Off Camera Flash

TexPhotog

Please delete or move to the correct area if I’m posting this in the wrong thread area...

I’d like to get information from actual users of Yongnuo and LumoPro flashes...

Pro/Con and such... I’m trying to purchase a couple for interior real estate photography. I can “kind of” buy 2 Yongnuos for about the price of one LumoPro, so there’s that advantage. But again, I want real life experiences from people actually using them. Thank you.

ziggy53

I own exactly one Yongnuo YN565EX II "Speedlite". I bought it some years ago when my father was alive and he didn't have a flash for his Nikon D70 camera. The YN565EX II is a little unique in that it can support/understand both Nikon i-TTL and Canon E-TTL II flash automation protocols. I figured that if dad couldn't grasp the Nikon flash technology, I could take it back and use it on my Canon stuff as a backup or special purpose addition. As it turns out, that's what I wound up doing, taking the flash back for my use (dad couldn't grasp the concepts and it just frustrated him instead). Later, I bought Nikon D7100 and D7200 bodies and I could use the flash for them too.

The YN565EX II is a bit under-powered and there's no provision for an external HV power supply so it's not terribly useful in a professional environment.
Yongnuo makes more powerful flashes and you probably could build a lighting system around them, but there are better choices, IMO.

Since you have listed that you shoot Nikon, I strongly suggest looking at the more professional Nikon flashes, especially used Speedlights with i-TTL like the SB-700 and SB-800, but even the old SB-28 in manual mode has a great punch and accepts external power, so I would choose the SB-28 over most third-party flashes. (Some of the Godox/Flashpoint R2 compact flashes are pretty nice too.)

Eventually you could need more powerful lighting equipment, so keep your eyes open for good used studio monolights for when you have access to mains power and older handle-bracket flashes can suffice when you need more portability. (Think older Metz, for instance.)

TexPhotog

Thanks Ziggy... I guess I need to update my tags, lol... I'm currently shooting with Nikon, Canon, Sony, GoPro, Insta360 and a Mavic 2 Pro lol... depends on the job actually...

I'm not really trying to break the bank here, the main thing is to just have some extra light lighting gear for flambient RE shoots... some houses have no lighting whatsoever, so it's more post processing.

I do have a Nikon SB-600, but because the D300 that I have doesn't do video, I moved up to Canon gear for my RE work - I mainly use my Nikon for news coverage...

ziggy53

For Canon specific I use several 580EX and 550EX for a portable and battery-powered solution. I prefer the original 580EX because it's so easy to change from auto to grouped-auto (master or slave) to purely manual flash operation. Prices are very reasonable for these used flashes too! Add some high-voltage external power and you get really consistent flash output and minimal battery changes with rapid recycling.

I also very much like the Flashpoint Zoom Li-ON R2, C TTL (the "C" is how they signify Canon specific compatibility.) The Lithium-ion battery speeds flash recycling, yield excellent number of flashes per charge, and now you're just dealing with single battery unit replacements and single battery unit charging. Current version is "Flashpoint Zoom Li-on R2 TTL On-Camera Flash Speedlight For Canon (V860II-C)", but you can often find used copies available for $100-ish.

I'm not slamming Yongnuo and my YN565EX II has held up pretty well. Then again I'm pretty careful with my equipment. Their YN-622 series of master-slave sets are very nice and I use them a lot.

Pretty sure that you could buy, for instance, Yongnuo YN-568EX II 4-Channel TTL Flash Speedlite for Canon Cameras or manual-mode Yongnuo YN560-III Manual Speedlite f/Canon/Nikon/Olympus/Pentax w/Diffuser and if you didn't like them you could probably sell them for what you paid (as long as they were in the box with full papers and original accessories).

(You can also buy these items at B&H, of course. Not meaning to plug only Adorama.)