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View Full Version : FINE ARTS fun samples + REVIEW of Yongnuo RF602 wireless trigger set + YN642 flash


JM Tran
21-09-2009, 10:14pm
Before I write anything else, I would like to boast that I have been setting off my flashes wirelessly at a range of over 150m, without any misfiring so far:D

This is a review of the latest wireless trigger/receiver set and flash from YONGNUO, a company hailing from Shenzhen in China. All I can say is WOW. Probably the best bang for your buck trigger set ever made so far. I bought the trigger and 2x receivers for 60 bucks and the YN462 flash for 40 on ebay - with free delivery to Adelaide from HK.

PROs

1. The receivers lie flat on the tripod/light stand screw thread and does not have the flimsy pivot mount like the Cactus products which is prone to breaking or bending over with heavy flashes
2. build quality is excellent! feels solid and well made, not cheap like other budget triggers
3. receivers use AAA batteries and trigger is CR2, with their own battery compartments and hatch
4. VERY LONG range - I have been able to set mine off at 150M away, and some have claimed up to nearly 200m, and I have shot through buildings, and a few stories up too
5. By mounting the receiver with flash onto the camera hotshoe - the trigger acts as a remote control and can be used to take photos - pressing it half way will auto focus the camera, and further will take the picture - amazing!
6. operating at 2.4gigahertz instead of the usual 300-433MHZ for other triggers, means that it suffers from less intereferences from electronics devices, and more legal to use internationally without getting into trouble

CONs

1. no lock for hotshoe mount when mounting the trigger or receiver on flash - but the chance of falling out is slim as its very stable and tight


YN642 FLASH

PROs

1. well built and very cheap
2. decent light output
3. very simple to use with only manual mode
4. full tilt and swivel head

CONs

1. flimsy battery door
2. no power rating on back, operated by a circular dial and u guess the power output, full power is full lock of the dial to the right obviously
3. average power ouput of GN23, apparently its the truth although they stated its GN33

SUMMARY

What can I say, but Pocketwizards, Skyports, Cactus, Radio Poppers eat your heart out for range and price! The Yongnuo RF602 is undoubtedly the best budget trigger set I have ever used and floors the oppositions like Cactus even their newer V4 designs. And will outrange the more expensive professional products - albeit at the cost of manual only settings and no TTL. But the icing on the cake is the ability to use my camera wirelessly with the trigger - I will be using it in a sports shoot coming up, setting up a camera right behind the goal keeper and sit in the stands to take shots with the remote trigger:D

The flash on the other hand represents a very good value for money light option, 2-3 of them will light up any room at a fraction of the costs of say, a single Canon 580EXII. It will be very handy for wedding photographers such as I am to mount 3-4 of them around a large hall or church, and shoot in the centre - for a better ambient lighting/flash feel. The drawback is the recycle time at full power, so dont expect to buy these and pop off shots at 1/1 every second!

Here are photos of the products, and samples of a shoot I did using them outdoors

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_3945.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4303.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4306.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4308.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4311.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4313.jpg

In order to use your camera wirelessly to take photos with AF, it must be connected like this

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4319.jpg]

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4000-frame.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4013-frame.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4048-frame.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4097-frame.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d84/endless_photography/IMG_4130-frame.jpg
swifty
22-09-2009, 12:24pm
Wow..thanks for that, Jackie. Just when I was looking for some radio triggers.
Had a lot of problems with my first and only outdoor shoot using remote strobes and I was contemplating getting an SU800 but this seems like really good bang for your buck.
Do u mind posting exactly which ebayer u bought this off or is there only one seller selling these.
I @ M
22-09-2009, 12:27pm
Thanks for the review Jackie, silly me was looking at the remote triggers on ebay and SWMBO walked in and said "they look good, buy two", there goes the credit card again. :(
I @ M
22-09-2009, 12:32pm
Swifty, the best priced ones I found are at --- http://cgi.ebay.com.au/YONGNUO-RF-602-Wireless-Remote-Control-FOR-NIKON-D3D700_W0QQitemZ280398899346QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera_Camcorder_Remotes?hash=item414913a892&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
JM Tran
22-09-2009, 12:41pm
Ok guys here is the link to the powerseller's shop, I finally found it

http://shop.ebay.com.au/hkyongnuophotoequipment/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

I recommend buying at least 2x receivers, 1 isnt enough in the long run:)
ehor
22-09-2009, 1:46pm
They certainly are great value. Been using them for over a month. DealExtreme.com have trigger and receiver set for $30 delivered if you want a 2nd transmitter.
MattC
22-09-2009, 2:13pm
Great review - thanks! :th3:
trigger
22-09-2009, 3:47pm
Nice review Jackie. I have the previous version of the Younuo triggers and these seem to be more solid.
However i noticed that these new ones are 2.4Ghz...:O this is in the the licenses free range and there are tons of devices that use this. Most common is bluetooth and your standard Wifi! But i wonder if it will trigger it?

Another important feature I would like to confirm is the sync-Speed. Does it do over 1/250? The ones that I have only sync at around 1/250<. Can you test these if they sync at something like 1/500 1/2000 ?
JM Tran
22-09-2009, 4:20pm
Nice review Jackie. I have the previous version of the Younuo triggers and these seem to be more solid.
However i noticed that these new ones are 2.4Ghz...:O this is in the the licenses free range and there are tons of devices that use this. Most common is bluetooth and your standard Wifi! But i wonder if it will trigger it?

Another important feature I would like to confirm is the sync-Speed. Does it do over 1/250? The ones that I have only sync at around 1/250<. Can you test these if they sync at something like 1/500 1/2000 ?

I tried using it around other 2.4g devices in the house, such as cordless phone etc and it seems fine so far:)

wouldnt have much of a problem as this will be used mostly outdoors on locations anyway

I'll try to test the sync speeds for u later tonight, have to go to soccer now!
R1titan
22-09-2009, 4:58pm
+1 for the Yongnuos!!
From recollection their fastest sync is 1/200 sec....

I bought the package with 3 receivers, so i have a spare in the case one fails or i get another strobe in the future :)
<$100 is a bargain indeed!!
eldean
22-09-2009, 7:51pm
can you compare this to CTR301P?is this one better?
JM Tran
22-09-2009, 7:56pm
can you compare this to CTR301P?is this one better?

All i know is that this is the latest model to supersede the CTR301s

some of the difference being the batteries used to a more common and cheaper AAA i think, and the change to the 2.4gigahertz for longer range and legal to use in more countries. And it can also operate the camera remotely and retaining the ability to auto focus too by controlling it with the trigger in your hands.

but I have never used the CTR301 set ever before, so someone else would be in a better position to comment:)
ehor
29-09-2009, 3:09pm
Another important feature I would like to confirm is the sync-Speed. Does it do over 1/250? The ones that I have only sync at around 1/250<. Can you test these if they sync at something like 1/500 1/2000 ?

Sync speed is camera dependent.
Your 40D is rated at 1/250 but conditions will dictate if you can sync faster or even slower before you see shutter creep.

Canon 1D rated to sync at 1/500 but I've heard of 1/1000
Nikon D70 rated sync at 1/500

The above two have electronic shutters whereas everyone has seemed to move to mechanical shutters with CMOS sensors.
JM Tran
29-09-2009, 3:32pm
one method I use to utilize a higher sync speed with shutter creep coming in is to shoot the photo in such a way that u can crop/frame the pic from the blacked out part of the shutter. But of course this is dependent on the subjects u are shooting.
I @ M
30-09-2009, 12:46pm
We received 2 pairs of the RF-602 triggers in the mail today, impressive performance so far. :)
Colourised
19-11-2009, 12:55am
i think im gonna jump for the 462s and the RFs too! :efelant:
Dylan & Marianne
25-11-2009, 8:47pm
I just discovered this thread jackie - awesome stuff -I think I'm going to invest in a couple since I've had some issues with lighting in churches in particular
JM Tran
25-11-2009, 8:55pm
I just discovered this thread jackie - awesome stuff -I think I'm going to invest in a couple since I've had some issues with lighting in churches in particular


Hey Dylan, I have been thinking about solutions for dark churches with high ceilings too

perhaps something like 4x flashes in each corner of the church (if its square or rectangular) pointing inwards to the main altar etc - will give it a very nicely lit ambient feel and possible to work with higher shutter speed and lower ISO too. Plus the flashes will be far away from the audience enough to not distract and blind them.

I did some burst shots with the 580EXII with the receivers on, it was fine and never missed a beat. But for weddings and stuff one would be better off with higher end flashes like the aforementioned for faster recycling rate and reliability.
Colourised
26-11-2009, 1:09pm
these 462s/460s are better off for local slow paced work it seems. no stress! if it doesnt switch on. try and try again. until it works :D
ausguitarman
30-11-2009, 11:23pm
Which is better. The 460 or 462?

I'm just about to buy two plus the transmitter pack.
JM Tran
30-11-2009, 11:32pm
the 460 is better, and the 465 just came out with TTL functions I think! but costs a bit more
Colourised
05-12-2009, 5:03am
is it still working flawlessly now jackie?
JM Tran
05-12-2009, 4:46pm
is it still working flawlessly now jackie?

yeah mate, been using these about 3 times a week for studio and location shoots, still going fine:)
I @ M
05-12-2009, 4:53pm
And --- just as a positive comment on the new Yongnuo triggers.

The earlier versions were prone to failing to synch at 1/250th on the old ( but reliable ) Courtenay monoblocs.

The new 2.4ghz triggers are 100% up to the job, couldn't ask for better value from anywhere.
Gregg Bell
06-12-2009, 5:24am
I used one onf the youngnuo flashes for a product shoot, with some thingymajiggs, It did the job brilliantly, I couldn't have asked for more, and I am now interested in dropping some $$ into flash now...
kmaisch
18-09-2010, 2:29pm
I realise this post is about a year old, but thought I'd add my own review for the RF-602 kit too! http://www.cameramarket.com.au/yongnuo-rf-602-wireless-flash-trigger-review/
Ozzi Paul
18-09-2010, 5:57pm
I was told a while back that none of this stuff will suit Pentax cameras would this be right. I was looking at the flashes also and even though some of them say they suit Pentax I was told that they don't. I was thinking about the YN 560 model and the RF 602 wireless setup mentioned above.
kiwi
18-09-2010, 6:15pm
This thread must be most read but least commented on in ap history
PROtog
03-12-2010, 1:45pm
I was told a while back that none of this stuff will suit Pentax cameras would this be right. I was looking at the flashes also and even though some of them say they suit Pentax I was told that they don't. I was thinking about the YN 560 model and the RF 602 wireless setup mentioned above.

I shoot with Pentax, and I have Pentax customers using Yongnuo wireless flash triggers (http://protog.com.au/wireless-flash-triggers-c-58.html) and Yongnuo speeedlite flashes (http://protog.com.au/speedlite-camera-flashes-c-56.html) off camera without issues. You can also use the C1 shutter release cable (http://protog.com.au/shutter-release-cable-for-canon-500d-pentax-k7-p-233.html) with the RF602 to remotely fire the K100D K10D K20D, K7 and K7 with the shutter release port on the side.
FallingHorse
03-12-2010, 2:20pm
Thanks for the review Jackie. I ordered a set a couple weeks ago with 2 receivers/transmitter (the 2.4ghz ones) - the item description said it was compatable with the EOS 1000D but have read elsewhere that they are not. They are yet to arrive - can anyone elaborate on the compatability??
Kym
13-12-2010, 8:26am
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FallingHorse
14-12-2010, 3:18pm
Yahoo - received my Wireless trigger/receivers today - I also purchased an extra cord (LS-02/c1 - Shutter Connecting Cord for EOS1000D) for a whopping $6 so that I can also fire my camera remotely and a quick test shot shows that it works . AWESOME - can't wait to try something a little more creative :D
Othrelos
14-12-2010, 7:39pm
"Canon 1D rated to sync at 1/500 but I've heard of 1/1000"

the original 1D had a top synch speed of 1/500th. The problem with such fast synch speeds is that the transmitters can become less reliable the faster the synch speed gets. Having said that I use flash triggers from Elinchrom I use in conjunction with my Elinchrom studio flash heads, and I can get them to synch at 1/1300th without any issues. So it takes some experimentation to find out what your gear is capable of.