wireless flash

giblet · Nov 6, 2013

I'm only new to this, but am thinking about wireless flash capability. I have a canon eos 350d and am looking at the yongnuo flash units. I understand that I will also need transmitter/ receiver (yongnuo rf603). which flash would be best? 565, 560 mk 3, 568 or none of the above?

getting confused with the master / slave terminology. do I need wireless transmitter/receiver and a master capable flash or will I get away with slave flash?

pixmedic · Nov 6, 2013

I would go with the newer yongnuo triggers that support TTL. (if you plan on using TTL) (yn622c)
the yongnuo triggers act as a transmitter OR a trigger, and if you have just the trigger on your camera, it automatically knows it is a transmitter.
I shoot Nikon not Canon, but I picked up a yongnuo 568EX and 622n triggers.
i went with the 568EX because it supports both TTL and HSS. i was pretty impressed with it, as well as the triggers.
i did a review on both of them.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-equipment-products/338083-yn568ex-flash-review.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...ts/338720-yongnuo-yn-622n-trigger-review.html

giblet · Nov 6, 2013

would the ttl mode on the flash still work with the wireless trans/rec of only if mounted to the hot shoe?

pixmedic · Nov 6, 2013

giblet said:
would the ttl mode on the flash still work with the wireless trans/rec of only if mounted to the hot shoe?

The 568EX will TTL without a trigger.
They are TTL compatible with your camera by themselves. Assuming you get the right flash for your camera brand.

The 568ex does not have built in receivers though, so you have to have a trigger for each flash. Also, if you want to use a flash on camera, you will have to put a trigger on camera, and the flash on top of the trigger. All triggered flashes will TTL.

lambertpix · Nov 6, 2013

Just to be clear, both the 603 and the 622 consist of two pieces. They're both "transceivers", so you mount one to the camera and one to the strobe. I started with the 602 with a manual flash, and picked up a set of 622's when I got a YN-568ex flash. The 602's still go in my bag, though, because (1) they're very small, and (2) they will operate as a remote trigger. On the first point, they're so small, I wound up misplacing a pair once and bought another set (at $30 or so, it's not a huge investment). I subsequently found the "lost" set, so now I've got two pairs of these little gems. On the second point, the 602's can plug into the camera (they have to also sit on the hotshoe) and they'll work as a remote RF shutter.

Despite these points, I almost always reach for the 622's and 568 first because ETTL is *really* handy. Metering aside, it's really, really nice to be able to adjust flash compensation on my camera, rather than walking over to the flash unit to punch a button, and then walk back to take a photo. Keep in mind, if you're using the flash off-camera, that's sort of the point, and the further you walk from the flash, the nicer this feature gets. The 622's and 568 also have a handy focus assist beam -- they actually project a little red pattern of vertical and horizontal lines that can help the camera focus sometimes.

Oh, and just in case you're wondering, they all work together just fine. I can mount a 603 on top of a 622 on my hotshoe, plug the 603 into the camera, set up the 568 on a 622 and my manual flash on a 603, then grab a third 603 and use it as a remote trigger. Now, in this case, only the one flash will have ETTL, but still -- not bad for a setup that'll run a fraction of the equivalent kit from Canon.

giblet · Nov 6, 2013

okay. all I want to do is buy a flash that I can use on the camera instead of the built in flip up flash, but also take it off the hot shoe (wirelessly) to use as a single flash. I'm too noob to be using multiple flash units/ wireless units. Also, does the 603 transmitter unit need plugging into the camera or does it just work through the hot shoe? I'm just getting confused between master and slave and the whole ttl thing. I would like the TTL functions on and off the camera as I'm new to flash photography and would prefer the camera to adjust the settings for me until I become more confident.

lambertpix · Nov 6, 2013

giblet said:
okay. all I want to do is buy a flash that I can use on the camera instead of the built in flip up flash, but also take it off the hot shoe (wirelessly) to use as a single flash. I'm too noob to be using multiple flash units/ wireless units. Also, does the 603 transmitter unit need plugging into the camera or does it just work through the hot shoe? I'm just getting confused between master and slave and the whole ttl thing. I would like the TTL functions on and off the camera as I'm new to flash photography and would prefer the camera to adjust the settings for me until I become more confident.

Ok, so TTL stands for "through the lens", but for the purpose of understanding what it does for flashes, it might as well be "talk to lamp" -- it's what lets the camera communicate with the flash. This affects metering, so the camera knows it's got some extra light it can throw on the scene, zooming (so the flash zooms with your lens), and exposure compensation (you can adjust the output of the flash up or down right from the camera).

If you want TTL (it sure is handy, so I'd recommend it), start by picking a flash unit that does TTL. I know the 565 and 568 support TTL; the 568 adds high-speed synch (HSS), which will let you use the flash at shutter speeds faster than 1/250. Apologies, btw - I mentioned "565" in my earlier post, but I meant "568" -- I fixed the post. Other than HSS support, the 565 and 568 are pretty similar.

Next, if you want to take the flash off your camera, you'll need a pair of triggers. High-end cameras have triggering built in, but the 350d doesn't. Between the 603's and the 622's, only the 622 supports TTL. Again, I've had good luck with it. Personally, I'd start with the 568 flash and the 622 triggers -- they'll be plenty to keep you busy for a while. If the 568 is too pricy, the 565 would be a decent option, but you'll give up HSS. I don't use HSS a ton, but when you need it, it's nice to have.

I'm not sure if this will help at all, but I wrote up a bit on strobes a while back, and there are a couple photos in there that might help you. The first section talks about HSS a little, in case you're interested, but the very last photo shows both a 622 and 603 trigger on my 7D and a 603 with my manual flash on the right. The 568 is sort of cut off on the left -- only the mini-softbox (sold separately) is visible.

I also attached a photo below -- in this case, the 568 flash with 622 trigger are on the left, and the camera has a 622 and 603 on the hotshoe. In this case, the 603 is used *only* as a remote trigger -- hence, the cord running to the left side of the camera. The cord is needed *only* for remote shutter actuation. I'm using the remote shutter in this case because the tripod arm is extended way out, and I didn't want to move the camera by pressing the shutter myself.

giblet · Nov 6, 2013

I'm more confident now as to what I need and how it works. Thank you for the clear explanation!!

astroNikon · Nov 6, 2013

Great explanations. When I was first looking into all of this it was beyond confusing. Once you get some you'll understand them fairly quickly. I don't have remote radio triggers yet, as I still relie on my Infrared trigger in my Nikon SU-800 (versus the basic using the light from the flash to trigger an Off Camera Flash (OCF)). The radio triggers are great if the flash is going to be blocked by something, or distance and convenience/reliability.