Yongnuo Wireless Units for Canon - a little help

dbruno

Hi - I've got the Yongnuo YN622C-TX and the YN622C units. I'm trying to get them to control a 580EX flash unit. The flash will fire, but none of the information on the transmitter is getting to the flash (power level, zoom, etc.) When I use a 580EX II, everything works fine, but it's unusual: I set the flash to slave, but when I communicate with it, the display changes and looks like it's no longer in slave mode.

Anything on the 580EX I might be doing incorrectly? Any hints would be appreciated.

Thanks - Dave

dbruno

I think I *may* have found one problem: the flash unit has to be an "EX II" model. I just took my older 430EX II, set it up as a slave, and everything works. It just doesn't have as much oompf as the 580.

Still, if anyone has any insight as to why the 580EX won't completely work, I'm all ears. I suppose I could still use it, but I would have to set it up manually, or at least I think I could. I haven't tried that to see if settings get reset.

Dave

TonyT

Dave,

I'm not sure why you are setting the flash to slave mode, this is only required when being controlled by a master flash or pop up flash where compatible. No need to set to slave when using the wireless triggers, just control them from the TX .

Looks like you've answered your question re the 580 'EXII' still at least you can use it with the trigger and just change power on the flash unit, useful as a background of kicker light perhaps.

When I first got mine, 2 of the triggers needed a factory reset as they weren't zooming the flash head, once that was done all worked as it should.

Tony

dbruno

Thanks, Tony. The directions are not exactly very clear, as it's a translation issue.

I can't figure out a couple of things: in the 580EX manual, a footnote reads "A 580EX set as a slave unit can be controlled by Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2". I am assuming the Yongnuo units are clones of this. I don't know if "set as a slave unit" means to switch it to slave mode, or simply it is set up and used as an off-camera unit.

Also, in the transmitter instructions, it mentions the 580EX, and how you have to turn on some function called "EX Compat Trigger". Again, I will have to really go through this because the translation to English is really tough. Too bad no customer support. I can't even download the firmware upgrade, as their site times out.

Dave

CanonJay

Hi dbruno! This has helped me navigate the Yongnuo system pretty efficiently! Hope this may help! I do realize this is a little dated and it may be just geared towards the Yn622C and not the Tx but it should still be pretty accurate. 

http://www.diyphotographystuff.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/The-Other-YN622C-User-Guide.pdf

-Jay

dbruno

Jay - thanks, and I'll give it a look tonight when I get home. As I wrote, some portions of the 580EX and YN622C manuals talk about using the 580EX, but it's a bit confusing. Looking forward to looking through what you sent.

Dave

dbruno

Jay - I searched for the guy who wrote the user guide, hoping to send him an email to see if he had updated it for the newer Canon models. I found it:

www.westonphoto.plus.com/tutorials/TOYUG_v4-07.pdf

Includes the YN-622C-TX unit.

Dave

CanonJay

Fantastic! Hopefully that helps you better than the owners manual! 

TonyT

Dave

I forgot that I had downloaded that toyug pdf . Hope you manage to make progress with it.

dbruno

Jay and Tony - I think I am making progress. I have figured out that the 580EX is responding to the changes in settings, but those chages don't get displayed on the flash's LCD. I am now remembering why, after spending money on the 580EX, I went out and bought a 580EX II: I wasn't able to control the functions from the camera menu (600D), and still can't do it from my 6D. This is one of the very few issues I've had with Canon: why on earth would you make a very capable flash and not allow it to be controlled through the camera?

I'm starting to work backwards, now using the 622C (not the Tx) on the camera, because there may be times when I need both on-camera and off-camera flashes. The Tx unit doesn't have a hot-shoe mount.

I'm slowly revealing, too, that my part-time business has been slow, so I have all this time to mess around.

Dave

CanonJay

Good news Dave! I hope you get it all sorted out. I have a few 622C's but do not own the Tx. I also use the the 580ExII and the 430ExII and I use them in mix mode on the 622's. I must admit with all this technology available from all the manufactures, it is getting increasingly harder to mix and match flashes and bodies etc and keep track of what works with what!  

Jay

TonyT

Good news Dave.

I thought you should be able to control the base flash features of the flash via the camera menus, I used to with my old 60D and 580 & 430 EX II's I don't think it would work with the original 430 & 580 flash units.

Anyways the triggers remove the need for that capability now.

Tony

dbruno

Tony - I guess so, but it's always nice to be able to look at the LCD on the flash and see that a command has been received.

Getting back to controlling a flash using the camera menu: I guess it's all personal preference, but I find in waaaay easier to use the camera menu that to adjust things on the flash using those teeny-weeny buttons. But, for some people that's the way they like it. If not, there would only be "II" models.

Dave