Online Product Review

I have dozens of them, and that i use them professionally moreover as round the house. I actually have plenty to match this lightweight to, as well as many top quality lights from Maglight, Surefire, Streamlight, Coast, Dorcy and a number of other cheapo brands that I actually have tried through the years. This lightweight is nearly as good as any I actually have had.

The ProTac hectolitre is very bright, and it feels as robust and durable as you\'d expect from Streamlight. The tail switch functions swimmingly and feels sturdy with no \"misses\".

After analysis, I purchased this lightweight to be put in on a plan of action rifle. it\'s excellent for my application, as a result of I like a light-weight that may forged a large beam so much down vary. This lightweight will that. it\'ll illumine the globe between you and your target, as well as each in. of the bottom between you and your target. This relaxes your visual sense and permits you to take care of what\'s around your target. Some sort of a tightly centered beam, and if that\'s your factor, this lightweight might not be for you. however I will tell you that this lightweight can provide you with sensible downrange illumination nearly nearly as good because the tightest of beams. Streamlight didn\'t build any shortcuts here that I will see.

The price for this lightweight appears low to American state. it\'s an impressive price after you compare it to alternative lights in its category. A 600 lumen lightweight that\'s created by one in every of the most effective within the trade and has quality parts for much but you\'d get hold of most similar lights. Amazon\'s value for this lightweight is unbelievable.

Another positive for this lightweight is that the programmable tail switch. For a rifle application I like a on/off clicky cap, and this lightweight will do this. If you like a series of high/low/strobe, it will do this, too. you decide on the setting you would like. It programs dependably and once you set it it\'ll be your setting till you modify it - a minimum of mine has.

If there\'s any con to the present lightweight i assume you\'ll say it\'s the comparatively short battery life. this is often most likely true of most high lumen plan of action flashlights, that the ProTac isn\'t distinctive here. the straightforward truth is that you simply cannot get high lumens and a robust beam while not burning energy. There square measure some reversible lights out there, however you\'ll pay handsomely for them, and that i suppose they\'re over-rated supported past experiences with them.

In my opinion, you can not get it wrong for the ProTac hectolitre, particularly for the value Amazon is commerce it for.

Vivitar DF383 Digital TTL review.  A friend asked ME to require photos at her wedding shower recently. The venue was inside, with no natural-light, a 9-foot drop-down ceiling, Associate in Nursingd fluorescent light-weighting-- therefore I knew i used to be aiming to would like an external flash for additional light then my Canon Eos 10D\'s integrated flash might offer and my Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens might capture. I actually have regarding 2 years expertise with DSLR photography and this can be my 1st external flash. I thought-about the Vivitar DF383, Canon Speedlite 430EX II, and Bower SFD926C. As a university student on a budget, my call dropped to cost and versatile options. The Speedlite was over doubly the value of the Vivitar Associate in Nursingd failed to embrace an integrated bounce card or diffuser. The Bower was the most affordable of the 3, however had a notably lower Guide variety than the Vivitar. At the shower, I took regarding five hundred photos on 2 sets of four AA batteries. photos came out well, with the themes wanting properly exposed. The swivel head and bounce card work nice. Most of my shots were from sixty or seventy five degrees from the horizontal, bouncing the flash off the white ceiling panels. One note, once the flash is at angles apart from zero degrees and your in automatic (ETTL) mode the flash zoom defaults to 50mm. I did notice that once mistreatment the flash straight-on (0 degrees), the flash\'s LCD indicated you need to be a minimum of nine feet from the topic to induce a properly exposed image (in the conditions i used to be under), that clad to be true. If I wasn\'t a minimum of that isolated, individuals came out terribly overexposed. I assume the minimum distance is therefore high as a result of this flash is merely capable of reducing to 1/16 strength. the sole major disadvantage of this flash on behalf of me is that the recycle time. once a median shot, i\'d need to wait regarding 5-6 seconds for the capacitors to recharge and also the ready-indicator to illuminate. At one purpose I incomprehensible  some necessary shots of the bride and groom salutation guests as a result of the flash and my camera stopped communicated and that i had to restart each (this has not happened since). My solely different concern is bulb life. i\'m hoping to induce a minimum of 2 years out of this flash mistreatment it number some times each couple of months. i\'m more than happy with my alternative and would purchase once more.

Neewer TT560 Flash Speedlite For Canon/Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. The Godox TT560 (released in America from NEEWER) is a Speedlite that has received positive reviews from budget photographers in Asia. Released in Jan. 2010, there is not much known about this flash and because it was around the same pricepoint as YN-560, people flocked to the Yongnuo flashes for their budget strobist needs.

Well, in August 2011, the TT560 went from $60 to the $40-range and many who noticed the price drop, flocked to Amazon to purchase this flash.

While the photos and video of this flash have shown pretty positive photos from our Asian counterparts, their reviews were positive because it gave quite a bang for the buck and it was easily accessible.

So, let's take a look at the TT560 Neewer (Godox) Speedlite.

I. UNBOXING AND SETUP

The TT560, similar to Yongnuo's YN-560 comes in a black pouch, stand and instructions.

Comparisons can be made in look of the TT560 as it has a reflection board and built-in wide panel, optical control sensor, lock ring and hot shoe stand. The hotshoe stand is plastic and takes 4 double AA batteries (which I used four Eneloops).

On the back, you will notice that it has an output level indicator, mode select (M=manual, S1, S2), Charging Indicator, Test button and Power Switch. It is important to note that this flash does not come with a Zoom for the flash.

The indicator are in blue LED's while the power is the red LED dot.

POWER SAVING FUNCTION: The flash does come with a power-saving function which will go into standby mode in about 30 minutes of idle use. Press any button to wake it up.

PROTECTION FUNCTION: To prevent from overheating, the following is important to know:

POWER LEVEL 1/1, 1/2 - 20 Flashes which will activated over-temperature protection
POWER LEVEL 1/4, 1/8 - 40 Flashes which will activated over-temperature protection
POWER LEVEL 1/16,1/32 - 80 Flashes which will activated over-temperature protection
POWER LEVEL 1/64, 1/128 - 160 Flashes which will activated over-temperature protection

SPECS:
According to the document, this is a Guide number 38 (ISO 100) Flash, Vertical Rotation (0-90 degrees), Horizontal Rotation (0-270 Degrees), Color Temperature 56000K+/- 200K

II. TEST

I am testing this on a Canon T3i:

On-Camera Flash - It's important to note that this is not an E-TTL flash. But you probably don't need it as you can control the flash power levels through the back of the flash. Everything worked as the flash was supposed to, so I can't complain. As an On-Camera Flash, because of it's price...with the Sunpak PFX30 being the next cheaper alternative (with E-TTL), the TT560 pretty much gives more bang for the buck at $40+.

I have not used this Flash for a long period of time to see how quality is over long use but I did contact people in Asia who are using it and they have said the flash is still working and they use it in their strobist setup today. So, that's good news!

Off-Camera Flash - My main purpose for this Flash was to use it in addition to my YN-560 flash. Zoom was not important for me as I have the YN-560's for that. But what was important for me was that it worked with the RF-603C trigger/receiver/tranceiver. After finding out that the Sunpak PFX30 did not work, I took the risk of purchasing this flash, not knowing if it worked or not but fortunately, this flash did work with the Yongnuo RF-603's.

I then started taking a few photos with the Flash in rapid succession and recycle time was fairly quick. According to the instructions (0-1.5 seconds via AA Alkaline).

So, using it along with the YN-560's, I was able to use this flash with no problems whatsoever.

JUDGMENT CALL:

The Neewer (or Godox) TT560 is a straightforward flash and most importantly, my primary needs was to control the output and that it worked on my RF-603C. Granted, it didn't come with zoom and that is why I bypassed it at $59, when I could get the YN-560's (or even another Yongnuo flash for the same price).

At $40, it was great price (prices tend to fluctuate as of late between $40-$50) and it serves as another flash for my setup. It's rival right now probably is the older YN-460II and which one would I would recommend, it's pretty much subjective as they are the same cost but because I didn't need a zoom, while the YN-460II had a metal shoe, the TT560 has a shoe lock. Also, more people have experienced problems with the 460 and obviously, there are hardly negatives on this TT560 at this time. For now, I give a thumbs up to this flash, for its price and functions.

For On or off-camera use, this flash is definitely worth buying and at least worth considering if you are looking into inexpensive multiple flash. At $40, I'm not going to complain...it's actually a solid deal!

Pros:
- Power Saving and Protection Functions
- Easy to use buttons
- Horizontal/Vertical Swivel
- Wide Angle Diffuser
- Flash stand with needed threaded hole
- Great for On and Off-Camera Use - Manual and Slave Mode 1, 2
- Fast recycling charge
- Shoe Lock
- Price (if in the $40's)
- Works with RF-603

Cons:
- Lack of Zoom
- Plastic Shoe
- Lack of PC cord socket

Yongnuo YN-560 II Speedlight Flash for Canon and Nikon. A problem that I didn't experience at first - while the LCD screen is bright and easy to read in most situations (looking straight at it), I found out that it's not so easy to read from other angles. For example, if you put it on an umbrella swivel (for an umbrella, beauty dish, softbox, etc..) and have it angled it can be impossible to read. If tilted 90 degrees forward, it appears as if everything lights up on it (the LCD screen uses something similar to a digital alarm clock - so it looks like "1/188" which allows the "88" to light up certain parts to form different numbers. So it could be 1/1, 1/2.. 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 1/128) Again, the problem is that at odd angles (like 90 degrees forward) it appears as "1/188" instead of what the actual power is. On the other hand, tilting it 90 degrees backwards it will look blank.. so the viewing angle isn't great and creates some readability issues. Another example is if it's sitting lower to the ground and you're looking at it from a standing height it will appear blank. You need to bend down and look at a better angle to see the actual power. This could be considered a big downfall for some and does show that there is an advantage to the original YN560's LED system.

For comparison, the Canon 580EXII does have a similar issue but not nearly as bad. Tilting it 90 degrees forward it is still easily readable.

Over the last couple years, YONGNUO has made a name for themselves in the photography world. They've released some very nice, high quality alternatives to the "name brand" products out there as VERY nice prices. One of their better lines of items are their Speedlites (portable flashes).

I own and use many of their Speedlites - the YN460, YN460-II, YN465, YN560 and now the YN560II. I've used them for years and they all still work perfectly (the only issue was with a YN560 (original) that arrived with a broken zoom). For the prices they sell for, I find them to be very reliable. I have dropped them onto concrete from small heights (2-3 feet) and they continued to work fine.

Owning several of these, I'd like to compare them for anyone who was in the same situation as I was when looking for a flash. For the record, these units were purchased for:
YN560 - 70 bucks
YN560II - 100 bucks (NOTE: That was the price from a US Seller. From China they can be found for about 70 bucks, the same as the YN560)
580EXII - 500 bucks

Design:
Right off the bat, all 3 pretty much look the exact same. YONGNUO basically made a copy of the 580EXII mold (right down to including fake buttons on the sides which are REAL buttons on the 580EXII). The nice thing about this is that it means all accessories designed to fit the Canon 580EXII will work just fine with the Yongnuo YN560 (and 560II).
The obvious difference is the back of the flash. The original YN560 uses a LED system to indicate the power and zoom range - this means if 1 LED is lit, it's 1/128 power.. if 2 are lit, it's 1/64.. 1/32.. 1/16.. 1/8.. 1/4.. 1/2.. 1/1. This makes it easy to glance at from a distance and see "All the lights are lit, it's full power" opposed to an LCD screen which can be tough to read in the dark or from a distance.

LCD/Back display:
The YN560II and 580EXII use an LCD screen which tells you the actual power: 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, etc..
The better option for back display (LCD vs. LED Lights) comes down to preference - I have no issues with either. Both LCD screens (YN560II and 580EXII) have a backlight option - the Canon 580EXII has a specific "light" button which will turn the backlight (green) on for a few seconds. The YN560II will automatically turn the backlight (red/orange) on whenever any button is pressed. I like the YN560II's method as you can easily see the information no matter wherever you are when adjusting power - lit or dark areas (with the 580EXII you need to press the light button to see the light - so if you're in a dark area and changing power, you need to press the LIGHT then change the power (or vice versa) to see what level it's at - the YN560II will light up as soon as you start adjusting the power). The YN560II does not, however, have a dedicated LIGHT button but you can press any button (even the "enter" button which won't have any effect on the settings) to turn on the light for a few seconds.

The LCD screen on the YN560II is much more basic. You get the MODE you're in (M/S1/S2/MULTI (more on these later), the power (1/1, 1/2, 1/4...), the zoom level (24mm, 28mm, 35mm, etc..), the AUDIO indicator (more on this later..) and some others which will come on from time to time. One of the most helpful is the LOW BATTERY icon - unfortunately it doesn't give a constant indicator of battery life, only when it's "low". The 580EXII, on the other hand, has the same information but it's laid out in a much nicer presentation.
I will say that I prefer the YN560II LCD somewhat as everything is VERY BIG ON THE SCREEN. The power level is about 3 times as big as that on the 580EXII (so you can easily see the power level from a distance).. same for the zoom level. Doesn't look as fancy, but the information is easier to read on the YN560II. Again, the YN560 does not use an LCD, only light up LED lights - you can even say that the YN560 is easiest to get an idea of the power level from a distance since you can see how many LED's are lit from almost any angle.

Modes:
The CANON 580EXII includes: MANUAL, ETTL (automatic flash exposure), MULTI (a strobelight-like effect where you can control how many times it flashes and how frequently), a MASTER mode (to control other CANON flashes) and a SLAVE mode (to be controlled by a camera like the 7D, a transmitter like the ST-E2 or another 580EXII flash).
The YN560 and YN560-II include: MANUAL, SLAVE1, SLAVE2 (and the YN560II includes MULTI). SLAVE1 and SLAVE2 on the Yongnuo are nice as they let you trigger these flashes using any other flash (SLAVE1 is for other manual flashes (or flashes without an ETTL metering), SLAVE2 is for cameras that use ETTL metering). These are great modes to have and are not on the CANON 580EXII. On the same hand, the 580EXII includes the ETTL ("automatic") and High-Speed sync mode for the flash while the YONGNUO models are all automatic and do not include high-speed sync (YONGNUO makes the YN565 flash which does include ETTL, but not high-speed sync)

Power:
All 3 have roughly the same amount of power output. They can be adjusted anywhere from 1/1 (full power) down to 1/128. I believe some of the earlier Yongnuo flashes only went down to 1/64 power. You can also fine-tune the power, so if you want something between 1/2 and 1/1 power, you can set it to 1/2 and then add +0.3, +0.5 or +0.7 compensation - this is done with the up/down buttons on the YN560 and YN560II. It is MUCH easier to read on the YN560II since it will say: "1/2 +0.3" while the YN560 only has 1 set of LED lights (which display flash power output, zoom level and flash exposure compensation, depending which one you're looking at. The YN560II will display all at once).

FUNCTIONS:
All 3 flashes have a zoom function on the flash - the YONGNUO are the easiest to operate as they have dedicated +/- buttons (canon requires you to press a button first and then change the zoom).
The YONGNUO flashes also allow easier control of the power (also a +/- button while the 580EXII requires you to press the SET button and then turn a wheel). This is a toss-up on who wins - the YONGNUO ones are easier to adjust, but that also makes them easier to hit by accident and change the power levels when you didn't want to.

BUTTONS:
The YN560II and YN560 have similar looking buttons (rubber-like), but the YN560 buttons are somewhat mushy/soft while the YN560II has firm buttons which feel a bit nicer. Both are usable.
The YN560II uses similar buttons to the 580EXII, except the 580EXII uses a wheel instead of the left/right/up/down/SET button on the YN560II. I actually prefer the buttons on the YN560II as they're easier to pick up and use, but all 3 work fine.

CONNECTIONS:
The YN560 and YN560II have a metal hotshoe (the YN560 originally released with a plastic hotshoe, but was quickly replaced). They also use the turn-to-lock clamp for the hotshoe while the Canon 580EXII uses a rubber gasket with a switch you flip to lock it down (this also keeps it somewhat water-sealed on the hotshoe). I prefer the 580EXII style lock for sure, but the others do work fine.
All 3 have a PC-Sync input and a high-voltage battery socket to connect an external battery pack to (such as the CP-E4). I use the Pixel TD-381 battery Power Pack for for Canon Speedlites 580EX II, EX580, EX550, MR-14EX,MT-24EX, extremely stable fast recycle time 1.24S and highly recommend it! These greatly speed up recycle times and give you a longer battery life.

RECYCLE TIMES:
I loaded fresh rechargable batteries (same brand, all bought at the same time and freshly charged) into all 3 flashes, connected them to a radio trigger to set all 3 off at the same time. The YN560 recycled the faster (barely beating out the YN560II), and the 580EXII slightly slower than all 3. The difference was about 1/2 to 3/4 seconds difference between all 3. With the external battery pack (above) connected, all were fully recycled and ready for the next shot within about 1-2 seconds from full power (and all ready about the same time).

OTHER:
The YN560 and 580EXII both go from lowest power (all the way left) to highest power (all the way right) and stop at each. If you go to full power (1/1) and press right, nothing happens. If you go to lowest power (1/128) and press left, nothing happens.