Yuneec’s latest commercial camera drone has two ‘industry-first’ bragging rights

By Hillary K. Grigonis January 6, 2017

yuneec h520 ces 2017 — Yuneec International

Yuneec International’s drone line just got a little bigger with the professional-grade H520, a six-rotor drone with three different camera options and two industry-first bragging rights.

The H520 is designed for commercial use, but with three different camera options, “commercial use” could mean anything from search and rescue to cinema quality video. Paired with the CGO-ET camera option, the drone can capture both thermal and residual light (or night vision) in a single camera. Yuneec says the combination camera is a first for the drone industry, designed for use in law enforcement, search and rescue and solar inspections.

The second bragging right also goes to one of the H520’s camera options — the CGO-CI. The camera designed for cinema, broadcast and inspections is the first drone mount to use a longer focal length lens. Yuneec says the lens captures sharp, high-contrast images but hasn’t yet released specifications on just what angle of view the seven-element lens covers.

An existing 4K drone camera, the CGO-3+, will also be offered as one of the H520’s options. Along with the three camera options, Yuneec says the drone cameras can also be upgraded with panoramas, burst shooting, time-lapses and metering modes.

“With its suite of advanced features, the H520 is dependable, reliable and capable of fulfilling virtually any commercial need,” Yu Tian, group chief information officer and CEO of Yuneec Technology Co., said in a press release. “Pilots can fly with confidence knowing they have an array of camera options for a variety of situations and industry-leading safety features including intelligent obstacle navigation with Intel RealSense Technology.”

The six rotors are designed to keep the H520 flying even if one of those rotors fails, while a Hazard Orange color gives the drone added visibility. Yuneec says that the H520 offers longer flights and larger capacities than earlier commercial models.

While the numbers on the just how long the drone can fly or how much it can carry haven’t yet been revealed, the H520 is expected to be released sometime during the second quarter of 2017. Depending on the camera and accessories the drone is paired with, the hexacopter is expected to list between $2,499 and $4,499, which includes a controller with a built-in display.

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Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

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