Review of Yongnuo YN968EX-RT Flash

[@onyourmarkphoto]

I really enjoyed your review Hien. I plan on getting the YN968EX because of your review. Thank you.

[@TonghoPhotography]

Aww, thank you much Mark. Glad it helped you...I'm sorry my review was a bit dry and boring...

[@onyourmarkphoto]

Hien, it was just what I was hoping for. You don't have to be the worlds greatest entertainer to provide an excellent review. In fact your presentation was calming and I'm glad you did it just the way you did. You were genuine and knowledgeable. I am a fellow professional photographer with over 35 years experience and I've been trying to decide whether to break from my Nikon SB flashes to save some money but yet have something that isn't just a cheap flash that will break after a couple of months. From your review and others it seems to have what I'm looking for with my current situation. Keep up the great work. I look forward to seeing more of your reviews. I immediately subscribed to your channel mid way thru your presentation today.

[@almasiandrei2742]

Thank you for the review good job i like your video. I want to buy this flash hope it will last for some time it looks good quality and has nice features too.

[@gustavokuz6551]

Hello friend, the led light that the flash has, can be used while you take pictures using that same flash as a master.? Or once you turn on the led light, it does not allow you to use the rest of the functions?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Your question is a very good one. You guessed right that you can only use the LED light by itself, not in combination with the flash functions.

[@thomassteffora2210]

You mention using flash for bird photography. Do you have a video where you talk about this?

[@TonghoPhotography]

I did mention it, didn't I? :). No I have not made one yet...I probably will. Thanks for reminding me.

[@thomassteffora2210]

@@TonghoPhotography Thanks! I really appreciate the videos. They've been most helpful. I know they're taxing for you to do but your pace and thoroughness make them real guides for me.

[@santiagoaballay123]

Hi, I have a question about the focus led, is it the same system that has every YN flash? with a "start"? led. Thank you

[@angelisone]

Hello Hien Tongho, we both agreed that the YN968EX-RT has "LINKED SHOT" as well as "REL" and the YN600EX-RT II and YN600EX-RT do not. You wouldn't happen to know if the YN686EX-RT has those same features?

[@spirotelegadis3001]

Seems to me that the YN600-RT II over the YN968EX-RT has a better feature set if photography is your primary concern. I like the idea of a "Video Light" but aside from speed from photo to video shooting it looks as though its under power for anything but close range and focused light. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts when you've had a bit more time with the unit.

[@TonghoPhotography]

Well it's a wash, really. The YN600 II can do optical master, the 968 can't. If that's important to you the 600 wins. In return, the 968 can be used to set off the camera shutter so you can set off multiple cameras at the same time from different angles. The 600 can't. If this feature is important to you...the 968 wins. Don't discount the value of the LED lights as aid to still photography, though. If you mix ambient light with flash like I do, or use flash as fill when shooting against the sun, the constant LED light can be used very well...I haven't had a chance to take it outside in bright sunlight to see if it's bright enough. Indoors use...the LED light can be very useful...

[@Cjcool03]

Hello Hien Tongho can use YN560-TX manual Flash controller with this Yongnuo YN968EX-RT Flash ?

[@anthonyshepard9606]

OUTSTANDING commentary.📷🇺🇸📷🇺🇸📷🇺🇸🐢

[@TonghoPhotography]

Thank you!

[@peterblyth5500]

Very useful: thank you!

[@MODELSTOCK]

Thank you very much for at great review. :) Cheers from Denmark

[@machinemind2145]

Do you know anybody that is YN622C II (canon trigger) compatible with the YN968EX-RT speedlight flash?

[@PawanRaikwar007]

Hello sir, I am confused between yn 600 ex rt ii and yn 968.. Can you help me which one should I purchase?

[@TonghoPhotography]

There are minor differences as I outlined in the video but essentially the two flashes are similar with the 968 having additional LED constant light capability.

[@pompera]

Thank you mr Tongho. Selam from Turkey

[@angelisone]

Hi Hien Tongho, are you breaking off because I don't see reviews anymore?

[@ReinaldoNeves]

Great review job ! Is possible in a Canon 6D MII use a Yongnuo RF605C as a trigger for an external Yongnuo YN968EX-RT ? Could give me some tricks for it ? I tried and coundn't find a way. Thanks in advaced for yor help.

[@TonghoPhotography]

Thank you Reinaldo. The YN968EX-RT for Canon is designed to mimic the Canon RF system so it does not recognize the RF605C system at all. In order for you to do it, you need another RF605C as a receiver and mount the 968 to it, then the 968 can be remotely controlled.

[@angelisone]

Do you know if this flash can be setup into "LINKED SHOT"? Remember, I am not talking about the LED "LINK" light on the top left.

[@TonghoPhotography]

I'm not sure what you meant by "Linked Shot". Can you explain? Thanks Oh, I looked it up...this is being able to set off another camera using the flash. I didn't know what this function was so I'm glad you asked. I will find out and report. Thank you.

[@TonghoPhotography]

I checked the manual, this flash (YN968EX-RT) does support linked shot. I'll test the function and confirm. Thanks for asking. I learned something new today...It's my fault I never read TFM... :).

[@angelisone]

Hi Hien Tongho, many Canon flash photographers are lost on this as well. Canon has "Rel" (wireless Remote Control Camera Release) on transmitter as well on 600EX-RT and 600EX II-RT. Including 3.5mm Port. What that means is you and I can fire the camera /or flash up to 16 cameras wirelessly if speedlites supported them. Many claimed professionals really know very little about speedlites. Especially when they say they don't use flashes. That's because they don't know how to use /or control the light. I love it when they say Yongnuo YN600EX-RT is exactly the same as the Canon 600EX-RT. And the YN600EX II-RT is still the same as the Canon 600EX II-RT. This is simply not true at all. Because the Canon has no USB Port. While the Yongnuo has no 3.5mm Port. Like for examples: 1. During the Olympics, we set up 15 cameras with 15 600EX-RT flashes in many deference angles. I press the handhold 600EX-RT's button (Rel), then all 16 cameras's shutter will be released. 2. We set up the same with car & motorcycle racing like the Isle of Man TT. Plus drones lifting two cameras/ST-E3-RT. We place all cameras very close to the action. If that bike hits you, you and the rider will be dead. I can always replace the camera/flash/transmitter. Canon camera is the only company that has this nice feature that was assisted and made by ATG. Bạn là người Việt Nam hả?

[@TonghoPhotography]

From what I read, you only need the release cable for cameras built before 2012. This is a good feature...I'm sure I will find uses for it :). I'm thankful you alerted me to this. I always am willing to learn. Yes, I'm Vietnamese I can still read, write and speak Vietnamese very well :). I know about the 600EX-RT and YN600EX-RT differences. I did a review on it. The Yongnuo will quickly overheat if you shoot on high speed. It's only good for casual shooting.

[@angelisone]

Well, here are bad news: 1. Yongnuo 600EX-RT has no 3.5mm Port 2. Yongnuo 600EX-RT II has no 3.5mm Port 3. Yongnuo 968EX-RT has no 3.5mm Port 4. Canon 600EX II-RT has no 3.5mm Port 5. Canon 600EX-RT has 3.5mm Port Good news: A. ATG Auto2 modes from 580EX II, 600EX-RT & 600EX II-RT B. YN968EX RT has Linked Shot C. ATG wireless IR in Sc, Sn, S1 and S2 on Yongnuo D. No overheating & no shutdown if you avoid shooting in HSS & Do not set flash zoom at 24mm or wider E. If you need to to shoot HSS without getting overheat & no shutdown then go for the following: * ATG Gold MG8k Flash Kim X3 * ATG/Quantum Trio * ATG/Metz 76MZ-6, 60CT-4r, 60CT-4 There are hundred of thousands that have N3 Socket. Canon made a bad move by removing the 3.5mm Port. And Canon latest flash still has overheating & shutdown problem because many photographers are in the fads of shooting HSS. Let me know if you would like to shoot wirelessly with ATG AF Touchscreen Live-View with your camera?

[@allabouthim03]

Great video, the only good english review on youtube. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think the YN968EX can be controlled by the YN622N-TX. The YN622N-TX can NOT control the YN600EX?

[@TonghoPhotography]

I'm not familiar with the YN622N-TX nor do I own one so can't test - but if it can't control the 600EX then it can't control the YN968EX either. At least none of the documentation for YN968EX says that it supports the other Yongnuo 2.4GHz signals - only the Canon 2.4Ghz signal.

[@allabouthim03]

Hien Tongho maybe there is a difference in the Nikon and Canon version. Take a look at the YN968N.

[@TonghoPhotography]

I see. True for Nikon but not so for the Canon version which doesn't have the 622 control. At least nowhere it is mentioned...I have no way of verifying.

[@concealedcameraman]

Do you know what soft box fits this? I cannot seem to find any

[@TonghoPhotography]

I believe any soft boxes will fit this since the flash is supported by a bracket, not by the softbox itself therefore there is no need for a tight fit like some strobe lights. The flash head goes into the back of the softbox while it is sitting on a bracket. This softbox design is common.. all of my softboxes fit any portable flashes such as this.

[@semimatt]

how many 1/1 power flashes or 1/8 at 1 sec ? is it charging fast enoght ? yn685 is really slow at this point.. sometimes i need to wait 2 sec after 1/2 power flash... or 1 sec after 1/4- 1/8...

[@TonghoPhotography]

I have not tested at that power for this flash but I don't think it's going to be any better than the yn685. Technology-wise, these flashes are roughly the same.

[@thiagodacunha8503]

Hello Hien, do you know how many groups can this flash handle? Does it have groups D, E and F?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Hello Thiago...this is the same as the Canon RT flash...it can handle 5 groups (A,B,C, D, E) and up to 15 flashes total.

[@thiagodacunha8503]

OK, great....! Thank you so much for your time. Great review..!

[@prakashthapa1004]

Sir i need help! Yn600 ex-rt I, Yn 600ex-rt II, Yn 968 ex-rt. Which one will be better for wedding and event. I always work in program so. Kindly suggested me

[@TonghoPhotography]

Hi...for wedding and event, anyone of the 3 you mentioned will do just fine

[@prakashthapa1004]

Hien Tongho Thank you i hope your will good for me. Thanks alot

[@scotia807]

Have you had problems with the -D and the strobe with bounce flash? I have had trouble with the flash 580 and the 600 with bounce flash very dim lighting. Canon suggest pressing the focus putton before each picture to prevent this problem. But, that's ackward.

[@TonghoPhotography]

I'm sorry I'm not sure I understand your question...what is the -D and what strobe? What is your setup (flash/camera...ETTL/Manual...etc.). Are you manually focusing? ETTL needs to know the distance to your subject. If you're using ETTL and the picture is too dark...just use Flash Exposure Compensation and dial it up a notch.

[@scotia807]

@@TonghoPhotography 70D is the Canon camera I'm using. The strobe is the 600exii and its set in auto ettl. works fine for most pictures when aimed toward the front at the subject. But, when i do bounce flash the light doesn't flash as bright as when aimed at the subject.

[@TonghoPhotography]

@@scotia807 There are multiple factors that would affect the light output from the flash in ETTL mode such as point of focus (the camera/flash use the distance to calculate needed light output. It also meters the brightness there) . The most common problem is that once you focus, you recompose and the info the camera/flash acquired is now no longer valid...on top of that, if you use Av or P mode...there are other variables at play which we know nothing about and have zero control. For better control, try the following: With the flash on camera turned off, switch the camera to M mode, set the Av, Tv then ISO so that the metering or live view picture (with simulation enabled) show -2 or larger (e.g. -1). This means it's underexposed by two or less stops. Turn the flash on, in bounce position, make sure it's in ETTL and take the pictures. This is how most wedding photographers do it. The result will surprise you. In cases the picture is too bright or too dark, simply use the Flash Exposure Compensation feature and dial it down or up (reduce or increase ETTL flash output).

[@scotia807]

@@TonghoPhotography Manual works great. I played with the iso and AV and it doesn't affect the image brightness it stays the same just fine for me. Thnks for the advice. It was better than what Canon told me to do. They said I should press the "*" before each exposurre then take the picture. what a pain that would be having to do that every time i take a picture. Thanks again for the help. loved your video. I bought two of the Yn600ex-rt for my son and grandson for Xmas last year. They will no doubt be interested in finding ths out.

[@TonghoPhotography]

@@scotia807 Glad it works out for you :)

[@jiffcia]

nicely done, buy can you do a power comparison with the Canon 600?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Sorry it took me a while...I did a quick power test at 105 mm zoom, Manual, 1/1 power, 10 feet, ISO 100 and got the following f/stop for the Canon 600EX-RT, YN600EX-RT and YN968EX-RT respectively: f/14 , f/9 , f/11 using a Sekonic L-478DR flash meter.

[@allabouthim03]

Humm, so even though the 968 only zooms to 105 it has 1 stop more power than the YN600?

[@TonghoPhotography]

For that particular setting, all 3 at 105mm - yes. At 200mm maybe the 600 will improve.

[@danweng7974]

Hi, thanks for this review. Can I ask, when you use the 968 as master flash and connected to other slave flashes, can you just use it as trigger and make itself not flashing? If it can do this way, does that mean I can save the money of buying a YN-E3-RT trigger?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Yes, you can set it as a flash option.

[@danweng7974]

Thanks for your reply Hien, are you sure about it? Is at the interface when you set up the groups? So you can turn the master flash off but at the same time control other flashes?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Yes I'm sure. When you set the flash as a master, press MENU1 then there is an option on the lower left of the LCD panel that shows 2 flashes, one with flash and one without. Press on the button below that you will toggle from flashing to non-flashing.

[@pierluigivinci6777]

what do you recommend between this and the godox TT685C?

[@TonghoPhotography]

I don't know the Godox system very well nor do I own them so I could be wrong. I think the Godox uses its own 2.4GHz radio transmission which means that you may not be able to control native Canon and other flashes remotely, not without a Godox receiver. Having said that, Godox is very well-known as a reliable system. Its huge advantage is that you are able to use the existing Godox strobes/flashes remotely with a variety of cameras (say if you switch from Canon to Sony). All you need is an inexpensive flash controller for your type of camera.

[@dbwgsbesm]

Hello , love your videos i own the YN600EX-Rt for 2 years now , and recently i broke the head :D So i can`t decide between YN968EX-RT & YN600EX-RT II or should i buy Canon speedlights i only worry about recycling time and overheating ,as the YN600EX-RT was frequently overheating after shooting multiple shots on high power (using Eneloop batteries). does the YN968EX-RT have the same overheating problem ?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Thank you David. I'm afraid that the 968 also has the overheating problem, from what I heard. I haven't pushed it to the point of overheating yet for mine. I get overheating problem for my Yongnuo 600EX-RT also. For fast shooting, I'd recommend getting a used 580EX II or something...that's what I use for shooting birds....it doesn't seem to overheat and it's really cheap now used.

[@dbwgsbesm]

Great thanks a lot :)

[@juanolave104]

Cool thanks!!

[@WSWEss]

im just buying it for the led

[@danilofactor329]

does it have an AF assist beam?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Yes it does. Sorry I should have but didn't mention it because all Yongnuo flashes have the AF assist beam.

[@danilofactor329]

Can you use the flash while the led light is turned on?

[@TonghoPhotography]

No you can't. It's either or

[@danilofactor329]

I see. Do you think that the YN968 can keep up with a high speed shutter? I apologize for asking too many questions.

[@danilofactor329]

I'm a nightlife photographer. Sometimes, I shoot in burst shutter. Would love to get a Canon Speedlight, but I'm on a tight budget. Can you suggest?

[@ahmadfaris8044]

hi sir, nice video, is it safe to use eneloop rechargeable batteries?

[@TonghoPhotography]

yes it is. That is what I'm using for all of my flashes.

[@ahmadfaris8044]

Hien Tongho, are there any differences in recycle time on full power when using normal non rechargeable AA

[@TonghoPhotography]

In my experience, you get better cycling time with rechargeable batteries like Eneloop

[@ahmadfaris8044]

Hien Tongho ok thanks, I just ordered the 600ex rt mark 2 because I can't find the 986 and I don't need the LED constant light, I don't do video works, and I really need to zoom.

[@TonghoPhotography]

yes it is.

[@maxfactor4209]

I believe YN600EX-RT is better overall flash than this

[@tirkentube]

i'm pretty sure "ummm" is a universal-language word. i think all languages say "umm" and "uhh" in-between words.

[@brianminkc]

Are you a ninja?

[@brianminkc]

Was a long time Yongnuo customer but get sick of their pitiful support for the Nikon camera. Had to switch to Flashpoint. I have some younguo stuff for sale cheep.

[@atggreat7981]

For photographers that need to shoot fast without worrying about overheating & shutdown * ATG Gold MG8k Flash Kim X3 * ATG/Nissin MG8000 Extreme * ATG/Quantum Trio (ATG/Quantum QFlash T2-will need flashbracket) * Metz 76MZ-5 (ATG Gold 60CT-4r or Metz 60CT-4) * ATG/Godox AD180 The first one runs over $1,500.00, but can do 6 wireless flash modes with dual flashtubes. Its available in Canon, Nikon and Sony MIS. Claimed top of the line flashes from C/N/S/O will overheat & shutdown. Meaning Canon 600EX II-RT, Nikon SB-910, Sony HVL-F60M will die under max stress test. Hien Tongho, ATG is working with Godox/Jinbei/Nissin/Yongnuo. They will be coming out with a lion battery flash. It's currently be made under YN686EX-RT. The ATG Gold 686EX-RTcn comes with HV Port (no battery inside flash-less weight). So for beginners using Canon 600EX II-RT, now you can cut the cord with ATG/Yongnuo 686EX-RT.

[@TonghoPhotography]

Where do I buy this ATG flash? Can't seem to find it online?

[@atggreat7981]

They are not online. Contact Alzo Digital, CT.

[@stefanholzinger9168]

www.lightingrumours.com/mysterious-internet-troll-promotes-non-existent-brand-2480

[@Cjcool03]

Do you know anybody that is YN560-tx (canon trigger) compatible with the YN968EX-RT speedlight flash?

[@ReinaldoNeves]

Hi, I have the same doubt. I bought a YN560-TX PRO and I can't find a way to use it with my YN968EX-RT, I also have a YN200. Anyone have a solution for it?

[@pompera]

witch speedlite 600 or 968?

[@TonghoPhotography]

Only you can decide. Personally if it's my first one, I'd choose the 968. Indoors, you can use the LCD light for fill, not just video. This can do Linked Shot which can be handy...unless Optical Master and a bit of extra zoom is important to you, the 600 does not offer any advantages...