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Yuneec Typhoon H vs. DJI Phantom 3 camera test

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Check out this short demo video I made as part of my extensive review of the Yuneec Typhoon H on Dronewatch (in Dutch, sorry guys). In the video you see footage straight from the CGO3+ camera, compared to video footage from a stock DJI Phantom 3.

 
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You mean the changing colors? That is whitebalance overcorrection if you ask me.
 
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Looks like mild stuttering with the H, but I'm on my phone. Both seemed to have it with sideways flight. Could be phone + YT shenanigans
 

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It is widely known the CGO3+ does poorly with auto settings so this primarily demonstrates that condition. If this was supposed to highlight a comparison it doesn't. Most videographers will be setting the camera for the best results, not the poorest.
 
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It is widely known the CGO3+ does poorly with auto settings so this primarily demonstrates that condition. If this was supposed to highlight a comparison it doesn't. Most videographers will be setting the camera for the best results, not the poorest.

I agree that professional videographers will always use manual settings. But then I think that professionals would never use the CGO3+ camera or the P3P's standard camera. Most amateur drone users I talk to buy a drone and leave the camera settings to automatic, so that's why I choose to do the comparison with this setting.
 

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I agree that professional videographers will always use manual settings. But then I think that professionals would never use the CGO3+ camera or the P3P's standard camera. Most amateur drone users I talk to buy a drone and leave the camera settings to automatic, so that's why I choose to do the comparison with this setting.
Most hobbyists use auto on the first few flights. After that many start playing with camera settings to get better quality. You don't spend $1300 unless you have an interest in good video.
 
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I'm a sports photographer (from the past) and am used to capturing instant photos where one has little time to adjust settings. The only two settings I adjusted for sports photography were white balance and shutter speed. I allowed the aperture to be set on auto to match my shutter speed based on the ISO and white balance.

When I fly Phantoms, depending on the time of day and lighting conditions, I will adjust the settings. I am pleased to say that DJI has an excellent auto adjustment system for most photography, so if a new photographer flew in auto mode, the result should come out pretty good.

When I fly the Typhoon, again it depends on time of day. Best images are in early morning or late evening. Middle of the day, images are all wrong. I avoid moving the camera from bright to dark lighting as the camera just can not handle the changes. It usually ends up getting the colors all wrong and it blows out the highlights. Have a look at 90% of the videos on this forum that owners have taken with the Typhoon H... you'll see the colors are either not correct, and/or over exposed or even under exposed. The Typhoon H suffers from not being able to auto set the exposure for the picture at hand. The basic fix is to film with the exposure manually set at -0.5 or less depending on the amount of light. Also the Gorgeous setting should only be used when you wish to saturate the colors. If you're doing post-processing, than Natural is a better option.

Many of the camera problems with the H, other than a defective lens, can be fixed with a firmware/software upgrade to both the Camera and the ST16. One day, Yuneec will have this out. Only other option is for Yuneec to start offering an upgraded camera, since it is removable after all. No company makes a removable camera if they don't plan on providing other camera options.
 
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I'm a sports photographer (from the past) and am used to capturing instant photos where one has little time to adjust settings. The only two settings I adjusted for sports photography were white balance and shutter speed. I allowed the aperture to be set on auto to match my shutter speed based on the ISO and white balance.

When I fly Phantoms, depending on the time of day and lighting conditions, I will adjust the settings. I am pleased to say that DJI has an excellent auto adjustment system for most photography, so if a new photographer flew in auto mode, the result should come out pretty good.

When I fly the Typhoon, again it depends on time of day. Best images are in early morning or late evening. Middle of the day, images are all wrong. I avoid moving the camera from bright to dark lighting as the camera just can not handle the changes. It usually ends up getting the colors all wrong and it blows out the highlights. Have a look at 90% of the videos on this forum that owners have taken with the Typhoon H... you'll see the colors are either not correct, and/or over exposed or even under exposed. The Typhoon H suffers from not being able to auto set the exposure for the picture at hand. The basic fix is to film with the exposure manually set at -0.5 or less depending on the amount of light. Also the Gorgeous setting should only be used when you wish to saturate the colors. If you're doing post-processing, than Natural is a better option.

Many of the camera problems with the H, other than a defective lens, can be fixed with a firmware/software upgrade to both the Camera and the ST16. One day, Yuneec will have this out. Only other option is for Yuneec to start offering an upgraded camera, since it is removable after all. No company makes a removable camera if they don't plan on providing other camera options.

This is sort of the way I see this all unfolding also. We're getting a helluva deal at $1300 for just the hex and radio. The camera is gravy. Personally, I don't believe Yuneec ever intended the CG03+ to be the camera of choice on the H. I think since that piece of tech was finished and RTM, they decided to release it with the CG03+ knowing full well that many of us would drool over the camera to come and replace it immediately producing yet another revenue stream for Yuneec while at the same time, reducing the perceived cost of ownership by reducing the upfront cost.

I'll bet anybody on here that another PnP camera/mount is coming and in short order. My bet is it's going to be a Phantom killer also. Takers?
 
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This is sort of the way I see this all unfolding also. We're getting a helluva deal at $1300 for just the hex and radio. The camera is gravy. Personally, I don't believe Yuneec ever intended the CG03+ to be the camera of choice on the H. I think since that piece of tech was finished and RTM, they decided to release it with the CG03+ knowing full well that many of us would drool over the camera to come and replace it immediately producing yet another revenue stream for Yuneec while at the same time, reducing the perceived cost of ownership by reducing the upfront cost.

I'll bet anybody on here that another PnP camera/mount is coming and in short order. My bet is it's going to be a Phantom killer also. Takers?
Well I have to hope so because right now I am beginning to lose patience. This is a great Hex, but let down by a poor camera, I am realistic of what I expect from a camera in this price range but I do expect it to be able to produce an in focus image.
Right now the DJI Spreading wings S900 is begining to look attractive
 
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Right now the DJI Spreading wings S900 is begining to look attractive,


You and I both know that's not even close to a fair comparison. That rig is in an entirely different league and price range. Buy a spare and send it to me for testing, please. :)
 
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You and I both know that's not even close to a fair comparison. That rig is in an entirely different league and price range. Buy a spare and send it to me for testing, please. :)
It wasn't supposed to be a comparison, just expressing my thoughts on the direction I may go/perhaps should have gone.
I shall give Yuneec a fair chance to improve the current camera or come up with a decent one but their silence is deafening!
 
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