The Ultimate Yongnuo YN560 IV Review!

Today we are going to be going over our Yongnuo yn560 iv review as we keep seeing people reaching out for advice on the flash unit and from what we can see, in our opinion at least, none of the posts currently covering the flash are up to scratch.

This lead us to type up and publish our own article so we can link people to it in the future when we see photographers reaching out for advice on the flash unit. Our hope is that this article will help our readers who are considering picking up the Yongnuo yn560 iv as well as anyone we end up linking the article to. Just keep in mind that the Yongnuo yn560 iv is relatively entry level flash unit with a budget-friendly price tag and your expectations for the flash should be set accordingly.

It is no secret that the Yongnuo yn560 iv has proven to be a very popular flash unit over the years earning literally thousands of reviews (click here to read some of them) online from independent photographers who own the flash. If you would like an additional third-party, external insight into the performance of the flash unit then it is probably a good idea to read some of those reviews too.

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Table of Contents

Starting With The User Interface

The photograph above shows the control system and the user interface for the Yongnuo yn560 iv flash Speedlite and thankfully, although it offers a fair amount of customization for your flash, it is also easy to navigate at the same time. This makes the navigation paths a godsend as you can easily navigate the options without having to waste time.

On the flip side of this though, the actual control system itself can be a little bit of a pain to get used to, especially if you are used to using higher price tag Nikon or Canon flash units. Some functions on the Yongnuo yn560 iv require multiple button presses at the same time that can be a little awkward if you are having to support the weight of your camera while tweaking your flash.

The flash mode button on the yn560 iv allows you to quickly and easily switch between manual flash, TTL mode, and guide number mode (GN58 @ ISO100, 105mm) to allow you to easily use your flash in the optimal mode for your current situation. Now we know that this sounds like a basic feature but even today, with flashes at this price point, there are still some popular units on the market that required menu navigation rather than a button presses to switch between flash modes that simply waste time.

Core Feature List

The Yongnuo yn560 iv fully supports a range of wireless master flash functions with up to three different groups available with full control. On the flip side of this, the flash unit also supports full wireless slave functionality with support for YN560-TX, RF-603 (I/II), and RF-602 protocols. Although it takes a little time to set up, it also supports multiple trigger synchronous mode but if you are planning on using this functionality of the flash then it is probably a better idea to prep the flash unit before arriving at the location of your photography session.

As you would expect, the Yongnuo yn560 iv also supports electric zooming that is surprisingly efficient and easily beats the flash zoom capabilities of many of the competing flash units at this price point in the market.

Although the recycle system on the flash is billed as “ultra-fast” this will depend on the type of batteries that you are using with it. As with most flashes, both alkaline and lithium batteries perform slightly different when powering the unit resulting in a slightly different recycle speed. That said, if you are planning on using the flash unit for extended periods of time then it would probably be better to invest in an external power supply to help save you money overall and keep the recycle time of the flash unit consistent.

Build Quality

One common problem with the budget-friendly flash unit selection on the market right now is the sub $100 products can feel cheap and poorly put together. Thankfully, the Yongnuo YN-560 IV is pretty solid and feels like it has been designed well with care taken when building the flash unit. The high-quality and lightweight plastics of the flash ensure that it is lightweight while also being robust enough to take the inevitable knocks coming its way without it breaking.

The rotary flash head of the Yongnuo YN-560 IV is easy to rotate and adjust without having to put too much force into it. When turning the head of the flash it also feels firmly attached to the flash body giving you confidence that it won’t easily pull off during use.

The fully metal hot shoe mount on the flash unit offers a secure, firm, and seamless mount to your cameras hot shoe mount. As the cameras hot show is metal, it will hold its shape over time unlike some of the plastic ones that can easily warm making it a nightmare to mount or unmount the flash unit as well as potentially result in damage to your camera.

The battery cover is also very easy to use allowing you to quickly and easily swap your batteries out when required before closing it and easily locking it in place. Once closed, the battery door is secure and should not easily open without direct pressure from you. This can help you as some battery doors on entry-level flash units are a pain and will open mid-session sending your batteries flying to the floor causing you to waste time.

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Compatibility

As with the majority of third-party camera flash units, the Yongnuo YN-560 IV is fully compatible with a massive range of popular cameras. This allows you to quickly and easily hot swap the flash unit between your cameras as required to keep on snapping as you wish.

At the time of writing, the Yongnuo YN-560 IV is suitable for use with the following cameras:-

Canon: EOS 5D,5D25D Mark II, 1Ds Mark [ IV / III / II / I ], 1D Mark [ III / II / II / I],7D, 60D ,50D, 40D, 30D, 600D, 550D, 500D, 450D, 400D, 350D,300D,1100D,1000D 650D 5D2 5D Mark III 6D.
Nikon: D3s, D3x, D3, D700, D300s, D300, D200, D100, D90, D80, D70s,D7100,D7000, D5100, D5000, D3100, D3000, D60, D40X D800, D600.
Olympus: E5, E3, E30, E300, E620, E520, E420, E450, E-P2, E-PL2, E-PL1.
Panasonic: G10GK, GH2GK, GH1GK, G2GK, G1GK, GF2GK, GF1GK.
Pentax: K-7, K-x, K-m, K20D, K10D, K200D, K100D.
Fujifilm: camera with standard hot shoes.

As you can see, the range of cameras you are able to use the flash unit with is pretty extensive almost guaranteeing that it will work with your camera of choice.

Our Verdict

That concludes our Yongnuo yn560 iv review, if you are wanting to invest in a great little flash unit for your camera that is very popular, has a great reputation within the community, and will not break the bank then the Yongnuo YN-560 IV is definitely worth picking up! Considering its price point in the market, the build quality of the flash, its performance, feature list, and reputation within the community, it is the obvious choice and beats the competing flash units around this price tag.

Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!

Click Here To Check For Prices On This Product!

The video below offers an additional third-party, independent review for the Yongnuo yn560 iv to offer our readers an independent opinion of the product.