A little help here

Hello folks, this is the very first time I come by this section

Own a 5d mk2, 35L and 135L, was thinking about adding a 600ex-rt, mainly to shoot off-camera, then I found out about a myriad of triggers, receivers, transceivers, radio transmission, infrared, compatibility and reliability issues and got more and more confused

What is the most practical solution for me? What would you do with my current setup, no intention ($$$) to upgrade body anytime soon btw

thanks

The newly released Yongnuo YN-E3-RT for $150 will give you full control of the 600EX-RT off camera.

A little cheaper, a little less capable, a little less convenient, the Yongnuo YN-622Cs will at least get your feet wet.

Since the 600EX-RT has a receiver built in, it makes more sense to use the YN-E3-RT. That permits you to add YN-600EX-RTs to the mix when they become available. Much more flexibility than the YN-622 which is a great trigger system for adding longevity to older Canon speedlite technology.

Then when you finally do upgrade camera you will have same capabilities even with a 600EX-RT on camera.

Looking at your post again, I see you haven't picked up the 600EX-RT yet. You may want to hold off a bit, Yongnou has announced a YN-600EX-RT that is expected soon. (I don't know if there is a date set. check www.flashhovac.com). The combination of a YN-E3-RT and YN-600EX-RT is likely to be less than the 600EX-RT from Canon and deliver all the capabilities even on your 5DII.

Do you have anything against getting a real strobe?

LostArk wrote in post #16541033
Do you have anything against getting a real strobe?

Speedlites are real strobes, just with different power and feature sets than other options.

It seems reasonable to expect that the OP understands the options.

dmward wrote in post #16541046
Speedlites are real strobes, just with different power and feature sets than other options.

It seems reasonable to expect that the OP understands the options.

Well, I read about the disadvantages of strobes, like power, but it could be an option, do you guys use both methods, favor either?

agv8or wrote in post #16540858
The newly released Yongnuo YN-E3-RT for $150 will give you full control of the 600EX-RT off camera.

What about TTL ? I keep reading that many transmitters/receivers apart from reliability issues, have this through the lens limitation

Disclaimer: have in mind all I know about flash is what I saw in a few tutorials on YouTube

Both the YN-E3-RT and YN-622s support TTL and manual.

What exactly do you want to do with your flash? Are you interested in portraits? Indoors / outdoors? Sports? Events? A speedlight may or may not be your best option.

A hotshoe flash (a.k.a. speed light) is quite portable and is battery-powered. The pulse of light that it emits travels in one general direction, so it is somewhat difficult to have it create the type of light that you want compared to a studio light. Some of these flashes are able to estimate how much light they must emit for a proper exposure (they measure through the lens, and so called ETTL) and are great when you don't have time to take test shots until you get the power as you want it. Some are not capable odd this and require you to set the power manually. I would suggest, as the cheapest entry into flash photography, a manual flash like the YongNuo YN-560EX III (which has a built-in receiver) along with a RF-603 transceiver. It will cost about $80 for both. You can use this to learn all the facets of flash and then decide if you want a full-featured ETTL flash for fast-paced photography or monolight that is better suited for a studio setting.

LostArk wrote in post #16541125
What exactly do you want to do with your flash? Are you interested in portraits? Indoors / outdoors? Sports? Events? A speedlight may or may not be your best option.

Portraits and events, mostly indoors, rarely in a controlled environment

Playing the devil's advocate here:

While the ST-E3/600EX is a great system, you're locked into that proprietary setup (apologies to David :smile. With the 622s, you can fire just about anything with a flash tube without having to dangle another transmitter from your camera's PC port.

No apologies required. Primary reason for suggesting the Yongnou option is because the 600EX-RT was mentioned by the OP as the speedlite they plan on buying.
I agree that the YN-622 offers a lot of options. However, for ETTL capabilities they must confirm to the Canon ETTL proprietary optical triggering technology. the 600 system is a newer version which Yongnou is making more affordable.

I disagree about using manual speedlites are the "best" way to learn about using strobes. Its does require that one learn about power, distance, aperture and ISO. However, it also means one has to have studied, practiced and gotten comfortable with all these elements and how they interact before going out to make pictures using speedlites. ETTL on the other hand, permits one to put the speedlite on a stand, put the ETTL trigger in the hot shoe and start taking pictures. Then learning how to improve and control speedlite as a creative addition by learning about how distance, power, aperture and ISO work together with ambient light to illuminate the subject.

Sometimes I think those who started speedliting with ETTL and then discovered the creative options available with manual control are the ones that say one should start with manual. While, on the other hand, those of us that learned strobe lighting before ETTL was available and now have it, including Flash Exposure Compensation and Exposure Compensation available, are happy to rely on it because we know it can get the job done with a lot less effort. Especially when applying our knowledge and experience.

Don't rush to judgement. The only way to master speedliting is to practice and practice, both ETTL and manual. They are really just two paths to the same objective. Both work, both require knowledge, experience and practice to work well getting the picture one envisions.