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I have a Yongnuo YN-568EX flash and I use it with a Nikon D7100.
If I buy another two more Yongnuo flashes of any model other than a YN-568EX, in principle will they all work together using at least one of the many types of setup?
If the answer is yes, does the same apply to different models from another brand? e.g. Could you use a Nikon SB-900 and SB-700 together off of the same camera?
The first question to ask yourself is what kind of triggering system do you plan to use?
All the Yongnuo flashes with "EX" in their name can be used as a CLS slave.
If you want to use dumb optical triggering, then all the current Yongnuo flashes have S1 and S2 "dumb" optical slave modes in them. S1 fires on the first flash it sees, S2 ignores the first preflash.
If you want to use manual radio triggers, then all of them should work.
If you want to use TTL radio triggers, then you want to stick with the TTL Yongnuo models that don't end in zero (+ the YN-500EX) and that have all the pins on the foot (i.e., avoid the YN-560EX/YN-EX600 and YN-510EX which are TTL-capable as a CLS slave, but only has the sync pin on the foot, so won't be TTL-capable on a flash hotshoe or a TTL radio trigger like the YN-622N).
Yongnuo's two types of triggers for Nikon are incompatible with each other.
There are the RF-602/603/603II/605 triggers, which are manual-only. They can only communicate the sync (fire) signal from the camera to the flash. None of these triggers communicate power control. And the 602 triggers do not work in concert with the others. The YN-560-TX dedicated transmitter can be used in concert with these, but only in either 602 or 603-compatibility modes (so you can't mix 602s in with the others), and can control the power/zoom on the YN-560III/IV and YN-658 flashes--but only on these three models. If you need to add any other flashes, you must add an external trigger to act as a receiver, you will have to set the power on the flash directly, and the only thing you can do is fire the flashes in sync.
If you get the TTL-capable YN-622N triggers, and use the YN-622N-TX dedicated transmitter on camera, you'll have full i-TTL, HSS/FP, groups, and zoom control over iTTL-capable flashes (Nikon, Metz, Nissin, Sigma, Yongnuo, etc. etc.). But a manual-only flash can only be fired manually, and there will be no remote power control, because power control is done via the hotshoe communication the manual flash can't speak because it only has the one pin.
You can get the 622 and 560 triggering systems to work together, but it requires either stacking a 602/603/etc. transmitter on top of an on-camera YN-622N, or using a YN-560-TX to control a YN-622-TX, which is not the wished-for behavior. The 622 triggers cannot directly fire the manual triggers and vice versa.
Obviously, you don't have to stick with Yongnuo triggers or Yongnuo flashes for compatibility along these lines. There are speedlights that are CLS and iTTL compatible from a variety of manufacturers that are compatible with Nikon's own CLS/iTTL-capable speedlights (SB-600/700/800/900/910). Metz, Nissin, Sigma, Phottix, Yongnuo and many others make CLS/iTTL compatible flashes as a variety of pricepoints, feature sets, and reliability.
And if you just want manual triggering, then the possibilities widen even farther, because single-pin manual-only flashes are much easier to build. And again, you can find models across a spectrum of prices and robustness/features from makers like LumoPro and Phottix.
Triggers, likewise have a variety of pricepoints and capabilities and robustness, and there are systems that have manual and TTL triggers that, unlike Yongnuo's, are compatible. PocketWizard, Radiopopper, and Phottix all make TTL and manual triggers that work together.
One more thing to keep in mind: speedlights are at the low end of strobe lighting when it comes to light/power. If you regularly need to light large groups of people or to balance against bright noonday sun they will not be sufficient to the task unless ganged up with multiple units, and you may want to consider barebulb flashes or studio strobes instead. Speedlights are for going small and light.
See also:
Well it depends on how you wish for them to work in the first place.
If you use your on camera flash to trigger them, then they will all work.
If you use your existing flash with a cable, then you can use any additional ones as slaves, they will all work.
If you use your existing flash on your camera, then this can work the same as the above.
If you are using radio triggers, then they will all work..
It is quite common to use different brands or models of flashes, I often use either one connected to the camera as a master (to trigger the others) or all of them connected to radio triggers.
There are two different wireless systems used by Yongnuo (and other brands) to control (as opposed to simply firing) off-camera flash:
In order for several different models to work together they must all use one system or the other. This excellent answer to a related question covers most of the bases for current Yongnuo models and explains that external triggers can be used to fire any of them wirelessly. Some allow automatic control (E-TTL, CLS, etc.) while others only allow a simple "fire" command to be sent to the flash. Control of the flash's output in that case requires setting it at the flash rather than through a camera menu or the flash transmitter's menu.
