Upgrading Vivitar 285HV - Yongnuo or Canon Speedlight?

I really prefer having something easier to use, a little more automated. I shoot some outdoor portraits, and sports as well. HSS may come in handy from time to time.

I have been eying the Yongnuo Speedlights. They are impressive for the money. I have a 1D Mk3 Any advise on a speed light?

Is it really going to be worth the while to save for the Canon 580 EX or 580 EX ver 2?

Thanks!

How much does forwards/backwards compatibility matter to you? The Canon EXs tend to have more of both than reverse-engineered units.

My guess would be that a 580EX could work with your A2E in TTL and that a YN-568EX couldn't (probably only does eTTL-II).

The Metz 58AF-2 has TTL and HSS, and it's of far better quality than the Chinese flashes.

the Metz 58AF-2 is pretty pricey as well... I really plan on using the flash with my 1D.

inkista wrote in post #16500082
The Canon EXs tend to have more of both than reverse-engineered units.

What is the EXs?

Yes, it is. Quality is never cheap. There's its sibling, the 52-AF, that costs ~100 dollars less.

EX is just Canon's naming system. They also have an EZ line. (Canon flash compatibility).

javapop wrote in post #16500450
the Metz 58AF-2 is pretty pricey as well... I really plan on using the flash with my 1D.

If you don't plan on moving the flash among camera bodies, then a Yongnuo YN-568EX might work well for you. But unlike the Metz and Nissin eTTL-II/HSS flashes, there is no way to upgrade the firmware of the unit. So, future compatibility could be an issue. If you're fine rebuying a flash if it turns out that the YN isn't compatible with the as-yet-non-existent camera body you upgrade to from the 1dMkIII, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Just as an example, I have a 580EXII and a YN-568EX. Both of them work with full function on my 50D and my 5DMkII. However, on my Powershot G9's hotshoe, the YN-568EX won't even fire, while the 580EXII is fully compatible with the G9's flash control features. It's clear the Powershot hotshoe is not identical to the dSLR hotshoe, but Canon engineered their flashes to work with both. Yongnuo has probably only reverse-engineered the dSLR hotshoe signalling protocol.

If you eventually want to mix Canon RT gear with Yongnuo gear, it may be compatible, it may not. But that doubt is pretty much removed when you go all-Canon. Whether it's worth the cash to you or not is a matter of how much spare cash you have to fling about on gear, and how long you tend to hold onto and use your gear.

Sorry, that's not an official name--just my shorthand way of referring to any of the Canon speedlite models with EX in the name: 430EX, 430EXII, 580EX, 600EX-RT, etc.

Forget the vivitar 285, great flash whose day is past. Slow recycle times and less battery efficient. The YN flashes have surpassed them. Before you spend a lot chasing HSS make sure you understand how it works. It sounds great, but the power limitations often dont meet the expectations of first time users. Do you want to retain ETTL? Assuming you want to go off camera you also need to consider a triggering method.

Ok, yeah, I guess I could always order, and try it out. I purchased two L lenses this year, so I am trying to move to equipment that holds value, and more pro. I am tempted to go with an EX; but was thinking of at least trying the YN-568EX initially. It's gotta be better than my 285!

inkista wrote in post #16501515
If you don't plan on moving the flash among camera bodies, then a Yongnuo YN-568EX might work well for you...

I've had one (568EX) for a couple of weeks and am satisfied so far, previous experience being with Canon's 580EX II, 430EX II, and Yongnuo's YN-622Cs. A thorough review of the unit is here:

http://flashhavoc.com/​yongnuo-yn-568ex-review/

Been using a yongnuo flash for the past year, beaten the crap out of it and it hasn't missed a beat. Heck even my Canon was made in China(Taiwan) but it still kicks butt.

One of the nice things about buying a Yongnuo flash such as the 568 is that it will always work in manual mode, and you can get several of them for the price of one Canon unit. Oh, and some Canon flashes are made in China or Korea so it's not the country but the factory.

I just got the Yongnuo 622c's to use with my 580's and 430's. I am impressed. When i was testing these things, we tested with one of my friends Yougnuos speedlight systems. he has 4 of these cheap manual lights and a few ETTL ones. These Youngnuos have better features and are more user friendly than canons set ups......Ive decided that when these 580's crap out again. im going to switch to Yongnuo. They are bulletproof.

The only issue i have is if they break, your gonna relace v/s repair. That will be the case unless Yongnuo steps up and solves that side of thier business operation. Pretty impressed with what these little speedlights can do.

Canon needs to wake up quick. They are over priced and the Name recognition is gonna smack them in the face unless they start to get competitive in this market.

I ended up finding a sweet deal on a 580EX II and we got a 270EX II for my wife's EOS m rather than the 90EX.

I'm trying out a set of Yongnuo YN-622C triggers now, really impressed with the price and connectivity.

One question, am I going to need another trigger in addition to my 2 used on a 1D Mk3 and the 580 to trigger my 270 in slave mode? I want the 580 off my camera; but would really like to use the 270 to pop as a backlight when needed!

Thanks for all the great advise!

Yup. You'll need another 622 to act as a receiver on the 270EX's hotshoe.

inkista wrote in post #16602513
Yup. You'll need another 622 to act as a receiver on the 270EX's hotshoe.

Thanks!