# yongnuo yn560-iii any good



## the blackfox (May 28, 2014)

i do mainly wildlife photography with a 1d3 so have no built in flash on camera ,i'm contemplating the yn560-iii as a simple fill in flash for the odd times it would be needed ,i realise its not a ttl speedlite quality wise .but as this would probably be used 6 or 7 times a year is it worth getting one or can you recommend another model .i.e i envisage using this on close focus insect shots as a fill in .and possibly some family pics at xmas etc


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## FEBS (May 30, 2014)

The YN560-III is a very good flash for its price. I personal do mostly like the build in RF receiver. So this is much easier to setup. However, be aware that the 560 is a very performing flash as it has a guide number of 58. So, if you were using this flash as fill in, on close focus, then the power output (1/128 is minimum you can setup) might be to high. for that reason I also bought a YN-14EX for close focus setup. This is a ttl flash and it is a little higher in price then the YN560-III. You could also look to the MR-58, which costst only 43,66$. Just look carefully if your filter ring adapter is included for the required lens.

Francois


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## aclectasis (May 30, 2014)

I don't usually speak on this forum, though I only try when I rarely feel I may have something decent to say. I have two Yongnuo flashes, and I think they both work remarkably well for the price. I started off with a 560-II, and found it very useful, but wanted high-speed sync and auto-options, so I got a 568 EX. Both have been great choices. I use the 568 as a master and the manual 560 as a slave quite a bit, they have decent enough battery life, do the same job as any other flash I've come across, and seem decently built. At one point, I dropped the 560-II and the front plastic around the IR reciever came off. I just fixed it back into place and it still works fine. to take that as you will.

My thoughts were always "if the 568 EX, for example, does the same job as a Canon 600 RT, but costs a third the amount, then if I could buy a 568 that breaks 3 times and keep re-buying, and get the same amount of wear out of a 600 then I'd probably be doing alright. And that's exactly what Yongnuo is useful for, someone on a budget that doesn't use flash that much. Give it a try, hell, it's only like 70 bucks.


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## privatebydesign (May 30, 2014)

I have and use Yn products with varying results, though I don't have the 560's.

If you are going to use on camera only, or via OCC, then I would recommend a used Canon 550EX over the YN any day, indeed I am a working pro who has used 550EX's very happily (sometimes with YN RF-602's) for years and only recently sold my last one after moving to the 600 for different reasons. For a dozen times a year use they are the perfect fully compatible solution for Canon users. And a cheap set of RF-602's will get you wireless manual for next to nothing should you ever feel inclined.

Used 550EX's run $75 to $175 on eBay. In another thread I even recommended them to another working pro here, Sporgon, he got them and is very happy with his purchase.

My problem/issue with more complicated YN products is compatibility, needing firmware updates for different cameras means at some point your YN flash is going to be worthless, Canon will always give full integration with any EX flash and the 550 is the best bang for the buck power wise (it has the same as a 600EX). It is a true "Master" giving three groups in ETTL, HSS, SCS when on camera, etc etc.


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## FEBS (May 30, 2014)

privatebydesign said:


> My problem/issue with more complicated YN products is compatibility, needing firmware updates for different cameras means at some point your YN flash is going to be worthless, Canon will always give full integration with any EX flash and the 550 is the best bang for the buck power wise (it has the same as a 600EX). It is a true "Master" giving three groups in ETTL, HSS, SCS when on camera, etc etc.



Also Canon is not the best teacher in compatibility. Look to the possibilities of the Yongnuo flashes/triggers and do compare that to the Canon products on older cameras. Even the 600EX is not fully backwards compatible with older canon cameras. So, I did save the money and bought Yongnuo instead of Canon flashes, though on lenses I would not think about choosing an other brand.


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## privatebydesign (May 30, 2014)

FEBS said:


> privatebydesign said:
> 
> 
> > My problem/issue with more complicated YN products is compatibility, needing firmware updates for different cameras means at some point your YN flash is going to be worthless, Canon will always give full integration with any EX flash and the 550 is the best bang for the buck power wise (it has the same as a 600EX). It is a true "Master" giving three groups in ETTL, HSS, SCS when on camera, etc etc.
> ...



As far as I am aware all EX flashes work on all EOS cameras, they don't offer ETTL-II on old EOS film cameras that don't have ETTL-II metering systems, but how could they? It is a body feature not inside the flash. Every EX flash ever made works on every EOS digital camera ever made, and the G and M cameras. The 600 introduced new menu items that are not capable in older cameras, but everything you could ever do pre 600, you can do with a 600 on every EOS digital camera (and much more), just some of the latest cameras give you a few more options with it. 

I wouldn't call that a compatibility issue, unlike the YN-E3-RT that has been plagued with issues and now 10 firmware updates in less than six months.


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## GammyKnee (May 30, 2014)

I bought one a while back as a cheap companion to my Canon Speedlites for doing more complicated off-camera setups where the strobes are the principal source of light. In this role I'm very happy with it and consider it great value for money. 

That said, if you're going to use it as fill for ambient light I agree with FEBS that it might not be the best candidate; in low light conditions even 1/128th power is still a pretty considerable blast, whereas an ETTL flash can deliver a much lower output if required. Personally I'd look for a second hand speedlite or one of the ETTL-capable Yongnuo models.


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## kphoto99 (May 30, 2014)

I haven't used the 560 but I have the 568EX and 568EX II, I don't really know what is the difference between the two.
Both are great flashes with ETTL and HSS that would suite you for your type of photography. I have combined them with YN622 radio triggers and I'm very happy with this setup. I can control them from the in camera menus perfectly. What I have costs less then one Canon 600 flash.

Before somebody chimes in and tells me that a professional would not depend on an off brand for something as important as flash. 

What professional would depend on 1 flash, you always have to have a spare in case you drop a flash on the job or something else happens to it. So you always have to have n+1 units. Increase that to n+3 with YN and you will be safe, yet still save money.


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## Rudeofus (May 30, 2014)

I have heard that 1D series cameras can be incompatible with some third party flashes (Metz comes to mind). Evidently there is some difference in protocol between 1D and other cameras, and flashes aimed mostly at the entry level consumer market may not support the 1D series all that well.

Not to be scare mongering, but I do recommend you check that flash for full compatibility before you commit to buying it.


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## Jamesy (May 30, 2014)

The YN560-III can now be controlled remotely via the newly released YN560-TX:
http://www.lightingrumours.com/yongnuo-yn560tx-5872#.U4i5GmcnLq0

I have reliably used YN 565EX and 586EX2's in the studio for product photography next to my Canon 580exII's and the YN have performed flawlessly. IMHO, YN are highly recommended!


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## privatebydesign (May 30, 2014)

Jamesy said:


> The YN560-III can now be controlled remotely via the newly released YN560-TX:
> http://www.lightingrumours.com/yongnuo-yn560tx-5872#.U4i5GmcnLq0
> 
> I have reliably used YN 565EX and 586EX2's in the studio for product photography next to my Canon 580exII's and the YN have performed flawlessly. IMHO, YN are highly recommended!



No you can't.

They are slated for release "around" September, which given Yongnuo's previous release date accuracy should be some time early 2017.


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## FEBS (May 30, 2014)

GammyKnee said:


> That said, if you're going to use it as fill for ambient light I agree with FEBS that it might not be the best candidate; in low light conditions even 1/128th power is still a pretty considerable blast, whereas an ETTL flash can deliver a much lower output if required. Personally I'd look for a second hand speedlite or one of the ETTL-capable Yongnuo models.



A TTL or ETTL flash will do not better. they are all minimum output 1/128 of full power (some even only 1/64). to reduce output you need lower power, so a flash with lower guide no. That's the reason I proposed the macro flash ring with guide no. of 12 to 14. If your are real close (macro) then all the power coming out of the flash might produce generate overexposure. So you need to place further away which might be very difficult als lens is between flash and subject, or reduce power.

Francois


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## privatebydesign (May 30, 2014)

FEBS said:


> GammyKnee said:
> 
> 
> > That said, if you're going to use it as fill for ambient light I agree with FEBS that it might not be the best candidate; in low light conditions even 1/128th power is still a pretty considerable blast, whereas an ETTL flash can deliver a much lower output if required. Personally I'd look for a second hand speedlite or one of the ETTL-capable Yongnuo models.
> ...


That is not true. In manual you can only go to 1/128, in ETTL the flash can go much lower.

Having said that, I find I use a lot of power with macro due to the aperture I normally use.


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## FEBS (May 30, 2014)

privatebydesign said:


> Jamesy said:
> 
> 
> > The YN560-III can now be controlled remotely via the newly released YN560-TX:
> ...



+1

except for 2017, yes they are always late, but this product might being expected in 2015, based on the experience of previous product releases

Francois


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## GammyKnee (May 30, 2014)

FEBS said:


> A TTL or ETTL flash will do not better. they are all minimum output 1/128 of full power (some even only 1/64). to reduce output you need lower power, so a flash with lower guide no.



Here's an explanation of why ETTL flashes *can* produce lower output than their lowest manual setting:

http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/18300/why-is-manual-flash-at-the-lowest-power-stronger-than-the-ttl-result

It's damned annoying because when mixing flash with ambient in low light conditions with high-ish ISO, you've really only got two choices:

[list type=decimal]
[*]Use your strobes in ETTL mode (for off- camera this means cables or the more expensive remote triggers), or


[*]Use some pretty heavy light modifiers on the strobes to forcibly reduce their effect
[/list]


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## Hannes (May 30, 2014)

I have a yn-560 III and a 1D3 and it work brilliantly. Max flash sync speed is 1/400 and is flawless.

Problem is that the flash is limiting in that it only zooms to 105mm, it is fully manual, no weather sealing but is easy to operate. It is a fantastic flash for what it is built for, which is mainly off camera light. It is reasonably powerful and cheap. If you want to blast wildlife with a bit of fill that can certainly work as long as you are in a hide and know reasonably well where the animals are so you can set the right power before hand.


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## the blackfox (May 31, 2014)

thanks for all the comments ,first one the units are higher priced in the u.k (what isn't ) and having been advised on other forums as well about the suitability of ETTL and given various alternative models the one i am looking at now is the yn565mkii ,which retails over here at £73 as opposed to £48 for the 560mk iii ,these are for u.k sourced models rather than a cheaper direct chinese import which i have had problems with in the past delivery time wise ..


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## kphoto99 (May 31, 2014)

the blackfox said:


> thanks for all the comments ,first one the units are higher priced in the u.k (what isn't ) and having been advised on other forums as well about the suitability of ETTL and given various alternative models the one i am looking at now is the yn565mkii ,which retails over here at £73 as opposed to £48 for the 560mk iii ,these are for u.k sourced models rather than a cheaper direct chinese import which i have had problems with in the past delivery time wise ..



The 565 does not have HSS (High Speed Sync), the 568 does. The HSS is extremely useful for a daylight fill or for macro work where you can have sync speed of 1/4000 or (1/8000 if your camera supports it). 
Ordering from the Yongnuo ebay store took 2 weeks to get to Canada last time I ordered, probably the same to UK.


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## the blackfox (Jun 1, 2014)

its all getting rather complicated and my heads spinning i just wanted a cheap easy flash gun for extremely occasional use .taking into consideration my last top of the range nikon one probably fired about 10 times from new in 3 years ,in fact its probably more a case of knowing i have one if needed than actually using it .
i won't buy from china direct due to previous non arrival of goods ,and having to wait ages for a refund and the chance of incurring import duties and vat on top of it .


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## FEBS (Jun 1, 2014)

GammyKnee said:


> Here's an explanation of why ETTL flashes *can* produce lower output than their lowest manual setting:
> 
> http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/18300/why-is-manual-flash-at-the-lowest-power-stronger-than-the-ttl-result
> 
> ...



Thanks to Gammyknee and Privatebydesign I learned that ettl flashes can work at lower power as minimum setup in manual mode. 

I did look to the link, and I can understand that Ettl is doing a calculation and based on the result, a setup will be chosen which must not be a multiple of 1/3 stop and which might be lower then 1/128. I understand that 1/64 in the past required already several swiths positions or more recent more leds (6) on the backside of the flash. however with the current digital displays it would not cost more to add a 1/256 or even 1/512th level. And that's 2 stops lower as the current 1/128. So, why would a flash manufacturer not give this possibility on the display if technically it is available in E-ttl. On the other hand, 1/128 gives a flash duration of about 50us (1/20000 sec). So 2 steps lower, we will have flash durations of 10 to 20 us. I wonder if the light wouldn't be more yellow in that case caused by the very short period of flashing. So in the next months (after summer), I will do some tests with the 565EX and 568EX to see how much lower power I can get in E-TTL and also look to the color of the produced light. If any other member might have done something similar already, please feel free to give feedback.

Thanks

Francois


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