Yuneec Typhoon G, It’s ready to fly, but you’ll have to supply and tinker with your own GoPro camera
In these days of integrated, all-in-one camera drones, it’s a bit counterintuitive to produce a drone that goes out of its way to emphasize its unintegrated platform.
But that’s exactly what Yuneec has done with its Typhoon G. Released late in 2015, the black-and-grey quadcopter from Shanghai-based Yuneec touts itself as a perfect platform for a GoPro camera. The question is, does it measure up to drones that have integrated cameras?
Depends on whose review you read, but most reviewers have been fairly unkind about the notion of plopping someone else’s camera onto your drone in this day and age.
What you’re getting with the $499 Typhoon G is essentially the body of the Yuneec Q500 4K, but without the pre-mounted 4K camera and gimbal. Instead, you attach a Hero 3, Hero 3+ or some Hero 4 GoPro cameras to the gimbal. You know, that way, you’re getting GoPro quality, but there are a few quirks you should know about before taking off.
First, the GoPro blocks the card slot on the drone. And, while you attach the GoPro to the drone through a USB connection, that connection is for video transmission, not power. You’ll need to keep separate track of how the charge on your camera is doing, at the same time you’re trying to watch the power for your Typhoon G.
This drone works well for those who already own an action cam and are looking for a new way to take photos and video. What’s a bit off about it, is that for the same price, you can get a DJI Phantom 3 Standard with its own (admittedly 2.7K, not 4K) camera, but similar range and better video downlink performance because of the integration.
Not to say that the hookup of third-party camera to a Yuneec drone is primitive, but it has essentially removed capabilities that integrated drones like a Phantom have. So, your drone range, itself, is going to be one thing, but the video-downlink range may not match up exactly. You could find yourself in a situation where you still have full control of the Typhoon G, but are getting no video signal, or perhaps you lose both control of the craft and video simultaneously, but bringing the drone back only restores craft control right away, while there’s a significant lag before the video signal is reacquired.
The GoPro quasi-integration also means the buttons on the G’s chunky, black remote are literally useless, though you will be able to see whether it’s recording from the embedded tablet in the remote. But you can’t control things like record, shutter speed or other camera settings remotely/wirelessly. The tablet’s 480p resolution is pretty dreadful, and you can forget about trying to see anything on the screen in the sun without a hood.
Without harping on it further, because the Typhoon G gives you decent flying performance, the camera setup overcomplicates the aerial-creation process. Having to pay attention to both drone battery and camera battery, drone range and video-downlink range is a step backwards.
The Typhoon G’s gimbal is decent and can be detached to use the camera on a Steady Grip, giving you handheld capabilities. Unfortunately, the Steady Grip is made of cheap plastic and requires eight batteries, making it a less-than-optimal handheld solution.
There are a lot of things that fall into that “less-than-optimal” category on the Typhoon G, which ends up feeling more as an “in-between” or compromise product, someone’s idea at marketing a pre-existing platform’s technology to work with someone else’s technology. The marriage of the two is OK, but not great, and they’re not a perfect match.
There’s also the issue of what FOV to use, with wider modes on some GoPro models, like the Hero 4 Silver, requiring software adjustment in post-production to reduce the fisheye look.
Flight time is listed at 20 minutes, but is closer to 15. Range is more-limited than rival products in the same price category, like the Phantom 3 Standard ($499) or the Phantom 3 Advanced or 4K ($799 each).
The Typhoon G offers three different flight modes, offering something for everyone from beginner to pro. Having GPS on limits the craft to a grandmotherly 15 miles per hour top speed. Switch it off and you can get closer to 60 miles per hour.
If you want to use tracking functions, you’re better off dumping the giant remote and buying a smaller Wizard to give off the signal the drone needs. That will set you back over $150, though.
Recharge time from empty to full of the drone’s battery is circa two hours.
Others have said this drone works best for those who already own GoPros. No reason to disagree with that. And some recommend the Phantom 3 4K or Phantom 3 Pro as better choices for value. Our personal favorite, though, is the Phantom 4, though it’s in a completely different price class, at $1,399. Something to save up for and covet, perhaps, while you’re flying your Typhoon G with a GoPro camera bolted on.
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