Looking to replace Yongnuo setup with Pocket Wizards?

Hi everyone,

I haven't done much flash photography but dabbled in it a few years ago. I have a Canon 580 and a couple Yongnuo (I think) speedlites. They are the ones with push buttons on the back and no LCD screen.

At the time I also picked up a few Yongnuo (or whatever the popular 3rd party brand was at the time on POTN) transmitters and receivers which I haven't used a lot besides using them as remote camera triggers. They worked well for the most part but at this point the range is a couple feet and none of them want to sync very well. Maybe all of the sitting around in a cupboard wore them out!

I've been doing a fair bit more cave and mine shooting as of late and using an OCF has been great instead of just the 580 on top of the 7D. Trouble is that I've had to have someone manually fire the external one as my triggers wont reach.

I figured I might as well buy the proper tool for the job this time around and the PW's have always been highly regarded. They seem to have a bunch of different options though and reading what folks online are using seems to span all of the models.


The goal:
My plan is to use the Canon 580 mounted on the 7D and fire off at least 1-2 remote 3rd party flashes. When not using flashes I would like to remote fire the camera when it is on a tripod.

The PW Plus iii seems to be cheaper then the Flex and Mini's which seems backwards? Although, the plus iii doesn't seem to have the capability to allow the flash to still mount to the camera.

So ultimately I'm looking for some advise as to what to go with to solve my trigger situation. I don't shoot in any studios so all my stuff is normally 1-2 speedlites when I actually use a flash which is on the rare side of the spectrum.

I actually went the other way earlier this year. I had PocketWizard Plus III and I sold them and went with an all Yongnuo system. The YN equipment has become much more reliable and well built than they were a couple of years ago. I find the range of the new units to be quite good, over 100 yards outside.

For the price of a Plus III transceiver you could buy a YN 560 MkIV flash plus the transmitter for it that lets you control it remotely, and still have money left over. That's new prices I'm talking about. A PW Plus II costs $149 at B&H today, to control your two flashes you need three of them so a total of $450. Or you could buy two YN560 MkIV flashes for $140 and a YN569TX at $40 for a total of $180. This would give you remote control of two flashes and eliminate the cables and loose pocket wizards hanging off your stands.

Or, if your existing flashes are good enough for you just get three 603 cII transceivers (actually you would get four, they come in sets of 2) for $60. These do pretty much the same thing as the Pocket Wizards you are talking about.

In my opinion, PW has not kept up with the competition.

Vladimer wrote in post #17726320
... I also picked up a few Yongnuo (or whatever the popular 3rd party brand was at the time on POTN) transmitters and receivers which I haven't used a lot besides using them as remote camera triggers. They worked well for the most part but at this point the range is a couple feet and none of them want to sync very well. Maybe all of the sitting around in a cupboard wore them out! ...

Have you checked the batteries in the triggers? Weak batteries=>weak signal. I've gotten up to 700 ft./200m with my old RF-602s when testing.

No. The PlusIIIs are "manual only" triggers. The only signal on the hotshoe that they communicate is the "fire" (sync) signal from the central pin. The Flex/Mini triggers are TTL/HSS capable, and can communicate on all five pins of the Canon hotshoe/flash foot. This allows for features like TTL, HSS, and remote power level control of off-camera flashes. They're much more convenient--if you can get them to work. They do seem to have interference issues with the 580EX. Most of the other radio triggers you can get are 2.4GHz, not 433MHz, so they don't have this issue. PocketWizard has to use the lower frequency for backwards compatibility with their older triggers.

Right. No passthrough hotshoe.

If you want to get away from Yongnuo altogether, there are other brands aside from PocketWizard. Phottix and RadioPopper to name two. The Flash Havoc blog is a good source of information on what's out there these days.

It seems that you did OK.. The lower frequency of the PW does penetrate caves better than the 2.4GHZ.. A similar example is the Extreme Low Frequency radios to communicate with submarines in the water.

Plus my experience with 2.4ghz transmitters is that they miss a pop or two every 40 shutter releases. Doesn't seem like a lot, until you miss a critical shot. With the older plus II, it NEVER missed a shot ; and I had the Plus IIs since 2002. That is something I like, reliability day in day out.

I do admit that the Cells 2/603s are very good..and do serve legions of photographers well. So either might work.. they both work as flash / camera releases. Do you have a local photographer who can let you use either set (Yongnuo/ Pocket Wizard) in a mine shoot ??

If you want dead solid performance in a manual trigger look at the cybersyncs from Paul buff. Just as reliable as PW but cheaper.

bpalermini wrote in post #17726332
I actually went the other way earlier this year. I had PocketWizard Plus III and I sold them and went with an all Yongnuo system. The YN equipment has become much more reliable and well built than they were a couple of years ago. I find the range of the new units to be quite good, over 100 yards outside.

For the price of a Plus III transceiver you could buy a YN 560 MkIV flash plus the transmitter for it that lets you control it remotely, and still have money left over. That's new prices I'm talking about. A PW Plus II costs $149 at B&H today, to control your two flashes you need three of them so a total of $450. Or you could buy two YN560 MkIV flashes for $140 and a YN569TX at $40 for a total of $180. This would give you remote control of two flashes and eliminate the cables and loose pocket wizards hanging off your stands.

Or, if your existing flashes are good enough for you just get three 603 cII transceivers (actually you would get four, they come in sets of 2) for $60. These do pretty much the same thing as the Pocket Wizards you are talking about.

In my opinion, PW has not kept up with the competition.

That is really good to know. That might be worth taking another look at the Yongnuo setup as I don't shoot with OCF flash that often so I'd rather not try and justify the PW price if I don't have to.

inkista wrote in post #17727599

Vladimer wrote in post #17726320
... I also picked up a few Yongnuo (or whatever the popular 3rd party brand was at the time on POTN) transmitters and receivers which I haven't used a lot besides using them as remote camera triggers. They worked well for the most part but at this point the range is a couple feet and none of them want to sync very well. Maybe all of the sitting around in a cupboard wore them out! ...

Have you checked the batteries in the triggers? Weak batteries=>weak signal. I've gotten up to 700 ft./200m with my old RF-602s when testing.

... The PW Plus iii seems to be cheaper then the Flex and Mini's which seems backwards?

No. The PlusIIIs are "manual only" triggers. The only signal on the hotshoe that they communicate is the "fire" (sync) signal from the central pin. The Flex/Mini triggers are TTL/HSS capable, and can communicate on all five pins of the Canon hotshoe/flash foot. This allows for features like TTL, HSS, and remote power level control of off-camera flashes. They're much more convenient--if you can get them to work. They do seem to have interference issues with the 580EX. Most of the other radio triggers you can get are 2.4GHz, not 433MHz, so they don't have this issue. PocketWizard has to use the lower frequency for backwards compatibility with their older triggers.

...Although, the plus iii doesn't seem to have the capability to allow the flash to still mount to the camera.

Right. No passthrough hotshoe.

If you want to get away from Yongnuo altogether, there are other brands aside from PocketWizard. Phottix and RadioPopper to name two. The Flash Havoc blog is a good source of information on what's out there these days.

I have brand new eneloops I tossed in just to be sure and no dice. They used to do great so it might just be the transmitter that is pooched as well. They have seen all sorts of weather in the last couple years. I appreciate the breakdown on the differences of the Plus iii and flex, that clears it up!

I'll check out that blog too!

sincity wrote in post #17728402
It seems that you did OK.. The lower frequency of the PW does penetrate caves better than the 2.4GHZ.. A similar example is the Extreme Low Frequency radios to communicate with submarines in the water.

Plus my experience with 2.4ghz transmitters is that they miss a pop or two every 40 shutter releases. Doesn't seem like a lot, until you miss a critical shot. With the older plus II, it NEVER missed a shot ; and I had the Plus IIs since 2002. That is something I like, reliability day in day out.

I do admit that the Cells 2/603s are very good..and do serve legions of photographers well. So either might work.. they both work as flash / camera releases. Do you have a local photographer who can let you use either set (Yongnuo/ Pocket Wizard) in a mine shoot ??

Reading all of the responses it might be worth getting another set of 603s as they seem to be a great bang for buck. I could try borrowing a set but I don't doubt they would work. Mine currently cannot execute two flashes 5 feet away at home with line of sight so the confined space of a mine is not actually the issue unfortunately lol.

gonzogolf wrote in post #17728439
If you want dead solid performance in a manual trigger look at the cybersyncs from Paul buff. Just as reliable as PW but cheaper.

I'll have to research these a bit, can't say I know much about them, thanks

I have just done a lot of research on this subject and decided on the new Yongnuo 622C tx and 622 receivers. They should arrive today. Wanted the ability to use ETTL and HSS with OCF and this was the best option cost wise.

with ANY set of triggers, you will have a learning curve/trouble shooting to go thru and learn with. YN's you have to be sure to seat the flash ALL the way in.. sometimes it does take some force on that last bit. I don't use rechargeables in the triggers, as they can cause malfunctions/missfires (duracel all the way).

Other than the internal screws backing out that hold the metal hotshoe in place, I have found the YN's to be plenty reliable enough for all that I do. The orginal 622-TX had a blind spot issue, but I hear that has been fixed in the new version, and you can always use a normal transciever for your TX when you need to. I need to buy about 6 more.

I've never had any problems that I couldn't trace back to the captain at the wheel. I've got original 603's and 622's. I'd like to get a set of 603 II's and about 4 more 622.s That way I can leave the set on the strobes in the studio, and have a set for the field.

jackied wrote in post #17728893
I have just done a lot of research on this subject and decided on the new Yongnuo 622C tx and 622 receivers. They should arrive today. Wanted the ability to use ETTL and HSS with OCF and this was the best option cost wise.

I'm planning to place an order for a set of those myself. They seem to be the best bag for buck and from what I've read, not a bad choice.

ksbal wrote in post #17728912
with ANY set of triggers, you will have a learning curve/trouble shooting to go thru and learn with. YN's you have to be sure to seat the flash ALL the way in.. sometimes it does take some force on that last bit. I don't use rechargeables in the triggers, as they can cause malfunctions/missfires (duracel all the way).

Other than the internal screws backing out that hold the metal hotshoe in place, I have found the YN's to be plenty reliable enough for all that I do. The orginal 622-TX had a blind spot issue, but I hear that has been fixed in the new version, and you can always use a normal transciever for your TX when you need to. I need to buy about 6 more.

I've never had any problems that I couldn't trace back to the captain at the wheel. I've got original 603's and 622's. I'd like to get a set of 603 II's and about 4 more 622.s That way I can leave the set on the strobes in the studio, and have a set for the field.

I believe it is the transmitter that is dying on mine or some other portion of it and not a learning curve issue. For example if I remove the receivers from the speedlights and simply go off of the green light that shows they have received a signal it is no where near accurate (or even gets picked up) once I move more then a meter away. This matches the result when the speedlights are on so my YN's are probably just told, beat up, and need replacing.

Had the Yongnuo over a week and have been very pleased with the product. Here are two images with OCF using the triggers and 580 ex II.