Benefits of a 600RT system ...

[Viggo]

http://flashhavoc.com/yongnuo-rt-studio-light-solution/ There might just be one in the making...

That's terrific, thanks for the link - it puts Canon to shame, but on the other hand Canon should thank Yongnuo if they really pull the rt system out of isolation and marry it with studio lights.

If you don't watch yourself, you'll wake up one morning with five 600 RTs next to you in bed and you won't remember how you got there.

No way, even drunk @3%o crawling on the floor I'd realize that this adds up to too much money :-\ ... go, Yongnuo, go!

On a more serious note, you need to factor in battery packs when buying. I wouldn't take any Speedlite on location without a battery pack. If the Yongnuo knockoffs don't have an external battery pack option, it will greatly diminish their usefulness as far as I'm concerned.

... and be sure to have a good power plug attachment to the flash because if it wobbles and re-connects with the flash on it could fry it, that's why I have a burnt ext. powerpack connector on one of my 600rt units :-(

I use Godox Propac PB820, and find them excellent, except the power connector, it's way too hard to pull off and push in, so I try to just leave it there as much as I can...

 

[Marsu42]

I use Godox Propac PB820, and find them excellent, except the power connector, it's way too hard to pull off and push in, so I try to just leave it there as much as I can...

Praise them, that is what you *want* as there's no arresting hook - with my powerpack, the plug is too loose so it pops out now and then again, and if you're in a hurry and just re-plug it ... well, bye bye flash pcb :-(

 

[Viggo]

I use Godox Propac PB820, and find them excellent, except the power connector, it's way too hard to pull off and push in, so I try to just leave it there as much as I can...

Praise them, that is what you *want* as there's no arresting hook - with my powerpack, the plug is too loose so it pops out now and then again, and if you're in a hurry and just re-plug it ... well, bye bye flash pcb :-(

It really should have a locking screw or something... It really needs to stay put.

 

[Marsu42]

It really should have a locking screw or something... It really needs to stay put.

Indeed, I understand this is a somewhat standardized port, but for a €500 flash unit this usability is really very bothersome - even though I'm aware of the danger by now, I have no idea on how to fasten the cable on my other (working) 600ex ... duct tape might work, but not for long. Any ideas anyone?

 

[Terry Rogers]

I just don't understand why Canon is not including RT capability built into their newest cameras. The 6D has wifi... why not add the necessary capability for RT triggering? I know I know.... then they couldn't sell the additional ST-E3 RT to take more money from you.

 

[Loswr]

I just don't understand why Canon is not including RT capability built into their newest cameras.

I know I know.... then they couldn't sell the additional ST-E3 RT to take more money from you.

Asked and answered.

I suppose they will, eventually. They did that with their optical triggering, too, first in the 7D and now even in Rebel/xxxD bodies. But I bet they'll wait a few years, until the market is pretty well saturated (I think a 4x0EX-RT is next, then perhaps an -RT receiver to allow older flashes to be radio triggered, but those releases will be a couple of years apart, and only after that will it be built-in).

 

[Marsu42]

I think you can also mix ettl with manual (I could be mistaken).

You are correct - and I'd like to stress the benefits of this feature, I just experienced it today ... if some flash refuses proper ettl metering or you want to shoot it at fixed (or full) power anyway, simply set it to m flash on the master ... impossible with the old pre-rt system.

 

[m]

You are correct - and I'd like to stress the benefits of this feature, I just experienced it today ... if some flash refuses proper ettl metering or you want to shoot it at fixed (or full) power anyway, simply set it to m flash on the master ... impossible with the old pre-rt system.

Did you really need the ability to change the setting from the master unit if you want to shoot at "fixed power"?

I recently took some pictures with a manual slave fired by a ttl flash. After some initial testing, the power level of the manual flash was set and I never touched it again.

 

[alexanderferdinand]

Benefit of the 600RT with a little help from china:
Soon I will buy me the Fuji X100s; so with its leaf shutter AND the possibility to fire the 600units with the Yongnuo E3 RT I am pleased with this system.
600RTs: I like them a lot. And the help from China makes them univwrsal tools.

 

[Marsu42]

Did you really need the ability to change the setting from the master unit if you want to shoot at "fixed power"?

Yes, absolutely - with what I do (wildlife photography & animal portraiture), I often experience situations where I set ettl and realize it won't do, or have set manual and see that I'd like to shoot a couple of different settings and want to switch to ettl. Walking up to the remote flash is an option, but it costs time and disturbs the scene.

 

[Loswr]

Did you really need the ability to change the setting from the master unit if you want to shoot at "fixed power"?

I recently took some pictures with a manual slave fired by a ttl flash. After some initial testing, the power level of the manual flash was set and I never touched it again.

"Fixed" as in not changing uncontrollably from shot to shot due to the vagaries of E-TTL in a multi flash setup, but not necessarily unchanged for the duration of the shoot. I recently shot a series of "corporate headshots" for a group of ~30 people. I used a four-light set up, and the hair light was a Speedlite with a Honl grid, up high on a boom. Having the ability to remotely control the power saved me from having to climb up on a ladder or lower the boom and then accurately reposition the light, as the subjects alternated between dark hair (higher power), light hair (lower power), and bald (turn the darn thing off, it's called 'chrome dome' for a reason!).

 

[m]

That makes sense.

 

[winglet]

I'm looking forward to trying the knock-off trigger for the 600RT's, the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT. Adds the ability to use mixed-mode with cameras other than the 5D3 and 1DX - so hopefully I can get more use with my 5D2 - but more importantly has a autofocus assist beam. I've read a couple reviews saying the AF beams are aimed a bit high but seems like a livable problems to get that capability back.

Just waiting for it to arrive from Hong Kong. $145 bucks beats the Canon Tax, but who knows about the build quality. Should be fun to experiment with.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YONGNUO-YN-E3-RT-Flash-Speedlite-Transmitter-for-Canon-600EX-RT-as-ST-E3-RT-/201006116366?pt=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item2ecce5ee0e

 

[alexanderferdinand]

My personal benefit is using the 600s with the YN E3 RT with my Fuji X100s.
Leaf shutter with manual flash- sync at 1/1000 of a second- love it.
And I dont need to walk to the flashes, I dial in the new power on the YN E3 RT.

Ah, life is good, sometimes.....

 

[RLPhoto]

Reliability.

 

[Arctic Photo]

I'm a novice in flash. I got the 600 to go with my 5DMkIII. I picked up the Canon radio trigger only a few days ago, partly thanks to Neuro. I am likely to get a secons 600EX sooner or later. To me it was no question about it having read about other people's experiences. The Canon system seems thought through and although you might save a couple of hundred dollars on third party solutions. I'm not sure it's worth it.

 

[Dylan777]

Standard warning here: Speedlites are gateway drugs. If you don't watch yourself, you'll wake up one morning with five 600 RTs next to you in bed and you won't remember how you got there.

....Although I haven't own any speedlites yet, however, I do understand your concept in my L lens situation ;D