Aerial Photography and I
do a lot of Real Estate work etc.
I like both however my personal preference is the Yuneec as it is very smooth to operate and I have put both through their paces.
I only have two minor issues with the Phantom 3 Advance, it does not have sound (I would have bought the 3 Professional had I known at the time, that it does have sound)
and one needs to attach a tablet whereas the Yuneec 4k has sound and can be selected on or off and the screen with all telemetry is part of the transmitter.
Scott99, your purchase of the Yuneec (in my biased opinion) was a good one and I think as your first will serve you very well as I think it is excellent for getting started ( as part of
my business I also train newcomers and always start them off with my first Yuneec Q500 White).
Cheers

 

[Scott99]

Thanks for the reply guys. It's so interesting to hear people's perspectives who've used both. As well as hearing what they use their drones for.

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

I looked at the Phantom 3 pro (even flew it a couple of times) and was going to buy it, but not till later this year, and then this past November a deal came up on a brand new q5004k with case and everything for under 900.00 ( at the time they were selling for an average of around 1375.00) so I did some research and the two seemed to be very close in features and quality. There were 3 reasons I choose Yuneec, the first was the st10+ , having the monitor built in and still being able to use a tablet as well was a major plus. The 2nd was price 890.00 at the time ( full kit). But probably the biggest reason was what owners were saying in regards to customer service, i couldn't find a single positive post regarding customer service at DJI. everyone seemed to love their UAV's, yet no one had anything nice to say about their CS. In contrast, Yuneec owners seemed to be quite happy all around.

So far I have yet to need to call Yuneec for anything. I have found the answers to my questions here on this forum, and have also found the members to be very helpful and quite friendly. I thoroughly enjoy being a Yuneec owner and have no regrets on my decision to buy the Q.
I have already ordered the Typhoon H (probably wont see it for a few more months) and I plan to keep the Q as well. Meanwhile I continue to fly, learn and just have fun with it!

It would appear that I am becoming a full on UAV Junkie.

 

[Satellite View]

Hi John K. Fitzgerald, I liked your comments and I (luckily) have not needed backup service from any of the companies but yes I keep hearing
about the poor service from DJI, unfortunately that is what happens when one has a great product and market leader and service fails but
as they say "when you climb the ladder of success don't forget the people you meet going up" I think it applies.
I have also ordered the "H" it looks fantastic but it will be a while till I receive it I guess being in Australia.

Like you I am a total UAV junkie (maybe we should start a UAV Junkie club LOL).
Cheers, JV

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

Thanks JV, I think service is everything. Too bad that DJI hasn't figured that out, they make a great bird. I think their camera is a touch better than Yuneec's and the video connection between the Q and the st10+ could use a bit of work as well, but because of Yuneec's excellent reputation for service, they are the better value.

I like what you've done with your fleet..... you have definitely got a problem!

UAV Junkie Club sounds good, sign me up , i could use a fix!

-Fitz

 

[Satellite View]

Hi Fitz, I agree with you on all that and yes I have a problem which is an absolute addiction to UAV's and loving it.
Kind Regards, JV

 

[Scott99]

Hi Fitz, I agree with you on all that and yes I have a problem which is an absolute addiction to UAV's and loving it.
Kind Regards, JV

Yeah it seems like the addiction is very strong once it gets a hold of you. I spend a lot of time watching drone footage while waiting for my Q500+ (receiving it Friday).

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

Yeah it seems like the addiction is very strong once it gets a hold of you. I spend a lot of time watching drone footage while waiting for my Q500+ (receiving it Friday).

Yup, that's how it starts, next thing you know, you are subscribing to magazines, then going to shows and conventions, joining forums and organizations. Then your wife starts feeling neglected...... now the only way to clear your head is to go out and fly! And if you got it real bad, you'll find yourself flying a simulator on rainy days! UAV addiction is serious stuff man ! ")

 

[Firefighter815]

I agree....and the only way to solve the wife problem is to get her one...lol

 

[Scott99]

Luckily I got divorced 9 years ago, love being single, do whatever I want lol.

 

[John K. Fitzgerald]

Hi, I have 1 Phantom Vision +, 1 Phantom 3 Advance and 3 Yuneec Q500 4k & G and the reason I have so many is for my business which is Aerial Photography and I
do a lot of Real Estate work etc.
I like both however my personal preference is the Yuneec as it is very smooth to operate and I have put both through their paces.
I only have two minor issues with the Phantom 3 Advance, it does not have sound (I would have bought the 3 Professional had I known at the time, that it does have sound)
and one needs to attach a tablet whereas the Yuneec 4k has sound and can be selected on or off and the screen with all telemetry is part of the transmitter.
Scott99, your purchase of the Yuneec (in my biased opinion) was a good one and I think as your first will serve you very well as I think it is excellent for getting started ( as part of
my business I also train newcomers and always start them off with my first Yuneec Q500 White).
Cheers

Question JV, just out of curiosity, what are the laws in a Australia in regards to doing commercial aerial photography? Here we have to have at least a sport pilots license and then we have to jump thru a million hoops to get an exemption so we can get paid to fly. the laws here are still being written as we speak, so we have no idea how this will all play out. But i am hoping i wont be forced to get a pilots license just so i can make $$ with my Q.

 

[Johnny Jumpjet]

I have a DJI Phantom 2 and there is no comparison to the typhoon which is greatly engineered and everything the little Phantom wants to be. The Typhoon is the new minimum one could ever desire, light years ahead of the Phantom. The Phantom is an example of taking a minimal drone and adding very good optics. However, the proof being in the pudding, the Phantom is obsolete.

 

[Prairie Pyro]

The differences in the generational Phantoms seems to be significant. Almost like the differences in tv sets. Old boob tube to plasma, to LCD, then to full array led 4k and the next out there is the flex panel oled.
I wish that Yuneek would update the software to run way points. I do some security work and that would let me do it from above.

 

[Scott99]

I have a DJI Phantom 2 and there is no comparison to the typhoon which is greatly engineered and everything the little Phantom wants to be. The Typhoon is the new minimum one could ever desire, light years ahead of the Phantom. The Phantom is an example of taking a minimal drone and adding very good optics. However, the proof being in the pudding, the Phantom is obsolete.

This is an interesting comment. I guess I'd consider myself a Yuneec fanboy since that's the direction I went. BUT, playing Devil's Advocate, i'd probably say that your comments might change a little bit if you were comparing the Phantom 3 Standard vs the Yuneec Typhoon Q500+. That would PROBABLY be more of a fair comparison than vs the Phantom 2.

Staying in the Devil's Advocate role, you can definitely go A LOT further and higher with the Phantom 3 Standard, as well as a firmware update as I'm first discovering, is way less of a nightmare as compared to Yuneec's way of doing a firmware update. Add in waypoints and other advantages like video going straight to your phone, etc.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both drones, I felt that Yuneec gave me more for my buck, the handheld gimbal, the extra battery, the better customer service, those were big time selling points for me.

 

[Prairie Pyro]

With a major software developer putting the $$$ into Yuneec I think software and firmware issues can-will be readily be fixed.
I really want waypoints.

 

[Michael]

So, I was leaning towards a DJI Phantom Standard as my first premium drone (what I consider premium is $500-$1200). Then I saw a good deal for the Yuneec Typhoon Q500+ and jumped into the Yuneec pool (should be getting it Feb 9 2016). My question to you guys and gals is, does anyone here have both a Phantom and a Typhoon ? I know some people on Youtube have several of what I call premium drones. I would call DJI and Yuneec the Mercedes and BMW of the $500-$1200 range. Also both of them have made incredible upper echelon drones that are way out of my price range for this hobby I'm just getting into. So what say ye all, do you have both (or other premium drones ?) or are you a Yuneec fanboy ? Which isn't a bad thing to be.

Hi Scott99. I have a Phanton 2 Vision, Vision+, Yuneec Q500, Q500+, and my favorite, DJI Inspire 1 4K. I love the Q500 for general fun flying and teaching other's who want to get into the hobby, while I use my DJI's for high perfomance and the large amount of autopilot features, and support for third-party piloting apps and SDK. My only two complaints with the Q500 is the maximum airspeed (-20mph) as compared with the Phantom or Inspire (30-55mph), and the camera quality which has a noticeable shift toward the yellow tint side. I originally purchased my Q500 because of the "follow-me" feature which DJI did not offer until the Inspire/Phantom3 series firmware and software updates. I am really anticipating the release of the Typhoon H and will most likely snatch that one too. All-in-all both company's and their birds have good and bad issues. While I do like the performance of the DJI line, as others have stated, their customer service is sub-par as opposed to Yuneec's which is five-star great. If you can afford both brands, you should consider one of each aircraft. Good luck and safe flying.

 

[Scott99]

Hi Scott99. I have a Phanton 2 Vision, Vision+, Yuneec Q500, Q500+, and my favorite, DJI Inspire 1 4K. I love the Q500 for general fun flying and teaching other's who want to get into the hobby, while I use my DJI's for high perfomance and the large amount of autopilot features, and support for third-party piloting apps and SDK. My only two complaints with the Q500 is the maximum airspeed (-20mph) as compared with the Phantom or Inspire (30-55mph), and the camera quality which has a noticeable shift toward the yellow tint side. I originally purchased my Q500 because of the "follow-me" feature which DJI did not offer until the Inspire/Phantom3 series firmware and software updates. I am really anticipating the release of the Typhoon H and will most likely snatch that one too. All-in-all both company's and their birds have good and bad issues. While I do like the performance of the DJI line, as others have stated, their customer service is sub-par as opposed to Yuneec's which is five-star great. If you can afford both brands, you should consider one of each aircraft. Good luck and safe flying.

Wow, you truly are my idol. I feel like I'm overdoing it money wise if I add a Phantom 3 Standard to my small fleet (Yuneec Typhoon Q500+ and ordered a nano drone, the Onagofly just for fun) yet you have a huge fleet of amazing drones, I'm truly not worthy. I would be insanely happy if I had a DJI inspire and a Yuneec Typhoon H, I could imagine you're gonna be thrilled flying those two elite drones. Congrats my friend, you are a drone God.

 

[Satellite View]

Hi John K Fitzgerald, Apologies for the delay in getting back to your question.
I have a CASA Operators Lincense (same as FAA) which allows me to have a aerial photography business.
CASA back in the July 2015 updated the laws and now anyone with a UAV up to 2.5 kilos can make
money (no registration is required) but all the rules will apply beyond 2.5 kilos a Operators License is required.
I believe CASA here in Australia are very good with how they handle UAV laws and have a good undestanding
of it.
When your FAA handed down the registration laws I contacted CASA and asked them the question if they were
looking at similar rules as per your FAA and I was told that they will not do so.
I have looked at other countries and their laws and I believe we have the best not, perfect but easy to operate within.
I hope this answers your question.
Regards, JV