YONGNUO YN560 IV Wireless Flash Speedlite, Master + Slave Flash + Built-in Trigger System, for Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus Fujifilm Panasonic Digital Cameras

Perfect. Bought this 11 times over last 8 years. Use as remote flashes for real estate. Always have 6 working. Failures are result of falling from door tops. Most survive but after falls to concrete not so much.

I realize there are already almost 400 reviews for these flash units and mine will most likely get lost in the flood but I just wanted to weigh in on what makes them so awesome. First of all I have used Canon Speedlights in the past, still own a 430EX that sits in a box and collects dust. I really don't like using ETTL as I find it rarely gives me the kind of exposure I like in my photo's. I personally feel it looks flat and unprofessional so this review will be based on manual functions. This unit doesn't have a TTL function anyway so... on to the review. I have been using Yongnuo flashes for about 3 years now and I honestly have no gripes. None at all. Especially now that I've upgraded to the IV models and get the added wireless functionality built in. I dropped a 560III model about 4 feet onto the concrete a couple years back and the bottom of it broke off. It actually kept working for a full 2 hour shoot after that before it blew out completely. Probably due to some shorts after wires coming loose. But that just speaks to the durability of the Flash. Here's the thing, at this price, I was not upset. I dropped a Speedlight onto the concrete, watched a chunk of it fly off and thought, "Darn... well I guess I need to buy another." Try having that mentality with a Canon or Nikkon Speedlight. I take these hiking, out on major event shoots where I'm running around bumping into stuff, sometimes outside and getting rained on etc. etc. I never worry about breaking one because I know I can afford to grab another. It's a freeing feeling. I worry enough about my camera and my lenses as it is. Here's the other reason I love these. While I have a master controller for my speed lights, I prefer to use my flash in manual mode even when it's attached to my camera or on a trigger. On the Canon speed lights switching power while in manual mode takes a few extra clicks and requires you to depress the tiny center button first to let the unit know you want to start changing power level. It drives me a bit crazy now that I'm used to these. With the Yongnuo in manual mode, you just click one side or the other on the interface and your power level changes by standard stops. Click up or down to change power in smaller increments. I can get the exposure I want so quickly with these now that I really don't understand why Canon chose to design theirs differently. The wireless works well with the YN560-TX master controller though my shutter speed needs to drop to about 160 to avoid shutter shadow. They work flawlessly with the RF-603CII-C1 triggers. The power is also definitely up to par. Just one of these is enough to light up a medium-sized room with some bounced light. I have 3 (still less $$ than 1 canon) and dial them in at different levels for a better effect but have gotten by with 2 in very large rooms and been happy with my results. I've used them on both a t2i, t3i and a 6D and have friends who use them with 5D MarkIII's and love them just as much. If I had to pick one thing I don't like... I guess that they heat up and delay quickly. If you are firing off shot after shot the batteries get hot quick and the unit will force a delay until they cool down. You can attach an external power pack to eliminate the problem but I have learned to just work around it. I'm a bit more intentional with my shots anyway so I'm not one to just blast away, spray and pray style. I'd say I can get about 8 minutes of continuous shooting, full power, at maybe a shot per second before I start experiencing delays. You should also consider the speed, if you need to shoot at High Speeds like 250+ then these will not work. If you're using a controller you may even need to drop down to 160. Beyond that, no issues. Again, if you like automatic exposure and using the TTL or ETTL functions then this is obviously not for you since it doesn't offer that functionality at all. But if you use manual adjustments with your speed lights or you use a master controller then these are not only up to the job but they are incredibly affordable meaning you can have multiple flash units on standby if one gets broken. Really can't recommend them enough. I've bought 5 so far, broke one 560III and gave the other away once I got my IV's. I plan to buy a few more as backup and can happily say that I feel confident in my purchase.

I bought this flash to use off-camera, triggered with a RF-603 II transceiver. The setup works well, and I'm happy with the results. Some pros/cons: Pros: - Good light output - Nice features - bounce card, diffuser - Good UI/layout - similar to Canon's large flash - Built in transceiver, with simple setup Cons: - Flash occasionally didn't fire when triggered by transceiver (maybe 5% of time, could be due to close proximity in testing) - Moving parts (for angling flash) are a little gummy, don't move easily I think the flash is well worth the cost, and more than make up for the cons. If you were a pro who needs to get the shot right the first time, every time, this might not be for you. For my needs, it's a great fit.

The YN560IV has worked well for me so far and is a great addition the the Yongnuo line up. In TX mode it fully controls power and zoom of the YN560iii and fires YN603's or YN605's. In RX mode it acts just like another YN560iii, and of course it can be used as a on camera flash or a simple optically triggered off camera flash. This is a manual flash with a single firing pin (no-TTL) and should work with any brand camera that has a standard hotshoe. The controls are slightly more complex than the yn560iii but it's just like anything new with a minor learning curve. I find the YN560TX a little easier to use for changing settings on the remotes, but this product does make the 560TX unnecessary if you are on a tight budget. It fires fine in RX mode with the 560TX or 603 and has access to all 6 groups in both TX and RX modes. Range seems to be similar to others in this series (603, 560tx) and works fine in a mid sized reception hall (haven't tried it in a large hall). It is compatible with the newer yn605 which has group control, but I have not tested this. Output is as good as most other speedlights out there, although I did not test it precisely using a light meter. When in any slave mode (RX, S1, S2) an LED on the front flashes, I find this bit annoying in dark venues and cover it with a piece of black tape which significantly attenuates the brightness. The battery compartment door seems pretty solid (this was an issue on some earlier Yongnuo speedlights). The 560iv has a port for an external battery pack that should fit Canon compatible packs. Like similar flashes, it has a pull out diffuser and bounce card. The PC port is a traditional threaded style. The head swivels (with detents, but no lock) to the right 90 degrees and to the left 180 degrees, it would be nice if it also swiveled to the right 180. Elevation is from about -5 degrees to 90. The shoe tightener is the screw down style Yongnuo has used for a long time, many people prefer the quick release flip type lock that Canon uses (doesn't matter too much to me). The flash does not have a USB port or obvious way to upgrade firmware. Size is similar to other full sized speedlights such as the 580ex-ii or SB900, and is exactly the same size as the YN560iii. The main display is back lit, but the buttons are not. It comes packaged with a small stand like most other flashes in this price range or higher, as well as a decent quality pouch, and some instructions that while not great, are understandable. This series (560iii, 560IV, 603, 605) is the best bang for the buck on the market right now (late 2014) for manual speedlights. The cost difference between the model iii and iv is minimal making the iii somewhat obsolete so if you are just putting together a new setup, I suggest going straight for the 560iv. Of the competition I considered, the Godox V850 has the advantage of battery life over this (and pretty much every other speedlight out there), but it requires an external RX dongle that falls off easily, doesn't have a built in transmitter, has poor remote range, and more a limited remote feature set than the 560TX or the 560IV in TX mode. For a minimal investment one can have a complete on camera/off camera manual system (sans modifiers) that works quite reliably. And if you want to incorporate some monolights into your setup, the YN605 is a great option which enables you to selectivity enable/disable certain groups from remote. I will try to answer any questions left in the comments. Like this review if it was helpful to you.

Works great. Manual only (no TTL). I personally don't require TTL and honestly, even if I did "require" it, for this price I would definitely find a way to manage without it. :) What's not to like! It can act as a radio transmitter (Tx) with or without the master flash, or a radio (or optical) receiver (Rx, S1, S2). It works through walls -- no line of site required (radio only), and it's so much more affordable than other comparable speedlights! There's really a lot packed into this device. I purchased these because this model doesn't require an additional transmitter or receiver when used as a master in conjunction with the same model (and I believe the 560 III) as slaves. It's all built in. Can't beat it. You're not going to find another brand that offers this much at this price. My first speedlight was a very low-end make and model. It only had three modes: manual, S1 and S2, and my options included more/less output flash and on or off. lol That's it. I got that for $40 bucks (compare that to the price of these which do so much more). Now that I'm starting to land gigs, it was time for an upgraded system. The ONLY CON of this device is the little plastic stand it comes with. The stand by itself is fine, but It has a plastic screw socket so you can set these lights on a light stand. But the socket is pretty useless since plastic strips so easily. However, if you're purchasing speedlights and require the use of light stands, then you should probably invest in some hot shoe light stand brackets for them instead anyway (which is probably what Yongnuo was thinking too).

I have been using Yongnuo 560-II and 560-III for quite some time for their power and simplicity of use in the studio. The -II I used with YN603 and procured a pair of -III when I needed more flash since they feature the 603 receiver. Last time I needed to expand my pool I came across these YN560-IV and lo and behold not only do they feature the 603 receiver, they also feature the emitter and even better they allow to adjust remotely the power and the zoom of the other -IV but (great surprise!) the -III as well. (At the same time Yongnuo came up with their YN560-TX which allows for simple remote control of up to six independent groups of 560-III and -IV in a way even simpler than with the -IV. I reviewed it separately.) Triggering modes: * Hot-shoe - that's when the flash is on your camera. * Rx - The flash is triggered remotely by a YN602, YN603, YN560-TX or another YN560-IV * S1 - Synchro on the first flash it sees - useful if you are using a small manual flash on your camera to trigger your other flashs * S2 - Synchro on the second flash it sees - great if you are using a TTL flash to trigger your setup. That can be an external TTL flash on your camera (e.g. Canon 580ExII or 430ExII) or your camera popup flash. * Tx - This mode is not available on the YN560-III, only on the 560-IV reviewed here: the flash controls the other flashs in the room as long as they are on the same channel. A note about S1, S2 and the optical TTL mode of Canon flashs: As noted above, S2 is useful for light-triggering a Yongnuo flash from a TTL flash - however this does not work well when using optical control of a remote TTL flash such as the 580ExII or the 430ExII from either a 580ExII mounted on your camera or the popup flash of some of the more recent Canon cameras such as the 7D, 70D or 7DmkII. In that case the master flash communicates with the remote flash using bursts of light that get counted by the S1/S2 synchro mode of the optical manual slaves and they trigger on the TTL measurement burst instead of the actual picture illumination flash. I could get them to work nonetheless by making sure that only the Canon slave flash(s) could see the master flash and that the YongNuo flashs are set on S2 and also see the Canon slave flashs but not the camera and the master flash - but this gets complicated and is prone to failure. In that case, unless you really need the remote TTL capability, I would go for the YN560-TX or a YN560-IV to control the setup. In addition, don't give your older YN603 away: they can trigger the 560-TX remotely and they can be controlled by it or by the -IV to trigger any other flash including YN560-II, Canon 580ExII or studio monolight (using a small, inexpensive PC sync cord). Of course these are only manual in that case and cannot be adjusted from the camera position, plus they always fire when the -TX shoots. I could probably have done as well with just the YN560-TX and additional YN560-III instead of the YN560-IV if these were more expensive but the current going price for the -IV is slightly lower than that of the -III so why bother? [Edited the same day: I see the -III is now $5 or $6 lower than the -IV. In that case it makes sense to get one or two -IV (for backup) or a 560-TX, and a few -III for the rest.] As a first test I attached a Brunca mask onto a stand (see the picture somewhere on that page), two -IV with red gels on Justin Clamps ot that same stand facing opposite: one towards the black side of a reflector used as a backdrop and one aimed at a piece of paper jammed in the mask, plus one -III on a stand at camera right, in front of which I held a simple sheet of white paper as a diffuser. I did not even take a softbox out for that picture. All in all a few YN560-IV are all you need for strobism in manual, possibly with a YN560-TX and, if you can afford it, a small flash meter.

Summary: This is a China made value flash that cost a fraction of a name brand flash. Only recommend if you use it with Yongnuo triggers, and for the cost there is no reason not to. Although I have had no issues with any of my Yongnuo flashes I would recommend professionals on a budget purchase and extra one, because thats what professionals should do. You will learn more on how to use this by watching online how to videos than you will by reading the manual. I use this in RX mode with the YN 560 TX controller. For the price it works very well. Plenty of light output for everything I have needed it for. If used in RX mode make sure you understand how the standby functions work so the flash will be ready to fire when you are ready to press the shutter. I have been using Yongnuo flashes for a couple years and have had no failures. Reading reviews you will notice many who say that they have had issues with them, but when you consider how many of these are sold some failures should be expected, especially when you consider the price point these are being sold at. If you absolutely NEED complete reliability either buy an extra flash or spend ten times as much on the name brand flash. These days, there is almost no reason to use an optical trigger when the wireless triggers are so reliable, especially with the YN 560 TX that offers so much control. I have never had a trigger or failure to fire issue on mine, even when shooting thousands of pictures at wedding receptions. I always carry extra gear so I am not worried about my discount flash failing, which has not happened. Yet. It is noteworthy that the different Yongnuo lines are not compatible with each other, at least not easily. Make sure you understand your needs before buying into either system.

Observe the attached, a pile of garbage literally. 5 completely nonfunctional flashes between 6 and 4 months old. I would not recommend purchasing these for professional photographers. Very disappointed but I got what I paid for I guess. As an event photographer this product seemed like the perfect solution for me; solid, easy to use, good light quality. Just mount them on a light stand adjust the power and start shooting, no more pocket wizards or transceivers. I purchased 7 of these this spring. 4 for off camera lighting, 2 for on camera lighting and radio transmission and 1 for backup. I had problems right from the start. First off my forehead will accidentally bump the power button, quickly causing all the synced lights to go up in power blowing out images suddenly. The first time this happened I thought my camera settings were off and just adjusted the aperture. 10 minutes later a blown out flash (thats when i figured out what had happened). Ok, my fault, moving on... next event I was careful to avoid the forehead bump issue, but somehow one of the flashes quit bursting at 1/32 and was stuck at 1/1.. nothing i could do and no settings would fix it.. it was stuck. Flash #2 trash. over the next 5 events i lost 2 more this exact same way.. somehow the camera was stuck at high power.. the display reads 1/32 but very obviously it was a full power burst. The other flash died differently, they made a quiet *POP* followed with smoke while not even in use but powered on. Lots of burning plastic smells. Thats 5 dead flashes in just 6 months of use. Obviously these flashes have some major kinks to be worked out.. I have Nikon flashes that have been used at hundreds of events and going strong but the cost is so high, I thought I could save a little money but I was wrong.