Yongnuo YN-560 II Speedlight Flash for Canon and Nikon. GN58...
GET Yongnuo YN-560 II Speedlight Flash for Canon and Nikon. GN58. By YongnuoMost helpful customer reviews
319 of 328 people found the following review helpful.
Hands down, a GREAT Investment!
By J. Patterson
This flash is excellent for SO MANY REASONS! If you are just beginning in photography, you should check out this flash. If you are a pro and you need either a back-up, a slave, something to experiment with, and/or if you love to work in manual, you should check out this flash. Yes, it doesn't have any automatic functions, but for the price to feature ratio, you get more than enough to up your game with flash photography.
I have been shooting as a pro for about 2 years now. Before that, when photography was just a hobby, my first flash was the Canon Speedlite 270EX Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras. Even though it helped, it was not by much however, my knowledge of strobist photography was non-existent at the time. After a while, I graduated to the Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras. When I got the 580EX II, I realized that I missed out on sooooo much just shooting with the 270EX. In addition, I ended up getting a Canon 430EX II Flash and the Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites. After studying this book, my photography has not been the same since.
Even though I love my 580 & 430, I could not afford to buy 2 or 3 more of those flashes and even if a miracle happened, how much harder would it be for me to replace those flashes if one or more is lost or damaged. So I did my research and came upon the original YN560. For a cheap flash, it had the best reviews I came across, especially for a flash under $100. I was skeptical at first because I was so used to Canon equipment, however, I thought $70 couldn't hurt me tooo bad. When I finally got one I was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY!!!!! This is EXACTLY what I needed as a slave only flash! The build quality is similar to the 580, they take the same accessories, and it is just as powerful as the 580. I bought a second one that same day.
2 years after using the original YN560s, I saw that Yongnuo came out with the YN560III, which has a built-it receiver for the YN602/603 triggers! At one time, this flash wasn't in stock for almost 2 months because they were selling out SO FAST! As soon as they were available, I purchased as many as I could since demand was and still is crazy for this flash.
If you are a pro looking for a cheap flash, here are my reasons why I would recommend this flash to you:
1. YN560III has a built in radio trigger, which adds a crazy amount of convenience to your workflow!
2. YN560III has also 2 built in optical slaves modes, 580 has one but is limited to work with canon flashes only.
3. Cheaper to replace & add additional flashes.
4. Provides a sound when the flash has charged to fire again.
5. Similar build quality as the 580.
6. Accepts the same accessories as the 580.
7. Just as powerful as the 580.
If you are a beginner, and/or someone who is considering the cheap route when it comes to buying your first flash:
1. Built-In Radio Receiver.
2. The YN560III can be triggered by ANY on-camera flash, whether you have a professional camera or a simple point-and-shoot camera. Unless you have a Canon 7D or newer with a pop-up flash, triggering most of Canon's flashes have complex limitations.
3. Price to feature ratio.
4. Pretty much the same reasons why a pro would buy this flash!
If you are a beginner and are not aware of the 580EX II, it is a very good old school Canon flash. Take away the automatic functions and the weather sealing, you pretty much have the YN560III. If you are a pro, yet again, the YN560III is just a cheaper and manual-only version of the 580 (With a Built-In radio receiver!).
Also, as a comparison to Canon's new flagship model flash, the Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite Flash (Black), you can purchase 5 YN560IIIs plus a set of Yongnuo RF-603 C3 2.4GHz Wireless Flash Trigger/Wireless Shutter Release Transceiver Kit for Canon 1D/5D/7D/50D/40D/30D/20D/10D Series for the price of only ONE of Canon's own built-in radio flashes! Having an automatic flash with a built-in radio triggering system is AWESOME I must say however, you WILL PAY a large sum for Canon's system. Pretty much, five 560IIIs and one set of RF-603s is less than $500 total. 3 Canon 600EX-RTs and one ST-E3 transmitter is about $1,800 total! If you have the money and Canon equipment, go for the Canon system however, most people are like myself and cannot afford Canon's top notch system as of yet.
If you are a beginner, the reason why you want radio triggers is so your flashes can be triggered with fewer limitations. Triggering your flashes by radio waves is MUCH MORE RELIABLE than triggering them by a flash of light from a camera or another flash in general. The science and math behind how this works can get very technical and is much easier to understand if the system is seen in action. Check out YouTube for several examples of 'off-camera lighting.'
Also, for most photographers using off-camera flashes, you had to at one time, have a receiver for every flash you have; (You still do in some cases.) If you have 4 flashes, you would have to buy 4 receivers and also have a trigger on your camera. With the YN560III, you now only need one RF-603 Transceiver (a receiver & transmitter built into one device), which is awesome since you are saving money and also, you don't have to buy extra batteries for those receivers you would have needed before! NOTE: RF-602 and RF-603 triggers from Yongnuo are the only triggers compatible with the built-in receiver inside this flash. I hear that the RF-604 X2-C Wireless Flash Trigger for Canon EOS 1D series, 5D series, 7D, 6D 60D, 50D, 40D, 30D, 20D, 10D, 650D 600D 550D, 500D, 450D, 400D, 350D, 1000D Powershoe G10, G11, G12, G15 G1X SX50 may be compatible as well. NOTE: If you decide to purchase the Meyin 604, I hear that it only works on channel 16 with this flash, which might be a deal breaker to some ;-).
For a lot of situations, I only need to shoot with the YN560s. If I needed to have an automatic flash, my Canon flashes will do just fine. Also, I like the challenge and consistency of shooting in manual.
The YN560s work really well at weddings & events when you need multiple off-camera flashes to bounce light off of the ceiling to illuminate dark venues. Because they are relatively in expensive, being able to purchase multiple YN560s take the stress out of shooting in poorly lit conditions. Also, I've found that the more flashes I have, the more creative options I have like overpowering the sun, applying color gels, etc! Make sure you look up tutorials and books on strobist photography to learn this stuff! :-)
Truly, these flashes are one of THE BEST INVESTMENTS I'VE MADE TOWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY! I'm very grateful to God for being able to share some knowledge with you! I hope it helps. Take care and happy shooting!
473 of 490 people found the following review helpful.
Comparison to YN560 (mk I), Canon 580EX II
By MiRSD
EDIT: A problem that I didn't experience at first - while the LCD screen is bright and easy to read in most situations (looking straight at it), I found out that it's not so easy to read from other angles. For example, if you put it on an umbrella swivel (for an umbrella, beauty dish, softbox, etc..) and have it angled it can be impossible to read. If tilted 90 degrees forward, it appears as if everything lights up on it (the LCD screen uses something similar to a digital alarm clock - so it looks like "1/188" which allows the "88" to light up certain parts to form different numbers. So it could be 1/1, 1/2.. 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 1/128) Again, the problem is that at odd angles (like 90 degrees forward) it appears as "1/188" instead of what the actual power is. On the other hand, tilting it 90 degrees backwards it will look blank.. so the viewing angle isn't great and creates some readability issues. Another example is if it's sitting lower to the ground and you're looking at it from a standing height it will appear blank. You need to bend down and look at a better angle to see the actual power. This could be considered a big downfall for some and does show that there is an advantage to the original YN560's LED system.
For comparison, the Canon 580EXII does have a similar issue but not nearly as bad. Tilting it 90 degrees forward it is still easily readable.
Over the last couple years, YONGNUO has made a name for themselves in the photography world. They've released some very nice, high quality alternatives to the "name brand" products out there as VERY nice prices. One of their better lines of items are their Speedlites (portable flashes).
I own and use many of their Speedlites - the YN460, YN460-II, YN465, YN560 and now the YN560II. I've used them for years and they all still work perfectly (the only issue was with a YN560 (original) that arrived with a broken zoom). For the prices they sell for, I find them to be very reliable. I have dropped them onto concrete from small heights (2-3 feet) and they continued to work fine.
Owning several of these, I'd like to compare them for anyone who was in the same situation as I was when looking for a flash. For the record, these units were purchased for:
YN560 - 70 bucks
YN560II - 100 bucks (NOTE: That was the price from a US Seller. From China they can be found for about 70 bucks, the same as the YN560)
580EXII - 500 bucks
Design:
Right off the bat, all 3 pretty much look the exact same. YONGNUO basically made a copy of the 580EXII mold (right down to including fake buttons on the sides which are REAL buttons on the 580EXII). The nice thing about this is that it means all accessories designed to fit the Canon 580EXII will work just fine with the Yongnuo YN560 (and 560II).
The obvious difference is the back of the flash. The original YN560 uses a LED system to indicate the power and zoom range - this means if 1 LED is lit, it's 1/128 power.. if 2 are lit, it's 1/64.. 1/32.. 1/16.. 1/8.. 1/4.. 1/2.. 1/1. This makes it easy to glance at from a distance and see "All the lights are lit, it's full power" opposed to an LCD screen which can be tough to read in the dark or from a distance.
LCD/Back display:
The YN560II and 580EXII use an LCD screen which tells you the actual power: 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, etc..
The better option for back display (LCD vs. LED Lights) comes down to preference - I have no issues with either. Both LCD screens (YN560II and 580EXII) have a backlight option - the Canon 580EXII has a specific "light" button which will turn the backlight (green) on for a few seconds. The YN560II will automatically turn the backlight (red/orange) on whenever any button is pressed. I like the YN560II's method as you can easily see the information no matter wherever you are when adjusting power - lit or dark areas (with the 580EXII you need to press the light button to see the light - so if you're in a dark area and changing power, you need to press the LIGHT then change the power (or vice versa) to see what level it's at - the YN560II will light up as soon as you start adjusting the power). The YN560II does not, however, have a dedicated LIGHT button but you can press any button (even the "enter" button which won't have any effect on the settings) to turn on the light for a few seconds.
The LCD screen on the YN560II is much more basic. You get the MODE you're in (M/S1/S2/MULTI (more on these later), the power (1/1, 1/2, 1/4...), the zoom level (24mm, 28mm, 35mm, etc..), the AUDIO indicator (more on this later..) and some others which will come on from time to time. One of the most helpful is the LOW BATTERY icon - unfortunately it doesn't give a constant indicator of battery life, only when it's "low". The 580EXII, on the other hand, has the same information but it's laid out in a much nicer presentation.
I will say that I prefer the YN560II LCD somewhat as everything is VERY BIG ON THE SCREEN. The power level is about 3 times as big as that on the 580EXII (so you can easily see the power level from a distance).. same for the zoom level. Doesn't look as fancy, but the information is easier to read on the YN560II. Again, the YN560 does not use an LCD, only light up LED lights - you can even say that the YN560 is easiest to get an idea of the power level from a distance since you can see how many LED's are lit from almost any angle.
Modes:
The CANON 580EXII includes: MANUAL, ETTL (automatic flash exposure), MULTI (a strobelight-like effect where you can control how many times it flashes and how frequently), a MASTER mode (to control other CANON flashes) and a SLAVE mode (to be controlled by a camera like the 7D, a transmitter like the ST-E2 or another 580EXII flash).
The YN560 and YN560-II include: MANUAL, SLAVE1, SLAVE2 (and the YN560II includes MULTI). SLAVE1 and SLAVE2 on the Yongnuo are nice as they let you trigger these flashes using any other flash (SLAVE1 is for other manual flashes (or flashes without an ETTL metering), SLAVE2 is for cameras that use ETTL metering). These are great modes to have and are not on the CANON 580EXII. On the same hand, the 580EXII includes the ETTL ("automatic") and High-Speed sync mode for the flash while the YONGNUO models are all automatic and do not include high-speed sync (YONGNUO makes the YN565 flash which does include ETTL, but not high-speed sync)
Power:
All 3 have roughly the same amount of power output. They can be adjusted anywhere from 1/1 (full power) down to 1/128. I believe some of the earlier Yongnuo flashes only went down to 1/64 power. You can also fine-tune the power, so if you want something between 1/2 and 1/1 power, you can set it to 1/2 and then add +0.3, +0.5 or +0.7 compensation - this is done with the up/down buttons on the YN560 and YN560II. It is MUCH easier to read on the YN560II since it will say: "1/2 +0.3" while the YN560 only has 1 set of LED lights (which display flash power output, zoom level and flash exposure compensation, depending which one you're looking at. The YN560II will display all at once).
FUNCTIONS:
All 3 flashes have a zoom function on the flash - the YONGNUO are the easiest to operate as they have dedicated +/- buttons (canon requires you to press a button first and then change the zoom).
The YONGNUO flashes also allow easier control of the power (also a +/- button while the 580EXII requires you to press the SET button and then turn a wheel). This is a toss-up on who wins - the YONGNUO ones are easier to adjust, but that also makes them easier to hit by accident and change the power levels when you didn't want to.
BUTTONS:
The YN560II and YN560 have similar looking buttons (rubber-like), but the YN560 buttons are somewhat mushy/soft while the YN560II has firm buttons which feel a bit nicer. Both are usable.
The YN560II uses similar buttons to the 580EXII, except the 580EXII uses a wheel instead of the left/right/up/down/SET button on the YN560II. I actually prefer the buttons on the YN560II as they're easier to pick up and use, but all 3 work fine.
CONNECTIONS:
The YN560 and YN560II have a metal hotshoe (the YN560 originally released with a plastic hotshoe, but was quickly replaced). They also use the turn-to-lock clamp for the hotshoe while the Canon 580EXII uses a rubber gasket with a switch you flip to lock it down (this also keeps it somewhat water-sealed on the hotshoe). I prefer the 580EXII style lock for sure, but the others do work fine.
All 3 have a PC-Sync input and a high-voltage battery socket to connect an external battery pack to (such as the CP-E4). I use the Pixel TD-381 battery Power Pack for for Canon Speedlites 580EX II, EX580, EX550, MR-14EX,MT-24EX, extremely stable fast recycle time 1.24S and highly recommend it! These greatly speed up recycle times and give you a longer battery life.
RECYCLE TIMES:
I loaded fresh rechargable batteries (same brand, all bought at the same time and freshly charged) into all 3 flashes, connected them to a radio trigger to set all 3 off at the same time. The YN560 recycled the faster (barely beating out the YN560II), and the 580EXII slightly slower than all 3. The difference was about 1/2 to 3/4 seconds difference between all 3. With the external battery pack (above) connected, all were fully recycled and ready for the next shot within about 1-2 seconds from full power (and all ready about the same time).
OTHER:
The YN560 and 580EXII both go from lowest power (all the way left) to highest power (all the way right) and stop at each. If you go to full power (1/1) and press right, nothing happens. If you go to lowest power (1/128) and press left, nothing happens. The YN560II changes this - if you go to full power and press Right, it goes back to 1/128 (and if on 1/128 and pressing left, it goes to 1/1). I'm not sure how much I like this, since you can easily change the flash power greatly without noticing it if you press a button.
All 3 flashes have a Pilot light which indicates Charging (green) and Ready (red). When ready, you can press the light in to trigger the flash -- this is very easy to do on the 580EXII and YN560II, but with the older button types on the YN560, it's a bit tougher.
EXTRAS:
The YN560 and YN560II have an optional sound function - this means you hear a "beep beep" when the flash fires and a long "BEEEEEEEP" when it's ready again. This is helpful to know if a flash fired (sometimes looking through the viewfinder you can't tell) and to tell when it's ready to go again (so you don't take a shot before it's charged). The 580EXII does not have this feature.
The YN560II seems noticeably louder than the YN560, making it somewhat hard to hear the YN560 (if using one of each flash) - it can also be quite loud if used in quieter areas (to the point you wish it had a volume control -- I never had this issue with the YN560).
The YN560II and Canon 580EXII include a nice nylon carrying pouch to hold the flash and the coldshoe (more on that later..), the YN560 just comes in a thin carrying bag.
All 3 include a coldshoe (so you can set the flash on the ground, standing up). The YN560 included a nice one with metal around certain areas (like the tripod threading) while the 580EXII and even the YN560II included an all-plastic cold-shoe.
All 3 include a wide-angle diffuser panel and a popout bounce card.
The 580EXII can swivel 360 degrees (180 degrees left, 180 degrees right), the YN560 and YN560 are limited to 180 degrees left or 90 degrees right.
So overall, what do I recommend?
The 580EXII is obviously in a different class (and a much different price range!). I didn't want to compare it against the Yn560II directly to determine which is better, but I owned it and wanted to throw in some comparisons - I'm not expecting the YN560 and YN560II to be the 580EXII, but they both held up very well against it (and even exceeded in some areas)!
Some of the features in the YN560 and YN560II are great, and not even part of the much more expensive 580EXII (such as the sound indicator, low battery indicator and slave-modes).
With both YN560 and YN560II being very close in price, it's up to you whether you find the few new features on the YN560II (the LCD screen and MULTI option) to be worth the extra money. I own 2 YN560's, a handful of YN460's, YN460II's and YN465's and am considering getting another YN560II due to the low price and great features. Highly recommended - either the Yn560 or YN560II.
EDIT: Just bought another YN560II. Love this thing!
226 of 233 people found the following review helpful.
Great value in a manual flash
By Kian O'Connell
I haven't shot enough with it to determine consistency, but I'm pleased so far. Flash is a bit large for the output, but it is still decent. I did some test shots and was getting f8 at 18 ft. This tells me that the GN is just about 144. The specs put it at just 58. (Maybe that was supposed to be meters and not feet). This is almost as good as I got from the Sunpak PZ42XC at full on manual.
Build is similar to the Sunpak flashes. Swivel and bounce feel no less solid and click into place just fine without shifting. The built in diffuser AND mini bounce card are nice although small. My sunpak PZ42XC doesn't have that. There is a PC sync and a power supply connection on the side which my sunpak doesn't have either. Then there is the optical slave which works well with two levels of sensitivity and of course my sunpak lacks that as well.
With all of that said, this flash isn't for just anybody. This is just a plain dumb manual flash without TTL or even a thyristor. THERE IS NO AUTO FUNCTION. If your intent is to use this as a camera mounted flash for candids, forget it unless you know how to manually setup for every shot by adjusting your aperture as needed. It is not intended for that purpose.
The flash came with a base that has a threaded hole in the bottom so it can be mounted to a stand. It would do a terrific job providing fill or backlight capability. It swivels 180 degrees and straight up so bouncing into an umbrella or through a diffuser while the slave sensor faces forward for a stationary photo shoot are ideal uses of this flash. So is placing it behind a subject for a backlight. My Lumiquest gel holder fits very tight due to the large flash head, but it fits.
The controls and lights on the back seem a bit confusing and the manual isn't a lot of help since the translation from Chinese to English is about the same quality as you get from Google translate..... I was able to figure it out but it took some time experimenting with the unit.
Recharge is quick - even at full power. I was very impressed. Of course it has less output than the Sunpak and uses the same number of batteries but still, I was pleased.
One other note. When i first tried to turn it on it wouldn't do anything and I was immediately afraid it was DOA. I found that to turn it on, you must hold the on-off button for a couple seconds. When you press it down, the lights on the bar progress from left to right and if you don't hold it down till the lights get to the far right, it just shuts off. Awkward, but easy to deal with if you are aware of it.
Altogether, I'm quite pleased with what I have assuming it lasts a a while. The build seems solid so I'll just have to wait and see. I'm confident enough in the product that I'm going to buy a second one so I can have one for fill and the other for a backlight for impromptu studio shots.
If you need a slave flash with some power and manual controls I really think this is the best thing out there. Almost everything else in this price range is a single power or auto-flash without the ability to make manual output adjustments. You can get this output with no slave, the slave with no manual,or you can spend twice as much. But if you need a speedlight with auto functions for camera mounted shots, get something with auto functions.
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