Cheap Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Flash Trigger Get the Job Done!!

So you are looking to get your flash off your camera but you don't want to shell out the few hundred dollars for pocket wizards. Well i was in the same boat when i was wanting to start my adventure into off camera flash.

So after looking around for a few days, i found this brand called "Yougnuo". So i went ahead and got a pair of  Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Flash Trigger from amazon. They got shipped from Hong Kong (yes, that is where Yougnuo is from) it took about 2 weeks to get to my house in Nevada. So what do you get in a box. you get the 2x RF-603 transceivers units, 1x N3 shutter release cord

The Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Flash Trigger takes 2 AAA battery's in each units(total of 4). Toss in the battery's and attach them to to a flash and your camera and you are off and running! I used them with my D7000 and my Yongnuo 560 ii speed light and it works just amazing. It fires 97 out of 100 times out of a test that i preformed. Plus the 3 times it might have been my fault cause of recycle time of the flash. I did this test after a few reviews i seen on amazon talking about how it was "hit and miss" of firing. They are RF(radio frequency) so you do not have to use line of sight to use them. They will work in different rooms have, in a soft box, or even hundreds of feet away down a street. Yongnuo say that the sync speed can reach 1/320. Then Yongnuo say "depending on the situation it may reach to 1/250 or less". On my D7000 and 560 ii speed light. I can only get to 1/200 before i start to get the black line showing up on the bottom of the photo. When i had this on my old D3100. I was only able to get to 1/160. Either way you are not going to get any High Speed Sync out of them. You are going to be around the 1/200 range which is normal for must cameras.

The following photos are with the flash off to the left at 45 deg.  The only thing that changes is the shutter speed. Aperture and ISO stayed the same

When i use my 560 ii speed light mounted on my camera i was able to get to 1/320. The flash is on camera and pointed towards the wall on the right and bouncing back at the frog. Same thing as before only thing that changes is shutter speed. Aperture and ISO stayed the same

The next few images are from me at the distance of over 0.2 miles away.... YES, I said 0.2 MILES away. That is just over 320 Meters. that is Double of what it says it can do on the box!

I got on my Iphone and Google maps where i had set up the flash. and the red dot is where the flash is and the blue/green dot is where i am standing when i took the photos above.

The build of it seems to be a little bit toyish or fake plastic like but when you really look at it, they are build really good for the price that you paid for. They are really sturdy plastic and work can handle a lot of things. Just don't go out tossing them in the mud or dropping them off a 2 floor house and expect them to not break. Either way its a $20-$30 for a set of Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Flash Trigger that actually work! There is some pro's and con's to getting this set of Yongnuo Wireless triggers.  They can also used as a wireless shutter release too.

Just take one of the Yongnuo RF-603 and attach it to the camera. Then plug in the N3 shutter release cord to the input on the side of the camera. Make sure they are in all the way on both and then it works like the ML-L3 remote for my D7000. So good case in point. on my old D3100. It did not have a IR sensor on the D3100 so there was no way to use the ML-L3 on that camera body. So this is a good item to save the day when you are in a jam.  However you cant use TTL with them. They are simple unit that just tells each other "hey, the shutter went off, you go off also".

PRO'S

• Price: cost only a fraction of what Pocket wizards cost

• Reliability: they work almost every time. 97 out of 100 times fired. they just work.

• AAA Battery's: not like some of the other units out there. they use AAA battery's so getting replacement  battery's are as simple as getting some from a local store.

• Universal units: they both work as a sending unit or a receiving unit.

• Shutter Release: its a wireless shutter release that doubles as a trigger. need i say more?

CON'S

• Build Quality: Toyish when comparing pocket wizards or camera like the D7000 or higher. but its $25 for Wireless Triggers! you cant go wrong!!!!

• On/Off switch: when hooked up to a flash/speed light it covers the switch. its a pain in the butt to turn on once attached to a flash but just turn on before attaching.

• Shutter speed range: varies with camera body. only 1/200 with my d7000 and 1/160 on D3100

• No TTL: does not support it. bummer :(

• Name: Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Flash Trigger/Shutter Release. did you know of them before hearing of them? NO, you always hear of pocket wizards. does not have the sound of reliability

So the bottom line is if you are looking for a pair of inexpensive remote triggers for doing off camera flash or even trying to have a remote for a camera that does not have a IR sensor. This is the item for you! They are cheap, they work, and they just get the job done. I would recommend this to any amateur photographer or a hobbyist that is wanting to do more. Make some dynamic lighting photos!!!! I would NOT recommend this to any one that is doing a HIGH paying job. I would not go out and do a $3,000 wedding and use the Yongnuo RF-603 Wireless Flash Trigger and have them fail on at the time you need them the most. Either way try them out, use them, and have fun cause for the $25 bucks you spend on them. Its something that will not hurt you if they fail.