Yuneec Breeze is for the selfies generation

A new “flying camera” Yuneec Breeze 4K from Yuneec is proper for the selfies generation and affordable to mass market.

It’s aimed primarily at social media users who want to easily capture aerial photos or videos of their exploits then share them quickly with their circle of real (and virtual) mates.

To that end, the Yuneec Breeze 4K is small and lightweight (385g), making it easy to carry around with you, and doesn’t have a dedicated controller. This isn’t some acrobatic wonder, or a drone you’re going to send half a mile away – it’s designed for close, simple, largely automated (it has GPS and optical sensors to keep it steady) flight, and it’s all controlled by a smartphone app.

Like I said, this isn’t designed to be a fun flying machine, just an affordable, easy-to-use aerial camera platform. The app control extends to about 100m, and gives you a live feed from the drone’s front-mounted camera, all the better to frame those majestic selfies.

But while the lack of a dedicated controller might limit your ability for fine-tuned control, the Yuneec Breeze 4K can be piloted directly using touchscreen controls, as well as made to fly in a variety of special modes – there’s auto take-off and landing, return-to-home, plus modes that’ll have the drone circle your position, training the camera on you at all times, or focus on a point-of-interest.

The battery gives you about 12 minutes of air-time per charge, during which you can capture footage at up to 4K quality or 13MP stills. And the app (which is available for Android and iOS from launch) then allows you to share photos directly via Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more.

Relatively, yes. Now the Yuneec Breeze 4K is $380, making it a lot less stressful on the wallet than the more “advanced” drones we’re used to seeing . Compared to other Yuneec series and many rival quadcopters,the Breeze 4K drone is real cheap.

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DJI Go app another consideration in DJI Phantom 4 vs Yuneec Typhoon H comparison

There are myriad ways to undertake a Yuneec Typhoon H vs Phantom 4 comparison. While the one is quite possibly the most advanced consumer focused drone on the market, the other is a large bird that does not quite seem to pull off its futuristic look but does take up a lot of space.

Backed by a wealth of R&D the Phantom 4 has a range of features that allow both experienced and brand new pilots to fly the drones almost immediately after taking them out of the well-designed carrying case and do so in safety (thanks to state of the art obstacle avoidance capabilities) with virtually no reports of DJI Phantom 4 signal loss.

One big reason why flying a Phantom 4 is such a relatively straightforward proposition is the DJI Go app, which provides much more functionality than a new app used to control the Yuneec Typhoon H. For the time being, the app in the Typhoon controller is relatively new and has only limited functionality, according to a DroneCompares review of both.

There is virtually nothing that the DJI Go app cannot control on the RC quadcopter. The all-in-one application makes it possible – in fact easy – for pilot to fine tune settings on the drones, receive telemetry, edit photos and videos and share those photos and videos on a smartphone or tablet bypassing a computer.

The DJI Go is yet another reason why DJI continue to maintain its position as the most popular brand of drones, with a prohibitive lead in market share. In a survey of some 250 beta members, dedicated site NVdrones found 81% of respondents owned at least one DJI drone compared to just 5% that own a Yuneec drone. Other brands such as Enhang or Zerotech (produced by Shenzhen Zero-tech UAV Limited) trail further behind.

 

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How to take off/land your drone during sailing

 

Professional as Inspire 2 or small as Mavic Pro, you can order most DJI drones to take off/land with one button. Well, you may not want to do that when you’re on yacht/ship.

So today we’re going to talk about a few know-hows for flying drones above ocean.

1.Take off

 

There is a lot to consider to take off on ships: weather, temperature, wind, signal, as well as whether the ship is stable or spatial enough to take off.

If you’ve got quite a ship with spatial, unobstructed deck, of course you can set flight by simply put it on deck and press take-off button on RC.

However, if you’re on a speed boat/sailing boat, you’d better take off by holding your drone in hands in order to avoid obstacles like rope and mast.

If you’re going to take off the drone by holding its landing gear, I strongly suggest you to cooperate with your teammates. It’s difficult to keep balance on the ship/yacht.

Raise the drone above your head. Start the motor, when you feel the lift, let go of the drone.

2.Shoot footage

 

Make sure you have got good GPS signal before taking off, so that you can see Home Point on the map of DJI Go 4 app.

However, the map of the sea will be a vast blue, it’s hard to tell which direction the drone goes. Also, you may lost track of it easily with strong glows of sea.

 

Watch your monitor screen closely. Stay concentrated on critical flight parameters including battery level, speed, distance, altitude etc., and adjust parameters when necessary.

 

Do not go beyond your visual range. In this way, you can keep the drone safe while get what you want to shoot.

If you really want to let drone go beyond your sight distance, it must not exceeds the official transmission range. Otherwise the drone is highly likely to be gone. When you lose the video transmission, try to adjust your antennas to see if the drone can return.

3.Return and land

 

You need to refresh home points frequently as the ship moves. We strongly suggest:

 

 

1. Do not go beyond visual range;

 

2. Return and land your drone manually, and do remember to refresh home point frequently. So you can use RTH to make it hover near you, and then land it manually;

You can refresh home point in setting.

3. Land it manually.

Stay patient when it’s approaching the ship. With the ship waving, it’s quite difficult to success in one time. We recommend to get it with hands. If the weather is quite good, you can catch the landing gear very easily. When it gets windy, it’s quite difficult for us to finish it.

Do keep in mind: don’t put down your hands until the motors stop completely.

More Q&A

1. Can I use the drone to follow a ship/yacht?

 

Usually a ship moves around 20km/h, ocean liners may sail at 40-70km/h. You can command the drone to circle around the ship, you will get quite some good photos. Don’t go too far, though.

2. Can I fly it close to sea level?

 

Yes. But make it 5 meters above the water. In case waves smash down your drone or splash water into it. Remember

3. Can I take off when it gets windy?

 

DJI Inspire series can endure wind at 10m/s. You can use app to check the wind speed or consult the crew. Please remember 1 nautical mile/h=1.852km/h.

4. What can I do if I lost control over the aircraft?

 

Before taking off, you need to set the aircraft’s action if lost control. Set it as ‘return to home’. If you lost control over it, wait patiently at the last home point, there is a chance it would come back.

5. Any relevant video I can check?

We uploaded a video of our aerial footage acquired above sea, you can check that.

 

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Is it a bargain to get a Phantom 4 Pro battery for my Phantom 4?

Many friends expressed their interests since DJI launched Phantom 4 Pro. However, some were paying special attention to the battery of Phantom 4 Pro.

The capacity of Phantom 4 battery is 5350mA, the flight time of Phantom 4 is 28min; while the capacity of Phantom 4 Pro battery is 5870mAh, flight time of P4P is around 30min. So we used P4 battery on P4P and P4P battery on P4.

Theoretically, when Phantom 4 uses the battery of Phantom 4 Pro (with 520mAh more), it should be able to fly longer. Since P4 and P4P have different weights, the battery level does not follow linear change. Here is test result:

Test environment: outdoor, breeze

Test method: P Mode, with forward and downward vision, hover without recording or taking photos until it is forced to land with low battery.

As you can see:

P4 battery（theoretically 5350mAh） P4P battery（theoretically 5870mAh）

P4 26’’ 02’                          29’’24’

P4P 25’’42’                         27’’56’

If you are paying enough attention to picture above, you will find battery level and the number of charge/discharge cycle. As a battery goes through more cycles, its capacity will drop. The capacity could be little higher than official number. So for all Phantom 4 Pro batteries tested, we tried to keep the capacity difference smaller than 100mAh.

With similar wear rates, we found a Phantom 4 can fly around 30mins with a P4P battery, extending the flight time by 3 minutes; while a Phantom 4 Pro flies about 26mins with Phantom 4 battery inside.

Phantom 4 Pro battery costs $10 more, but extends Phantom 4’s flight time by more than 2 minutes. If you have got a Phantom 4 and want to stick with it, it’s quite a bargain to buy some P4P batteries.

If you plan to buy Phantom 4 (aircraft and one P4 battery) with $1099, you may want to add 2 more P4P batteries. Total cost is: $1099+$169*2=$1437 , making it much cheaper than P4P.

 

 

 

 

 

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Yuneec Breeze 4K review: See what inside

THE CAMERA MARKET has long been segmented into three basic categories: Cameras for professionals, models for the so-called “serious hobbyists,” and models for the newcomer. From DSLRs to action cams and point-and-shoots, most cameras are squarely aimed at one of these three markets. The market for aerial photography (aka drones with real cameras on them) is about 150 years younger, and therefore somewhat less segmented. Up until now, there have been only two categories: Professional drones and hobbyist drones.

With the new Yuneec Breeze which is super light at just 0.81 pounds. The propellers and legs can fold up into about the size of an iPad (though of course slightly thicker). Every Breeze comes with a compact hard case, making it easy to travel with.

It has a 4K camera sensor, that stabilises the footage by cropping the videos down to 1080p. But being small also means its not going to handle much wind. Also I am not a huge fan of using my mobile phone to control the drone on a wifi connection as sometimes the connection is terrible, only giving you 30m range. But as a super transportable and easy to use videography drone it.

Compared to some other drones on the market, Breeze is a bit limited when it comes to flight performance. It has a max horizontal speed of 5 meters per second (roughly 11 miles per hour), can only ascend at a rate of one meter per second (about 2.2 miles per hour), and has a maximum range of just 100 meters (0.06 miles) — but that’s all by design. Yuneec intentionally built these limitations into the drone’s software, presumably to reduce the risk of crashing or losing your drone while you fly. That’s just the way it goes.

Due to the small size, its not rely possible to put a big battery on it, the Yuneec Breeze flight time is not that much, so it only flies for about 12minutes per battery which is nothing like the flight times of something like the phantom 4. However fortunately its possible to add a few extra batteries which can be hot swapped between flights.

So if you want to buy a Yuneec Breeze, you should take the Yuneec Breeze flight time into consideration most.

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The Most Complete Aerial Cameras Development History (II)

Yesterday we have published “The Most Complete Aerial Cameras Development History (I)” in which we focused on the core point—camera and analyzed the development history of previous drones carrying a GoPro, Panasonic GH4 or Sony A7. The results show that the all-in-one design is necessary because it’s better for flight experience and the combination of cameras with video transmission and app can make the operation and parameter settings more convenient.

Now taking DJI as an example, this article will explain what independent attempts the drone manufacturers have made in recent years to realize “all-in-one aerial photography”.

I. 【The First Ready-to-Fly Drone】Phantom 2 Vision

The Phantom 2 Vision released on October 2013 is DJI’s first all-in-one drone carrying an independent R&D camera—the DJI FC20. This ready-to-fly drone has unfolded the all-in-one design trend, freeing the consumers from installing gimbal camera and setting video transmission signal. Afterwards, a series of drones released by DJI and other drone manufacturers start to follow the “all-in-one” design trend.

This drone camera uses a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and supports 14 megapixel RAW and JEPG photo shooting and 1080 30p/60i video recording. Besides, its built-in single axis gimbal can be used for tilt stabilization. So it is literally the first “gimbal camera”.

Half a year later, DJI released Phantom 2 Vision + equipped with a 1/2.3 CMOS senor and 14 megapixel camera, but smaller and more delicate appearance. Moreover, the built-in gimbal improved a lot in that the previous servo was replaced by brushless motors and the stabilization effect was enhanced by a 3-axis gimbal.

II. 【Clearer and More Flexible】DJI Inspire 1

In November 2014, DJI released its professional drone Inspire 1. This drone with an awe-inspiring transforming design is equipped with Zenmuse X3, the first Zenmuse series camera which improved a lot in image quality and parameter adjustment.

This camera features 4K video shooting and offer various parameter adjustment options, such as 100-3200 ISO scale and shutter speed. The camera lens comes with 20mm infinite focus length and wide angle. Compared with motion cameras, it is specially optimized to eliminate distortions for aerial photography. Besides, the 3-axis gimbal with retractable landing gears enables a full 360⁰ unobstructed view and allows separate pilot monitoring and camerawork, enabling flexible and multi-angle shooting.

III. 【Let Your Creativity Fly】DJI Phantom 3 Series

So far, DJI has released four Phantom 3 Series including Phantom 3 Professional and Advanced in April 2015, Phantom 3 Standard in August 2015 and Phantom 3 4K in January 2016. Similar in appearance, the Phantom Professional and 4K supports 4K video shooting while the Phantom Advanced and Standard only supports 2.7K video shooting. Compared to the Phantom 2 Series, the Phantom 3 Series cameras have made a qualitative leap in their image quality. The cameras on Phantom 3 Series all have 12 megapixel sensors and 20mm f/2.8 lens, which can rival DJI Zenmuse X3.

IV.【Aerial Camera】Zenmuse X5 & X5R

In September 2015, DJI released two professional aerial cameras, Zenmuse X5 and X5R compatible with Inspire 1. As the updated version of Zenmuse X3, Zenmuse X5 and X5R can also work with DJI Matrice 100 and DJI Matrice 600.

As the best in DJI’s independent R&D cameras, Zenmuse X5 & X5R are equipped with the M4/3 sensor, a significant progress compared to the previous 1/2.3 sensor.

Zenmuse X5 & X5R can take 16 megapixel photos with 12.8 stops of dynamic range. High lighting ratio allows Zenmuse X5 & X5R to capture images with stunning details. And the ISO range from 100 to 25600 empowers Zenmuse X5 & X5R with higher image sensitivity and better noise reduction performance compared to previous cameras. Besides, Zenmuse X5 & X5R support LOG mode shooting. In addition, Zenmuse X5 & X5R come with interchangeable lens compatible with several M4/3 lenses through the MFT mount. Zenmuse X5 & X5R feature a maximum aperture up to F/1.7, Focus Remote Controller and video streaming at 4K 30p and 1080 60p. X5R mainly differs from X5 in that X5R can record 4K RAW Cinema DNG sequence, uses DJI’s SSD for storage with 1.7Gbps average bitrate, allowing more space for post-production. This is really an exciting surprise for filmmaking professionals who expect higher image quality.

V. 【Professional Advancement Thermal Imaging Camera】Zenmuse XT

Three months later, DJI released the thermal imaging camera Zenmuse XT which can be mounted on the Inspire 1, Matrice 100 and Matrice 600. Zenmuse XT made specifically for industrial application offers two different resolution ratios (640*512 and 336*256), 6 lens options with different focus length and digital zoom up to 8x. The Zenmuse XT is a joint product created by DJI and FLIR. As the global leader in infrared thermal imaging technology with 50 years’ experience, FLIR has produced thousands of thermal imaging systems applied in different industries over the world.

VI. 【Visionary Intelligence, Elevated Imagination】Phantom 4

In March 2016, DJI released the latest Phantom 4. Compared to earlier generations, the Phantom 4’s aircraft performance has been significantly improved with remarkable breakthrough in obstacle avoidance. Just as DJI’s founder Frank Wang said, “The sexiest drone that DJI ever designed, welcome to the era of VISION.” Regarding the imaging system, the Phantom 4’s biggest progress lies in that it supports 1080/120p video recording. Besides, the optimized lens enables clearer images with stunning details with the distortion degree reduced by 36% and colour aberration decreased by 56%. Featuring a specially designed U-frame structure, the Phantom 4’s gimbal enables the camera to capture more stable and smooth footage even during high-speed flight. So to speak, the Phantom 4 is a perfectly designed all-in-one drone.

VII.【Zoom Camera】Zenmuse Z3

In July 2016, DJI released the first zoom drone camera, the Zenmuse Z3 with 22-77mm equivalent focal length and 7x zoom obtained by 3.5x optical zoom and 2x lossless digital zoom (only under 1080p mode). The 2x lossless digital zoom here means that compared to the digital zoom technology based on pixel interpolation algorithm, the Zenmuse Z3 won’t lose image qualities when you zoom in the 4k footage. Thanks to the reaction wheel stabilization technology, Zenmuse Z3 can capture clear and stable footage even at long focus. The Zenmuse Z3 can be mounted on the Inspire Series, Matrice 100 and Matrice 600 and it is made specifically for industrial application.

In only three years’ time, from the single axis gimbal camera FC20 to the current 4k RAW aerial cameras, we can see that DJI has been striving for higher image quality to meet the users’ demand as well as the industrial development trend.

Will DJI make major breakthroughs in aerial cameras in the future after it becomes a shareholder of Hasselblad? What improvements can be made for the aerial imaging system? Whether there will be any aerial camera solutions that can rival DJI in the drone industry? For more details, please stay tuned to us.

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