Beginner Flash Advice Please!

[simonmoran]

So I am looking to purchase my first flash gun. My budget is no more the £120 which as far as I can leads me to think the YongNuo range would be ideal.

Now... I know nothing about flash photography; I am beginning to read up about it but obviously the idea is to have some actual physical experience.

With that in mind, I am thinking about purchasing either the 565EX ETTL or the 560 III.

As far as I can tell the major difference is that the 565 supports TTl whereas the 560 doesn't. Given the 565 is almost twice the price (£106 vs £53)... my question is as a beginner, do I really need TTL? Am I better cutting my teeth with manual flash and is there any other significant differences between the two that I am missing?

Thanks for any advice offered!

 

[landerson07]

If it's strictly for off camera flash I would go with the 560, but if you think you might want to use it on camera for bounce flash situations then go with the 565!

I've got a mixture of both in my setup to cover both bases

 

[vRSG60]

I have a similar thread running here. With the addition of a Meike MK900

Reviews are mixed and a bit thin on the ground compared to Yongnuos. I've not read any bad ones and one or 2 are good.

There's only a few differences between the 565EX and the 568EX, HSS being one of them.

Review.

 

[Lyonspride]

Got myself a Yongnuo 467 (supports TTL) and it's been brilliant so far. I'm not an expert on these, but I think the only difference from the 400 to 500 is the flash output and high speed sync. I also have the Yongnuo TTL cable, which I got for the bargain price of £8 and the RF-603's which cost me another £18.

In most situations (and especially if it's your first flash gun), I don't know if you really need to jump up to the 500's. At some point your probably also going to feel the need for the TTL cable and remotes, so i'd factor that into your costings too.

 

[HoppyUK]

The smart choice, giving you all options, is YN 568 with YN 622 triggers - though nearer £200.