Best Value Manual Speedlight, The Yongnuo YN-560 II

Hands down, without any doubt the Yongnuo yn-560 ii Speedlight has to be the best £50 I have ever spent on photography equipment. Lately I have been working on a lot of projects that required a small and highly portable studio setup for use in a studio environment and on location. Were possible when shooting any studio or on location light setup I tend to opt for my studio strobes and power packs or an SB900 so I have to admit I was expecting to be a little let-down by this bargain Speedlight. However all photographers know there are times when portability will limit the equipment choice and photography can sometimes be a lot about compromise.  Actually I think compromise is the wrong word, I don’t believe the quality of your work should be compromised. Instead you should look for other creative solutions, it is threw this problem solving that I have the most fun.
Anyway back to the YN-560 II. I got mine for this project as my SB-900 was currently engaged and for such a good price I thought there was no harm in purchasing another speedlight. This is where I discovered what a little gem the YN-560 was as shooting off camera and in full manual mode I found that not once did I find myself wishing for the SB900. The strangest of thing happened after a few day with the YN-560, even with use I the SB-900s I still find myself pulling the YN-560 from the bag, I love it! I think the key to this is back to a point I always make about photographic equipment and that is, what is the point in spending anything on kit if you are too worried about breaking it to really use it. A camera is just a tool so should be treated like one. Yes you should look after your tools but if you don’t use them they are worthless.  Cheap equipment you use will always take better photos than expensive equipment you don’t. My off camera Speedlights often take a beating. I shoot a lot of extreme sports and shooting on location often in muddy woods and with bikes flying past my kit means that I risk kit on a daily basis. The YN-560 allows me to not worry about anything but the photos. I regularly hang my YN-560 from trees or close to the action and allowed me to create some impressive photos.

Pros

1.       Value for money
2.       Solid construction
3.       Simple to use
4.       Professional features
5.       Built in diffuser and bounce card
6.       External power connector
7.       Zoom from 24-105mm
8.       2 slave modes
9.       Power save
10.   PC connector
11.   Beeps
12.   High FPS when used not on full power
13.   Solid metal hot shoe and locking system
14.   Good power output (I rarely use at full power)
15.   Easy you read Screen and backlight
16.   Comes with a stand and bag

 Cons

1.       No high speed sync
2.       Only works on full manual mode
3.       Test button is a little stiff

Sorry this looks really biased but I really have not found much wrong. If you are worried about having no auto mode and high speed sync, Yongnuo have also released the yn-565EX for both Nikon and Canon systems that can be found for around £100.

I really would recommend the Yongnuo yn-560 ii to anyone. In my opinion this is the best value manual flash on the market.

YONGNUO YN-560 II ELECTRONIC SPEEDLIGHT
565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Canon
YN-565EX Speedlite for Nikon

Really hope this helps everyone looking at Speedlights.

AlexAndrews