Keepers for Famers: Top 5 Agricultural Drone

Economies around the world still rely heavily on the strong functioning of their agricultural sector. Most countries are constantly looking for ways to push yield potential, but now in more sustainable ways. As technology continues to advance, more developed countries are setting the precedence in smart mechanizations of farming.

One of these mechanizations comes in the form of drone technology. Drone technology has brought in new levels of efficiency and manageability to the agricultural sector, with applications ranging from inspection to spraying to mapping. Let us take a look at the top 5 drones that are earning their keeping on the farm.

1. DJI Agras MG-1

Built with a propulsion system that allows the octocopter to carry up to 10 kg of payloads, DJI’s Agras MG-1 is one of most powerful ag drones out there. The power is not without speed, as this drone sprays about 50 times faster than manual spraying operations, and that too with amazing accuracy. Furthermore, its intelligent spraying system automatically adjusts its spray according to the flying speed so that an even spray is always applied.

This drone is for farmers seeking technology that is not only intuitive and can apply pesticides and fertilizers with automated perfection, but also designed to handle rough treatment. WeTalkUAV sums this drone up well, “the device is made for use in precision agriculture – spraying fertilizers, pesticides…It’s also tough: the machine is waterproof, dustproof, and can simply be hosed down after use.”

2. Sense Fly eBee Ag

Curated especially for collecting actionable data, the eBee Ag requires close to zero piloting skills and is extremely versatile. It uses an automated process that requires the farmer or researcher to define the area that needs to be scouted, after which it proceeds to fly, following the defined map, and captures high resolution aerial images. These shots are then transformed into an info-packed index of the crops.

What is even more helpful is that the eBee Ag features a diverse range of camera options, including NIR, RGB, thermal and multispectral performance, that can be used depending on the agricultural application. The analysis and assessment of soils, minerals, crop health, machinery input and more is usually a complex, expensive and inaccessible procedure that hinders the progress of farming. eBee Ag truly changes the game – with its full drone to tractor workflow provision. Now agriculture service providers have a reliable helper for plant stress assessment, biomass indication, leaf area indexing, nitrogen recommendation, biomass indication, tree classification and much more.

3. Precision Hawk Lancaster 5

For those looking for a sturdy and consistent data collector, the Lancaster 5 is built to last. Similar to the eBee Ag, it too is autonomous and optimizes a flight plan to collect data in the most efficient way. However, it is designed specifically to survive hard landings and unfavourable environmental conditions.

The Lancaster 5 is only one part of Precision Hawk’s package. To ensure the effective operation of the drone, Precision Hawk offers in person training packages to pilots and observers. On top of that, its DataMapper software provides accurate maps of flight location and creates geo-referenced mosaics. This joint hardware and software solution is unique and a definite help to farmers. Drone Enthusiasts describes, “[the drone’s] propriety AI reacts to changing weather conditions and real-time diagnostics, while it can also be fitted with a range of imaging functions depending on what is required. The Lancaster is an adaptable precision solution.”

4. AGCO Solo Edition

Crop monitoring and optimization are two integral tasks made easy by the SOLO AGCO Edition UAV. With 2 customized cameras for aerial mapping, mission planning and cloud based high-resolution mapping software, this drone is a strong contender in the market.

A special add on that pushes this drone over the edge is the Agribotix imagining and analysis software for precision agriculture. Agribotix delivers agricultural intelligence to increase yields and profits using AGCO Edition UAV’s data collection. This package produces high resolution orthomosaics, NDVI maps and field health and management zone maps. Now farmers can just “look at [these maps] and see if the problem is bugs or weeds or a piece of equipment that didn’t function properly. [They] can either fix it or save money by not putting chemicals down on that part.”

5. Yamaha RMAX

Yamaha is known for having produced the first drone for crop dusting with a 20 kg payload, as far back as 1987. It continues to produce advanced and sturdy ag copters, now with higher capabilities. Boasting of high performance and high tech safety features, Yamaha RMAX combines spraying, seeding, remote sensing, frost mitigation and precision agriculture functions. It is especially great for accessing areas with tough ground conditions, and has a load capacity of up to 28 kg.

The aircraft is compact and lightweight, and its 246cc horizontally opposed 2 stroke is liquid cooled to cope with the hottest weather. Another plus for farmers is the possibility to control up to 6 helicopters at once during spraying operations, with no crosstalk interference. New Atlas explains, “the completely autonomous RMAX enables the pilot to watch what’s happening from all 4 cameras at once while the RMAX goes about the flight plan…. It enables high-value crops in difficult-to-access paddy fields, often on very hilly land, to be sprayed with pesticides and specialized nutrients.”

The application of drone, from precision technology to crop monitoring, encompasses the farming revolution of recent years. Farmers are now able to boost yields, cut costs and drive their business forward, helping entire economies advance in smart and sustainable ways. According to a recent research report by MarketsAndMarkets, the market is expected to grow from USD 864.4 Million in 2016 to USD 4,209.2 Million in 2022. The agriculture drone market in APAC is expected to grow at a fast pace rate with China, India, and Japan spearheading initiatives and investing heavily in R&D. Along with this, market players such as DJI and Yamaha are trying to suffice the growing demand for agriculture drones across the APAC region.

 

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Drone To Protect LA Deputies and the People They Serve

The LA County Sheriff department led by Jim McDonnell has announced that they will be utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support their deputies, specifically when investigating hazards including arson scenes, hostage situations and bomb disposal. The drone can also support search and rescue campaigns.

Captain Jack Ewell of the department’s special operations bureau explained that eight deputies had been trained to fly the specially modified drone.  The fleet being deployed are a customized version of DJI’s Matrice 100.

The stock Matrice 100 platform has all of DJI’s easy-to-fly technology built in and includes the flight controller, propulsion system, GPS, DJI Lightbridge, a dedicated remote controller and a rechargeable battery. The lightweight frame and efficient motors give up to 40 minutes of flight time depending on load and weight. An additional battery can be added. It is also possible to further modify and tailor the flight platform by using the DJI SDK allowing customized commands to be programmed.

The LA County Sheriff department has attached a DJI Zenmuse X3 camera to their aircraft. The X3 gives crystal clear images and the gimbal holding the camera is the result of DJI’s years of expertise in camera stabilization giving smooth, stable footage in any flight conditions. The rectilinear, curved lens design eliminates distortion and the 20mm focal length opens up shots to a wide angle. The drone can also remain in the air for 20 minutes and fly up to a mile away.

The fleet will give the department rich information from an aerial perspective that has not been achievable before at a reasonable price point.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who govern the skies in the USA  has issued special certificates to 300 law enforcement agencies to use similar UAVs – 30 such certificates have been issued in California alone.

Captain Andy Neiman from the LAPD cites the 2015 terrorist incident in San Bernardino as an event in which drones could have been helpful. After a gun battle with the suspects, law enforcement put their lives at risk by having to approach a car to see if the occupants comprised a threat. This early inspection could have been conducted by a drone.

“The dangers of law enforcement can never be eliminated,” McDonnell concluded, “however, this technology can assist us in reducing the impact of risks on personnel.”

The DJI Matrice 100 is an ideal platform for customization and as such has been employed by a variety of different industries for diverse applications. Law enforcement has embraced this new technology to enhance safety for both their deputies and the people they serve.

 

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Who is the Hover Camera for?

Zero Zero Robotics’s first drone Hover Camera is priced at $599. Let’s take a look at its key features.

Weighing in at at feather lite 242 grams, it’s extremely portable and can be folded to the size of a hardback book. With a maximum flight time of between 8-10 minutes, it runs on normal replaceable batteries and has a 20-meter transmission range through Wi-Fi. The Hover Camera uses optical and sonar sensors to position and steady itself while a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor runs artificial intelligence to detect and track faces or even bodies.

Equipped with 13-megapixel camera, it’s capable of shooting 4K video at 30fps and at the same time offers live 720p HD video. Furthermore, it uses electronic image stabilization (EIS) for anti-shake.

These features sound quite familiar don’t they? In fact, they’re pretty similar to other drones of the same ilk like, Zerotech’s Dobby and Yuneec’s Breeze as well as others. But these drones are priced cheaper than the Hover Camera and they outperform most of it’s features. So why the sky high pricing? What’s so good or so bad about the Hover Camera?

To start with, its propellers are fully enclosed by a strong carbon fiber frame, making it the safest drone we’ve ever played with. Using optical and sonar sensors to position instead of GPS, The Hover Camera is easily affected by lights and can’t really hover precisely. There’s no return-to-home function and without GPS it struggles to outdoors.

No Fly Zone

Additionally, without GPS, the Hover Camera can fly in no-fly zones. But is this an advantage over other drones when really it will never really harm any significant patch of airspace to warrant security lockdown. It’s simply too small and cute.

The overall appeal of the Hover Camera is that it’s easy to carry around. It folds up to the size of a large book and is extremely safe with a casing around the propellers meaning you could probably catch it mid air in flight by just grabbing the body. It would definitely be safe to fly around kids at parties. But if that’s the case, why not just use your phone and a selfie stick to get those extension shots?

For the price, Zero Zero are kind of taking us for a ride. The Hover Camera is not exactly an aerial image maker and though it does what it says on the box i.e. hovers, that’s about it. With all the effort it took to manufacture and market it, why wasn’t more included? In the end, you’d probably be better off saving for a DJI Mavic Pro. That way you’ll have endless exploration and intelligent features at your disposal. Its just a question of time before real customers find this out for themselves.

( Source )

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Hover Camera Falters in Wake of Phantom 3 Standard

Norm Chan is a vlogger from San Francisco who reviews the latest technology. Chan took a look at the Hover Camera from Zero Zero Robotics.

The Hover Camera is a portable drone that is small enough to fit in a handbag. Priced at $599, it’s an entry-level aircraft that may attract an audience that is new to flying drones.

The Hover Camera has a unique and easily identifiable design. Out of the box, it is shaped like an average-sized book but unfolds to reveal propellers that are elegantly protected. The Hover has a downward sonar sensor to know how far it is from the ground. Theoretically, the Hover Camera should be able to hold its position. Unfortunately, it does not use GPS for positioning like the Phantom 3 Standard, which is renowned for its accuracy in the air.

The Hover Camera is controlled with an mobile device app and has a range of 20 meters. The Phantom 3 Standard uses the fully-featured GO app and the range is 1000 meters, fifty times that of the Hover.

The Hover Camera’s 13 megapixel camera can take 4K video but the camera can only be pitched up 30 degrees or down 90 degrees. It does not have the full-range camera movement options of the Phantom 3 Standard. The Phantom has a 3-axis gimbal, which makes video capture very stable. Any effect of wind or vibrations are cancelled out by the motorized gimbal.

Chan discovered several issues with the Hover including its stability outside, the tracking capabilities, and quality of the camera. Specifically, the Hover Camera does not have enough processing power on-board to provide high quality video and the aircraft struggles to remain stable in wind. “Not very impressive,” Chan comments.

The Hover battery lasts for about 10 minutes, whereas the battery flight time of the Phantom 3 Standard is an impressive 25 minutes.

The Phantom 3 can record in 2.7K and 1080p and the aircraft gives you proven multiple intelligent flight options. With the Phantom you can live stream in 720p to your smartphone from the camera and you can broadcast your stream to social media. This capability is unavailable on the Hover.

The wealth of features of the Phantom 3 priced at only $499, $100 less than the Hover Camera, makes it a challenge for many consumers to justify opting for the latter.

Chan found that the flight features referred to as Face Tracking and Body Tracking did not perform in all conditions. “Where the Hover does fail is in the promise of subject tracking and delivering good quality video,” Chad said. It remains ironic, then, that those very features are often touted as the main selling points of the Hover aircraft.

In conclusion, while the Hover Camera Passport has some interesting features, it can’t match up to a trustworthy drone like the Phantom 3 Standard.

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Drones for Good: Research and Ecology

2016 was the year that saw drone being used for many distinctive purposes, from capturing cinematic wonders to aiding NGOs in search and rescue missions to making possible ridiculous YouTube pranks. Lesser spoken about were the research studies that academics worldwide have done with their drone.

Much of these studies, featured in academic journals and university magazines, focused on conservation and environmental practices and the positive impact UAVs have made in their respective areas. Here, we take a look at three of the good use cases that were documented in 2016.

1.Drones and Marine Ecology

Aerial Imaging has long been used to track the changes of key ecosystems, such as mangroves, coral reefs and shallow ocean beds. However, UAV technology has only recently enabled researchers on lower budgets to embark on these types of studies.

Norway’s renowned Nord University produced a study done by researchers using a DJI Phantom 3 to map sea-grass meadows. Coyer, a PhD student on the project comments, “Sea-grass meadows are crucial nurseries for many fish species…[they] are dynamic ecosystems that change in space and time… We use the drone to understand and investigate the mechanisms behind these changes.”

By collecting visual data with drone, Coyer was able to contribute crucial materials to a study that looked into adaptation capabilities of sea-grass threatened by climate change. Without a drone, this procedure would have been very time consuming and expensive.

2. Drones and Carbon Footprints

Western Australia’s expansive rangelands are extremely valuable as spaces of biomass production and storage. Better rangeland management practices have been suggested which in turn effect the carbon content in the vegetative matter. However, proving the effect of these practices in the past have been extremely laborious and destructive to the environment.

Researchers in Perth, Australia have been developing drone that are able to capture large areas of rangeland landscapes and process the images into a 3-D point cloud. The lead researcher on the project explains, “Previously [measuring biomass] involved destroying the bush by cutting it all down and weighing to determine the biomass per hectare to calculate the amount of carbon.”

With drone technology, researchers can now utilize an environmentally friendly platform capable of long range and long endurance, suitable for capturing survey grade imagery over the rangelands. This an exciting new possibility for those involved in carbon farming, as outlined by researchers in Western Australia’s Outback Carbon Farming Conference.

3. Drones and Plant Ecology

Applications in Plant Sciences is a peer reviewed journal that promotes newly developed and innovative tools in all areas of plant sciences. In its September 2016 issue, it featured a study that used small drone fitting specific aircraft and camera requirements, such as the DJI Phantom to survey plant ecology.

The methodology section begins by stating, “The prospect of using drones for vegetation sampling is exciting because of the large amount of information that can be collected with minimal effort.” By collecting aerial surveys with drones, researchers can greatly expand the area that can be assessed with minimal disruption of sensitive plants and vegetation. They can now also gain samples of terrain that is otherwise difficult to access.

These studies pave way on how drone could be used to better understand the environment around us and more importantly, how we can encourage a more sustainable planet. While most people have their eyes on how drone technology can benefit businesses and workflow, let’s not overlook how they can also benefit society as a whole and the world we live in.

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Yuneec Typhoon H battery: longer charging time and shorter flight time

The Yuneec Typhoon H battery is one focal point in an ongoing debate among drone pilots in the context of the broader DJI Phantom 4 vs Yuneec Typhoon H discussion.

DJI, which has the much larger market share and loyal fan-base, has world-class R&D capabilities.

Yuneec China is the challenger that is not quite up to the challenge.

In a way, the competition is good for the market. It may be less of an ideal situation for pilots who find themselves holding products that are not best in class or on the losing side of the competition. .

The Yuneec Typhoon H may fall in that category. While the specs and six propellers look impressive, three obvious issues have been identified by reviewers, issues that keep the DJI Phantom series clearly in the lead.

These issues are Yuneec Typhoon H battery performance, ease of control and size.

It was DJI who popularised drone flying as a hobby with its extremely popular Phantom line. Yuneec and other followers have since come up with their own models – making the market a vibrant and competitive one.

DJI’s RC quadcopter the Phantom 4 and the larger Yuneec H are both equipped with excellent video cameras, both are accessibly priced, and both have autonomous and safety-minded features that make flying easy. However, the Phantom 4 edges ahead with two distinct and patented features – TapFly and ActiveTrack. These make it possible, even for inexperienced pilots, to fly the drone and do it safely and smoothly.

A major drawback of the Typhoon H is its battery recharge time—a full charge takes well over two hours. That’s twice as long as the Phantom 4 takes. Talking about flight time, DJI Phantom 4 reviews report a flight time of close to 28 minutes. On the other hand, against Yuneec’s own claim of 24 minutes, live tests average only about 22 minutes. With a two-hour recharge time, Yuneec H pilots will definitely want at least a couple of extra batteries on hand.

Upon Typhoon H unboxing you can see that the hexacopter design is meant to add stability in flight, it has also made the Typhoon H a pretty hefty drone. With its remote control unit stacked with a multitude of buttons and switches, the Typhoon H can also be a lot to control at first.

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I would suggest Yuneec Typhoon G for a first time drone buyer

It’s hard to shop drone among drone bands like DJI, Parrot, Yuneec?As far as I am concerned, Yuneec is one of the most outstanding drone manufacturers in the world now. And its Yuneec typhoon is representative quadcopter drones.

Yuneec offers a number of high level drones for those looking to take their aerial photography / videography needs, whether in real estate, agriculture, 3D mapping/modeling, etc. to the next level:

In this post, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Yuneec Typhoon G, their only model that’s fit specifically for a GoPro action camera.

In that regard, the Typhoon G could be compared to the DJI Phantom 2,which is built specifically to house a GoPro. An effort to make the Yuneec Typhoon G compatible with a GoPro camera that appeared to work just fine for many users at first brought hope that the company had matched the DJI Phantom 2 and its three-axis gimbal.

The Yuneec Typhoon G came in a padded box, each accessory bagged and organized. Once I had charged the battery for about 30 minutes, I took it outside, powered on the aircraft first, then the transmitter, and then was airborne less than a few minutes later.

If you’re looking to purchase your first serious aerial platform, either for recreational or business purposes, and you already own or like working with the GoPro cameras, then I’d highly recommend taking a look at the Yuneec Typhoon G. Their customer support is top-notch, and their products, at least the ones I’ve flown / tested, are impressive.

If you don’t have a GoPro or are not particularly married to using a GoPro in the air, then I’d take a look at either the Yuneec Q500 4K or the Yuneec Q500+.

If you haven’t choose Yuneec,especially Yuneec typhoon G, you’re missing out on some high-quality aerial platforms that may very well be the perfect fit for your recreational (or business) needs.

 

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Yuneec drone quality issues cascade from unit to unit

Buying a Yuneec drone means living with quality issues that can run from minor to major, hurting the brand image and raising questions on R&D efforts and learning from customer feedback.

The quality control issues are not unlike those that plagued the U.S. auto industry in the 1970s as companies were more interested in turning out volume.

Those companies kept assembly lines going even as buyers of cars complained of “lemons” and raised a stink with dealers for repairs and replacements–or more ominously turned to manufacturers that stressed quality. This is something already happening with many a Yuneec drone.

Reports have suggested something similar has happened with the Typhoon H series of Yuneec drone.

Talk has centered on a massive backlog of repairs needed for Yuneec Q500 models, another Yuneec drone, that are returned under warranty to the factory where they can sit for more than a month before any work is completed and hopefully sent back repaired. This issue alone has driven a high-volume of customer service feedback complaints about the Yuneec drone.

That means the company is dealing with legacy issues and not as focused on the assembly line production for the Typhoon H, resulting in a need to retool the process and design of the units from initial beta models.

Of course Yuneec is not alone as a company that has a steep learning curve, but the issues appear to be quite visible in the Yuneec drone. Some of the issues with more than one Yuneec drone are constant and call into question where the company wants to be in a competitive industry that has seen chief rival DJI deploy massive R&D resources to develop proprietary technologies, such as Lightbridge 2 to keep communications stable between drones and controllers, and pays attention to issues such as batter life and quality by using high-end LiPo units.

On the other hand, a Yuneec drone pilot needs fixes for the internal WiFi card of Yuneec Q500 –a solder that basically places the antenna in a better position to receive a signal. That seems basic.

For the higher end models, Yuneec has not yet solved problems with the access to GPS satellites needed to ensure better connections and operations. Many a Yuneec drone ends up flying blind. DJI on the other hand has access to more low-earth satellite connections and uses GLONASS satellite positioning, marking a sharp difference.

Those efforts have caught the attention of reviewers around the world.

“Yuneec has also been living in the shadow of DJI for the past few years. No matter how advanced or capable Yuneec’s Typhoon drones have gotten, the company just can’t seem to unseat DJI from its throne,” Drew Prindle writes.

To be fair, Yuneec has added new features that Yuneec drone pilots can tap into in response to industry trends and customer demand, but innovation comes slow.

The DJI Phantom 4 for example has a visual avoidance technology that rotates with the camera, while the Typhoon H uses sonar. Both are good, except in a drone it matters how many objects can be seen and on the Yuneec drone the avoidance system is mounted on the nose of the drone and only detect obstacles if it approaches them facing forward.

 

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Phantom 4 compares Yuneec Typhoon H on Flight Features for Filmmaking

Drones are an amazing new tool for content creators at all levels. In the past, only skilled operators could capture the best shots and 2 operators are often needed, one for the drone and one for the camera. Using intelligent flight features, a second operator is not always necessary.

To give you an idea of the intelligent flight features that are out there, let’s look at the features available on the DJI Phantom 4 and the Yuneec Typhoon H.

Point of Interest

Both the Inspire and Typhoon have the Point of Interest feature. This will allow the user to orbit around a subject at a predetermined speed and height. This is a very difficult more for an inexperienced pilot. Try adjusting the height in flight for an amazing spiral effect.

Waypoints / Curve Cable Cam

With these features, you can create a pre-determined fight path so that concentration can be focused on the camera. Once the points are set, the drone will continue to fly the path over at over at the set speed. This can allow for multiple takes with exactly the same drone path.

Following a Subject

This is one area where the Phantom 4 clearly prevails. With the Phantom’s ActiveTrack mode, the user can drag their finger over any subject, such as a person that is walking or biking, and it will follow that object. The Typhoon H only has Orbit Me mode which will orbit around the operator, which is typically not what would be needed for a creative film unless it is about a drone pilot.

Collision Avoidance

The two drones both have technology built-in to avoid obstacles. The Phantom 4 and the Typhoon H have sensors in the front and on the bottom. Though the Typhoon employs RealSense technology that they have developed with Intel, the Phantom 4 in practice has performed at a much higher level.

Course Lock / Home Lock

The Phantom 4 also comes with features Course Lock, which keeps the drone pointing in the same direction, and Home Lock, which makes it easier to fly further and closer to the home point. The only comparison on the Typhoon H is Journey which flies the drone out to a set distance instead of the variable distance that the Phantom 4 allows.

Return to Home

Lastly, these drones have safety features that allow them to come back to where they started at the push of a button or if signal is lost. DJI now puts a Home button in all of its products.

Overall, while there’s no substitute for a good pilot, intelligent flight features make it much easier to capture incredible shots with minimal effort. By mastering these features, you’ll be miles ahead of most filmmakers. Just be sure to always fly safely and use technology wisely to create great projects. As Toy Story Director John Lasseter said, “the art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art.”

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DJI Drone technology used on search and rescue

During a search and rescue operation time is of essence. The difference between finding and rescuing a missing person alive or death can be as short as minutes. Therefore, new technologies are constantly being tested to make search and rescue operations be more effective and efficient.

The use of aircraft for search and rescue is not a new concept; the first civil use of a helicopter during a SAR operation dates back to November of 1945. However, over time the use of helicopters has dramatically changed to include not only a pilot, but also a local expert of the terrain (especially in Mountain Search and Rescue) and additional personnel. This has contributed to increased cost and also increased risk. Furthermore, not every search and rescue team has fast access to a helicopter and the weather conditions are not always favorable for the deployment of a manned aircraft.

In 2016 DJI, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial and consumer drone, has put focus on learning about the challenges of search and rescue operations and is actively trying to find solutions to these challenges. The goal is to integrating these solutions into DJI’s aerial technologies. Drone will not replace the use of a manned aircrafts, but it will become a very effective tool for not only urban search and rescue, but also for maritime and mountain search and rescue missions.

To satisfy the immediate needs of any search and rescue operations, an aerial platform must be easy to transport, be deployable within minutes, be intuitive to operate, provide valuable information, be weather resistant and cost effective. There are additional needs to make this technology even more useful and an integrated part, such as secure live video stream capabilities back to an incident command center and to the ground team. Furthermore, autonomous flight functionality and software assisting the surveying of the search area.

Early results from the DJI and EENA (European Emergency Number Association) partnership to test DJI platforms at four pilot test sites in Europe, indicate that search and rescue personnel can benefit from aerial technology in several ways. The proper use of the technology has lead in test scenarios to a reduction in time to locate a missing person by 60-80%. Furthermore, the aerial view and live data provides valuable information to the ground teams and enables them to stay out of dangerous areas during the search and rescue missions.

The majority of DJI’s platforms are open for the SDK, the Software Development Kit and it allows third party developers to code apps for specific purposes. These apps assist the operator in a variety of functions and are a perfect platform to create solutions for the needs of search and rescue scenarios. As part of the DJI and EENA Partnerships, a search and rescue app is being developed by one of the pilot test sites. This app will provide a variety of valuable functionality to the operator and increase the efficiency of the aerial platform.

 

 

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6 Best Small Business Ideas for Drone

In recent years, the use of drone has been a hot topic in every industry. Every big business is trying to come up with innovative ways to use drone as a way of reducing cost. The truth is that the use of drone has gained massive popularity in the US and across the world.

With this buzz, it’s just a matter of time before our skies are dotted with these buzzing devices. There are now both consumer and commercial applications for drones.

Here are the 6 Best Small Business Ideas for Drone:

For Advertising

While the use of drone for advertising is still in its initial stages, it has a greater potential of being beneficial to small businesses targeting local markets. The drone can fly banners and promotional gifts to promote products without spending a large sum of money. The company only needs trained employees who can operate the drone manually or by programming it.

Besides, the drone can be equipped with speakers to blast promotional music and messages. With other forms of advertising like the radio advertising becoming boring and uninteresting, drone advertising is fresh and entertaining which can intrigue prospective buyers.

Sports Action Shots

The main goal of the sporting industry currently is to take the fans closer than ever. With the drone, cameras can be taken into the thick of the action to get high-quality shots that would suit live television. Rather than having the producer switch cameras to display a certain shot, drones are capable of moving a shot based on the action.

If you’re a great sports fan, you have probably fantasized about getting right in the action during a game. With drone, you can take those insane aerial shots and videos that you’ve been dreaming off.

Reporting

In the past years, reporters could not access some places to compile reports due to the nature of the locations. However, every situation can now be broadcasted as drone can go to places reporters can’t. Drone film any kind of disasters, accidents and other incidences even in the most dangerous places.

Additionally, in search and rescue missions, drone can be sent to the vulnerable areas to record footages.

Aerial Surveying

One of the most notable technical advances in the field of land surveying is the use of the programmed aerial vehicles popularly known as drone. Once programmed, the small aircraft can take a vivid survey of a land and transmit the information. The drone can gather all sorts of data in a quick turnaround.

You simply need to deploy the drone over an area to be surveyed equipped with every part that may be of use. The scanners used, offer high detailed images and ideas regarding the terrain. The best thing about them is they can fly low and slow to capture high-quality images.

Inspecting Infrastructure  

There is the need for periodic inspection of structures for safety. For instance, companies that operate gas pipelines, as well as electrical lines, need to conduct regular monitoring. They may decide to hire a team to walk along the lines or scale the infrastructure.

However, drones are ideal for such situations because they can get closer to offer a better view of prevailing conditions and easily spot any leak that may be hazardous. Besides, some situations can be difficult or dangerous to access for humans. For example, in areas not visible to human eye, drone can be used.

Aerial Wedding Photography & Videography

Drone take breathtaking photos and videos. Although they are mainly used in landscape photography, they are slowly making their way into the wedding photography field. The aerial perspective is what brings out the beauty of a wedding and the surroundings in a way that photography and videography from the ground cannot achieve. All you need is a drone with a camera.

However, you need an expert who knows how to use drone in aerial wedding photography because they can be unsafe and obnoxious due to the loud sound they produce.

Conclusion

With the FAA finally proposing rules regarding commercial drone usage, you can forget the negative uses of the drone. You can change the way you do business through creative and profitable ways from drones.

 

 

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Exotic Travel Shooting with the Phantom 4

When you can call Hollywood movie director JJ Abrams a fan you know you’re doing something special in the photography world.  

Trey Ratcliff is a renowned photographer whose images show the beauty of exotic travel locations.  He runs the world’s number one travel photography blog and has even had his work displayed in the world’s biggest museum, the Smithsonian.  All this has been achieved despite what some may perceive as an obstacle- Ratcliff grew up blind in one eye.

This blindness, Ratcliff writes, gives him a unique perspective on the world as a story-teller. The Phantom 4, which Racliff reviewed, extends Ratcliff’s exceptional abilities to the sky.  

“Man, I love this machine” Ratcliff remarks as he flies the aircraft through another remarkable New Zealand landscape.

He has been flying DJI aerial products for 3 years starting with the Phantom 1 through to the Phantom 4 and is an avid and experienced pilot.

One particular feature Ratcliff was excited about is the obstacle avoidance system. “It’s got this obstacle avoidance system…to keep it from crashing into things!”

The Phantom 4’s ‘Obstacle Sensing System’ is always scanning for obstacles in its path. The system is composed of two special cameras at the front of the aircraft which help it avoid collisions by either hovering, going around, or going over the obstacle.

Ratcliff continues “it’s so fun and easy to fly. That’s the other big surprise that most people encounter when I hand over the controls to them…if you ever feel that you’re losing control just let go of the sticks and the Phantom 4 will hover there and will remain totally steady.”

The Phantom 4 uses multiple satellites for positioning, relying on both GPS and GLONASS. This allows the aircraft to connect to satellites more quickly and position itself accurately in the air. “Even in a crosswind…the Phantom 4 will stay steady” Ratcliff observes.

When affected by such wind, the Phantom 4’s integrated 3-axis gimbal removes unwanted vibration and movement. This means the camera can continue to capture butter-smooth and fluid footage.

A further feature of the Phantom 4 is that the intelligent battery lasts 25 minutes which Ratcliff advises is plenty of time to take the shots you need. Additionally, the battery has informative status indicator lights and auto-discharges to protect it if stored unused for 10 days.

Finally, Ratcliff offers a little bit of insight into his technique when he’s out with the Phantom 4.

As soon as he launches the aircraft, he begins taking video and views the live stream on his tablet. When he sees a shot that he wants to take, he stops recording, takes the photograph then resumes recording. He suggests that the Phantom 4 is so stable that he does not need to do any post-production stabilisation.

With drone technology, there are more possibilities than ever for anyone with an interest in photography.

As Ratcliff says, “forever, photographers have been tethered to where their camera and lens happens to be which is a completely arbitrary location, right beside the head. But now the camera can be literally anywhere, which is incredibly exciting!”

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Yuneec Q500 4k GPS problems

Launched earlier in 2016, the DJI Phantom 4 is recognised as the “best-in-class” RC quadcopter, contrasting with the year-old and problem plagued Yuneec Q500 4K.

DJI Phantom 4 reviews make it very clear that the DJI RC Quadcopter is the definitive winner in the DJI vs Yuneec contest.

A DJI Phantom 4 comparison against its competition becomes pretty straightforward when the Phantom’s collision avoidance feature is taken into account. Almost any Typhoon H review, evaluating the drone that Yuneec China produces, mentions that Yuneec drones are prone to connectivity problem. And one of the reasons for that is its reliance on Yuneec Q500 4k GPS tracking only.

On the contrary, Phantom 4 flight tracking is done through GPS as well as GLONASS. Launched in 1982, GLONASS is a Russian-led satellite network intended to work for weather positioning, velocity measuring and timing anywhere in the world or near-Earth space. Access to the US-led GPS system and to GLONASS makes the Phantom 4 a much better connected drone. All of this can be credited to DJI’s superior R&D capability.

DJI Phantom 4 signal loss incidents are extremely rare. And that’s at least partially due to the dual-support the drone gets. When used alone GLONASS doesn’t necessarily have a stronger coverage than GPS. But when both are used together, GPS+GLONASS certainly increase accuracy as well as coverage. And it is more useful in northern latitudes as Russia started GLONASS originally for Russia.

DJI Phantom 4 has a clear advantage over the Q500 4K or even any intel UAV Typhoon H. Accuracy is an advantage of using GLONASS with up-to 2 metre of accuracy. GPS+GLONASS allows the DJI drone to be pin pointed by a group of over 55 satellites all across the globe.

 

 

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How will Yuneec fare in getting Typhoon H Pro features up to speed?

Yuneec has set out to provide a host of delicate new features on the Typhoon H Pro and that has more than a few users worried that the initial cost will only grow quickly as the inevitable need for third-party accessories and replacements for damaged parts comes into play.

Already reports are out that the retractable landing gear has had issues and at times halts, making the flying profile more awkward. Other problems stemming from the landing gear mean moving around placements for the Intel Realsense module and figuring out an entire new production line sequence.

Of course UAV drone manufacturers normally go through teething issues to bring models up to scratch and invite a feedback loop from beta, or early, users who can help tweak R&D efforts.

Forums say Yuneec is along in that process, but as seen in the past with its internal WiFi card and related issues with GPS, fixing problems means sending units back to the head office where they pile up in need of attention as engineers in the company try and move ahead on new models.

At stake in that back-and-forth on the old and new is the real prospect of quality getting sidelined as a user, Andrew Z., in an August video posting showed.

“Just got my Yuneec Typhoon H Pro last week and took it to my overseas trip. 1.5 hours into flying it crashes into lake with no warning. There was a message on screen about 5 engine failures or something like it.”

And the feedback from fellow users then highlighted other probable causes, including issues that harken back to the Yuneec Q500.

“You know, that looks much like a battery failure, flying fine then no warning falls from sky then lights up the ST16,” said Batfire.

“Seen this myself with my copters but fortunately was only 2 foot off ground when failed. There is a lag time from bird to transmitter. The Yuneec batteries are not good batteries from the get go … check the resistance of a new one verses other brands and you will see. That’s why I replace them as soon as I get a high resistance battery. I saw this with the Q500 batteries and only use them in my land drones, no flying with those batteries due to this very issue.”

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Drones for Good: Mitigating Mining Disasters

Drone could be used for good by mitigating environmental disasters at mines says former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer who serves as Chairman of the Board at Stillwater Mining Company, the only U.S. producer of platinum and palladium.

“I see a real use for drone at mines in monitoring for environmental changes in settling ponds,” said Schweitzer. “By more closely monitoring these ponds we could drastically reduce the odds of an environmental disaster that could contaminate clean water, erode habitats and harm animals or people.”

Settling ponds are used to collect wastewater or tailings at mines and thereby control water pollution. Mines monitor these ponds to enable timely detection and correction of adverse trends in the biological condition and quality or quantity of groundwater and surface water.

Schweitzer says there are still improvements to be made in detection of problems and he believes drone could help. “Having an eye in the sky and viewing the ponds, the land and nearby water sources from that perspective would give mines more information – you can really see where what water is doing or where it might be moving from the air.”

The year before, an EPA crew at the Gold King Mine in Colorado accidentally unleashed more than 3 million gallons of water filled with mercury and arsenic. The toxic spill flowed into the Animas River, eventually running into New Mexico’s San Juan River and into Lake Powell.

Another incident happened in Brazil when a dam built to hold back water and residue from a mining operation burst, killing 19 people and causing major mudslides and polluting more than 400 miles of waterways.

There are a number of techniques used to prevent the release of contaminated water including things that UAV’s could monitor and collect data on.

“For example drone could monitor rain and snowmelt runoff easily seeing from the air where the water was headed giving mines better lead time for water diversion and preventing the potential for water contamination from exposed tailings,” said Schweitzer.

“UAV’s could monitor evaporation rates in the ponds and see changes in water coloration or capture drainage problems that could cause overflows,” he continued.

Schweitzer added, “You could be seeing the potential problems from anywhere and share the data with mine experts around the world if something was off. That means better response times that could stop an environmental disaster before it happens. It’s another way drone could be used for good and that’s pretty cool.”

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Tips, Tricks and Advice for Filming a Film with a DJI Osmo

Jon Lim is a Tech Reviewer at Staples Canada Tech Hub as well as a Software Engineer for Proofpoint, Inc. His passion is technology and after seeing the DJI Osmo, he immediately wanted to put it through its paces. After a short hands-on demo, Jon already sung the Osmo’s praises in an article for the Staples Canada Tech Hub, but we wanted to really test the Osmo as a filmmaking tool. What would it be like, he wondered, to shoot and edit a short film entirely with just the Osmo and DJI Go? Here’s what he discovered and some of the lessons and tricks he learned along the way.

1. Trusting the Gimbal

Going into his experiment, Jon already knew he could rely on some of the stabilization features that the Osmo provides.

“You can lock it on a specific point, you can have it roll along with your motion, or you can control it directly using the joystick,” he says.

Jon used this feature so he could focus on composition and movement, rather than the often complex logistics of making a shot look smooth.

2. The Gimbal has its limitations

Despite being able to stabilize within a certain degree, the Osmo can only handle so much. When Jon tried shooting from a car, the bumps in the road made him jump in his seat – causing the footage to look more jumpy than usual.

“The shot itself was steady, but the hands holding the camera were getting jerked around, so the end result was jarring and discombobulated,” he said

Additionally, strong wind will affect the gimbal’s motors, so hanging it outside of a moving car will overpower the motors and decrease the efficiency of the motors.

Jon’s shoot lasted around 6 hours in total but actual shoot time was only about an hour. The Osmo can do many things wonderfully but there’s no free Osmo lunch without the power needed to shoot in 4K while using a phone connected to Wi-Fi.

Jon’s advice: “If you’re going to be doing any extensive shooting with the DJI Osmo, I highly recommend you bring a battery for every 30 minutes of footage (or 60 minutes of standby time) that you’d like to capture.”

Watch Jon’s Osmo only film ‘Touring the 6ix #FiestaFoodie’ — “where we drove around the six boroughs of Toronto, eating at a restaurant in each one” — here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU6ahihQc7A

So… the gimbal is good but not always and it runs low on batteries… We need some more positives here.

 

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Camera options with a Yuneec drone remain limited

Options for cameras attached to a Yuneec drone, whether the RC quadcopter Yuneec Q500 series or the hexacopter Typhoon H models, a series of potential glitches thwarts pilots.

Ironically, one of these glitches comes with a Yuneec drone designed to accommodate a GoPro camera.

The Typhoon G was built specifically to house a GoPro along with the Typhoon G500 4K and Typhoon G500+, but a software update by GoPro “GoPro halted the camera stream out of the USB port, rendering the user helpless to get the desired video. This can leave the Yuneec drone without the ability to capture video, in essence.

As well, the struts need to be removed from the undercarriage of the Yuneec drone to attach the camera mount, the often-flimsy Yuneec SteadyGrip, onto the gimbal. But the AA NiMH battery system gimbal of the Yuneec drone does not charge the GoPro via the via USB and blocks the memory card slot.

These problems highlight earlier comparisons of DJI Phantom vs Yuneec in quality, notes a review in the World According to Cole that discusses the Yuneec drone.

“Getting back to the original comparison between the DJI Phantom 3 and the Yuneec Typhoon Q55+ Quadcopters: These two drones are similarly priced with similar, but not certainly not identical features,” Cole writes.

“If you’re interested in getting higher quality video (up to 4K), you may want to consider the Phantom 3 Professional, which can record video at three levels: High Definition (HD), Full High Definition (FHD), and Ultra High Definition (UHD), whereas the Typhoon Q500 only supports video in HD. If HD is enough for you, then the Phantom 3 Advanced model has the advantage based on price.”

Then of course there are the connection issues between the camera and controller that come with almost every Yuneec drone because of faulty internal WiFi cards and fewer satellites to lock on than DJI has for GPS connections.

This can result in a flyaway Yuneec drone, especially if line-of-sight is lost, and a loss of video. DJI routinely show better attention to detail in the operation of drones.

“The Phantom 3 holds the clear edge when comparing the maximum transmission distance of the controller, i.e., what’s the maximum distance (line of sight) that the drone can communicate with the controller? For the Phantom 3, it’s 2,000 meters; for the Typhoon, it’s only 600 meters, which is more than 3 times less than the Phantom 3,” Cole writes.

Practically speaking, the GPS transmitter on every Yuneec drone needs to be in sync with at least six satellites to get the Yuneec drone to follow the operator’s movements from above and aid in possible recovery – particularly important for new users, to maneuver the drone home if it comes out of range.

These transmission issues affect a number of in-flight parameters of a Yuneec drone that new users can probably adapt to with some trial and error. But the bigger issue on a Yuneec drone is when the casual user starts to want to use the drone for work-related tasks. This is a big and growing area that includes using drones to survey roof tops for repair issues, or surveying land.

Quality video is crucial to getting the work done.

 

 

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Drone 4K Resolution Aerial Video is Essential

There’s a lot of white noise around the hype of image resolution, particularly in the consumer market. Major electronics companies tout 4K resolution as a major selling point for all of their newest model televisions, and it’s even a key aspect of Apple’s newest “shot on iPhone” campaign. It’s no surprise that the drone industry is following suit, providing many quadcopter options with 4K video, but is it necessary for aerial videography?

The answer, in short, is yes. 4K is slowly becoming the new standard for video; mainstream movies have been shooting at 4K or even higher resolutions for the better part of a decade and now with the new aforementioned televisions that are starting to permeate the market, standard HD will soon be fully upstaged by 4K, or “UltraHD” in every living room around the world.

So where does aerial drone photography fit in to all of this? Fundamentally, there is a general need to keep up with the Joneses- as a disruptive technology, it’s always important to be at the forefront of new advancements. It keeps a company both relevant and competitive. DJI is a good example of this ideology. Their Inspire drone was DJI’s first foray into 4K video at a time when not a lot of people, even prosumers, were clamoring for 4K resolution. But since the Inspire’s release, 4K has become a standard feature in all of DJI’s subsequent drone and camera releases including the Phantom and Osmo lines.

Speaking more creatively, shooting in a resolution as high as 4K from the air simply means all of those gorgeous aerials will look even better. Most drone cameras focus to infinity, meaning anything and everything in the frame is evenly sharp. With 4K, smaller details like tree branches, cars, and even people will stop being colorful blotches and will actually possess detail and sharpness.

On the consumer side, this is a passive feature that will make their amateur and home footage look stunning without really having to do anything different other than fly around with the camera recording. For professionals, shooting aerials at 4K means the footage can finally match the visual fidelity of expensive motion picture cameras from companies like Red and Arri. This in turn means movie and television productions will be encouraged to use the technology. It also provides the option to zoom in to specific elements within the frame if the final video is being finished at a standard HD (1080p) resolution.

4K resolution has become an essential component of not just standard video and film, but for drone and aerial photography as well. It quite simply can mean the difference between ho-hum images and jaw-dropping video.

 

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Yuneec review:YUNEEC Q500 vs DJI PHANTOM 4

When it comes to consumer-level drones, one model rules the skies. DJI’s Phantom and yuneec typhoon, is the flying machine of choice for professional videographers, drone enthusiasts, and increasingly, mass-market consumers.

But just like every other drone manufacturer in the game, Yuneec has also been living in the shadow of DJI for the past few years. No matter how advanced or capable Yuneec’s Typhoon drones have gotten, the company just can’t seem to unseat DJI from its throne.

YUNEEC Q500+ TYPHOON DRONE:

This is a drone that is capable of recording full HD 1080p 60 FPS videos and taking 16 megapixel photographs. What we found very appealing is that the package includes an aluminum case, TWO batteries, a battery charger, double set of propellers, a 32GB micro SD card, and ST10+ Ground Station, besides the drone itself.

It also has cool features such as Follow Me, and a totally new way of filming your handheld video with an included handheld gimbal that uses the detachable camera from the drone.

DJI PHANTOM 4:

• Its ActiveTrack allows the drone to follow a moving subject with just a few taps on your tablet or smartphone. You don’t need a beacon and a band, because you can program the drone to follow a moving POI as well as circle around the desired subject as it moves, or you can even re-frame the shot just by dragging the subject on the display.
• The great thing about this drone is that flying is now literally something that anyone can do, because this drone offers features like Obstacle Sensing System, which allows you to focus only on filming, while the drone flies on his own and avoids any obstacles along the way.
• Sport Mode – In this mode, the drone offers the best flight controls in its class. This mode allows you to let your drone fly with 25% more speed, while the positioning systems are in charge of keeping your drone safe.
• 28 minutes of flight – Thanks to a better aerodynamic design, the latest high-tech propulsion system, as well as a larger battery, the Phantom 4 is capable of staying in the air and filming for 28 minutes.

 

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How to choose your first drone

If you’re looking to buy your first drone, you can save a lot of time by asking a simple question:

What do I want to use my drone for?

UAV pros say the answer will make it easy for a dealer to help you find the drone that’s right for you. Stores like Kentucky-based Fly High USA have UAVs for all uses, from agriculture to public safety to backyard photography.

Fly High CEO Ralph Rigdon says what really matters when purchasing a drone is end use, price point and ease of use. “Those are the three big ones,” he said.

No experience? No problem

When a customer with no UAV experience calls Fly High looking for a drone to take pictures, Rigdon steers them toward DJI Phantom 4.

“The Phantom 4 is an easier bird to fly,” says Rigdon.

All it takes to get a DJI Phantom 4 off the ground is charging the battery and installing the DJI GO app on your smart phone. The best part is that DJI flight controller is compatible with every DJI drone – just in case you want to upgrade to a model like the Inspire 1.

“It works so flawlessly it’s fantastic,” says J.T. VonLunen, president of Rocky Mountain Unmanned Systems, a company that specializes in commercial and industrial UAV sales.

Another DJI feature that will save you the time you would have spent checking out other drones is obstacle avoidance – a perk you’ll want to have if you’re working up to your first flight.

DJI’s obstacle avoidance system continuously scans the surrounding environment and detects obstacles in real time. The feature will tell your flight controller to automatically avoid collisions – even at high speeds.

That means if you’re flying a Phantom 4 and you come too close to a tree, the drone stops.

The feature sets DJI apart from other companies – especially in tandem with its innovative TapFly system, which allows you to fly your drone in any direction by simply tapping your finger on a specific point on your flight controller app’s map.

And get this: It doesn’t matter if there are trees or buildings in the way. With obstacle avoidance switched on, the drone will automatically avoid obstacles, slow down or hover.

What’s your budget?

It’s important to know how much money you want to spend on your drone.

If you’re a new pilot, the best drone dealers will take that into account when helping you choose a model.

“It’s a partnership,” Rigdon says. “We can save you a world of hurt.”

When it comes to replacement parts, choosing a beginner model like the Phantom 4 will save you a headache.

“If you crash it, it doesn’t cost you and arm and a leg to repair it,” Rigdon says. “The worst case scenario is $1400 bucks.”

A first-time drone buyer will also want to consider added costs like buying a case – and a few extra batteries (although the Phantom 4 ships in its own case).

Battery brands make a big difference. Some offer a lifetime warranty. Others don’t.

Bottom line? Do your research. And stick with an established brand.

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Is the heavy and expensive Yuneec Q500 worth its price tag?

The Yuneec Q500 is marketed as a drone that can be used for film and photography, but the ultimate use is, really, up to the pilot and some of the restrictions in the design and what might be considered a shortage of R&D.

While the battery life in the Yuneec Q500 is reasonable, it doesn’t last as long as the battery in the DJI Phantom 4.

The Yuneec Q500 has a control unit that fashions a big display screen on the remote, a screen that is almost too big and low res. There are other issues with the Yuneec Q500 controller. The buttons and switches are not organized in the most logical or intuitive manner. And using it can be an overly complicated affair even for experienced pilots.

It is also worth considering that the Yuneec Q500 isn’t supported by a mobile app as efficient as the DJI Go app.

The tracking features on the Yuneec Q500 are decent but fail to live up to those in many a DJI model. In fact, a DJI Yuneec lawsuit underway is based on the similarities of some of these features between Yuneec drones and those from DJI.

The Yuneec Q500 is part of the effort by Yuneec China to challenge DJI – the largest among the world’s UAV drone manufacturers.

The DJI vs Yuneec contest underway is fairly interesting but one that DJI appears to be winning with some ease.

With the Phantom 4, DJI has further cemented its position as the undisputed leader in the market. Yes, the Yuneec Q500 can be an attractive looking drone with a bit of flair in its design, with a swept-back body and curved surfaces but its plastic material is far from classy or tasteful and it can also raise questions about the strength of the drone.

The shiny silver-and-white plastic skin of the body makes the Yuneec Q500 look more like an oversized toy than the serious device that the Yuneec Q500 is supposed to be.

The design is decent but not completely free from flaws – a fact that points out why DJI is the clear winner in terms of R&D and consumer focus.

DroneCompares reviews have overwhelmingly acknowledged the Yuneec Q500 as a drone with reasonable operating range with automated takeoff and landing. Having said that, against a DJI Phantom 4 comparison, the vast majority of experts endorse the DJI drone’s easy handling and control.

The Yuneec Q500 control unit may be a bit tricky to the first time user as well. While DJI features like ActiveTrack or TapFly put the Phantom series in a separate class from the Yuneec Q500.

Another major point of DJI Phantom 4 comparison against the Yuneec Q500 is the camera. The Yuneec Q500 costs more than most other drones Yuneec and other manufacturers. But pilots with first-hand experience are labelling the Yuneec Q500 camera as disappointing. The resolution seems to be inferior to even the older DJI Phantom 3 model. The Yuneec Q500 lens feels cheap and the image quality sometimes may look like it was shot with an amateur smartphone lens.

On the other hand, almost every DJI Phantom 4 review has showered an abundance of praise on its camera.

Overall, the Yuneec Q500 is an interesting drone with numerous flight modes and an ok camera but the biggest drawbacks for the Yuneec Q500 are performance inconsistencies and some of the features that are overcomplicated and difficult to use.

 

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DJI Drone Flying through Fireworks

It rises from the ground with glowing light. Hundreds of feet in the air you see flashing colors traveling through the sky. No, it’s not a firecracker, it’s a DJI Phantom 4, the most recent incarnation of DJI’s most popular line of crafts, flying steadily through fireworks.

Before consumer drones were available to the public, spectators have had to watch fireworks displays from the ground. Fireworks most commonly explode 200 to 1500 feet from the ground so there is a significant amount of distance from the audience to the magical display.

In the past few years, UAVs (aka drones) have allowed filmmakers all over the world to get a perspective never before available. Getting up close and personal with the fireworks, the drones fly around, through, and over the incendiary spectacles with perfectly stable professional quality cameras.

The most common drones we see taking the footage that photographers and videographers need are DJI’s Phantom series and Inspire 1series crafts. With the range and stability necessary for safety in flying, cameras that can capture the low light footage with no grain necessary for nighttime fireworks shows, and a number of smart flight modes that allow pilots to maneuver in complicated situations easily, DJI’s aircrafts are proving to be the best tool for a large number professionals and amateurs alike.

Popular vlogger Devin Graham, aka devinsupertramp, recently released a video showing his use of a Phantom 4 at an event run by Firestorm Pyrotechnics in Utah. Inspired by an incredibly popular video released in 2014 showing a Phantom 2 flying directly through a large fireworks display, Devin decided to take on the subject with a much more powerful tool.

In many of Devin’s videos on his popular YouTube channel, he successfully uses his Phantom 4, but shooting fireworks from so close is unlike anything he’s done. “[For] most of this video with the DJI Phantom 4 we actually filmed it with an ISO of 1600. And I was a little scared to kind of push the ISO that high, but there was no grain on the image whatsoever so I was like mind blown stoked about that.”

Other popular and up and coming vloggers like BFvsGF and DeathByVlog have also recently released their own drone captured fireworks footage using DJI crafts getting over 1 million views in just a few months.

Like any good pilot, safety is Devin’s crew’s highest concern when flying at public events like this. “Because there were going to big fireworks going off we also made sure that we were in a designated area where we were not above people, so lets just say if one of these drones did get hit, which they actually [did] get hit several times, but if one got shot down it wasn’t going to land on someone or hurt someone.” With the Phantom 4’s collision avoidance and return-to-home functionality Devin and his team had no problems flying their quadcopter home amidst the hectic environment.

As drone and camera technology is advanced by companies like DJI, filmmakers will continue to test the limits of these tools for the sake of their audience to provide footage never deemed possible.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28nHbglR8Xo

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5 Reasons Why the DJI Phantom 4 is Awesome for Travel Photography

Travelling with a drone is one of the best ways to explore new parts of the world from new perspectives. With a camera-equipped quadcopter, you’re able to look the world from new, revolutionary angles and capture it for others to see.

Let us show you exactly why the DJI Phantom 4 UAV is an amazing addition to the travelling photographer’s toolbox!

A wider view

Ascend just a hundred meters up in the air and you get access to completely new landscape shots. Whether deserts, oceans, forests or mountains, many types of scenery are best captured from above. And seeing the shot on the live HD view from your drone before you capture it is a thrilling experience.

Capture the impossible

It’s not just about perspectives but also about smart features enabled by powerful software that let you capture shots that you would otherwise never able to. With ActiveTrack, you can easily track for example a kayaker, a mountain biker or a skateboarder — or capture yourself while doing any of these activities! This simply isn’t possible any other way, unless you have your own film crew handy.

Also, in case you think this seems risky and crash prone, don’t worry. The DJI Phantom 4 has a Sense and Avoid system that lets it automatically avoid obstacles in its path. While other platforms on the market do claim to have similar systems, we have found the Phantom 4’s to be the most effective.

New perspectives on well-known sights

With the Phantom 3 or 4, you can capture landmarks from new angles to see their grandness in new ways. See for example how Christ the Redeemer in Rio looks like when shot from above, instead of the usual perspective from below.

Travel video

If there’s anything that’s better than drone travel photography, it would have to be drone travel videography! The Phantom 4 has a powerful, crystal clear 4K video camera that lets you shoot professional quality video from the sky. As a bonus, you can both edit and share the footage right from the DJI GO app, so your footage is up in just minutes.

Livestream

With the newest version of DJI GO, you can also stream to YouTube Live directly from the app. This not only means that your audience around the world can see the same sights as you do, but they can experience new places at the same time as you do, bringing them closer than ever before. It’s truly an amazing to be able to share the wonder you feel with people around the world at the same time.

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Hover Camera quadcopter drone review

Consumer drones have exploded in popularity in recent years. These flying camera computers have the ability to detect faces, follow people around, fly on their own, land safely, and perform all sorts of cinematic tricks that used to require helicopters, cranes, steady hands, and lots of patience. And the prices are falling all the time: DJI’s Phantom 4 drone costs $1,100 and can avoid objects while tracking moving objects at over 25mph. And a new drone, from Chinese startup Hover Camera quadcopter drone, aims to be the first affordable drone to normalize constant filming—like a pet paparazzo that can track your every move.

The Hover Camera Passport allows users to chronicle their adventures, hands-free.

Zero Zero Robotics developed Hover Camera quadcopter drone to be the easy solution to a traveler’s needs. The camera almost serves as your own personal camera crew. It doesn’t require a selfie stick or attachment to capture videos. (There’s nothing stranger than watching a friend’s Go-Pro footage and not seeing their forearm in the frame the whole time.)

And don’t worry if flying a drone seems intimidating; the Hover Camera Passport uses facial recognition technology to follow you around automatically, letting you focus on being the model, not the photographer. If you want more control, just use the simple, intuitive iOS or Android app with just a few taps and swipes. The 13-megapixel camera can be tilted while in flight, and electronic image stabilization provides 4K video of your holiday adventure. And while flight time may seem a bit limited at under ten minutes, it’s easy to swap out a fresh battery and keep the fun going.

Some of the issues with the Passport might get fixed in the future, since the drone gets software updates fairly regularly. My first gripe, and one that may be fixed, is with the auto-follow modes. It’s actually a little difficult to get the camera to follow you if you aren’t moving extremely slowly and staying in its field of vision at all times. So, it’ll follow you on a run in a straight line, but it tends to cut out or “lose” you if you turn — even if you go slowly. That’s just for the body-based follow mode. The face-based mode should follow you based on facial recognition, and I only got that one to work once.

Keep in mind that the auto-follow modes are one of the Passport’s biggest selling points, so this is kind of a big con. However, like I said, the drone gets software updates, so this issue could be resolved. The company even said they might add auto-follow for animals or objects (which isn’t available yet).

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Will you get hover camera?

The Hover Camera Passport is finally here. Safe, portable, foldable, and easy-to-use. Everything you need in a flying camera. What we really want to know is will you get a Hover Camera?

Once unfolded, users can see an adjustable camera —complete with flash —on the front of the device. It’s capable of capturing 4K ultra-high-definition video, as well as 13-megapixel images, putting it about on par with Apple’s iPhone 6s lens.

Impressively, the Passport includes sensors on the bottom, including sonar, to measure the distance from air to ground. This allows for safe indoor use, giving the drone some idea of how far it is off the ground, and helping it to maintain a set altitude.

Once it’s in the air, it can capture 13MP photos and 4K video, which you control from a smartphone app. And thanks to facial recognition technology, it’ll follow you around, trying to stay perfectly level as it does.

Here’s where the fun begins. Once airborne, the Hover Camera will follow a subject autonomously as he or she moves and record all the action with its 13-megapixel camera. The camera records video at resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD. The device can also rotate in place to take 360-degree panoramic photos, and it has plenty more tricks up its sleeve.

The team at Zero Zero claims anybody should be able to use the Hover right out of the box, because its AI and advanced flight algorithms will do all of the work of keeping Hover airborne for you.

There’s no getting around it. The Hover Camera Passport looks like it could be the tech product to buy. Sure, the DJI Mavic Pro offers an unparalleled high-spec experience, but for your standard flying selfie machine, the Hover Camera has been built with simplicity in mind and comes in at half the price – not that the two can really be compared of course. The Hover Camera is directed at a totally different clientele – we’re thinking younger people with no previous experience of flying, but that are still comfortable using an app to control a device. So pretty much all millennials then.

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Lost in the crowd: Yuneec Breeze VR Review

Yuneec wants you to wear a 2 lb plastic bucket while selfie flying.

Some ideas are best left on the drawing board. And as this Yuneec Breeze VR Review explains, that includes wearing a 2 lb plastic encased virtual reality screen on your head while operating a camera drone with a battery life of about a dozen minutes.

The initial Yuneec Breeze VR Review for this “selfie” drone is mixed, with the item reaching a handful of distributors and some brave outlets taking orders. The main complaints center on the stability of the camera in streaming 4K video – the short answer is to avoid this and move to 1080p – and the value for money in the US$500 price tag.

We’ll look at those features in a minute in this Yuneec Breeze VR Review, but reports suggest Yuneec has now moved beyond the initial use of the SkyView FPV headset from the Typhoon H and Tornado H920 models to the Breeze.

That adds a whopping US$250 for the complete set, taking the Yuneec drone out of the realm of plug-and-ply to take some quick aerial snapshots on a sunny day to a price well above the more robust and feature-laden DJI Phantom 3 Standard with proprietary Lightbridge 2 technology for solid communications.

So for $750 what would the targeted first-time drone buyer get?

A beetle-shaped drone that weighs half a pound and is about the size of a large cream puff with a camera that has a review swivel advertised at 90 degrees, but which a Yuneec Breeze VR Review suggests is closer to 75 degrees.

This will be tethered by a cable between a smartphone or tablet to the VR headset that has a 5-inch, 720p display with a 75.5-degree field of view, a bit shy of direct competitors that offer 110-degree fields of view.

The Yuneec R&D team needs to review internal specs a bit closer.

In any event, that means three battery-operated pieces of equipment, the Yuneec Breeze, your own smartphone and the SkyView, operating in sync over a 12-minute optimum battery cycle. According to a Yuneec Breeze VR Review, this configuration would deliver not mechanically stabilized 4K video, which early reviewers suggest is choppy. As mentioned in the Yuneec Breeze VR Review, most users instead select electronically stabilized feeds at 1080p.

Of course the fun starts if you are walking around with the headset and operating all three gadgets. One Yuneec Breeze VR Review on Amazon described the SkyView as made of “cheap materials” and labelled “uncomfortable, and the light gets inside.” “NOT for multi-focal wearers.”

But the real problems may start because of the limited connection range for the Breeze to the WiFi connection on the smartphone or tablet – about 80 meters. If the connection drops, as mentioned in a Yuneec Breeze VR Review, tearing off the headset and gaining line of sight could be crucial. Though the drone has internal positioning sensors, performance has been described as uneven in the Yuneec Breeze VR Review.

That would also mean severing the cable tether from the headset to the controller. So a drone pilot would need to readjust focus to more intense light conditions quickly on a phone screen that in most cases would lack a hood to cut glare.

Based on this Yuneec Breeze VR Review, it’s hard to see how a solo flyer would pull off all of these mechanics and at the very least some safety protocols would need to be worked out in advance with a second person available to jump in should the Yuneec drone attempt a flyaway or looks set to crash to earth.

Finally, the Yuneec Breeze VR Review shows that Yuneec appears to have made the SkyView proprietary to the Yuneec drone APP and controller, which in a comparison of DJI vs Yuneec shows that DJI models can use a variety of VR headsets with all DJI Phantom models and the Inspire 1 – with pilots often buying units second-hand at low cost on eBay.

So here’s some free advice for Yuneec. Keep this idea on the drawing board.

 

 

 

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