Last year, when I wrote about the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT that is a $188 clone of the Canon 600EX-RT it turned a lot of heads. Could Yongnuo really deliver a product that worked with Canon’s $500 flash at about a third of the price?
As it turns out, yes.
The above video shows not only the YN600EX-RT flash working with a Canon 600EX-RT, but it features a group of three Yongnuo Speedlites and the Canon Speedlite controlled by the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT transmitter.
As you can see in the video, the Speedlites can be controlled independently or in groups (just like the name brand Canon gear) and can easily mix and match with the much more expensive Canon Speedlite.
What’s even better is that the YN600EX-RT Speedlite has dropped in price to $171 and is available at B&H Photo. The Yongnuo YN-E3-RT wireless transmitter is only $130 compared to the Canon ST-E3-RT price of $270.
These are the latest products that match Canon’s current flagship Speedlite and transmitter; however, Yongnuo makes several other options that are even more affordable and compatible with Canon TTL, Nikon i-TTL and other brands as well. You can see all of the Yongnuo line-up here at B&H Photo.
Availability appears sparse on several of the Yongnuo flash units (probably due to the high demand and low price), but it looks like B&H is still taking orders as it awaits the backordered items to arrive.
[via PetaPixel]
Sheesh… it begs the question of why would anyone (any Canon owner that is) spend the monstrously larger amount of money on a Canon flash, when it appears these Yongnuo do everything just as well?
Are they not as powerful? Do they have a rep for being cheap and flimsy?
I own the ST-E3-RT and recently bought the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT wireless transmitter so I’ve used both. The Canon unit is definitely a more polished product. For example, the control wheel on the Canon has definite clicks and doesn’t move unless you want it to. The Yongnuo also has clicks but the resistance is so little that it is easy to move accidentally. The Yongnuo model doesn’t include the white dot on the power switch so either you add one yourself or you guess where the switch is positioned in dim light. (OK. I admit that I hate the design of that switch anyway. I’m always pushing on it the wrong direction so maybe this is just me.) The battery door on the unit also slides open with little resistance and I’ve noticed that the batteries seem to discharge if I leave them in the Yongnuo even with the power off.
All things considered I would rather pay extra for the Canon except for one thing: The Yongnuo unit allows me to use my Canon EX-600-RTs with my Fuji X-T1 with full manual mode functionality. No ETTL but everything else works so I’m happy to live the niggles.
i bought a new canon 600 ex rt ii flash. i tried it as a slave, with yongnuo e3 rt as trigger but the 600 ex rt ii does NOT fired. is it not compatible? i tried 3 flashes together yongnuo 600 exrt + canon 600 ex rt + the new canon 600 ex rt ii and only this new canon 600 ex rt ii did not fire, with the same settings. please help.
I believe you’re right. Unless there is a configuration or setup I’ve missed the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT trigger set as a master will NOT fire the Canon 600 EXii-RT in radio slave mode. The Canon 600EXii-RT flash will trigger the older Canon 600ex-RT flash and vice-versa but the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT trigger is not compatible with the newer Canon flash. For now I think only the Canon ST-E3-RT will trigger both versions of Canon 600ex-RT flashes.
Now can Yonguno come out with a unit for Micro Four Thirds, Sony, and Nikon. in this order please!
I’m yet to receive my Yongnuo YN-E3-RT transmitter, it’ll be the first time ever I buy something that is not genuine Canon after 28 years of being a pro using canon gear, so I will have to play with it and see, I’ve seen a few videos and they all favor the less expensive guy….
About the control wheel topic mentioned by the gentleman above, I’ll say on my (3) 600EX-RT flashes I’ve always complained that they are a bit to stiff and hard to rotate, so maybe on the Yongnuo transmitter if they are less hard to deal with I’ll be more pleased, but who knows? cause I can’t even pronounce the name correctly!
I’ll come back to share my thoughts………
Thanks Julio. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
I ordered the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT transmitter from eBay and received it last week. My two Yongnuo 600’s just came in the mail today from B&H so I will update everyone by the weekend and try to do a comprehensive review on YouTube, time allowing. The B&H price dropped to $150, but I see now it’s back up to $160
Great! Keep us posted on your results.
I purchased two Yongnuo 600EX-RT’s from B&H. The price fluctuates. I bought one unit for $170 and I bought another unit a week later for $150.
First, let me say that the only problem I ever had with my Yongnuo YN568EXII was with the battery door. I had to order a new one because the original broke after three days. The door was very poorly made. Yongnuo was aware of the problem, but I still had to pay $3 for a new one. Otherwise, it has been a great flash for me and I haven’t had a problem with the battery door since.
Yongnuo 600EX-RT first thoughts:
Wide Angle pull out diffuser is spring loaded, sturdy and well made.
Fit and finish seems okay out of the box
Slightly larger than the 568EXII, but it doesn’t feel heavier. It is pretty much an exact replica of the Canon 600.
Belt clip on the carrying case is sturdy
Packaging was EXACTLY the same for both units
No weather sealing on battery door
There was a hair in the bracket mounting hole of one of the units (005). I had to get it out with a q-tip.
The rubber covers for the various terminals are very poorly made. They barely stay in. Definitely not weather proof.
Battery door feels much sturdier than the 568 so far
Manual is very smart. May seem simple but exactly half is English and half Chinese. So if you fold the manual in half the English can be first or the Chinese.
Auto power off happens in 1min 30sec. In my opinion, way too fast. You can turn this off in the advanced menu but I wish there were different settings: 5, 10, 20 min. Maybe a firmware upgrade, that no one can really use unless you have an old windows computer, can fix this.
The YNE3RT transmitter auto power off is five minutes. This felt acceptable, but I would still love the option for 10min. It is also rock solid on top of the camera. Rock solid and well made.
The Yongnuo 600 has a little play on the hotshoe. When I say a little, I mean very little. It is not as solid as the YNE3RT, but after shaking the camera and turning it upside down and around, I couldn’t make either Yongnuo 600 unit lose connection. It should be noted, both units had exactly the same amount of play on the hotshoe.
I know people had complained about the rubber hot shoe gasket being loose on the 600 and coming off, but I did not find this with the two I have. I don’t know if this is something they fixed, but neither unit has this problem.
The text on the LCD’s are very easy to read in low light with the backlight on. I have yet to test it in daylight.
The 600 was able to trigger the 568EXII optically without a problem.
The Yongnuo flashes work in manual mode on both my Fuji camera and my Canon film cameras. I am still testing them on these cameras so I will give an update.
This is just a start. I will add a video and photos soon and post a link.
By the way, I was testing these flashes on a Canon 5D III.
So far, I’m very happy with the purchase.
Rob
Thanks for sharing Rob. All of that is promising to hear.
I too thought these Yongnuo’s flashes with the through of saving a significant amount of money. Full of regret. I bought 4 of the Yongnuo 600EX flashes, and everyone one of them has been a major problem. In all of them the batteries overheat with limited use, sometimes as little as 5 flashes, sometimes i can get away with 50, and when I say overheat, that is putting mildly. The batteries get so hot that when you remove them, you literally cannot hold them in your hands for more than a few seconds or you run the risk of burning yourself, (I wish I was exaggerating). When I first receive the flashes (approx. 1 1/2 years ago) I left the batteries in the units after using them. Unfortunately, when I would attempt to use them a few days latter or even the next day, the batteries where completely drained, and these were good batteries (duracell), (not your cheap walmart copies). And all the flashes did this. In a couple of months of use (when the flashes were usable), I went through enough batteries that I could have bought another flash. Very inconsistent, and simply not acceptable if you are doing any paid work. Regardless of how inexpensive they are. I will never again purchase these flashes unless some major revamping is done. And good luck trying to get anyone from the company or related sellers responding to you. Just like the person on this thread said, “maybe you got a bad copy”. Yes I did, FOUR OF THEM.
How did you sync the Canon 600ex RT with the Yongnuo transmitter? I cannot seem to get them to link.
im having the same issue
When I`m using my Canon 600ex as Master for my tow Yongnuo 600 everything is fine. But When I use my Yongnuo Trigger as master My Yongnuo flashes work fine but my canon flashes with delay. Any suggestion or idea?
im getting the same issue in ettl but not manual, wierd