When I first decided I wanted to purchase a drone, I spent hours reading through reviews, trying to decide what would be the best option for me. This was no surprise, as I spent nearly a month reviewing cars before I purchased my Altima, and again another month when I decided to buy a new laptop.
If you're thinking about buying a drone, I figured I'd save you some time and put together in short, what my hours of reading revealed. What my research came down to was choosing between two brands: Yuneec Typhoon and DJI Phantom. Many articles I read pegged Yuneec as the up and coming threat to DJI, who is the current industry leader.
Yuneec's Q500 Typhoon 4K comes packed with 2 batteries, a carrying case, and mount to use on the ground with the drone's detachable camera. On the contrary, the DJI Phantom 3 series offers only 1 battery, no carrying case and a non-removable camera at nearly the same price. So obviously Yuneec is the better value, right? Not so much.
For me, the most important factor was flight performance and video/photo quality. Both the Phantom 3 Professional and the Yuneec offer 4K video with their built in cameras. Both quadcopters also have the ability to do the "Follow Me" and "Point of Interest" features. While Yuneec has been recorded to fly up to 20 minutes, and my DJI usually makes it to about 17, there were some major drawbacks for me with the Typhoon concerning complaints with the controls.
With the Phantom, you can turn it right and left quickly, adjust the camera and direct it seamlessly all while keeping the camera steady. Many consumers have reported slow responsiveness with the Typhoon, making for less desirable production when trying to shoot video. I also read a lot of mixed reviews regarding the Typhoon camera and it's ability to adjust well to various lighting settings on it's own.
Another big problem for me was the never ending worry of 'what if I crash it?' Accidents do happen, especially to me! Though I'm pretty tech savvy - the thought of having an $800 piece of equipment hovering in the air still made me extremely nervous. I found that DJI provides the opportunity to purchase insurance through them that is equal up to the retail value of the drone at the time of purchase, regardless of who you bought the drone from. The only stipulation is that the drone hasn't been activated for more than 12 hours.
I was unable to find similar insurance offerings on the Yuneec website. There were only a few sites that provided the opportunity of insurance for an addition cost if you purchased your quadcopter directly from them. However, the idea of purchasing insurance from a third party retailer didn't sound as assuring to me as guaranteed support direct from the manufacturer.
Though I have yet to actually fly a Typhoon myself, I decided to trust the reviews I had read and stick with the DJI. I didn't want to risk messing up footage of an awesome sunset in Greece just because my camera wouldn't respond quick enough! The large DJI community and forum pages have been extremely helpful while learning to fly my new drone, PLUS I have the peace of mind that if I accidentally fly my new drone into a tree any time in the next year, I'm covered.
Yes, having to buy a second battery was a downfall (add $150 more to the total price), but I did find the perfect backpack at a reasonable cost on eBay. The bag came brand new for nearly $250 less than what DJI charges on their site and it absolutely rocks. I find it to be way more practical than the bulky one Yuneec gives you with your purchase, anyway.
All in all, I have been completely pleased with my decision and can't wait to get my DJI in the sky in Europe next week!
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