Flash Gun Recommendations

Author
Discussion

RobbieKB

Original Poster:

7,715 posts

182 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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I'll keep this short. I had 3 flash guns a couple of months ago and now I have 0. The battery leaked in my Marumi, my 430 EX II had its reflector fall out and now refuses to play nice and my 3rd flash I will discuss next.

I want to keep the price as inexpensive as possible. It's to go on (or linked to) a 5D II. It'll be primarily for portraiture with other misc uses so the recharge time between flashes in important to me. This is where I'm at:

Canon: good but pretty expensive and nothing special for that dosh.

Yongnuo: was told these were the king of budget flash gunnery. The first one I bought (YN-560 I believe) arrived and wasn't working from the off. I sent it back and got a replacement. That flash worked for 1 shoot and then a month later refused to turn on again. It hadn't been dropped, mishandled or so much as bumped and as it had been a month, it was apparently out of refund period. I emailed Yongnuo but they're not much up for talking to customers.

Advice please my go-to army of veteran 'togs.

nessiemac

1,525 posts

240 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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Hi Rob,

All i can add is that i have used the Yongnuo flashes for a couple of years now, currently have 4 x YN568EXii's and apart from a battery door issue with an earlier one they have performed faultlessly and that is with a lot of hard use up and down mountains with my mountain bike race photography.

Also using them with the YN622C transmitter and receivers and again no problems whatsoever.

ExPat2B

2,157 posts

199 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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I have 3 Yongnuo 568EX ( you want the Mk2 for Canon as it can be a wireless master ) flashes, all faultless, one is over a year old and has had about 10,000 flashes put through it. Currently using one as power for a rayflash ring light on camera, and then the other two as bounce/fills.

I may get a Nissin Di866 next, it is meant be very powerful and has a neat feature where it has a small forward facing flash, and the main flash is on a swivel, so you can get a fill plus bounce for nice catchlights. It also works as a master flash for Nikon CLS and I believe the canon does the same.


RobbieKB

Original Poster:

7,715 posts

182 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
Wow, resounding Yongnuo praise again. Could I really have been THIS unlucky?

The one I was using Speedlite YN560-II (both times). Is the 568 much different/better?

Gemm

1,833 posts

214 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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I have a Canon 550EX I'm about to put on ebay or part-exchange. Interested?