Yongnuo OCF Set Up

OK, I've convinced myself that I need to try OCF for better photos of my 6 year old. (need to light her dark brown eyes better!) I have a Yongnuo YN-460, which doesn't seem to be appropriate for OCF.

Can someone recommed a decent budget option - flash and trigger - that would at least give me an idea of what is possible with OCF? I'm a bit lost trying to figure out which Yongnuo options make sense and are not overkill for what I want to do.

I'm thinking I'll get a shoot-through umbrella as well. Does that approach make sense to everyone?

Thanks!

mpix345 wrote in post #13517700
OK, I've convinced myself that I need to try OCF for better photos of my 6 year old. (need to light her dark brown eyes better!) I have a Yongnuo YN-460, which doesn't seem to be appropriate for OCF.

Can someone recommed a decent budget option - flash and trigger - that would at least give me an idea of what is possible with OCF? I'm a bit lost trying to figure out which Yongnuo options make sense and are not overkill for what I want to do.

I'm thinking I'll get a shoot-through umbrella as well. Does that approach make sense to everyone?

Thanks!

actually the YN460 is very appropriate for "OCF"
if you don't want to put the flash on the camera get a $25 set of wireless triggers - RF-602, RF-603, etc. works great!

watt100 wrote in post #13517713
actually the YN460 is very appropriate for "OCF"
if you don't want to put the flash on the camera get a $25 set of wireless triggers - RF-602, RF-603, etc. works great!

Awesome; thanks. I thought I read that they had to be triggered by another flash...

mpix345 wrote in post #13517779
Awesome; thanks. I thought I read that they had to be triggered by another flash...

They can but don't have to.

mpix345 wrote in post #13517779
Awesome; thanks. I thought I read that they had to be triggered by another flash...

yes, they have an optical trigger but for many, if not most situations it's better to use an RF wireless trigger

The 460 was pretty much designed for OCF, hence the built in slave and no ETTL. If you are serious about OCF, pick up a set of wireless triggers.

Cheap radio triggers like Yongnuo RF602/603 or Cactus will open up a whole new world of OCF. I have 3 YN460ii's and a 560 and use the optical slave function on them all of the time. Thought I would need to purchase more triggers (only have 2) until I used the slave function. Now I want another 460ii and a 560ii but don't need more triggers.
Plus, start doubling up or tripling up your speedlights (double flash brackets/trishoe adapters) and let the fun begin!

Yes, you're going to want radio triggers, but I'd say before spending the cash, and just to dip into OCF to see if you like it, use the YN-460's "dumb" optical slave modes, first, with your camera's pop-up flash.

If you can put the pop-up flash into Manual mode, then use S1 mode. If you can't, use S2. If you reduce the pop-up flash's output, it's unlikely to register in your final image. Start messing around with the YN-460 off-camera, and just try bouncing it. Once the limitations of the optical slave and bouncing get to you, then invest in a stand/umbrella, and triggers.

inkista wrote in post #13520274
Yes, you're going to want radio triggers, but I'd say before spending the cash, and just to dip into OCF to see if you like it, use the YN-460's "dumb" optical slave modes, first, with your camera's pop-up flash.

If you can put the pop-up flash into Manual mode, then use S1 mode. If you can't, use S2. If you reduce the pop-up flash's output, it's unlikely to register in your final image. Start messing around with the YN-460 off-camera, and just try bouncing it. Once the limitations of the optical slave and bouncing get to you, then invest in a stand/umbrella, and triggers.

This seems like a great idea. But I can't get the pop up on my 60D to trigger the YN460. Switched the flash function setting to manual, and tried S1, S2 and M settings on YN460. Also tried a bunch of different camera settings to no avail.

Any ideas on settings? I would think the optical trigger is pretty straightforward?

Thanks!

If your YN460 is working the 7D flash should trigger it. If the 7D flash is in ettl you would set the 460 to S2. You cannot have the 7D flash set to master mode. There are more than 2 flashes emitted in that mode. If you set the 7d flash to manual you would set the 460 to S1. If neither of these setups work, I would say that there is a problem with your YN 460.

It's firing when the pop up flash fires now. Fresh batteries made the difference. Just ordered a bracket so I can attach the 460 to my tripod. I will give it a go for a bit like this and see what happens.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I recently bought the Cactus V5 triggers and really like them. Very reliable and cheap. Or, you can go cheaper and get a off-camera cord.

mpix345 wrote in post #13528901
It's firing when the pop up flash fires now. Fresh batteries made the difference. Just ordered a bracket so I can attach the 460 to my tripod. I will give it a go for a bit like this and see what happens.

you will eventually want a set of wireless triggers if you use the flash off camera a lot

ST-E2's mastering tech is old: it's basically the 550EX without the strobe. The LCD camera menu control of an external flash unit only came in with the 580EX II and 430EX II models.

You should, however, be able to use the buttons on the ST-E2 to command the power output level of the 565EX (in theory, at least). Remember, that the ST-E2 will not allow you to set a specific power level (e.g., 1/8, 1/2, etc.), but that you have to set groups and use groups & ratios. And you're limited to A:B groups. The C group and manual power levels were the extras the 580EX brought to the table as a master unit over the 550EX.