Tuesday 26 February, 2013   David A. Selby   Meyin, Triggers, Unreleased, Yongnuo   10 Comments

Meyin RF-604 flash trigger: upgrade for Yongnuo RF-603?

A new flash trigger looks set to replace the Yongnuo RF-603, with improved features and RF-602 backwards-compatibility. However, it is made by another company with a different brand name.

The Meyin RF-604 is a 2.4GHz wireless flash trigger with TTL pass-through and wireless flash grouping, making it similar in some ways to the Phottix Strato II Multi. Each RF-604 can behave like either a transmitter or a receiver by flicking a switch on the side between “TX” and “RX” modes. The maximum range is reportedly 100 metres and the triggers should synchronise flashes with a camera at shutter speeds up to 1/250 second.

Meyin RF-604

Interestingly, there is also a “for 602” position, which puts the trigger on a frequency compatible with the RF-602 flash trigger made by Yongnuo. This setting makes the Meyin trigger effectively a Yongnuo RF-602TX: it can trigger RF-602 receivers but Yongnuo RF-602s cannot trigger Meyin RF-604s.

Meanwhile, the Yongnuo RF-603 is not backwards-compatible with the RF-602, so the Meyin RF-604 could be an attractive alternative to RF-603s for any customer wanting to upgrade from RF-602s. Another benefit of “for 602″ mode is that it should be able to trigger the new Yongnuo YN560-III radio-enabled flashgun.

Meyin RF-604

Meyin RF-604

Meyin is part of the Rikon group, a collection of photographic accessory companies based in Shenzhen with no connection with Yongnuo Photo Equipment, who are based in the same town. The cross-compatibility is as a result of reverse engineering, not any deal struck between the different companies, a source high in Rikon confirmed to Lighting Rumours.

So, Yongnuo may be none-too-pleased when they find out that somebody has improved one of their triggers, given it a similar model number and made it backwards compatible with their products (but not vice versa), presumably in an effort to poach their customers or some similar business strategy. When has something like this happened before? What’s the worst that could happen?

Update: the MeYin RF-604 is now in stock. There are two versions — Canon and Nikon — priced at US$37.99 for a set of two from EachShot.com.

To get more product details, visit the Meyin web site or Rikon web site and contact the company directly.

Are you interested in this product? What do you think of this example of Chinese business practices? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

  • Shlomi Cohen

    Very interesting, Yongnuo would indeed not be happy. Any idea what are the three buttons on the back? or are they just LED indicators?

  • vass

    i think its group select buttons A B C

    • http://www.lightingrumours.com/ David A. Selby

      That’s right. Check the Rikon website for a clearer image of the buttons.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonas-Yun/1661344097 Jonas Yun

    This is a very interesting name, because it is not even a correct Pingyin combination.

  • TrP

    interesting indeed. Competition is always good, but this is getting ugly. I hope this pushes Yongnuo to release their upcoming triggers soon!

  • Remedy

    What do I think of this example of Chinese business practices? Let me tell You what I think of Chinese (their business in particular): bunch of fking thieves and copycats with no ethics whatsoever, who hasn’t invent anything since 500 B.C.

    • http://www.lightingrumours.com/ David A. Selby

      What about paper, gunpowder and the printing press?

      • Remedy

        Yeah, they (Chinese) claim they invented paper in the beginning of the second century (105 A.D.). Archaeologists found scraps of paper from around 200 B.C.

        Clay plates/stamps where used for “printing” on papyrus in Babylon/Egypt as far as 2400 B.C. Yeah…. the same plates/stamps where then brought to China and later replaced by wood carved ones. “China – copycatting since 2400 B.C.”

        I wonder whom they stole gun powder recipe from….. ;)

        On a serious note tho, I do not pity any of the chinese companies. Let them taste their own bread. I wish there was a 3rd company that would copycat and improve those Meyin triggers and sell them for like 2$.

  • loonsailor

    Since it’s just acting as a simple trigger, what is the difference between a Nikon and Canon version? Wouldn’t the same device work equally well on either one, or, for that matter, on a Sony, Olympus, or whatever?

  • loonsailor

    This is how de facto standards happen. Many companies made “IBM-Compatible” PCs, none of them Chinese, without permission from IBM. It happens in every industry, and it’s usually to the benefit of consumers. I, for one, am happy that every car has the gas pedal on the right, brake on the left. Real, agreed-upon and certified standards are best, for sure, but in their absence it’s a good thing for consumers when manufacturers make things compatible rather than re-inventing the wheel. In the end, it may not be Yongnuo that’s upset, but Phottix, Pocket Wizard and others, if their devices become “non-standard”.

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