Just ordered the Yongnuo YN-560 II

[Josh66]

It looks pretty similar to the 580EX.

I've seen nothing but outstanding reviews for it. I have a 580EX II, but I needed a second flash. This one is a hell of a lot less money. That's what worries me, lol.

For the price, I guess I'm willing to take the chance (hell, I already did). The main things I'm concerned with are color consistency and the life of the unit.


Does anybody that owns one have anything to say, good or bad, about those issues? All of the reviews I've read were pretty good, but it's hard to know if the people writing the reviews really know anything...

It was only like $60, which I would consider dirt cheap for a flash - so worst case, I'm not out much.

 

[Braineack]

I picked up a second for my sb700. It seems better constructed, has better output, and easier to use. My sb700 seriously feel fragile in comparison and I like the thumb screw lock much better than the switch of the sb700. I would have purchased a YN560-III over it since I already had two RF603s, but like you said, for the price...I'm probably going to pick up another soon so I can play with three speed lights.

 

[pixmedic]

i bought a YN568EX a while ago and love it.
I find it a better built unit than my sb600 or sb700, AND it has TTL and HSS
I also grabbed two sets of the yongnuo TTL triggers and they also perform flawlessly.

 

[Josh66]

I also picked up another light stand and umbrella, and another receiver. It says the GN is 58 - I guess that has to be in meters. That would make it the same GN as the 580EX II.

Some of the reviews do say that it can have inconsistent color balance (compared to other flashes - not as you change the power on it), I'm a little worried about that, lol. I do mostly shoot B&W though, so in those cases it won't be an issue.
From what I've read, there are no auto or TTL modes on it - that's no big deal to me, I have a flash meter and I don't plan on using it on camera anyway.



I must have bought the last "expensive" one, because now they're $10 cheaper on Amazon, lol! Oh well, it's still dirt cheap for a flash.

 

[Antithesis]

I was on a pretty tight budget for a second flash to use as a backup, or for a second shooter to use, and I seriously considered one of these. I read a good chunk of the reviews on Amazon, on various blogs and watched a bunch of reviews on Youtube. It seems like a good flash if you get a decent copy of one, but deviances in quality control worried me too much. For personal use, it's probably fine but I'd be pretty bummed if it failed during a paid shoot. I ended up just picking up a second hand sb-600 for a little more, and it works flawlessly and will probably work fine for years to come.

That being said, I'll be interested to hear about the consistency of the light. It might be a nice third light to throw on a stand for receptions, etc., for not much money. Will it fire as a slave from an sb-700 using IR?

 

[Josh66]

Will it fire as a slave from an sb-700 using IR?

Not sure... I'll be using radio triggers with mine. It's page on Amazon is pretty light on technical specs, lol.

edit
I just asked that question on the product page on Amazon though - I'll update when/if I get an answer.

http://www.amazon.com/Will-fire-sla...711S&cdItems=25&cdNewQuestion=1&store=generic

 

[Josh66]

Optical slave - not IR, apparently:
Amazon.com: Questions And Answers: Will it fire as a slave from an sb-700 using IR?

You should be good to go as long as you're not using TTL mode on your SB-700.

I'll see what the manual says when it comes in.

 

[Braineack]

That being said, I'll be interested to hear about the consistency of the light. It might be a nice third light to throw on a stand for receptions, etc., for not much money. Will it fire as a slave from an sb-700 using IR?

Honestly, I've had more shots where the sb700 failed to fire...

I'll test the IR thing, but I'm using RF603 triggers.

EDIT: yep, put the SB700 on master and YN560II on S1, when I trigger the SB700 the YN560II fires.

 

[Josh66]

So, I finally got around to using it.


IMG_9781 by J E, on Flickr


IMG_9779 by J E, on Flickr

Canon 580EX II on the left at 1/4 power, Yongnuo YN-560 II on the right at 1/8 power. Both shooting into an umbrella.

I don't think the color of the Yongnuo quite matches the Canon flash, but it's pretty close. The wall in the background is supposed to be white. It looks cyan to me. Skin tones look right though, so ... I don't know...

 

[Josh66]

...And the background looks white on my phone - but I'm on a calibrated monitor. So - does it look white to you guys, or a little cyan?

 

[Josh66]

OK, my phone is on crack.

I downloaded it to my phone via the Flickr app, and the cyan went away. When I view this thread on my phone, the photo looks the same as it does on the computer. So something is happening when I download through Flickr...

 

[TroyBrowder]

looks cyan to me as well, however i am commenting to let you know i have had 2 yongnuos for about 2 years. though they are cheap, I was skeptical at first too, they seem to be built like tanks, I have had them crash 8ft onto concrete and keep working just fine, never had any misfires either. The only thing I dont like about them is they aren't powerful enough for stuff I shoot esp in sunlight.

 

[Josh66]

I haven't done a side by side comparison yet - I guess I'll do that today. At least to see how far it really is from matching the 580EX II in color temperature.
​For $60 though, I'm not going to complain, lol. It does seem well made.