Flash photography tip: Buy a generic flashgun

Thursday 2 February 2023, 14:14 by Elja Trum | 3,203 views | 5 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

If you want to get started with flash photography, you obviously need a flashgun. There is a huge amount of choice. A flashgun is a good first step. But what is the smart choice for your first purchase when you want to start using flash?

You can buy flashguns from the camera brand you use, but these are usually expensive and can really only be used with that specific brand. If you still need to buy a flashgun, my advice is to also look at generic systems.

2x Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II Speedlites + Yongnuo YN-E3-RT transmitter
These flashguns often offer the same specifications at a fraction of the price. Here too, you can choose a flashgun that can communicate specifically with your camera. This gives you all the options offered by the brand-specific models as well.

My advice would be to start with a flashgun, also known as a reportage flash. Studio flashes are an option too, of course, but they are often more expensive and less practical if you also want to use flash on location.

I recommend a flashgun, or several, with a flash trigger. You can then remove your flashgun from your camera and fire it remotely when you take a photo. This gives you the best results.

I use Yongnuo flashguns myself. These flashguns are very affordable and perform perfectly well in practice.

Many other brands have got this right too. The nice thing about these non-brand-specific flashguns is that you can also use them if you start photographing with a different camera brand.

You could choose a brand that offers both flashguns and studio flashes. Of course, they must be able to be used together. Even if you do not buy studio flashes yet, this gives you flexibility for the future.

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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5 comments

steven meert wrote on Friday 3 February 2023 at 10:24 | reply
"The nice thing about these non-brand-specific flashes is that you can also use them if you start photographing with a different camera brand."

That isn't really true, is it? The hot shoe contacts differ from brand to brand. Unless you buy a flash that can only be set manually and has just one contact point. Otherwise, you will have to buy, for example, a Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II FOR CANON.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Friday 3 February 2023 at 11:53 | reply
@Steven; Ah yes, you're right. That doesn't work if you want to use all the automatic functions. I could have been clearer about that.

I usually set my flashes manually myself. I also use my Yongnuo trigger that's for Canon with other brands. Handy, for example, when I'm working on a review with, say, a Fujifilm or Sony.

I can use my Canon flashes on the manual setting, but that doesn't work with the official Canon trigger. It doesn't fire the flashes.
Translated from Dutch.

Ria Bouma wrote on Tuesday 7 February 2023 at 11:38 | reply
Hi Elja,
do you not need receivers on the flashes when using the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT transmitter? Can you also use the youngnuo in combination with the Rollei reportage flash? And then also in combination with the transmiiter? Or does the transmitter only work for the youngnuo flashes?

Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Wednesday 8 February 2023 at 22:35 | reply
The Yongnuo YN-E3-RT flash communicates wirelessly directly with these specific Yongnuo flashes and with the Canon RT flashes. You don't need receivers for that.

In combination with a Rollei reportage flash, on the other hand, it would not work.
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Wednesday 8 February 2023 at 20:56 | reply
Often you can solve that problem again with a TTL Hotshoe Adopter
Translated from Dutch.

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