YONGNUO YN560 IV Wireless Flash Speedlite, Master + Slave Flash + Built-in Trigger System, for Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus Fujifilm Panasonic Digital Cameras

The YN560IV has worked well for me so far and is a great addition the the Yongnuo line up. In TX mode it fully controls power and zoom of the YN560iii and fires YN603's or YN605's. In RX mode it acts just like another YN560iii, and of course it can be used as a on camera flash or a simple optically triggered off camera flash. This is a manual flash with a single firing pin (no-TTL) and should work with any brand camera that has a standard hotshoe.The controls are slightly more complex than the yn560iii but it's just like anything new with a minor learning curve. I find the YN560TX a little easier to use for changing settings on the remotes, but this product does make the 560TX unnecessary if you are on a tight budget. It fires fine in RX mode with the 560TX or 603 and has access to all 6 groups in both TX and RX modes. Range seems to be similar to others in this series (603, 560tx) and works fine in a mid sized reception hall (haven't tried it in a large hall). It is compatible with the newer yn605 which has group control, but I have not tested this. Output is as good as most other speedlights out there, although I did not test it precisely using a light meter. When in any slave mode (RX, S1, S2) an LED on the front flashes, I find this bit annoying in dark venues and cover it with a piece of black tape which significantly attenuates the brightness.The battery compartment door seems pretty solid (this was an issue on some earlier Yongnuo speedlights). The 560iv has a port for an external battery pack that should fit Canon compatible packs. Like similar flashes, it has a pull out diffuser and bounce card. The PC port is a traditional threaded style. The head swivels (with detents, but no lock) to the right 90 degrees and to the left 180 degrees, it would be nice if it also swiveled to the right 180. Elevation is from about -5 degrees to 90. The shoe tightener is the screw down style Yongnuo has used for a long time, many people prefer the quick release flip type lock that Canon uses (doesn't matter too much to me). The flash does not have a USB port or obvious way to upgrade firmware. Size is similar to other full sized speedlights such as the 580ex-ii or SB900, and is exactly the same size as the YN560iii. The main display is back lit, but the buttons are not.It comes packaged with a small stand like most other flashes in this price range or higher, as well as a decent quality pouch, and some instructions that while not great, are understandable.This series (560iii, 560IV, 603, 605) is the best bang for the buck on the market right now (late 2014) for manual speedlights. The cost difference between the model iii and iv is minimal making the iii somewhat obsolete so if you are just putting together a new setup, I suggest going straight for the 560iv. Of the competition I considered, the Godox V850 has the advantage of battery life over this (and pretty much every other speedlight out there), but it requires an external RX dongle that falls off easily, doesn't have a built in transmitter, has poor remote range, and more a limited remote feature set than the 560TX or the 560IV in TX mode.For a minimal investment one can have a complete on camera/off camera manual system (sans modifiers) that works quite reliably. And if you want to incorporate some monolights into your setup, the YN605 is a great option which enables you to selectivity enable/disable certain groups from remote.I will try to answer any questions left in the comments. Like this review if it was helpful to you.

Works great. Manual only (no TTL). I personally don't require TTL and honestly, even if I did "require" it, for this price I would definitely find a way to manage without it. :)What's not to like! It can act as a radio transmitter (Tx) with or without the master flash, or a radio (or optical) receiver (Rx, S1, S2). It works through walls -- no line of site required (radio only), and it's so much more affordable than other comparable speedlights! There's really a lot packed into this device.I purchased these because this model doesn't require an additional transmitter or receiver when used as a master in conjunction with the same model (and I believe the 560 III) as slaves. It's all built in. Can't beat it. You're not going to find another brand that offers this much at this price. My first speedlight was a very low-end make and model. It only had three modes: manual, S1 and S2, and my options included more/less output flash and on or off. lol That's it. I got that for $40 bucks (compare that to the price of these which do so much more). Now that I'm starting to land gigs, it was time for an upgraded system.The ONLY CON of this device is the little plastic stand it comes with. The stand by itself is fine, but It has a plastic screw socket so you can set these lights on a light stand. But the socket is pretty useless since plastic strips so easily. However, if you're purchasing speedlights and require the use of light stands, then you should probably invest in some hot shoe light stand brackets for them instead anyway (which is probably what Yongnuo was thinking too).

Before I bought these flashes, I had originally purchased a Canon 580ex II at around $400. While it is a great flash, even to this day, I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of dropping another $1200 to purchase 3 more for a multi-flash setup. Thankfully I was attending a Kelby photography workshop where these Yongnou flashes were mentioned. These feel very similar to my Canon 580ex II. And while I’m sure the Canon is better quality, I’ve been running a set of four of these since 2015 (it is now Dec 2024) and all are still functioning. They’ve been in hot, freezing, sandy, and snowy environments. They’ve been dropped, fallen over due to the wind catching my flash umbrellas, and have survived the abuse of some budding teenage photographers. And, when/if they do break, I’m only out a fraction of the cost of name brand units. Under that same thought process, I have no problem taking some risks to get shots that I wouldn’t have attempted with more expensive units. I would highly recommend using a Yongnou manual flash controller with these as well. I’m using the also old, YN560-TX which has also worked well for me over the years.