Panasonic Lumix Camera Review

For some time now "Strobist" society was one of the rapidly growing photography communities, all thanks to David Hobby of Strobist.com who started sharing his knowledge of using off-camera flash. And when it comes to photography gear, camera flashes are not as cheap as people would think. Some models of more then 20 years old still hold more then 75% of their value. So is there a economy flash unit that can stand up with well known Canon and Nikon models? Maybe there is. Yn-460 Ii.

First version of Yn-460 hasn't undoubtedly delivered in built quality, flash power consistency nor electronic circuit, but Yn-460 Ii hit the spot and it is undoubtedly an upgraded version. It has all you might ask of a good camera flash. Here are some of the more prominent flash spec:

• flash power of Gn 38 at Iso 100
• hand-operated mode: full power to 1/64 with 1/7 step increments
• 2 optic slave modes: s1, s2
• wide angle diffuser
• standby and auto-power off after 30 min
• swivel and tilt head
• fast recycle time: 4.5sec with NiMh 4xAa

If you are finding for a cheap but well made flash unit with hand-operated power, look no more. Of course, this flash is not for those dSlr users who shoot 95% of their time in Full Auto mode, as they will need a camera flash that supports Ttl technology. But for all those who are willing to experiment with off-camera flash, this is a good place to start.

I must admit I was a bit skeptical about the S2 slave mode, which was supposed to sync with Canon or Nikon ttl system. And I must say, it works perfectly. So even if you have a dedicated camera flash you can still sync yn-460 via optic slave in S2 mode. S1 mode is a accepted slave mode which will not take into consideration all the pre-flashes.

Although today all is man-made in China, this is a true "Chinese goods made in China". But you will find that the built quality is undoubtedly solid and if you keep it in the protective pouch that it came with I'm sure it will serve you for a long time.

The one thing needing correction is battery doors which are a bit loose until you put batteries in. Then they are quite solid. Pc sync port is a bit too much to ask for an median price of an 50$ on ebay. I've been so impressed that I got myself other one within the first month of having my first Yn-460Ii camera flash.

As with every piece of photography equipment, it requires allowable care and handling so be sure to read the user hand-operated in case,granted with Yn 460 Ii camera flash.