YN - 560 opinions? [Archive] - AusPhotography:: Australia's Premier Photography Forum::

Nitnat

28-08-2011, 5:59pm

Hi everyone,

I am looking into purchasing my 1st off camera flash.
Seeing as the missus has imposed limits on how much I can spend, I was wondering if anyone had bad reviews of the YN-560?

I have read up on it's limitations, and what it does and doesn't have. I am ok with the them so far.
As I am hoping to down the track purchase a more solid master unit, these would eventually be running as slaves and therefore not wasted money?

If you know of a flash with similar features/benefits but is better value:$$$ ratio. I sure would like to hear about it!

Item I am looking at is found here - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/YN-560-YN560-Flash-Speedlite-Canon-Cameras-New-/310240266570?pt=AU_Flashes&hash=item483bc2c94a

Cheers
Matt

P.S: The forum emailed me and said "hey, if you don't post again soon you will become inactive" so I figured I may as well ask about something I am interested in!

OzzieTraveller

28-08-2011, 8:07pm

G'day Matt

I've got a couple of the 460s and they work remarkably well
See no reason for the 560s not to do the same

Regards, Phil

Nitnat

29-08-2011, 4:16am

G'day Matt

I've got a couple of the 460s and they work remarkably well
See no reason for the 560s not to do the same

Regards, Phil

Cheers Phil! How long have you had yours?

yummymummy

29-08-2011, 6:54am

yep same, I own a couple of 467's, awesome little flash for the money I paid.. I've had mine for nearly 2 yrs now

Tommo224

29-08-2011, 1:20pm

I bought one off eBay, still waiting for it to arrive! Should be this week. It's my first as well :) I wasn't comfortable with the huge prices on the Canon ones. Some day I'll probably purchase a Canon one, but while I'm learning and on a budget, these just seemed to suit really well! .. Even if I buy two that are duds, I'm still ahead by a lot compared to the price of the Canon! =]

I purchased here:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200639170088?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_3690wt_1139

In case you also wanted some other things, this is what else I purchased :)

I also ordered a pair of wireless remotes and receivers (they both send/receive, the one that you put on the camera becomes the sender automatically)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330569195124?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_6953wt_905

And a diffuser to spread the light
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/110674858370?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_1899wt_917

OzzieTraveller

29-08-2011, 7:26pm

G'day Matt

Q- how long have I had 'em....?
> dunno exactly - maybe 12 months ... use them in my Level-2 workshops for umbrella / slave flash operations
> they're triggered by students' individual on-camera flashes set to -2EV
> used for portraiture mostly

The recycle rate is about 8 seconds, powered by 6volt 'eveready-Dolphin' style batteries that go on forever before going flat

Hope this helps a bit
Regards, Phil

Tjfrnds

29-08-2011, 8:06pm

I have 2 560s, fantastic units, great value for money.

FYI I got mine from here..a little cheaper http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290501321178&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

fleaz

04-09-2011, 9:14pm

To add, my 560 have survived 2 falls from a height of 2 metres

98kellrs

05-09-2011, 11:34pm

I've just ordered two of them along with the RF602 wireless triggers, from all the reviews I've read they are really well built, and reliable which is the main thing. I think they're worth the extra $$ over the 460 due to having a PC port, more power and flexibility.

Hoping they arrive before the weekend so I can get playing with them!! :D

JM Tran

05-09-2011, 11:44pm

I probably started using the YN560 before everyone else on AP, as I bought 2 of them for myself and 5 more for friends, the week it came out in Shanghai last year. Going back to Aus customs with 7 YN560s and 2 Nissins in a carry on bag didnt raise any questions at all:D

My friends YNs still work normally, but for my 2 flashes - 1 still turns on but does not fire any more (could be blown bulb), and the other one fires at every 2nd or 3rd shot on the camera. I used them very heavily for strobist work last year before moving to using big monolights outdoors.

In the case of the blown bulb one, I used to connect them up to the Yongnuo SF18 battery pack to increase battery life and recycled time, so constant shooting on that may or may not have fried it.

Either way, I have been using Yongnuo products for 2 yrs now and will still keep on buying it.

Tommo224

27-09-2011, 5:45pm

Received my YN560 in the mail today (after 1 month shipping, ridiculous). So keen to try it out tonight :)

Fired it off a couple of times in the office, to the shock of a couple of people working near me lol. So it definitely works =P

Tommo224

28-09-2011, 3:59pm

Tried out the flash last night, learned how to adjust the brightness and all that jazz.

Pretty good flash, definitely going to look at purchasing a second one :)

snappysi

03-10-2011, 11:02pm

Tommo you must have bought yours from the same place as me... 1 month to get to my door is crazy.... other stuff i ordered to 1 week... Go figure

Simon.

mR_CaESaR

04-10-2011, 11:08am

For strobist work, would this flash be ideal or would I be better off buying a second hand SB-28?

crf529

04-10-2011, 12:39pm

Depends on how much you'll pay. The 560 is about $70, and whilst a tad less powerful, has half the recycling time + 12 months warranty. So if your paying any more than that, I'd recommend the 560.

mR_CaESaR

04-10-2011, 6:26pm

Yeah I think for 70 bux delivered, that's almost the same as the 580EXII, for 70 bux a pop, I can't really ask for more.

If it'll do the same job as a 580 EXII in manual mode, then I'll be happy.

edit: now I just need to find some aftermarket Honl grids and what not :) If only there were aftermarket Ring Lights.

nexus

06-10-2011, 5:51pm

It is actually easier to use the YN560 in manual mode than the 580EX because it has dedicated buttons to increment the power, instead of doing a long press on the OK button and then adjust the power.

Tommo224

11-10-2011, 4:20pm

I just bought a second YN560 (this time from an Aussie seller on ebay).

I paid $85 with free postage, instead of $70 free postage. Would rather spend the extra $15 and receive it in a couple of days over waiting a month!!

Also purchased another pair of RF-603 wireless things.

So I'll have 4 of the wireless things, one on the camera, one on each flash, and I can use one as a remote if needed :) .. Self portraits made easy LOL

abitfishy

25-10-2011, 8:08pm

Another happy 560 owner here. Bought 2 from an aussie seller (pickup locally) for $70 ea. Used them manual on S2 and fired brilliantly. Best $70 I've spent in a long time.

Tommo224

07-11-2011, 9:08am

Just to add to this, I have 2 of these flashes.

One fell off the tripod (the shoe thing doesn't hold very well when you have the wireless thing attached to the bottom of the flash) and fell about 1.2m to the ground, batteries fell out. Flash still works fine (this was about a month ago).

On Saturday my gf dropped another flash down a bunch of concrete stairs, again the batteries fell out, it was covered in dirt and grime, but still works perfectly!

Mick

23-11-2011, 12:34pm

Ooooh wow. I've been wanting another canon 580 for ages but at the price of these I think this is the go for sure. I've had Yongnour triggers for quite some time now and they're terrific. Cheers for the links guys.

Presotto

23-11-2011, 3:17pm

I now have 4 yongnuo flashes plus wireless remotes all for less than the cost of a canon flash. Finding out about these flashes are one of the best things I have learned here.

98kellrs

23-11-2011, 6:26pm

One thing to watch out for is that you use high quality batteries (rechargeable preferably), I bought a "family pack" of 20 cheapo batteries and the flashguns turn themselves off after every shot, and whilst on remotes they don't even get a shot off before dying.

I've been recommended Powerex by another AP member so I will give them a go when I get back home next week

Tommo224

24-11-2011, 8:39am

Presotto

24-11-2011, 4:37pm

I bought some Energizer rechargeable batteries with one of those smart chargers from Woolworths. They last for ages! I've been using these flashes for quite a little while now, and have only had to charge them twice so far.

Over night though, long charge =/

I am using the same batteries and they do work well. My brother has a 15 minute charger for them, when I went to the store they don't have them but I manged to pick up a quick charger that does them in an hour, and when your charging 16 plus batteries it makes the world of difference!

JM Tran

24-11-2011, 4:48pm

I am using the same batteries and they do work well. My brother has a 15 minute charger for them, when I went to the store they don't have them but I manged to pick up a quick charger that does them in an hour, and when your charging 16 plus batteries it makes the world of difference!

15 min chargers/quick chargers also kill battery life expectancies like no tomorrow, I hope you understand the consequences of using them long term:)

geeti

27-11-2011, 8:05am

Presotto

27-11-2011, 8:52am

15 min chargers/quick chargers also kill battery life expectancies like no tomorrow, I hope you understand the consequences of using them long term:)

Yes I understand that. Like everything there is a trade off. Fortunately the prices of batteries are not so prohibitively expensive that I would mind going through a set every couple of years.
In my case I don't run all my flashes a lot. If I were a heavy user and really chewing through batteries then I guess it would be more of a concern.

Presotto

27-11-2011, 8:54am

Is it best to let batteries get fully-charged before using them? or using partially-charged batteries fine? Sometimes I have to resort to the latter for some urgent photo shoots.

Another option would be to leave the batteries charged overnight, but I don't think it's good either.

I think most modern chargers have a cut off that once the batteries are charged the charger cuts out. I could be wrong.

Big Ren

14-12-2011, 11:47am

Got my 560 through one of the site advertisers. Very happy with it so far.

Cheers
Paul

Seabee

14-12-2011, 12:32pm

I have had two YN460 and two Vivitar 285HV...............for about 4-5 years!
I have never had an issue with either of them.
I have read of various issues from other users over the years, but I think sometimes it just comes down to misfortune half the time!

Have fun with them.

Sambo

21-12-2011, 8:46am

I have had my 560 for a year now, and its hasn't skipped a beat! Like others have said, with some decent batteries, recycle times are fast and will generally give your a fair few shots per burst.

EdZz

29-12-2011, 11:58pm

wow, 32 posts and not a single bad post about the YN560 - except for one post saying after heavy use the bulb died. That's pretty good for a $70 product!

i've ordered myself two YN560 and wireless triggers. This is gonna be fun =)

dennk

04-01-2012, 8:47pm

hi abitfishy,just like to know which aussie seller u bought the 560 from tnx.....

MiniFighter

05-01-2012, 6:09pm

hi abitfishy,just like to know which aussie seller u bought the 560 from tnx.....

I got one ex China, a YN460 was from memory about $50AUD delivered and to my amazement i had it the next week. Im happy with it but like others, whist learning its great but im sure ill upgrade down the track.