[panoguy]

Just got a response from the folks at Yongnuo, and the long-suspected (and awaited) addition to their YN-560III manual flash line is going to be released in a few weeks. For those that don't know, the 560III flash includes a wireless receiver inside it, so that it can be triggered by the Yongnuo 603 radio trigger and this "future device" with the same radio signal.

What many have suspected is that the 560III units themselves have internals that allow for remote control of the power level (1/2 power, 1/4 power, etc.) along with this triggering. Cactus got to market with this first, with their RF60 flash and V6 transceivers (plus Cactus V6's can control many other brands power levels as well), but the YN-560III is a popular and low-cost manual flash, while the 603 trigger to trip it is rather basic.

So, look here at the YN-560TX, which really looks like the bottom half of a 560III with a different screen.





Apparently it also controls zoom (hey, there's a "zoom" button!) and can do stroboscopic effects (Hz), unless the 2.4Ghz is not set in stone.

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Last edited by panoguy; 06-08-2014 at 11:52 AM.

[carrrlangas]

At last! this is awesome! How much do you think it will cost?

[panoguy]

At last! this is awesome! How much do you think it will cost?

My personal guess is around $35-40 USD. No idea until they hit the virtual shelves (typically on eBay first @hkyongnuophotoequipment), but anything more than that and folks will be asking for Cactus-like control of other brand flashes (which, as you can tell, is impossible with this transmitter-only design).

[dane.dawg]

I just bought two YN-560II to save a few bucks, what a dumbass.

[Class A]

The YN560-TX will be able to trigger RF602/603 but not control the power of flashes attached to these triggers.

That makes the YN560-TX a YN560-III only controller. It may not even be possible to mix and match 602/603/560-III. Bit of a missed opportunity, AFAIC.

Will be interesting to see what it can actually do.

[panoguy]

The YN560-TX will be able to trigger RF602/603 ... It may not even be possible to mix and match 602/603/560-III.

Confusing pair of statements there.

If it can trigger an existing 2.4Ghz Yongnuo device, why would adding a 560III (with the trigger built in) be any different? Mixing Cactus V5s (unable to control power) with RF60s is no problem since the trigger signal is all the V5 cares about...

True, the YN-560TX can't match a Cactus V6 (transmitter only, not transceiver), but it seems Yongnuo has sold a huge amount of the $80 560III's (a year of in-stock/out-of-stock yoyo'ing) so there is a very big market even for this limited controller. I just wonder why it took so long for them to get it to market... (oh yeah, all their Nikon and Canon specific models! Grumble, grumble, "marketshare leaders," grumble...)

[Class A]

Confusing pair of statements there.

I wish there were no way in which my statement could make sense, but given Yongnuo's past performance with respect to making their gadgets work together, I have a feeling the statement could be confusing but true.

The reason is that I read somewhere you have to configure the YN560-TX to work in either 602 or 603 mode. Presumably only one of these modes is compatible with the YN560-III. So it seems unlikely, that you'll be able to use a combination of 602/603/560-III in one setup. We'll have to see, but having a configuration option on the 560-TX does not bode well, AFAIC.

True, the YN-560TX can't match a Cactus V6 (transmitter only, not transceiver), but it seems Yongnuo has sold a huge amount of the $80 560III's (a year of in-stock/out-of-stock yoyo'ing) so there is a very big market even for this limited controller.

Sure, I'd probably get a YN560-TX myself if I had bought multiple YN560-III.

The price will have to be be right, though, as you pointed out yourself. Apparently, you can already buy a YN560-TX for $100 on ebay, but at that price it doesn't make sense, AFAIC. The combination Cactus V6+RF60 would total up to a very similar price as the Yongnuo 560-TX+560-III but offer much more.

[THoog]

Presumably only one of these modes is compatible with the YN560-III

The YN-560 III is also switchable between 602 and 603 mode. IIRC, in 602 mode, it has to use channel 0000. But yes, you would probably have to choose between all-602 or all-603 mode.

Apparently, you can already buy a YN560-TX for $100 on ebay, but at that price it doesn't make sense, AFAIC.

I saw one Chinese eBay seller last week with BIN price of US$399.99 and ship date in late July. That they had copied their description verbatim from the Flash Havoc article did not inspire confidence.

[THoog]

The YN560-TX is now available at YongNuo's eBay store for US$50.99. I did see it for as little as US$44 from one seller.

[panoguy]

The YN-560TX is now available at YongNuo's eBay store for US$50.99. I did see it for as little as US$44 from one seller.

Yep! A little pricier than I expected, but great news if you have a bunch of YN-560iii's.

[bdery]

Good, now there are three serious options for studio work available. Each with their perks and limitations. choice is good!

[THoog]

I know this is reviving an old thread, but since the eBay price on the YN560-TX is now commonly below $40, I picked one up. It was $37 for the Nikon version shipped from a US seller plus a dollar to Buy It Now - getting the Canon version from a Chinese seller could cut that ~$5. I went with the Nikon version to make sure the "wake up" feature would work - it might not even be necessary. The 560-TX does what it says it does - remote control of mode, power, and zoom on a YN-560 III in up to six groups, and also triggers RF-603s.

[peterh337]

Mine arrived today. I posted the details on the other thread here just now, but yes, it does work, but the config is really not at all obvious.

What they seem to have done is emulated the 602TX remote trigger but encoded an extra data channel on top, so the flashgun is configured for the 602TX and then, with a bit of luck, it all "just works".

I am using the Canon 560TX with a Pentax K3.

One thing which makes the config even less obvious is that each of the six (?) profiles of the 560TX has its own separate 602/603 emulation config, so until you do all of them, only the first one will work remotely with the 560-III flashgun. I suppose they did it so that each profile can be used to control a different flashgun.

I do wish they had auto power-down like the 560-III. I will eventually use the Eneloop rechargeables (in both units) because it is so easy to flatten the batteries.

[THoog]

The setup procedure should be: press ZOOM and Hz/FN on the 560-TX, then press the OK button (center of 4-way buttons) on each 560III flash you want to control. Then you can assign the group for each flash by pressing MODE and (the button with the lightning bolt) on the flash, then the four-way buttons and OK.

I didn't have to make any changes to RF-602/603 mode.

[jake14mw]

Hmm... interesting. I was planning on getting the Cactus V6, but the price increase of it and the RF60 kind of turned me off. I will have to check a little more into these again. Is the consensus still that Pentax users should buy the Nikon version?