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How to get that $10,000+ lighting setup look with a $425 speedlight kit

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I’m in a lot of flash and lighting groups on Facebook, and the amount of gear lust shown in them often surprises me. As do the excuses people come up with as to why the light in their images doesn’t look as well as it could. The vast majority of the time, the lighting inadequacies aren’t down to the gear they use, but the application of it.

Sure, there are times when the lighting gear absolutely matters. Just as the camera & lens used are equally as important. But having cheaper equipment is not an excuse to not get great shots. This video from Patrick Hall over at FStoppers proves this extremely well, putting $10,000 worth of Profoto gear up against $425 worth of speedlight kit.

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This guy put a $48 Yongnuo lens on a 5K RED Dragon to see how it stands up

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We’ve all seen this lens vs that lens and camera vs phone comparisons before, but I’ve not seen one quite like this before. A $48 Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 lens on a ridiculously expensive 5K RED cinema camera. They say that no matter what camera you’re using, it’s all about the glass. So, how does this lens really stand up? That’s what YouTuber Potato Jet wanted to find out, so he bought one,, and then stuck it on his RED camera.

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Why Godox is succeeding where Yongnuo failed

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The flash market used to be rather simple. You go to one company for speedlights, usually your camera manufacturer or a specialist brand like Metz. Then, you go to another company, such as Bowens and Elinchrom, for strobes when you needed more power. The strobe market stayed largely stable, but then Yongnuo came along and upset the speedlight scene quite drastically.

Last night, as I was in bed, browsing Facebook on my iPad, as you do, I ran across a post over on Flash Havoc. Described as “something of an open letter to Yongnuo”, I thought it seemed to hit the mark pretty well on many points. So, here’s some of my own thoughts.

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Yongnuo’s YN686EX-RT Li-Ion flash gives 750 full power flashes on a single charge

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Well, it looks like Yongnuo finally jumped on the Lithium Ion battery powered flash train. Releasing its first Li-Ion powered speedlight, the YN686EX-RT, the new Yongnuo is designed for the Canon RT system. The flash was first mentioned a couple of months ago, but now it’s available to buy.

The YN686EX-RT features a 2000mAh Li-Ion battery, capable of producing over 750 full power flashes on a single charge. It integrates a 2.4Gh transceiver that can act as either a master or a slave for Canon’s RT system. But, it will also work as an slave in Nikon’s CLS/AWL optical system.

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Yongnuo soon releases budget 40mm f/2.8 and 100mm f/2 lenses for Nikon

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Last year, Yongnuo launched a budget 100mm f/2 lens for Canon mount. There was a word then that Nikon version would come soon – and it seems the time for that has finally come. Not only they will soon present us with the 100mm f/2 lens for Nikon, but they’ll also introduce a pancake 40mm f/2.8. Both lenses will be for Nikon F-mount, aimed primarily at full frame cameras.

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Yongnuo launch budget 100mm f/2 lens with an 85mm on the way

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Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo is well known for its inexpensive flash units and radio triggers. More recently, the company have turned their hand to lenses. Adding to their fairly small 50mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/2 lineup, Yongnuo have now announced a 100mm f/2 lens. Outwardly reminiscent of the Canon 100mm f/2 USM, the lens is initially available on Canon only. We can probably expect a Nikon version to come along at some point in the future.

The best thing about it, though, is the price. Costing around $170, this is a little over a third of the $499 Canon. At this price point, it could be a great option. A potentially ideal portrait lens on a very low budget. How well it stands up to scrutiny side-by-side with the original Canon remains to be seen.

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Yongnuo’s new 35mm f/2 for Nikon is kind of interesting

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Recently, Yongnuo announced their 35mm f/2 lens for Nikon. It’s basically the YN 35mm f/2 for Canon but with a Nikon mount. What makes this interesting is that it’s different to both of Nikon’s similar offerings; the 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX, and the 35mm f/2D AF.

Notably, it is both a full frame lens and appears to have a built in AF motor. Nikon’s 35mm f/1.8G features a built in AF motor, but designed for DX bodies. Nikon’s 35mm f/2D is full frame, but lacks the built in AF motor. If you want full frame with a built in AF motor and the Nikon name, you’ll have to get the 35mm f/1.4 which is significantly more expensive.

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Cheap Speedlight comparisons, which should you buy and why?

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Venturing into the world of flash, and radio triggers can be a confusing, sometimes frightening and potentially expensive prospect for those who are very new to it.  So, where do you start?

Photographer and YouTuber Tim Oxton aims to help you figure this out in this video comparing some low budget flashes and triggers to see how they measure up, and we also offer some suggestions of our own.

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I’m Getting Rid of My Flash Gear and Here’s Why

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People often ask me about the flash equipment I currently use, and what I would do differently if I were to start over today.

I also often see “What should I buy?!?!” posts on photography groups on Facebook, and the simple truth is, we don’t know.  We have no idea what you need. We only know what we need.

This two part series of posts is a way for me to provide some insight into how and why I buy new equipment, and hopefully it will help you to look at your gear choices more objectively, so that you buy new gear because you need to, and not because “so-and-so said I should get this”.

In this first part, I’m going to go over my current gear and explain some of the issues I feel I’m having, what walls I’m hitting, as well as the stuff that I’m absolutely not getting rid of (and why).

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