Congratulations Paul-Dan Dragoman, March 2025 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Kitchen".Paul-Dan Dragoman - Entry 1036 Kristine Kohl - Entry 1037 Peter Wingfield - Entry 1044
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Yongnuo offers several external flashes, yet the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II Speedlite outshines them all by having various flash settings, fast recycle rate, and powerful light output.
Since my top pick may not be compatible with your camera, I will also included other possible choices that have equally brilliant features you can use to level up your real estate
A game-changer when it comes to replacing in-camera flashes, the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II Speedlite comes with multi-flash options to help photographers keep a single exposure.
The main asset of the YN600EX-RT II lies in its powerful light output of 60m at ISO 100, which is an impressive feat for a third-party lens. Additionally, it has a broad zoom range of 20 to 200mm, including a wide-angle coverage of 14mm when paired with a full-frame camera.
Aside from flash exposure compensation, it also allows flash exposure bracketing. In effect, the flash automatically brackets the intensity for 3 continuous shots. This is ideal when you're shooting a scene with varying amounts of light, and you want to maintain as much tonal range as possible during post-processing.
When angling the head, you won't even notice the YN600EX-RT II flash's high-speed recharge rate of 2.5 seconds.
One of the benefits of using an external flash is that it can replace the small direct light coming from built-in camera flashes. Much like the Yongnuo YN14EX Flash, you can fire light directly to your subjects and ensure your lens receives most of the concentrated light.
This Yongnuo flash's synchronous interface is a must-have when racing against time to capture the sky's beautiful hues as a backdrop for a property. If you want varying effects to highlight small details for interiors, the flash tubes allow flash ratio so that you can adjust them together or individually.
The YN14EX flash recycles 0.5 seconds slower than YN600EX-RT II. However, this is fast enough for a 14mm flash output. While the illumination seems a bit limited, this is sufficient for close-range subjects for an excellent focal point and depth of field.
Yongnuo is famous for its highly affordable accessories, where it's like you can invest in 3 to 4 Yongnuo flashes for the price of 1 flash from mainstream brands. Among its most affordable finds is the Yongnuo YN-560 III Speedlight, which offers quality functions despite its low price point.
Serving as an upgraded version of the YN-560 II manual flash, the YN-560 III now comes with a wireless trigger, so it will be easier for photographers to modify a light setup, whether for a studio or on-location shooting.
At 58m, the YN-560 II's flash output is almost at par with the YN600EX-RT II. However, its recycle time is still slower, like the YN14EX. The good thing is that it can cover up to 105mm of the zoom range.
Some photographers remain hesitant in trying out flash
This flash combines most of the features of the YN-560 III and YN560-TX. Being the most recent version of the 560 flash line, the YN-560IV comes with even more intuitive controls.
Furthermore, the YN-560IV is similar to the YN-560 III in terms of flash power and zoom range, although its recharge rate is 1 second slower. Nevertheless, this Yongnuo flash fires accurately, whether you're controlling it using a camera or wireless trigger.
Flash power consistency is among the main issues of using automatic flashes. With the Yongnuo YN568EX Speedlite, you gain another top-of-the-line automatic flash for full-frame, ASP-C, and mirrorless cameras.
Like the YN600EX-RT II, the YN568EX is another great choice if you want flash exposure bracketing. However, this flash's power output is just as strong as the Yongnuo YN-560IV, as well as Nikon SB flashes.
If you're usually working with complex strobe setups, you would appreciate this flash's ability to use fast shutter speeds. It even has an AF beam assist for covering short distances.
More than that, this Yongnuo flash features a high-speed synchronization that provides creative freedom by letting you use large apertures in a bright environment. However, the YN568EX is only compatible with cameras that have an i-TTL control.
Yongnuo is famous for making third-party prime lenses and high-quality flashes for brands such as Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Nikon, and Olympus. In some cases, their flashes perform better than those of the respective brands.
However, this doesn't mean that all Yongnuo flashes are the same. The following features can help you choose a flash that best suits your camera and shooting conditions. Moreover, the following table highlights some of the primary features you should look out for when buying the flash.
| Flashes | Zoom Range | Compatibility | Dimension (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II | 20-200mm | YN-E3-RT II, Canon's 600EX-RT / ST-E3-RT Wireless Signal | 8.66 x 4.13 x 3.74 |
| Yongnuo YN14EX | 52mm, 58mm, 67mm, 72mm | Canon Cameras | 2.36 x 1.77 x 3.54 |
| Yongnuo YN-560 III | 24-105mm | Canon, Nikon, Pentax, | 8.27 x 3.54 x 3.15 |
| Yongnuo YN-560IV | 24-105mm | Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic, Olympus | 8.35 x 3.85 x 3.4 |
| Yongnuo YN568EX | 24-105mm | Nikon i-TTL | 8.4 x 3.8 x 3.3 |
One of the main challenges when using a flash to illuminate your subject in dimly lit interiors is knowing how much power the flash needs to adequately illuminate the subject without overexposure or underexposure. Generally, the power required depends on the settings of the camera and the available ambient lighting.
For instance, a flash will require more power when the interior is totally dark or when you are using narrower aperture settings to shoot with a deeper depth of field or faster shutter speeds to shoot a moving subject. A high-quality Yongnuo flash, such as the Yongnuo YN-560 III Speedlite, solves this problem by using a preflash.
The preflash lights up the subject and gathers the information the flash requires to automate the power calculations. When the flash combines the settings of the camera and the available ambient lighting, it then automatically adjusts the power so the flash won't cause overexposure or underexposure.
Keeping in mind that Yongnuo makes the flashes for other camera brands, the flashes might be directly compatible with the cameras as they would if made by the camera manufacturer. Generally, the Yongnuo aims to make their flashes as compatible as possible. However, this doesn't mean you won't face compatibility issues.
It's therefore advisable to check whether the flash is compatible with your camera brand and model before buying. Generally, you can start by checking the footplate to see whether it's compatible with your camera brand.
If you are not sure, you can go for a model that seems compatible with a wide range of camera brands, such as the Yongnuo YN-560 IV Speedlite.
Sometimes the photos might not look aesthetically appealing if the flash is illuminating the subject directly. For instance, if you are using a single flash to illuminate a person when shooting portraits, there are chances that you will place the flash on one side of the person, as placing it behind the person can cause ghosting.
When you place the flash by the side, it will illuminate one side of the face more than the other. If you place it in front, some parts of the face might look overexposed. For instance, glares might form around the nose area. The best way to avoid this is to illuminate the subject indirectly.
You can achieve this by getting a flexible flash that allows you to rotate or tilt the head, such as the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II Speedlight. This allows you to point the flash toward other objects, such as the ceiling, and bounce off the light when taking interior photos.
The Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II Speedlite is one of the best choices of flash to use with a Canon camera. Generally, this Yongnuo flash is durable and reliable, with a powerful flash and advanced features for professional use. Additionally, the flash is compatible with the Canon wireless system.
Yes, you can use Yongnuo to trigger the Godox flash, although it might be less convenient when you are using units of the same system. Additionally, the Godox Radio Frequency is not compatible with the Yongnuo, which makes it difficult for the two brands to communicate.
Yes, you can reset the settings of your Yongnuo flash by pressing and holding the Zoom/ch and the Mode buttons at the same time for a few seconds. By doing this, your flash will zero out your previous settings and put it in channel 1.
External flashes, as well as the third-party brands, are essential camera accessories, because they enhance illumination for subjects to ensure you capture well-exposed real estate images. Once you pick the best Yongnuo flash from this list, you will gain superior control over your lighting setups. A great camera flash helps you produce more professional-looking photos.
