2019-05-01_Digital_SLR_Photography

YONGNUOYN 24 EXTTLFLASH

ForCanonEOSDSLRs only/TTwin-headmacroflash/CompatiblewithCanon

E--TTLLandE--TTLLII/Eightpowersettings/Externalpowersourceoption

A

SDEDICATEDCLOSE-UP

photographersareall-tooaware,

capturinghigh-quality macro

photographscomewithseveral

challenges– criticalfocusingis one,asis

shallowdepth-of-field.The otheris

ensuringthesubjectis adequately

illuminated,eitherbecausethereis a lack

oflightoritsdirectionis poor.Ringlights

haveprovenpopularovertheyears,with

bothLEDandflashvariantsproviding

close-upphotographersthe chanceto

addsomeneededlight totheirsubject.

Themostsoughtaftertypesarethe

twin-headunits,whichdueto theirdesign

offer farmoreversatilityas a lighting

source,withthepositionandpowerofthe

headsbeingindependent,allowingforfar

morecontrolledlighting. However,they're

generally veryexpensive–Canon's own

versionscostupwardsof £700,while

Sigma'spopularEM-14 0 costsaround

£ 330 .Thereforeat around£ 170 , Yongnuo's

twin-headmacroflashrepresents

extremelygoodvalue,if it's ableto perform

ofcourse.As abrandthathas already

provento offergreatvalueflashgunsand

lenses,it's nosurpriseto discoverthanthis

unitdoesn't disappoint.

The YongnuoYN2 4 EXoutfitconsistsof

themaincontrolunit,whichfeaturesa

dedicatedhotshoefootat itsbase.Onits

sidesarecoiledcablestowhichthetwin

heads areattached, while onthe rearare

themaincontrolsanda largeLCDmonitor.

Poweris providedbyfourAAbatteries,with

a socketallowingforanexternalpower

source,althoughIwasnotableto findany

informationaboutcompatibleunits.

Thetwoflashunitsfit ontoa mounting

ring, whichattachesto thefrontof thelens

viaanadapterring(suppliedarerings in

sizes:52mm,58mm,67mmand72mm).

For non-macro subjects, the heads can be

attachedto thesideofthecontrolunit.

TheYN24EXis designedforusewith

CanonDSLRsonlyandoffersa full

specificationoffeatures,includingE-TTL,

first-andsecond-curtainsync,flash

exposurecompensation,FELockandflash

exposurebracketing.Therangeofoptions

meanthatyoudoneedto spenda little

timebecomingfamiliarwiththecontrols.

Althoughaninstructionbookletis

provided,it'slessthanperfecttranslation

canmakeunderstandingtheoddfeature

moredifficultthanit shouldbe.However,

onceyouget togripswithit,you'lldiscover

a unit thatishighly capable.

Thetwinheadsboth featureAFassist

lampsandtheir powersettings canbe set

independentlyofeachotherwhenusedin

manual,from1:1to 8:1.LEDlightsare

present,too,to assistwithfocusing.

Releasebuttonsonthe mountsmean

theheadscanbeeasilymovedaroundon

themountingring,whiletiltingplatforms

meanstheiranglecanalsobeadjusted.

Thisallowsyouto havefarmorecontrolon

the wayyoursubjectislit comparedto

moretraditionalringflashesorringLEDs.

IfoundtheTTLflashto beaccurate,

whilehavingthe ability to quickly apply

flashcompensation,orswitchingto

manual,makesitfastandeasyto use.The

only negativeis that thelight canbeharsh

at times,buta sheetortwoof whitetissue

paper overtheheadsdiffusesit nicely.

Onefinalnote,whileitslowpricemight

suggestpoorbuildquality,you'lldiscover

theYongnuois wellmade andwithcare

shouldlastyouseveralyears'goodusage.

Test:DANIELLEZANO

GuidePrice:£169

Website:www.hkyygongnuo.com

Overall

VERDICT

The Yongnuo is the perfect choice

for Canon users that regularly shoot

close-ups and have always wanted

the benefits of a ringflash, but couldn't

afford it. Well made, packed with features and proving

reliable to use makes this an absolute bargain.

Accessories ear

May 2019 DigitalSLR Photography 103

Portableexternaldrivesarean

importantstorage option

forphotographersonthe

go, allowingfreshimages

recentlydownloadedtoa

laptoptobebackedup.

Conventionalportabledrives

areexcellentchoices,being

bothsmallandaffordable,butin

termsofspeed,sizeandrobustness,

theyfallwayshortofthecapabilitiesof

portableSSDs.TheSanDiskExtreme

PortableSSD isoneof thebest we've

seen,offeringa water-resistantbuild

andhighspecification,allin a slimline

andlightweightdesign.Betterstill,it's

wellpricedforanSSD – especiallyif you

go forthe1TBversiontestedhere.The

smallsizemeansit slipsneatlyintoa

pocket,while a cornerloopmeansit

canbeattachedviaa cliptoensureit's

notlost.The rubberisedbaseandplastic

topmakesit lesspronetoscratching

thanmetalunits,andtheSSDis

shock-andvibration-resistant,aswell

asbeingwater-anddust-proof. For

moreactiveoutdoorphotographers,

thisruggedbuildwillmakeit aneven

moreattractiveoption.TheSSDhasa

USB3.1Type-Cconnectorandis

suppliedwitha shortType-CtoType-C

USB cableanda Type-CtoType-A

adapter,allowingit tobe usedwitholder

aswellasnewer PCsandMacs. Also

includedisSanDisk’sSecureAccess 3. 02

software,whichletsyousetupa

password-protectedfolderorprivate

vaulttostorefilessecurelyusing 128 -bit

AESencryption.It'sincrediblyfasttoo at

transferringfiles,gettingcloseto

SanDisk'sclaimsofspeedsupto

550MB/sec.Alongwiththe1TBversion

testedhere,theSanDiskis availablein

250GB(£75), 500GB(£100)and 2TB

(£360). AnexcellentSSD.

Guideprice:£190(1TB)

Externaldimensions: 8. 85 x4 9. 55 x 96. 2 mm

Weighgt: 38. 9 ggrams

Website:www.sandisk.com

Test:DANIELLEZANO

Ruggedbuild/Upto 2 TBcapacity/

Slimline and compact/PC or Mac

Overall

VERDICT

Smaller than a smartphone and

weighing less than 40 grams, the

SanDisk won't add any extra bulk to

your camera outfit, but will providea

secure and reliable way of backing up your files

while you're shooting out on location.

SANDISKEXXTREME

PORRRTABLESSD