Is Yongnuo okay?

I know I am not alone, there are plenty of others, but for anyone green who is coming to this thread and thinking about ordering direct from HKYongnuophotoequipmen​t, please have a look here:

www.flickr.com/groups/​strobist/discuss/72157​622741402809/

And here:

http://www.toolhaus.or​g …quipment&Dirn=R​eceived+by

Most transactions go without a hitch and everything is fine, but if it goes wrong in the smallest way then you'll be S.O.L and he won't respond like a factory should. in fact he'll ignore you, it's well documented.

I lost $300 with this awful company and wouldn't want anyone else to do it, especially if they don't have money to lose or don't want to wait three months...

Order Yongnuo if you must, but not from HKYongnuophotoequipmen​t.

NickmHall wrote in post #12394629
I know I am not alone, there are plenty of others, but for anyone green who is coming to this thread and thinking about ordering direct from HKYongnuophotoequipmen​t, please have a look here:

www.flickr.com/groups/​strobist/discuss/72157​622741402809/

And here:

http://www.toolhaus.or​g …quipment&Dirn=R​eceived+by

Most transactions go without a hitch and everything is fine, but if it goes wrong in the smallest way then you'll be S.O.L and he won't respond like a factory should. in fact he'll ignore you, it's well documented.

I lost $300 with this awful company and wouldn't want anyone else to do it, especially if they don't have money to lose or don't want to wait three months...

Order Yongnuo if you must, but not from HKYongnuophotoequipmen​t.

Maybe it's a problem shipping to Germany but I've had good success ordering Yongnuo equipment from
http://myworld.ebay.co​m/hkyongnuophotoequipm​ent

Oh - and welcome to POTN !

They're great, but buyer beware -

I bought the YN-468 TTL for my daughter on Amazon. I also got her a set of their wireless triggers. She's just learning, and this fit our budget for her to get started.

Yongnuo YN-468 E-TTL:
http://****/k7YfuG

Yongnuo 2.4GHz wireless flash trigger/receiver & shutter remote:
http://****/jjrZGy

The flash works great, but the wireless triggers, were not reliable.

We had intermittent issues.

Tried replacing the batteries, but that didn't help.

Be forewarned, the triggers are not backwards compatible with their own system. If you purchase newer units, they won't work with your older ones. That's because they change the frequency and encoding, year-to-year. Forces you to buy all new triggers/receivers. (see the Strobist's blog, link is below.)

I do like the flash, and for the money, it's an outstanding bargain.

In my opinion, they're best for non-critical, amateur use. For the more serious professional, I don't think these flashes are the best choice, and not sure the company and their service/support system can be fully trusted yet.

There's a great (critical) article about them on David Hobby's "Strobist" blog that is a must read for those interested in these units:

http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …na-doesnt-understand.html

Despite David's article, I think it's good that there's an inexpensive option. Let's just hope that their service & support improves.

puggle wrote in post #12395485
They're great, but buyer beware -

I bought the YN-468 TTL for my daughter on Amazon. I also got her a set of their wireless triggers. She's just learning, and this fit our budget for her to get started.

Ordering from Amazon is a fairly safe bet. "Fulfilled by Amazon" is still backed up by Amazon.

Yongnuo via Ebay however has more items/inventory.

QC on the products... well that's a diffeent thread for another time.

puggle wrote in post #12395485
There's a great (critical) article about them on David Hobby's "Strobist" blog that is a must read for those interested in these units:

http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …na-doesnt-understand.html

Despite David's article, I think it's good that there's an inexpensive option. Let's just hope that their service & support improves.

Despite their claims to contrary, the "strobist" David Hobby (and McNally) are supported by the manufacturer's flashes (Nikon). Part of their job is to stress the benefits of Nikon and Canon flashes and trash the cheap Chinese imports!

Watt100 Thanks for the welcome! And like I say, I imagine 95 per cent of the deliveries go through fine and everyone is happy. The price is good and the product, although fragile and prone to failure, is more than worth the gamble.

But read those threads, it's not just Germany. Sometimes deliveries go wrong, sometimes things arrive DOA, it happens, this is normal business. Sony sends stuff out and it goes awry, of course.

It's the way he deals with it, though, that is so utterly painful. He asked me to wait another month before he even checked into it and then we had this whole painful saga where we found he'd clearly sent them to the wrong address, in the wrong country, and he just said "you get in touch with them and get the flashes." And then refused any further communication.

I am not saying the product is a disaster, his customer service, though, is absolutely non existent. He couldn't be more helpful before he gets the money, after that I think he genuinely doesn't care if the product arrives in one piece.

Like I say, read the threads, they're full of people banging their heads against the wall with frustration at him. One of them is me, I'm happy to admit, and having been on the receiving end I would pay 50 per cent more for exactly the same product if it meant not dealing with him directly ever again. So I am not saying don't buy Yongnuo, but if you're thinking you're getting factory support and a guarantee of any kind then please think again.

Sorry to hear you are having issues, Nick. I have 2 YN-460II's, a YN-468, and the RF-602 triggers. I've had 2 issues:

1) My first YN-460II worked for about a month, then died. Found out it was a common problem, and there was a fix. I cracked it open, replaced the capacitor, and then it's worked great ever since

2) Ongoing issue with a different seller, hi-pc. I ordered a 1 transmitter/4 receiver set off of their ebay a month ago, paid expedited shipping, etc. They emailed me a day later saying it was out of stock. These things happen, I understand. I gave them a different address to use and they refunded my extra shipping costs. They shipped the trigger set to my previous address, and on top of that, they sent me 4 transmitters and 1 receiver, rather than the other way around. Sent them yet another new address (I'm moving for a job, so all over the place) and we'll see what happens next.

I think the rule you absolutely have to follow with any Ebay seller is if you haven't received what you ordered, complete and in good working condition, you have to open a dispute with PayPal before the time period expires. You have to do that no matter what caused the problem or what promises you've received. I think the limit is 45 days from the date you paid, but check on that. You just have to protect yourself, and you have no protection at all if you go past that date without opening a dispute.

So the reason for ordering from this guy in the first place is because that's the only way to get a one-year warranty? I remember seeing that somewhere. But then that leaves the question of whether he honors the warranty.

All my Yongnuo stuff has worked flawlessly so far

I had an earlier version of the YN467 with the plastic foot. It got loose to the point where it would wobble a little on top of my camera. The flash zoom head had also disconnected after a couple falls onto concrete after it slid out of my cord's hot shoe. I contacted the Yongnuo ebay store by email, sent them my YN467, and received one with a metal foot. It was pretty painless. It was near the end of the warranty period so they could have easily denied me too.

NickmHall wrote in post #12394629
I know I am not alone, there are plenty of others, but for anyone green who is coming to this thread and thinking about ordering direct from HKYongnuophotoequipmen​t, please have a look here:

www.flickr.com/groups/​strobist/discuss/72157​622741402809/

And here:

http://www.toolhaus.or​g …quipment&Dirn=R​eceived+by

Most transactions go without a hitch and everything is fine, but if it goes wrong in the smallest way then you'll be S.O.L and he won't respond like a factory should. in fact he'll ignore you, it's well documented.

I lost $300 with this awful company and wouldn't want anyone else to do it, especially if they don't have money to lose or don't want to wait three months...

Order Yongnuo if you must, but not from HKYongnuophotoequipmen​t.

I get my Yongnuo stuff from Gadget Infinity and have been pleased with them so far. So far...

Better than Okay!!!

Its one of my favorite chinese brands, along with Phottix
Ive had 3 sets of RF-602's triggers for wedding/portrait OCF for 2 years, totally reliable.

also got a YN-560 flash this week, V.Impressed, it recycles faster than my 580exII, looks and feels great.

recommended.!

K&K_Dad wrote in post #12386381
They should. The 603 is camera specific though, Canon or Nikon.

K&K DAD,

Thank you. The G12 is Canon.

Thanks again.

GilBean