Yuneec Breeze 4K - First Impressions - Photography Samples
It’s a cold evening here in Idaho, with temperatures right around zero degrees F. I took my Yuneec Breeze out this afternoon for a few tests, specifically sampling it’s photo quality. I scoured the web looking for a review like this, but couldn’t find one, so I decided to do it myself. I wanted to know exactly how capable the Breeze is, when used for still photography. Hope you find this helpful!
Yuneec Breeze (on sale on Amazon!)
To operate the Breeze, use the Yuneec App on your smartphone and control it using onscreen controls. I’ve only flown a drone once (DJI Phantom 3), but the Breeze was very easy to control, and I feel like I have the hang of it after just several flights. I’m guessing it’d be even easier on a larger device like an iPad. I used my LG G4.
The max height of the drone, limited by the software, is about 260 feet, with a maximum distance of just over 320 feet. For the photos shown above, I took off from the road and went straight up to it’s maximum height. The winds were pretty strong (15-20 mph), and based on the image transmission, the drone had a hard time remaining stable. I took at least three shots of each composition to make sure the camera took a sharp one. Most of the photos ended up being sharp, so I’ll probably trust the camera a little more next time.
At an outside temperature of 8 degrees F. my thumbs became almost numb, and I’m assuming the Breeze’s battery felt the same. I didn’t time how long I was in the air, but brought the drone back with about 25-40% battery. Each time it was plenty long enough to get the shots I needed, and get back in the truck before my hands froze. Other reviewers are knocking the battery life of the Breeze, but the 8-12 minutes each battery gives you is plenty in my opinion. The limited distance range of the Breeze doesn’t warrant needing longer battery life. Plus, I love the size and portability it gives you.
Finally, what about the photos? How well does the Breeze work for an outdoor photographer like myself? The photos above were all taken with the Breeze, and edited in Lightroom to make some basic adjustments. I thought they turned out fine, and I’m neither surprised or disappointed with how they turned out. I guess that means the Breeze met my expectations. There is no RAW format support, which is disappointing to me considering almost all modern smartphones can shoot RAW. Maybe this can be unlocked in a firmware upgrade? (Yuneec are you listening?). The edge sharpness of the photos is the only major thing regarding image quality that I don’t like. Based on how most of us consume photography content, I don’t think it will matter. You’ll probably never use the Breeze for commercial purposes, and with that being said, I think the photo quality is totally acceptable. I’d be happy to share any of these photos on my Instagram alongside the shots I take with my DSLR.
The following is a quick bullet list summary of my thoughts.
The Breeze’s size and portability. It’s small enough to easily fit in any backpack or day bag making it easy to take almost anywhere.
It comes in a clean, white hard case that also stores the extra battery, propeller guards and USB cable.
It ships with 2 batteries!
Very easy to fly. It takes almost no time to get in the air.
WiFi transmission range feels short. Often when I flew the drone up to 260 feet (it’s max height), the WiFi signal became weak and image transmission was hit and miss. I’d often end up clicking the shutter button several times to make sure the photo was captured.
No RAW image format. As a photographer, this is a pretty big deal to me.
Non-stabilized gimbal. For now, my goal is to learn aerial composition for photography, so the stabilization isn’t as important to me now. The Breeze works well for still photography.
Overall, if you're looking for a small, portable and easy to fly drone that takes great photos, the I'd say the Breeze is great for you. Let me know what you think, or if you have any questions.
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