Review: Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K Drone
The Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K is basically ready to fly right out of the box. All you need to do is spin the propellers on tightly and charge a couple batteries and you can be flying in a couple hours after arrival. In the shipping box is a large aluminum briefcase with the drone, 2 sets of propellers, controller, camera, memory card, “Steady Grip”, and 2 batteries w/chargers. What it comes with standard out of the box makes it one of the best consumer drones on the market. It has everything you need to start taking professional quality aerial videos or photos.
The instructions are pretty straight forward in their quick start guide. Having flown a drone before, I wasn’t too worried about figuring out how to fly it, but even if I hadn’t flown one before, this things is as easy as it gets. It has many safety and “dummy” features that should allow anyone the ability to fly it without training. Depending on your comfort level there are speed settings and control settings that will help you get the hang of it before you start flying all over the place.
Golfers and Golf courses can benefit from the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K drone by giving a new perspective to their course or their game. If you’ve seen those overhead shots of a course or a hole, you can now take one yourself, or if you wanted some cool flyover videos of your game, there are some really great options for that too. You really can get a whole new perspective on the game of golf with this drone. It isn’t ideal for walking, because of the size of the case, but throw it in the passenger seat of the power cart and drive around the course to find a good spot for aerial shots. The “watch me” and “follow me” feature are pretty cool for golf too as the drone will keep the camera fixed on you and focus in on you (the controller) as you move or the drone moves.
One thing that makes golf courses great for drones is their lack of solid tree cover and the very distinct patterns of the holes both color and shape. You can get some very stunning shots on golf courses without really bothering too many people or worries about crashing into something.
The Steady Grip that is part of the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K package is another great tool for golfers to video their swing. No shaking, no goofy angles, just crystal clear, level, video that isn’t bound to one angle. The Steady Grip uses that gimbal and camera off the drone and puts it in your hand. You control it with your iPhone and can make some really great motion videos that look like a professional took them.
The features that make the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K stand out in a crowded market are the CGO3 camera, ST10+ controller, battery life and built in safety features.
- CGO3 4K 3-axis Gimbal Camera – Shoots in ultra-high definition (UHD) resolution, delivers high-quality images with the ability to capture slow motion 1080p / 120fps and 12 megapixel photos. It is a 4K camera without “fish eye” distortion.
- ST10+ Controller – Control everything from the ground. It gives you full control over the Typhoon Q500 4K drone during flight. You can capture photos and shoot video with a push of the button. The 5.5-inch touch screen that displays in-flight First Person View as well as all the other details of what your drone is doing. You don’t need an app or you phone to run it.
- Battery life – The Typhoon Q500 4K comes with 2 batteries that each last for 25 minutes of flying time. While at first you might not think that is very long, but once you fly it, you will realize that 25 minutes each is more than enough time to capture every picture or video you want. In my testing I got the full 25 minutes too, not just in some lab under perfect conditions do you get that, but in really life under normal conditions I flew for that long.
- Safety Features – Ensuring utmost safety, the FAA compliant No Fly Zone feature prevents flight near commercial airports. The No Fly Zone feature also prevents flight above 400 feet from the ground. The built-in GPS establishes a 26 ft diameter Smart Circle around the pilot when taking off and landing and also creates a Geo Fence that keeps the aircraft from traveling farther than 300 ft from the pilot’s position.
I didn’t dive into every little nuance of this drone as it compares to others on the market; things like range, speed, controller response, etc. What I will tell you from flying another brand before; looking at all the different popular drone specs online, this might be the best consumer drone package on the market right now. The ease of use, the camera quality, the controller, the battery life, the Steady Grip, the safety features and the case all included right out of the box make this a ready to go package. The price isn’t exactly cheap, but if you are going to spend the money on a real drone, get one of the best packages available right now. You will get a new perspective on golf and drones with the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K.
For more information: www.yuneec.com
Quick Hits
+All-in-one package
+Easy to use
+FPV controller/flying
+Professional 4K images and video
+Steady Grip
+Safety features
+25 minute real battery life
–Costs the same as a set of irons
