Yongnuo YN-685 - any opinions

ChrisHeathcote

ChrisHeathcote

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Greetings all, I am looking at adding another flash to my set up. Currently I have a 430EXii and 2 Gemini strobes. I am wanting to add another speedlight, partly because my 430EXii is getting a little temperamental (due to a few drops over the years) although it still works well, I also like the portability of speed lights.
When I am using OCF I use the YN622CTX along with YN622C as triggers. Whilst I was trawling the web I came across the YN685 which appears to have all the power and features of the YN600 but using the YN622 triggers.
Having trawled the web, I can't find much about the 685, I just wondered if anybody had any experience of it.
 
It's fairly new, but looks good to me.

Apparently shares the build quality of the 600 which is a step up from the older ones I have which is good news,

If you can find a decent dealer with stock, you should go for it.
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Those were my thought Phil, however finding a dealer may he more of a challenge. I've only ever seen them on Amazon
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I think you'll struggle to find any dealer who handles Yongnuo products.
Yongnuo sell them to anyone who will buy them, which means that they are sold to Hong Kong based internet sellers who provide no customer service and pay no taxes, this allows them to sell them at very low prices that no dealer can compete with.
 
Garry Edwards said:
I think you'll struggle to find any dealer who handles Yongnuo products.
Yongnuo sell them to anyone who will buy them, which means that they are sold to Hong Kong based internet sellers who provide no customer service and pay no taxes, this allows them to sell them at very low prices that no dealer can compete with.
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To be fair, when I bought a YN 568EX from one of the HK sellers and it had the flimsy door on it the first models had, they mailed me a newer door with the stronger clips when it failed.

But for the price they are compared to Nikon speedlights, I'll take the reduced price vs reduced service for the limited amount of times I actually need them.

Wouldn't do the same with studio flashes though.
 
Thanks for all the input. I agree Garry that it is difficult to find, however its a shame because there are still a percentage of people who would pay that bit more to be able to go in and speak to someone and have that backup (I know I would).
 
I have four of them. Very impressed, more so than the YN600. None have had to be returned in three months of ownership, unlike my YN600s.

All of them have been excellent so far. Build quality isn't on a par with my half dozen 580exII Canons, but it's good enough. The metal foot is wiggly when placed in a hot shoe, but I don't ever use them on camera. Like that the head can be twisted/tilted without button pressing. Range and strength is much greater than a 622 / 580exII combination, which is very nice. Fewer batteries. No connection problems.

What do you want to know?
 
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Kris said:
I have four of them. Very impressed, more so than the YN600. None have had to be returned in three months of ownership, unlike my YN600s.

All of them have been excellent so far. Build quality isn't on a par with my half dozen 580exII Canons, but it's good enough. The metal foot is wiggly when placed in a hot shoe, but I don't ever use them on camera. Like that the head can be twisted/tilted without button pressing. Range and strength is much greater than a 622 / 580exII combination, which is very nice. Fewer batteries. No connection problems.

What do you want to know?
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Thanks Kris, The convenience is what appeals to me (as well as price :) ) Given that they are a fraction of the cost of the 580EXii you can forgive a sightly lower build quality
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Thanks Kris, The convenience is what appeals to me (as well as price :) ) Given that they are a fraction of the cost of the 580EXii you can forgive a sightly lower build quality
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I suppose, as long as it does not impinge on results, which so far it hasn't.

Lets face it, at £70 they are virtually disposable. Remember, that effectively includes the 622c transceiver that every other flash requires.
 
You're right about convenience, I can pull one out of a pouch on my belt system and place it somewhere within a couple of seconds, and have it back in there just as quickly. It goes to sleep on its own, so I don't worry about turning them off when in use.
 
Nicholas Mitchell said:
Have you considered going with manual flashes?
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Hi Nicholas, I have considered it quite often, especially as 90% of the time I use the flash in manual, the only time I really use TTL is when they are on top and I am moving around (for fill etc).
My reason for not doing this time is because I am looking to relegate the 430exii to backup and manual use only.
 
YN685 is a slave only, you need the master 622-TX trigger. The problem being, you then can't have a flash on-camera - as I often want in multi-flash situations. So convenient.

I went for x4 YN 600EX-RT. Very pleased so far (y)
 
HoppyUK said:
YN685 is a slave only, you need the master 622-TX trigger. The problem being, you then can't have a flash on-camera - as I often want in multi-flash situations. So convenient.

I went for x4 YN 600EX-RT. Very pleased so far (y)
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Yep, the 685 would really benefit from master function. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they launch a master 622 enabled flash. I've always utilised flash brackets, so it's never bothered me.

The RT based system has its advantages (and some disadvantages). But of the four YN-600rt I received, every one had a fatal flaw that required replacement and tried my patience. I just couldn't trust them. How recently bought were yours? They might have improved their QC if they kept getting units back.

I decided to stick with the remote system that I knew backwards and had worked flawlessly for years.
 
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Kris said:
Yep, the 685 would really benefit from master function. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they launch a master 622 enabled flash. I've always utilised flash brackets, so it's never bothered me.

The RT based system has its advantages (and some disadvantages). But of the four YN-600rt I received, every one had a fatal flaw that required replacement and tried my patience. I just couldn't trust them. How recently bought were yours? They might have improved their QC if they kept getting units back.

I decided to stick with the remote system that I knew backwards and had worked flawlessly for years.
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I remember you had some issues Kris. YN has a bit of a rep with early production models, though TBF it happens with so many new products these days - cameras and lenses, too. I took the precaution of buying from Amazon direct in case of difficulties.

YN 600EX-RT has been on sale about 15 months now. Mine are only a few weeks old. I haven't tried every function yet, but so far 100% reliable. I've used them for a couple of jobs, like yesterday I had four high on stands, and some distance apart, freezing cold. It's situations like that where reliable remote control is just so useful. I was able to run through several power/ratio options in basically a few seconds. In the past, I would probably have left the flashes alone and juggled with ISO and shutter speed etc for balance, just for practicality.

Come to think of though, I haven't actually used one of the guns as master yet, not for real LOL
 
Thanks for all the input, to keep you all updated, I decided to take the plunge and ordered a YN685 which was delivered direct from Amazon this morning, and after a quick play it looks fairly impressive. Its a fair bit bigger than the 430EXii but has a few nice extras (weather sealed mount for one).
HoppyUK said:
YN685 is a slave only, you need the master 622-TX trigger. The problem being, you then can't have a flash on-camera - as I often want in multi-flash situations. So convenient.

I went for x4 YN 600EX-RT. Very pleased so far (y)
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My kit already consists of 2 x Yn622C transmitters and a YN622 CTX, so it seemed a logical choice. I did look at the 600RT but this would have meant yet another system
 
HoppyUK said:
as master yet
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You have to use something as a master - YN-E3?

Off the top of my head, the problems I had were buttons unresponsive, very rapid battery drain, selection wheel would skip two or not work at all, LCD matrix faults, occasional trigger failures (from one in particular, but from the others occasionally) when used as a transmitter.

Good to hear they appeared to have evened out the QC problems.

Have you tried the YN-E3-RX dedicated receiver yet? With a bagful of studio light and Canons 580exIIs controlled via YN622 transceivers, I would have needed to replace them all with YNE3RX which was another reason for staying 622 based.
 
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Kris said:
You have to use something as a master - YN-E3?

Off the top of my head, the problems I had were buttons unresponsive, very rapid battery drain, selection wheel would skip two or not work at all, LCD matrix faults, occasional trigger failures (from one in particular, but from the others occasionally) when used as a transmitter.

Good to hear they appeared to have evened out the QC problems.

Have you tried the YN-E3-RX dedicated receiver yet? With a bagful of studio light and Canons 580exIIs controlled via YN622 transceivers, I would have needed to replace them all with YNE3RX which was another reason for staying 622 based.
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Yes, I have YN-E3 Tx/master unit.

I was going to get a bunch of YN 685s, but another disadvantage for me, apart from the newness question, was that I would have also wanted a spare 685 gun plus spare 622-Tx, in case of problems. But with the YN 600EX-RT I have, in effect, four guns and five master Tx units that keep me pretty well covered and I don't have to carry spares all the time.

Not tried the new YN E3-Rx. I like to mix speedlites and studio heads now and then, but I've got loads of other triggers and slaves for that.
 
HoppyUK said:
YN685 is a slave only, you need the master 622-TX trigger. The problem being, you then can't have a flash on-camera
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The solution I showed on page 73 of TOYUG II (link above) is working very well in rreal life. There are many implementations of the basic concept.
 
Kris said:
You have to use something as a master - YN-E3? ... Have you tried the YN-E3-RX dedicated receiver yet?
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Chris already has the transmitter/controllers for the 622 system, which has no connection with the Canon/YN RT system.
 
Kris said:
Yep, the 685 would really benefit from master function. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they launch a master 622 enabled flash. ...
I decided to stick with the remote system that I knew backwards and had worked flawlessly for years.
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I would not delay acting now in the hope that a Master 685 might be produced!
I decided to stick with the remote system that I knew backwards and had worked flawlessly for years.
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That is an excellent principle - there's a time to experiment, and a time to consolidate.
 
HoppyUK said:
I was going to get a bunch of YN 685s, but another disadvantage for me, apart from the newness question, was that I would have also wanted a spare 685 gun plus spare 622-Tx, in case of problems..
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They are not exactly new, being based on the earlier YN600EX-RT, and the evidence is that there has been a step up in quality. But yes, an extra YN685 and 622C-TX ARE prudent. It is much quicker to swap over a 685 (ready-to-go battery case) than change the batteries when a battery fails!
 
SeedyBee said:
The solution I showed on page 73 of TOYUG II (link above) is working very well in rreal life. There are many implementations of the basic concept.
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Thanks Clive, but with the greatest respect, that is not what I'd call an acceptable solution ;) My main reason for getting the YN 600EX-RT guns is because they're neat, self-contained, all-in-one units.
 
Hoppy, I am certainly not trying to talk down the RT system. My solution was driven by pension restrictions and the possession of 622 components that the O/P had. In that environment my solution works well, but it is a work-around of a 622C-TX limitation as you say, and should be taken into consideration if there is a choice between systems.

The adaptation was first designed to give a side-by-side presentation, like a two-screen computer setup. If a second screen is on top, it requires a major head movement to see what is displayed. But not so when side by side. I can assess the image while being written out and change a light group output in a second with my setup, with only a slight extension in eye focal length (head back a bit). My main dislike of the YN622C-TX is its horizontal presentation - a real curse when the camera is on a tripod at head height already.
 
SeedyBee said:
Hoppy, I am certainly not trying to talk down the RT system. My solution was driven by pension restrictions and the possession of 622 components that the O/P had. In that environment my solution works well, but it is a work-around of a 622C-TX limitation as you say, and should be taken into consideration if there is a choice between systems.

The adaptation was first designed to give a side-by-side presentation, like a two-screen computer setup. If a second screen is on top, it requires a major head movement to see what is displayed. But not so when side by side. I can assess the image while being written out and change a light group output in a second with my setup, with only a slight extension in eye focal length (head back a bit). My main dislike of the YN622C-TX is its horizontal presentation - a real curse when the camera is on a tripod at head height already.
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No worries Clive :) I too quite like messing around to make different things possible, purely for interest, but when it comes to professional work, I just need to get the job done with as little technical faffing around as possible.

OT - I wonder, do you know why the native Canon system won't do remote second-curtain sync when every third party trigger does? I have a hunch that it may be a patent issue (Nikon bought some early flash patents from Minolta, many moons ago) but nobody seems to know for sure and Canon just won't say!
 
You are right about the patents influencing what we get. I have a copy of the 2002 patent (lodged 1999), and it has explained several aspects that Canon doesn't discuss.

There was a hint early on about 2CS with no remote control, and it is a logical explanation to their implementation. The early patent includes E-TTL in groups, on-top flash (actual group 4 with no user interface), HSS and Multi. All via light coded pulses. Some of these pulses are pre-shutter, but some are open-shutter - the actual Group 1 - set power level at X, Fire!, Group 2 etc. This produces enough lighting to produce a slight exposure/ghosting at the start of the subject position. It would produce a confused image.

Radio triggers do not have that problem, and can massage the camera data to do more,

Canon however are trapped by their patents, and those of others who have snaffled the gaps. I would love to see the 2007 E-TTL II and 2012 RT patents, but not at the asking price just for curiosity.
 
SeedyBee said:
You are right about the patents influencing what we get. I have a copy of the 2002 patent (lodged 1999), and it has explained several aspects that Canon doesn't discuss.

There was a hint early on about 2CS with no remote control, and it is a logical explanation to their implementation. The early patent includes E-TTL in groups, on-top flash (actual group 4 with no user interface), HSS and Multi. All via light coded pulses. Some of these pulses are pre-shutter, but some are open-shutter - the actual Group 1 - set power level at X, Fire!, Group 2 etc. This produces enough lighting to produce a slight exposure/ghosting at the start of the subject position. It would produce a confused image.

Radio triggers do not have that problem, and can massage the camera data to do more,

Canon however are trapped by their patents, and those of others who have snaffled the gaps. I would love to see the 2007 E-TTL II and 2012 RT patents, but not at the asking price just for curiosity.
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Thanks Clive. That does actually make perfect sense, and also explains why Canon refuses to make any comment. Cheers!
 
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