Cheap Manual Flash

I have two Lumopro LP160s that I am infinitely happy with. Unfortunately that model has been discontinued and all retailers I can find are out of stock. There has been info leaked about an LP180 but an official release date hasn't been established. I am currently in need of a 3rd and possibly 4th inexpensive manual only speedlight. I have read some about the Yongnuo products, and I am very happy with their RF-603 triggers, but for some reason I am hesitant to purchase a flash from them. I think the fact that it doesn't have the 3.5mm sync port is a big reason why. I hate PC sync. Anyone have any suggestions regarding what I could do? I guess I could get the Yongnuo's and just use the hot shoe for syncing. Any other options I am not considering? Thanks in advance...

bmaxphoto wrote in post #15465547
I have two Lumopro LP160s that I am infinitely happy with. Unfortunately that model has been discontinued and all retailers I can find are out of stock. There has been info leaked about an LP180 but an official release date hasn't been established. I am currently in need of a 3rd and possibly 4th inexpensive manual only speedlight. I have read some about the Yongnuo products, and I am very happy with their RF-603 triggers, but for some reason I am hesitant to purchase a flash from them. I think the fact that it doesn't have the 3.5mm sync port is a big reason why. I hate PC sync. Anyone have any suggestions regarding what I could do? I guess I could get the Yongnuo's and just use the hot shoe for syncing. Any other options I am not considering? Thanks in advance...

Vivitar H285 is a excellent flash and is about $85.

I have two of the Yongnuo 560-II's and they're great. I haven't had to deal with the PC sync issue yet 'cause I use triggers; I know there's someone out there that has modified their 560-II's to accept 3.5, I just haven't bothered to research it yet.

Another vote for the YN 560II. I have it and the Vivitar 285hv and I hardly use the Vivitar 285 anymore because of the limited power adjustments.
If you have the RF 603 why would you be using the sync port? Why would you not just slide the flash into the hotshoe of the trigger?
I do understand the desire to stay away from the PC port and it's troublesome connection. I picked up these adapters from FlashZebra and use them on all my off camera flashes even if they have a sync port.
http://flashzebra.com/​products/0126/index.sh​tml

I was thinking the same thing dedson said, if you have radio triggers why bother with ports?

Get a YN-560. Add a 3.5mm sync port, as per the adding a sync port to the 580EX thread. Problem solved.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/inkista/5825537​817/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/inkista/5825535​547/

inkista wrote in post #15467045
As for why? The RF-602s and RF-603s don't have locking rings on the feet. Sometimes it's nice to take the trigger out of the stack on the stand, either to lower the height of the flash, or to have added security in how everything's tightened down.

This. And the fact that you cannot turn the trigger on or off while it is attached to the hotshoe of the LP160 (not sure about YN560 EXII. Thanks everyone for the good suggestions.

bmaxphoto wrote in post #15467250
This. And the fact that you cannot turn the trigger on or off while it is attached to the hotshoe of the LP160 (not sure about YN560 EXII. Thanks everyone for the good suggestions.

They're not perfect, but I put rubber O-rings on them to make them more secure. And a long flat object like a knife will let you turn them on/off when mounted.

What scares me is the anecdotal evidence of high failure rates of the YNs. But I already have two, so too late for me. .

frugivore wrote in post #15467326
They're not perfect, but I put rubber O-rings on them to make them more secure. And a long flat object like a knife will let you turn them on/off when mounted.

What scares me is the anecdotal evidence of high failure rates of the YNs. But I already have two, so too late for me. .

Are these flashes still having failure issues? If there is a good chance they won't last a year or two, I might hold off and get the next generation Lumopro when it debuts. I have nothing but great things to say about my LP160s.

bmaxphoto wrote in post #15467358
Are these flashes still having failure issues? If there is a good chance they won't last a year or two, I might hold off and get the next generation Lumopro when it debuts. I have nothing but great things to say about my LP160s.

I've been using mine for about a year now with no issues.

frugivore wrote in post #15467326
What scares me is the anecdotal evidence of high failure rates of the YNs. But I already have two, so too late for me. .

Folks who have a problem make a lot of noise about it - those of us with no problem (4 units myself plus 2 bought by protégés) simply get on with it and say very little. Come to think of it, the reverse is true in my case - 4 YNs and it's me that's falling apart on them.

There's an old (but true) adage "Do a good job and your client will tell 3 close friends. Do a poor job and they will tell 300." Regional variations apply!

I haven't used 560, but the new YN-460 II works really well for me; I'm using it with the built-in optical trigger, as a hair light.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/syamastro/75528​70462/

If you're good with a soldering iron, old Vivitar 283's are $20 on ebay. Solder on a $3 audio potentiometer in place of the light sensor and you have a reliable manual flash.

Get a Yongnuo as they are all great. You can't beat the quality for the low price.

If you already have the yn603 triggers then the new yn560 (yn560 III) may interest you. It seems that they now have a receiver that works with the yn603 built into it.

There is a thread just posted yesterday about it. Not sure on a release date or the full specs of it but may be something to look into if its something that interests you.

EDIT: here's more info on it. http://flashhavoc.com …n-rf-6023-radio-receiver/