Review: Yuneec Typhoon 4K ActionCam

Wish List

I'd really like to see a battery level indicator on the ActionCam. I always want to know that I'm starting with a full battery, or check the day before a shoot to make sure it's topped off. Given that there's not an external charger included, it's a bit laborious to take everything out just to charge up the battery.

The camera software ought to be able to use audio from phone instead of from inside the noisy ActionCam stabilized head. Not only would this get cleaner sound from the phone's own internal microphones; it would also enable the use of directional or wireless microphones plugged into the phone itself.

I'd like to see integration with streaming software like Wirecast or Livestream Studio through the smartphone. But given that those services use WiFi to get the feed from the phone, and you have to use the WiFi on the phone to connect to the ActionCam's WiFi access point for control, I don't see it happening. Alternatively, developing hooks to be able to use the video feed coming in to the cell phone and then push it direct to YouTube Live or Facebook Live through the phone's cellular data service, would be a boon to usability.

Having a threaded mount on the ActionCam somewhere would allow for greater range of motion by hoisting the camera high overhead on a stand or pole. Without that, you need a clamp that will hold onto the grip of the ActionCam, and that's not very solid.

I'd like to see an additional "look" preset that gives me a smother, less contrast-y look, or “Raw” footage that actually looks raw. As it is, there's very little difference between the included look settings. Moreover, I've had shoots where black plastic looked purple (Figure 5, below). That's an infrared filtering issue. I checked for firmware updates for the ActionCam, and as of this writing, and there is no downloadable content.

Figure 5. An infrared filtering issue turns black objects purple

I'd like to see a higher data rate for 120fps video. It's quite fun to get almost 120 fps, and to be able to move smoothly and quickly, but the visible pulsing of the detail because of the data constraints hampers the quality. It can still be usable in some situations, but it's not production-level quality video because of the pulsing and the limited dynamic range because of the baked-in color profiles.

Conclusion

Having shot with "manual" handheld stabilizers that rely on inertia and balance to stabilize a camera, it's always a challenge to get it just right, deal with wind, or get it to track the action correctly, and slight changes in setup throw off the balance.

This is my first gimbal stabilizer. I've not jumped on the bandwagon for the gimbaled stabilizers that use your existing DSLR as the camera. While that would eliminate many of the image/control issues I have with the Yuneec Typhoon 4K ActionCam, they still suffer from having to manually set up the system and calibrate it for a particular load/setup. Setup changes still throw everything off.

Having a dedicated setup like this means you can pull it out of the case and just go shoot. For the type of shot this is designed for, that's a great boon to production. If you need greater control over the image, or higher-quality video, then you'll need to step up to the higher-end gimbaled cameras, such as the DJI Osimo X3, X5, or X5R for Raw recording. Or use a gimbal with a lightweight DSLR of your choice.

I look forward to a future firmware update to the Yuneec Typhoon 4K ActionCam that provides a less contrast-y "Raw" video profile and gives me more to work with in post, but until then, I'll continue to use my ActionCam to get those moving shots it was built for, and leave my Glidecam at home.