Yongnuo YN560-TX N + YN-560 IV Flash + YN-568 EX Flash

Question

I have been going through some of the answers here on these two different kind of Yongnuo flashes. I understand YN-568 does not have a wireless receiver built in, as YN-560 has. YN-568 only works as an optical receiver.

My question is, if YN-568 has only an optical receiver, can I trigger it firing the YN-560 through the YN-560TX transmitter mounted on my camera? Does this makes sense?

If this is not doable, if I buy a YongNuo RF-602RX Wireless Flash Receiver for YN-568 will this work?

Thanks in advance for your time.

Answer 1

... if YN-568 has only an optical receiver, can I trigger it firing the YN-560 through the YN-560TX transmitter mounted on my camera? Does this makes sense?

You can "daisy-chain" the optical triggering by setting the YN-568EX into S1/S2 mode, and then using the flash burst from the YN-560III/IV to trip it, but this will have all the limitations on range and line-of-sight of optical triggering. And, of course, this type of triggering is manual-only (no TTL/HSS/remote power/zoom control).

If this is not doable, if I buy a YongNuo RF-602RX Wireless Flash Receiver for YN-568EX will this work?

Yes, but you'd have to put the YN-560 gear into RF-602 mode; it defaults to RF-603 mode. And the RF-602 units are a pain to use (once you put a flash on top of the receiver, it becomes very hard to reach the on/off switch on the top and the Rx/Tx units have no locking rings on the feet, which means putting a flash on top of one can be unstable--especially if you plan on using the passthrough shoe to mount a speedlight on-camera on top of one).

It may be better to get an RF-603II or RF-605 transceiver instead of the RF-602-RX. These have the on/off switch on the side, instead of the top and they have locking rings--well worth the extra bump in price. The RF-605 will let you have group on/off control. But neither will let you power-control the YN-568EX.

If you want that, then you'd have to get YN-622 triggers, but then you wouldn't be able to remotely power/zoom-control the YN-560III/IV you have (unless you put the YN-622-TX into Rf-603 mode, at which point you have the same setup as with the YN-560-TX and you can't remotely power/zoom control the 568...). You could stack a YN-560-TX/RF-603II/RF-605 on top of a YN-622 receiver, but...

This is why the Godox system may be better to start out with than Yongnuo if you want to mix manual and TTL/HSS flashes in your set-up and/or advance beyond speedlights to bigger flashes. I tend to recommend starting out with a TT600 and X1T or XPro transmitter. Only costs a little more than going with a YN-560III/IV/-660 and a YN-560-TX, and if you want to add a TTL/HSS flash to the mix, the TT685 has an X transceiver built in, and the X1T/XPro would give you remote power/HSS control over both flashes, and TTL control over the TT685. Zoom control's more limited than with Yongnuo, though.

Answer 2

You have a couple of options depending on how much functionality you want/need with the YN-568EX Nikon version.

• You can set the YN-568EX to S1 mode and let the light from the YN-560 IV trigger it. Of course the YN-568EX will need to be set in Manual Flash Mode with all power and zoom settings made directly on the flash. Additionally, the slave sensor in the front of the YN-568EX will need to be able to detect the light from the YN-560 IV. In a dark room this should not be a problem as the light from the YN-560 IV should be able to bounce off walls and trigger the YN-568EX. But if you're in brighter surroundings and using modifiers on your flashes, the burst of light from the YN-560 IV may not be powerful enough.
• You can use any receiver that is compatible with the YN-560TX and attach it to the hot shoe foot of the YN-568EX. This includes the RF-605, RF-603 II, RF-603, and RF-602 as well as the YN-622N II (in RF-603 receiver mode). You'll only be able to fire the flash with the RF-600/RF-602/RF-603/RF-603 II/RF-605 or YN-622N II. This will give you the greater reliability and range of radio compared to optical slave mode. You'll still need to change power/zoom settings directly on the flash, though. If the YN-568EX is buried inside a modifier this could still be a hassle. (The Canon versions allow the YN-560TX to control manual power and zoom wirelessly on Canon E-TTL flashes via a YN-622C II in YN-560TX receiver mode. Unfortunately, the Nikon versions do not.)