Review: Yongnuo RF602 Wireless Triggers
Recently, I purchased the Interfit EXD400 studio strobe lighting setup. You can read that review here. This review concerns the Yongnuo wireless transmitters and receivers I purchased to use with the Interfit studio monolights (previously tried the Cactus Infinity V.4) . This review is from the usability perspective of a prosumer using all Nikon gear (except for studio strobes, which are the Interfit brand). You can check out my gear listing at my Facebook Fan Page or my online portfolio.
The Yongnuo triggers, also known as “e-bay triggers” or “poor man wizards” are a reasonable alternative to the much more expensive and venerable Pocket Wizards used by the pro’s. Since I am not a pro shooter at this point and just made it to the level at which people are offering to hire me for small gigs, I could either spend less than $100.00 for a complete setup of Yongnuo triggers or Spend $600.00 for Pocket Wizards. The choice was simple, give the Yongnuo triggers a shot, especially since I will not gain i-TTL with the Pocket Wizards anyway. Had the Pocket Wizards offered i-TTL, which I expect they will in the future (according to their website), I may have taken the leap. Either way, I would rather spend the savings on another speedlight. You cannot buy these triggers from Amazon.com (although I wish you could). You can get them through many E-Bay vendors. However, I strongly encourage purchase of these items from a specific vendor store called (and this is not a typo) hkyongnuophotoequipment. Hkyongnuophotoequipment is based out of Hong Kong and is actually the company Yongnuo. It takes about 9 days from time you pay for the item until delivery. Of course, this is variable but tolerable either way. This E-Bay store seems the most recommended source for the product and has a 99.8% positive feedback rate on 8908 transactions as of the date of this post.
I ordered a total of $100.00 of the Yongnuo RF602 product. When you order the items, understand there are specific models for specific
brands and models of cameras. So, carefully select! For the $100.00 I purchased the RF602 series with a total of 3 receivers and two transmitters as well as included batteries (Duracell AAA and CR 123′a) and PC cords and jacks. This is what one of the packages looks like when it arrives (see picture at right). Everything comes well packaged and arrives in about 9-14 days from the time of payment. Frankly, I find Yongnuo thoughtful in that when you open any product you order from them, you are ready to shoot immediately.
The build quality of the product is outstanding. They are made of plastic of course (just like other brands). However, quality of construction is incredible. This was a pleasant surprise as this was an issue among the Gadget Infinity Cactus Versions as reported by users. I tested the Gadget Infinity Cactus version 4’s and found their build quality better than reported. But when compare to Yongnuo triggers (RF602), I like Yongnuo better. The Cactus v. 4’s have an antenna whereas the Yongnuo’s do not. The Yongnuo’s are also lower profile without the screwlock. Just seems easier. In fact, I compare the build quality of the Cactus v.4 to the Interfit INT411 IR trigger, which was not a good build and high profile.
Usability with Nikon D300s, SB-900, SB-600, and Interfit EXD400
From the time I opened the package to first test shot was less than 2 minutes. Literally, install batteries, slip on, and fire away (provided your camera settings were already set). The receivers come with everything to immediately hookup to a monolight (or speedlight use in manual mode). On both the Interfit EXD400’s and Nikon Speedlights they performed flawlessly. Not one misfire. The receivers mate to the SB-800 and SB-600 securely with no worries. There really is not much to discuss. These items simply work. Not only that, they also function as a remote trigger on my DS300s even triggering the autofocus. At this price point, I could not ask for more.
Triggering distance is always a critical part of review involving remote triggers. The Yongnuo RF602 are of course wireless and should function far better than optical or infrared. The Yongnuo triggers shine in this respect. I was able to remotely trigger monolights and speedlights from other rooms and from one end of a 4,000 square foot house to the other end, without line of sight. At one point, I left a monolight attached to an RF602 receiver in one of my front windows and went down the block. No problem triggering the monolight. There have been some reports of a 100 meter range in an open field. I do not doubt that claim.
Summation
For less than $100.00 (less depending on your needs), you can’t go wrong.
Review: Interfit EXD400 Monolights
My relationship with these lights is complicated to say the least. The operation of the lights is not complicated, but the decision to keep them or not based on a combination of quality, usability, and functionality poses a dilemma.
First, I am a “prosumer” setting up a portable home studio. I shoot with a Nikon D300s and all Nikon lenses and accessories. I also use SB-900’s and SB-800’s. I was looking for more power and light options such as barn doors, softboxes, etc… Not willing to spend thousands on Prophoto or similar top tier brands, I researched middle of the road monolights. All roads led to Interfit. Interfit is an imported brand (China) with a sales office in the U.S. (Georgia) and U.K. (according to their site). I could not really find anyone to say anything bad about the brand or EXD series monolights. Sure, there were general arguments over the best brand lights and application. However, for the price, I found Interfit impossible to beat and the next lowest tier would lead me to house brands of major suppliers like B&H (Impact) and Adorama (Flashpoint) which, in my opinion, are a step down. Plus, Interfit has a good line of accessories for their lights such as gels, barn doors, grids, diffusers, etc…
QUALITY
The build quality of the light heads seems very good. In fact, I was (and still am for the most part) happy with the build quality, especially at the price point. Though no instructions were included with the product, a quick trip to their website solved that issue. A case was included with this kit though not originally listed in the description. The case is low quality and poorly designed. The kit comes with everything you need to get started within minutes. The light stands are light weight but more than suitable for the light heads (the light stands are very much like the impact or general brand from B&H). The included umbrella seems low quality while the softbox is designed very well with a single internal baffle that can be taken out. The lights rotate well on the stands and easily lock into place when needed. If you raise the stand to the max height, you will need to weigh it down because the slightest knock will cause it to fall (watch with children). This is the case with nearly every stand on the market and is the reason sandbags are used to weigh down the stands.
The light heads functioned well at first. They recycle very fast and consistently (though I am not a rapid shooter). The light output is spot on and consistent. The modeling lamps are more than adequate for focusing and estimating light. In fact, I never even used a light meter. I was able to gain correct exposure by simply metering on camera and taking a few sample shots. The problems developed with two key areas. One light lost (intermittently) the recycling indicator (ready to fire chirp). The other light started misfiring when I used the Nikon D300s flash to trigger. To remedy the immediate problems, I hardwired (supplied sync cord) into the failing light and listened for the other indicator (once again, I am a slow shooter). Ultimately, I bought Gadget Infinity’s Wireless Cactus V.4 triggers (love them!). However, the same light continued to misfire even with the wireless trigger. I tested the wireless trigger and everything works fine so it must be the light. Once again, these were intermittent issues that would sometimes not replicate under slightly different circumstances.
QUALITY ISSUES EXPANDED
I purchased the Interfit INT411 transmitter (Infrared trigger) hoping to solve the triggering issue once and for all. That product was either defective (already returned) or the IR on the failing head subsequently failed. As a side note, the INT411 is cheaply made and very large (four times the size of the cactus v4 transmitter). However, it did trigger one of the lights indoors. Outdoors the product is useless beyond 5-7 feet (sunny conditions).
ALSO PURCHASED THE EXD200
Looking for a third light (background) I purchased the EXD200 (also from Amazon) as a standalone product. Once again, the build quality of the EXD series seems really good. However, I did experience a few misfires using the optical slave. This was remedied by using the Cactus V.4 wireless triggers from Gadget Infinity.
USABILITY AND DILEMMA
Combined, my Interfit 3 light system is OK but I have to work around the mentioned issues in triggering. Admittedly, these are intermittent issues and subject to variable conditions and more likely than not remedied with wireless triggers or sync cords. But, they do provide cause for long term concern as the lights have been in use for less than 10 days of shooting (about 800 triggers). However, I am facing a dilemma. I contacted Interfit and they suggest I send the lights in for repair or replacement at my shipping expense. I can return the EXD400s (and EXD200) to Amazon. However, I can only get a refund through Amazon because there is (was) a four-week shipping estimate on the EXD400 and two weeks on the EXD200 (no one has these in stock it seems). I do not want a refund from Amazon I would rather exchange them for new units as I believe these issues may be isolated (after thorough research). Making it worse, Amazon’s return window closes in two weeks. Either way, I do not want to be without lights. Further complicating the situation, I heavily invested in wireless triggers, extension cords, and light modifiers.
SUMMATION
Overall I believe these lights are a great solution for a home studio setup and I believe the EXD line is perhaps the best home studio line of products. But given the circumstances, if I have to return the entire system (which is no easy chore), I may just go with Nikon Speedlights on the CLS system.
UPDATE 1/29/10
Amazon replaced the unit I reviewed above; excellent customer service. However, the second unit still has some issues mainly with the infrared triggering. I bought another INT411 from a different vendor and it did not solve the issue (or there are issues with the INT 411). Triggering misfires were less frequent though. Nevertheless, I just requested authorization to return the replacement item to Amazon. It is worth mentioning the system triggers three ways. Via Sync cord (experienced 0 problems); via optical slave (experienced some problems); and via infrared (greatest problems). As I previously stated, there are significant variables at play with lighting setups and your mileage may vary. In my case, I needed reliable triggering with both optical and infrared.
Talking to customer service, other photographers, and other retailers, I learned there may be line of sight issues with the IR slave that contribute to misfires. I also learned mid range units such as the EXD line reportedly have different optical and IR sensors than the much more expensive range of monolights. Therefore, compromise is inevitable in this situation. If I were willing to trigger solely via sync cord or possibly higher quality wireless triggers and receivers as opposed to the built-in flash, I would probably have 100% success rate (tested by me). But, I am not willing to limit myself since some shoots will require major flexibility and I am sure not shelling out five hundred dollars for Pocket Wizards to make the lights reliable.
Either way, I would probably try the lights again if Interfit sent me a set they tested and certified.
Time for Middle Class Stimulus
As noted by many economists, the Middle Class is the economic engine of this country. However, it seems everyone but the Middle Class has received some form of stimulus. The most notable recipients of economic stimulus have been financial institutions “too big to fail.” These same institutions used stimulus money (your tax dollars) to in turn attack the Middle Class by reducing consumer credit, astronomically increasing APR’s on revolving credit lines, foreclosing on millions upon millions of homes, refusing loan modifications that would only serve to benefit all parties to the loan, and even squeezing out small and individual investors from the stock market runup.
Government stimulus thus far has been misdirected. The misdirected stimuls, our tax money by the way, has resulted in the largest redistribution of Middle Class wealth in the history of our country. Wealth accumulated in the form of home equity, real property, 401k’s, individual investment accounts, all has been “recaptured” by financial institutions “too big to fail.” It’s time for a Middle Class stimulus because in reality, the Middle Class is too large to fail.
The Middle Class is, without argument, the backbone of this country. Families who own homes, have children, invest money in retirement, buy cars, send children to college,etc… drive the economic engine of this country. Therefore, it only makes sense to direct stimulus money in that direction and directly to the hands of such recipients.
MY PLAN (one component):
1. Identify target recipients of Middle Class stimulus relying upon previous years tax filings. The target recipients would be:
—Homeowners, married filing jointly w/ one or more legal dependents when gross income does not exceed $150,000 AND home ownership was llimited to ONLY a primary residence which was occupied for no less than 5 of the preceeding 7 years.
—Homeowners, married filing individually w/ one or more legal dependents when gross income does not exceed $75,000 AND home ownership was llimited to ONLY a primary residence which was occupied for no less than 5 of the preceeding 7 years.
—Non homeowners, married filing jointly w/ one or more legal dependents when gross income does not exceed $100,000.
—Non homeowners, married filing individually w/ one or more legal dependents when gross income does not exceed $65,000.
WHEN such recipients are not in arrears with previous years taxes.
2. PROVIDE the following stimulus:
—Eliminate federal personal income tax burdens for next 4 years NOT to include social security or medicare taxes
—providehome loan guarantees at reduced interest rates of 5 % or less on 30 year fixed rate mortgages for a single primary residence
—provide a one time cash stimulus payment of $25,000 to married filers and $10,000 to individual filers identified above
—provide criminal penalties of no less than 20 years imprisonment for each instance of fraud in relation to this stimulus plan and investigate and prosecute aggressively
Collapse of the Middle Class
This is a fascinating lecture given in March 2007 at UC Berkeley by distinguished law scholar Elizabeth Warren. This lecture, given 3 years ago, detailed with amazing specificity the collpase of the American middle class. Starting with an explanation of how we got poorer while providing the appearance of “doing better” professor Warren then discusses the impact of banruptcy law changes in which laws were relaxes for corporations while tightened for consumers. This lecture is foretelling to current day events.
Moleskine Setup (Stepcase Lifehack)
Getting Ready for 2010: My Moleskine Setup – Stepcase Lifehack.
Excellent article on setting up your Moleskine for the New Tear.
Note to Gov. Computer Users
This site seems to receive a lot of traffic from government computers. If you are accessing this site (dassaro.net) from a government computer, you may not be able to view some content depending upon you local computer security policies. For example, some government users report being unable to view embedded YouTube video while others report an inability to view either Twitter feeds or the FaceBook badges associated with this site (even if the agency has permitted Twitter or FaceBook use on government computers).
Although I can override those policies in place by your agency (through the use of some tricky site based code) I have elected not to do that to keep you from getting in trouble.
I apologize for any incovenience.
GTD Video’s
The following is an excellent GTD seminar @ Google. Of course, David Allen presented. The video is incredibly valuable and as an avid GTD user both personally and professionally, I often refer to it.
Below is a video from David Allen concerning GTD workflow mapping. I actually utilize these principles in developing SharePoint solutions at work.
Finally, here is a video concerning GTD and Mind Maps (my two favorite subjects other than digital photography).
Nikon D300s Review
As a former Nikon D100 and D200 owner, I tried the D300s in November of 2009 and immediately became addicted to its use. This camera represents a major technological leap forward from the D200 and a significant upgrade from even the D300. However, its use is best reserved by “prosumers” and semi-pros. Instead of offering a written review, I found a fantastic video review that I am posting below.
Time for Trickle Up Economics
Government responses to the recent economic crisis represent the most disingenuous effort by powerful officials in resolving a financial crisis while at the same time providing the largest redistribution of wealth in history consequentially dismantling the Middle Class, arguably the backbone of this country. Although not alleging a conspiratorial effort at triggering an economic crisis and neither blaming former President George W. Bush or current President Barack Obama, it is nevertheless clear that government efforts in addressing the crisis are having disastrous economic consequences on a critical segment of society: the Middle Class.
To combat the relatively ambiguous financial crisis (do you really know what happened?), the United States Government poured close to one trillion dollars in economic stimulus (taxpayer monies) into the “financial systems” of the United States to stabilize companies “too big to fail.” By any account, these financial companies made horrendous, if not criminal, business decisions. Apparently, citizens in the Middle Class were not “too big to fail” because they did not receive a bailout. Instead, the government sold the Middle Class a false bill of goods in trying to achieve support for the historic bailout. It was repeatedly drilled into our psyche that without the massive taxpayer funded economic stimulus, consumer and commercial credit would “freeze,” interest rates would soar, unemployment would exceed ten percent, state governments would face financial turmoil (loss of tax receipts), and foreclosures would rise just to name a few of the apocalyptic claims. Guess what, it all happened anyway. What is “trickling down” on the Middle Class taxpayer in reality is a reign of economic terror serving only to redistribute wealth from the Middle Class to both the lower and upper classes effectively ending the existing three-tier system. This aspect does appear conspiratorial.
The contemporary Middle Class predominantly attains its wealth in one of three ways; home equity, retirement savings and investment, and future employment earnings. The Middle Class insulates its wealth accumulation typically through life insurance and health insurance. Government solutions to the financial crisis have hastened the loss of wealth in the Middle Class while undermining wealth insulators. However, the most obvious adverse impact on Middle Class wealth accumulation and retention are the failure to require home loan modifications as a quid pro quo for economic bailouts, plummeting home equity, losses in retirement and long-term investments, seemingly permanent layoffs (think 8,000 Verizon employees), and skyrocketing consumer loan interest rates. Given the harsh reality of capitalism that if someone loses, someone gains, the massive losses sustained by the dwindling Middle Class amount to the largest redistribution of wealth in history and the inevitable collapse of the Middle Class.
Clearly, the assumption that large-scale economic stimulus efforts would “trickle down” to citizens did not prove true. By all estimations, a reasonable person could conclude the exact opposite has occurred. Home foreclosures continue at record pace, credit card interest is nearly two-hundred percent higher than this time last year, en masse layoffs continue, manufacturing jobs are not being replaced, and very little consumer credit is available to name just a few points. The one bright spot often cited by the Obama administration is the stock market. However, this is deceiving in many regards as stock price appear no longer based on earnings and most Middle Class investors had their investments stripped away. What remains are wealthy or institutional investors earning money from companies that continue to lay off employees to increase share prices without regard to actual earnings.
Therefore, we what remains to consider is what government should have done and can do to address the economic crisis. Clearly predating the Wall Street financial crisis was the foreclosure crisis. Had the government intervened in a timely manner, it could have regulated loan modifications keeping the borrower on the hook for the loan while establishing a practical payment scheme. This would have ensured repayment to mortgage holders. Government could have simply filtered out institutional and speculative home borrowers and focused on keeping families in their home. After all, it is a matter of public welfare when millions of families are homeless. Such action would have subsequently stabilized falling home equity prices as an incidental benefit by reducing the supply of foreclosed homes on the market. It is not too late for action.
It is time government advance a “trickle up” financial stimulus. Specifically, government should do the following:
- Make consumer loan and credit card interest rates tax deductible: such a deduction will provide immediate relief.
- Cap (regulate) credit card interest rates: rates should be capped at a percentage rate equal to approximately one year ago.
- Immediate moratorium on home foreclosures for specific groups: any household with children in which the primary earner has been laid off within the last 18 months should immediately be exempt from foreclosure for no less than six months. Mortgage payments would still be due, but may be treated as forbearance. The moratorium would be in addition to, not a replacement for, any existing forbearance clause.
- Require loan modifications: rather than “encourage” loan modifications, government must forcibly require (regulate) loan modifications in exchange for governmental assistance and require proof that loan modifications are accomplished. It is imperative institutional and speculative borrowers be excluded from such modification and the modification must apply only to a primary home residence.
- Suspend all personal federal tax liability for 2009: All federal taxpayers in good standing filing jointly ($150,000 or less) or individually ($100,000 or less) should be exempt from any tax payments for the 2009 tax year.
- Life insurance tax deductions: for tax years subsequent to 2010, make all life (policies less than $1,000,000) premiums for head of household earners tax deductible to encourage stability in the event of primary earner death.
Though not all encompassing, the above-mentioned suggestions are a first step in stabilizing the free fall of the Middle Class. Many suggestions will immediately stabilize households on the brink of collapse. Home prices will inevitably stabilize to a sustainable level in proportion to dwindling supply. Local sales tax revenue (city, state, and county level) would inevitably increase with the use of newly freed resources for spending. The life insurance premium deduction would reduce reliance on state resources in the event of the death of the head of household (primary earner). However, what is abundantly clear is that the current approach is only hurting the Middle Class.
Apple tablet finally a reality?
Apple tablet finally a reality?
[Source: Afterdawn.com]
25 December 2009 22:35 by Andre “DVDBack23″ Yoskowitz
After word spread that Apple had rented a stage for a “major” announcement in January, the rumor mill was at full speed that the oft-rumored Apple-branded tablet may finally be a reality.
The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster all had stories over the past few days, claiming that a “a major product announcement” was set for January. Munster gives it a 50/50 chance of being the tablet, while the WSJ says Apple is already debriefing media companies on how their content would work on the devices.
Munster said the tablet would likely be 7-10 inches, and would be priced between $500-700, giving it competitiveness in the netbook market without actually being a netbook. The tablet’s OS would be a tweaked iPhone OS, or a multi-touch-enabled Mac OS X.
Additionally, the device could have 3G wireless integrated, and could be sold through cell phone carriers. Covering all bases, the tablet could also include e-book software for books that could eventually be sold through the iTunes Store.
Amazon Reviews
- Joseph N. Dassaro gave 2 stars to: Interfit EXD400 Softbox Umbrella Kit with 2 Heads
- Joseph N. Dassaro gave 5 stars to: Double Doll Stroller - Pink/ White Gingham
- Joseph N. Dassaro gave 2 stars to: Interfit INT411 IR Transmitter (Black)
- Joseph N. Dassaro gave 5 stars to: JBuds Hi-Fi Noise Reducing Ear Buds (Pink)
- Joseph N. Dassaro gave 5 stars to: Learning Resources Teaching Cash Register
