Tuesday 28 August, 2012   David A. Selby   Flashguns, New releases, Yongnuo   24 Comments

Yongnuo YN-568EX speedlight is now in stock

The first Chinese speedlight to offer high speed sync (HSS) support, the YN-568EX, is now in stock. Retailing at US$209.99 (about £130), the 568EX provides advanced wireless slave mode, E-TTL and HSS as well as full manual control.

Yongnuo YN-568EX

At this price point, Yongnuo are up against some well-established competition. For the same money you can have yourself a Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 with a very similar feature set: HSS, wireless TTL, modelling light and manual power adjustment. What’s more, the Metz (pictured below)  has a USB port to future-proof the device with firmware updates.

Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1

The YN-568EX is now listed at Yongnuo’s eBay store and by other sellers. So, would you buy the as-yet-untested Yongnuo or the Mecablitz? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Update: The YN-568EX is now available from a wider range of online retailers, selling for around $180-190. In France, you can buy it from Lovinpix for €209.

  • Mark

    The YN568 doesn’t seem to be listed on the ebay store yet.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000503340749 Jorge Pastrana

    mmmmm 210 dlls plus shipping, not a great deal, i just bought a canon 430ex II from adorama for 230 dlls and an a used one on ebay for 200.

    • http://www.shlomic.com Shlomi Cohen

      Agreed… not such a great deal at all. I’m a bit disappointed by the price, I must say.
      I’m a fan of Yongnuo products, but for the same price as a Metz 50 or even a Canon 430EXII, that has been around and tested for a long long time… There’s not much advantage for the YN-568.

      • http://strobius.com.ua/ Strobius

        You know the power in 430ex II, 50 AF-1 and 568EX is very different.

        Official Spec, 35mm, ISO100, in meters:
        - 430ex II – GN 31
        - 50 AF-1 – GN 29
        - 568EX – GN 39

        This is the main reason to see on Yongnuo.

        I agree – the price for this unit from young Chineese manufacturer should be less then $200. But I’m sure – in some weeks we will see figure $190-195 from e-bay with free shipping..))

      • http://strobius.com.ua/ Strobius

        And don’t forget – YN-568EX has S1 and S2 Modes, we can use it off-camera without any limitation in all situations. Plus sound promt function, PC port, wireless TTL for Canon and Nikon together, Stroboscopic mode (Multi), big LCD display. YN-568EX much more functional.

        • matt

          The Metz 50AF1 has the equivalent of S2 mode, as does the older 48AF1 a firmware upgrade. Metz calls it “servo mode”. It can be turned on by changing the slave function to “M”, with power adjustable in full stops down to 1/128 by the + and – buttons on the back.

          When I only have room in my bag for one flash, I’ll usually take my 48AF1. (I like the easily-grippable-jagged-cogwheel style locking wheel better than my 50AF1′s wretched smooth plastic locking wheel.)

          Still, I like the additional power and the sync port of the YN568EX. If I were looking to start all over I’d probably get a few of those instead of Metz or Canon.

  • http://www.benbammens.be Ben

    Way too expensive :(

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000503340749 Jorge Pastrana

    i own a metz 50af1, and it very reliable, great unit!, easy to use, i would not pay more that 150 foy the yong nuo version

    • ituner

      METZ 58 AF1 great flash, but
      In my area prices start from $ 315
      If you frequently use a METZ have a tendency to overheat the lamp followed by the release of its failure, and repair is not very cheap.

  • ituner

    on eBay $185 (Free shipping) :)

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000503340749 Jorge Pastrana

      make it 175 and you have a deal :)

      • ituner

        I bought yesterday :)

  • Tony

    The reason I would buy this for $209 is because of the HSS feature. However, HSS without the support of external power is not exactly a wise move. The design concept of this flash is definitely not progressive.

    • ituner

      Canon 430EXII тоже не имеет разъема внешнего питания.
      YN-568EX находится в той же потребительской нише, только на треть дешевле.

    • ituner

      sorry :)
      Canon 430EXII also has no external power connector.
      YN-568EX is in the same niche consumer, only a third cheaper.

      • Tony

        Does Canon 430 EXII have the HSS feature?

        • David A. Selby

          Yes, it does.

  • Juvenall

    I pulled the trigger on one of these after enjoying my 468 II. I’m only disappointed in the fact that the “estimated arrival time” is between September 17th and October 1st. Here’s to hoping it gets here a lot faster than that.

  • Jesse

    The 430ex II is in fact still stronger (ca. 1/2 f-stop) than the whole YN56* range. Don´t make the mistake and believe in the guide numbers.

    • ituner

      35mm reflector position:

      Canon 430EX II=f22 +2/10 GN34
      Yongnuo YN-565=f22 +3/10 GN36

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=514466110 Bruce Lim

    Why the hell doesn’t it have the external power connector like the 560 MKII and the 565???

    • ituner

      for greater survivability :)

  • ituner

    first video in the network from shlomki
    youtu.be/gKAltKV_9Vg

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