Yongnuo YN560-III-USA Speedlite Flash with Integrated 2.4-GHz Receiver for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, GN58, US Warranty (Black)

On the surface, the YN560-III is an excellent flash. It has power, exterior build quality is very good, the wireless trigger system works flawlessly. It was everything I needed for shooting interior architecture shots. I bought 8 of these flashes, along with the YN560-TX transmitter. After only two shoots, one of the flashes lost its wide-angle diffuser panel (broke off), and another flash refused to adjust its power (firing at full-power no matter what it was set to). While I worked out the return with Amazon and had another couple of shoots, two more flashes stopped adjusting their power. I tried pulling the batteries, firing it manually without the transmitter, etc... they were fried. So after only a handful of shoots, 4 of the 8 units I had purchased were broken or stopped functioning properly. Im really bummed, as Ive now went back to Canon speed lights which is are mega expensive. Early on, I tried contacting Yongnuo support for help in replacement/repair. They wanted nothing to do with me, telling me to contact the seller. After pushing them more, they told me to send it back to them, but gave no address. From other reviewers, I have read that you have to send them back to China. No thanks. Not recommended if you depend on your equipment for professional shoots. Maybe fine for personal use where cost is a big concern and reliability or down-time from malfunctioning flashes isnt as big of a deal. .

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Without a doubt this is one of the worst products I have ever used. As a photographer I depend on my gear to hold up. Ive used off brand flashes in the past and have gotten great results both from the quality of the light output to the durability of the product. However these units are very poor quality. At first site they are built well. When powering on they sometimes fail to start up. During a shoot on the first day, with brand new batteries, the unit died within 15 minutes. The flash was incredibly warm to the touch and wouldnt turn on until new batteries were out in. Now that isnt the real problem with these units. The real issue is the recycle time. At 1/2 power it takes upwards of 10 seconds to recycle. This is it conducive to a steady and proficient work flow. When they work, they work great. The downside, it doesnt work well often.

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I used to use these speedlites all the time. I used them for about a year or so. They worked great and were easy to use. But, I got sick and Id given the lights to my old boss. Once I was okay to work again, I decided to purchase them again. I bought two. Main light and fill light. Well, one still works, and the other wont turn on anymore. After a shoot I turn them off and take out the batteries to charge for the next shoot. I put them in my bag, and when I put the batteries in for another shoot, only one worked... I bought them only a couple months ago. I think in December. Its only February. And I havent even had that many shoots! Im irritated because I have a family session tonight and wont have a fill light.

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I went crazy when I first saw these. I could not believe all you get for the price. First I will say the packaging this thing comes in is excellent. The big boys could really learn a lot from this company. I felt like I spent ten times as much just from the packaging alone. I ordered 4 of these and the transmitter. All worked right out the box with brand new enloop batteries. I tested them out at home and was very pleased. I used them on my first professional shoot 1 month ago. Now I finally see you get what you pay for. My first 560 went out as I was lighting up a church. It actually didnt go out but it stopped responding to the power adjustment and only fired full power. Ruined a bunch of photos. Got home and found a serious flaw. These units can easily overheat. With powerful enloop batteries, that didnt help. By me firing all other flashes at 1/128 in with my D3s and one going at 1/1 it didnt have a chance. I wont lie, I heavily use all my equipment. I am not a hobbyist. Three others burned out while doing a wedding. I was getting action shots of dancing and everything was going great. I cut off my transmitter while the couple spoke but not the flashes themselves. Turned it on to catch the daddy daughter dance and all flashes went full power. After the wedding 1 burned out and stopped working and two only go full power. Found out that they overheated just sitting with the power on. I read that you should only use them for a short period and take the batteries out when not in use to prevent overheating. Huh? Sorry, but these are not pro flashes. I have used the same two SB28s for 5 years and they have never overheated and now I have to go right back to using them because these are 100% unreliable. I have one 560 left that has not burned out yet but I am going to use it as a backup. I am all for the little guy and usually have rave reviews but I cannot promote a product that is clearly not ready for primetime. Its good for small hobbies or portraits where you are not required to use them heavily. But for a wedding you cannot trust these things full heartedly. Just have your name brand flashes ready. If the company is reading this I am not extremely upset because these have so much in them for a fraction of what a name brand flash costs. I love the idea, just try to come up with a way to prevent the overheating with a newer model. I dont mind paying a little more for it. Just hate I wasted money investing in these.

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UPDATE: dropping to two stars. due to wireless function loss. January 26 2014, the flash still works. but it no longer allows me to switch to wireless mode. When I press the button the flash locks up. I have to open the batter cover to turn the flash off.. the flash itself still works on the camera. Yes its a $71 flash so I shouldnt be surprised that it has had problems within the year of owning it. I should be surprised that it still works at all. Its still a well made flash.. it still works, but it doesnt work for everything anymore.. so I am now left in the position where I need to decide if I buy another one or spend the money on a Sony flash.. --------original review ------------ Alright, first of all, I had no good expectations for this thing. I thought it was going to be cheap thin plastic, I thought it was going to have a screen like those old pocket lcd video games they used to sell when I was a kid.. Maybe the fact I was dreading getting this to see what I just wasted my money on helped make me as happy as I was when I opened this thing.. Its awesome.. Its HUGE, much larger than I expected, good solid thick plastic and its put together very very well. the manual leaves you wondering how to use the thing, so that could use some improvement, but if you search Yongnuo 560 III on youtube you will get some videos that show how to use the buttons. I bought this for a Sony A58 and it works just fine on there.. The A58 has the new Sony "multi interface shoe" I was hoping the A58s wireless flash setting would fire this thing, and it does, but the timing seems to be off, the photo doesnt show any flash in it. If I use regular on camera flash settings I can trigger the flash properly. So of course I have ordered the 603s to help trigger this thing remotely, not that I will do that much.. The 603s do not work with the sony without a mod. open up the unit and solder a 120K ohm or 130K ohm resistor between the VIN (+ terminal) and the J6 terminal (yellow wire). It works, at first you might think that it doesnt, if the screen on your flash has this -- instead of a flash powrer, just hit the buttons to cycle through the powers and then your flash will work great. Search YouTube for the mod, it will walk you through it. The thing isnt ttl, so when you get it you will be learning how to use a flash,, Like a moron I started at 100iso in my dark living room with full power and quickly learned I had to move to 800 and bring the flash power down.. And I started playing around with the black foamy thing Neil Van Niekerk has done some videos and written articles about. Do a search on it for your self, amazon removed my links for his page. not affiliated with the guy at all. it helped me a lot to learn about using flash. I was slow to order this thing thinking it wouldnt work with my Sony, and that is not the case.. If you have the old minolta hot shoe you will need a converter http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sony%20minolta%20hot%20shoe

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I bought 3 of these and have used them for a few quickie location portrait jobs. They work well indoors. THE INFRARED TRIGGER DOES NOT WORK WELL OUTSIDE!! Forget the IR and go with Pocket Wizards. Firing these units with a pop-up camera flash worked very well indoors with my Nikon D-610. I was able to get the units to fire consistently with my pop-up on 1/16th power. Thats a good thing if no one else is firing a flash. For weddings, you must use a Pocket Wizard or other radio trigger. These are totally manual, so expect a learning curve if you didnt serve time in the old school of dumb speedlights. As for me, I like the manual speedlights because they are cheap and they always put out the brightness you set them on. TTL units can be easily fooled. Battery life is low, because these units may not have a recycle circuit. I didnt get any more flashes on various powers than I did on full power. So every flash, no matter the setting, uses a full power load. Excess is dumped. Too bad. Batteries get hot and fail quickly. Not great for the wedding and event shooters. But for 40 or 50 flashes on a quartet of AA batteries, you get big output. Summary: Good value

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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 doesnt 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 Speedliters 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 couldnt 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 wasnt 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 Canons 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 Canons 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 Canons 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 Canons 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 Canons 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 dont 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, Ive 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 IVE MADE TOWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY! Im very grateful to God for being able to share some knowledge with you! I hope it helps. Take care and happy shooting!

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Let me put it to you this way: (1) Nikon SB-900 ($560+) (the brand-name equivalent of this) (2) Pocket Wizard X ($198) (Get only one at your own risk). or (4) YN-560III ($280) (2) YN transceivers ($30-35) (2) 43 Umbrellas ($70) (3) 85 pro-grade light stands ($105) (4) Sandbags ($25) (1) 43 5-color reflector ($30) and still have $220 left over for things like memory cards, business cards, batteries, clamps, tape, cold shoes, a website, gas, food, beer, an assistant, etc. Or a really nice tripod, and then you already have a remote shutter control. -You do not need TTL. You should not use TTL professionally (because its a crutch, nothing "wrong" with it... usually...). -You could STILL buy two PWXs with that $220 and have $20-ish left over. But unless you upgrade to studio lights (e.g., AB1600s) you really dont need that universality. -You have no backup lights if your single SB-900 blows up, breaks, or fails on a job. Notes: This thing does not like Energizer 2500 mAH batteries. I can use any other brand of rechargeable AA batteries but those Energizers. It is also not the batteries themselves, as they work in anything else I have tested. If you live in the USA, get the other one with the USA warranty: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I44F5LS/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_18 *Or pick the right warranty at the top... The plastic stand this comes with is usable, but not stable or well balanced at all. Also, it does not work well with a male connector for things like light stands (strips easily). Get an actual cold shoe to attach this thing to your stand. The case is pretty nice and fairly well padded. Absolutely no issues syncing to my other YN products. No hassle at all. Works on my Nikon DSLRs and Fuji mirrorless with no issues. **The flash is fully manual, so dont expect TTL. Its big and bright. It goes from 1/1 power down to 1/128th, and does 1/3 stops at most increments. The zoom is a bit noisy, but it works great, and still works. Recycle time isnt the best, but it is on par with the top-tier Nikon/Canon (and those $280 Lumopro) speed lights. I can shoot at 1/4000th shutter and F.4 on my Fuji and still get full-stop light power. YMMV. This requires a hot shoe cable and a leaf shutter. The only thing that I cant comment on here is color consistency/accuracy. It has always been perfectly accurate for what I do, but I am not a product photographer, and I dont need precisely calibrated colors. But if thats something that you need, you should be looking at $1000+ studio lights, not speedlights.

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Realize its a manual flash, no TTL, before you buy, therefore it should work on any camera with a normal hotshoe. It has a very even exposure area and is very bright. All settings worked as should and pictures have a natural color balance. The multi-strobe feature is really nice. I bought 2 for portrait work and am very satisfied with the quality of this flash. Has slave modes S1 and S2. Seems well made and has a good feel to it. Should last a long time.

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Ive been a working professional for 24 years and held out from buying any automated flash system for decades, never trusting the complexities of Nikon Speedlight, Metz SCA, or even Sony ADI TTL systems. In fact, Ive never been interested in shoe mount strobes, instead favoring big handlemounts like the Metz 60 series for location-based work, like sporting events and on-location portraiture. The reason why is that single smaller flashes dont have the power to work at working apertures like f8 using large modifiers like softboxes and tall venue ceilings without going to ISO 800 and higher or much lower ISOs when operating in direct sun. Furthermore, no flash can perform well continuously at full power so 1/4 power and lower is a normal manual setting for me. I also shoot events with Nikons and Sony Alphas so I needed a flash system that would behave the same way, regardless of which camera I picked up. Thats where the Yongnuo YN560-III came in handy. Often, I need a reliable fill light that I can put anywhere, on the floor, bounced into a reflector, or on a bracket above my camera. This flash comes with a handy little foot that balances it fine, even with a separate wireless trigger like a YN-622N Yongnuo YN-622N Wireless I TTL ITTL HSS 1/8000S Flash Trigger with 2 Transceivers - Compatible Camera Nikon D70 D70S D80 D90 D200 D300 D300S D600 D700 D800, D3000 Series: D3000 D3100 D3200, D5000 Series: D5000 D5100, D7000 Series: D7000 D7100; - Compati... . It may seem like a dumb little thing to rave about, but many times having a light where you need it most requires some stealth. Then theres a huge gradient of manual power settings. Im used to dealing with power levels, rather than EVs so the range of power settings is a huge step forward. In the days of film, manual flash mode only meant full power or some reduced power motor-drive mode (like 1/32 or 1/64th power), so having the ability to dial in a power in 1/3 stop increments down to 1/128 is great! At 1/4 power and lower, the recycle time is instantaneous for a 3 shot burst, esp. if you buy Panasonic Eneloop Pros Panasonic K-KJ17KHCA4A Eneloop Pro Individual Cell Battery Charger with 4 AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries, 4 pack . Then, aside from the single firing pin, making it compatible with any ISO hotshoe, theres the variety slave trigger modes like S1 and S2 optical for triggering with on-camera flash, as well as the RF-602/3 receiver, which lets you know its connected on any of 16 channels with a very visible blue LED. With the availability of the $35 RF-603II trigger/receiver Yongnuo RF-603NII-N1 Wireless Flash Trigger Kit for Nikon D700 D800 D1 D2 D3 D4 , which now supports all single-pin hotshoes, theres no need for buying camera brand-specific triggers or strobes anymore. This $70 strobe handles them all, but I did buy the $190 YN-568EX CE Compass Yongnuo Professional YN-568EX Wireless TTL Flash Speedlite Speedlight For Nikon D700 D3 D3s D3x D2x D300 D300S D7000 D90 D80 D70 D70S D60 D3000 D3100 for my Nikon system just for the HSS capability used with a full i-TTL trigger. To control the slave flash, theres a bright orange backlit LED screen and about four buttons that cycle through the configuration options, flash head zoom settings and a couple of "other" firing modes, like multi. Theres also a group setting function button, that doesnt seem to have much use without the YN-560-TX trigger YONGNUO YN560-TX Flash Transmitter Provide Remote Manual Power Control for YN-560 III Manual Flash Units Having Manual RF-602 RF-603 RF-603 II Compatible Radio Receivers Built In , but its nice to know its there when you need it. The build quality feels pretty solid and for not that much money, you can buy a backup unit or two. For me, just having a little flash I can slave to anything I use and throw into the side pocket of a camera bag makes a huge difference!

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