YN 560III and Olympus EPL-5

[kitaden]

Sorry if this was asked before.

I just got my flash YN 560 III and I also ordered Yongnuo RF-603 C3 but it didn't fire the flash (I know there are some modification that are possible but I returned the triggers).

Is there any other trigger that I can buy to wirelessly trigger my flash while using the Olympus EPL-5?

 

[Cruzan80]

The YN 560 TX will also work, and give you flash comp control.

 

[kitaden]

Thank you! I am looking for a compatible trigger, something small

 

[yakky]

Either the 602 or 603 should work. Was the camera not triggering the 603? I know I have to put my camera in "Full Flash" mode to get reliable triggering.

 

[kitaden]

Yes you are right, the camera was not triggering the 603. I could put the flash itself on the camera and it will flash. But once I put the 603 on the camera, while the flash is away there is no light anymore. Some people did some modification on the 603 and it worked for them but I am not that confident to make it.

So Do you think I can buy the 602 and use it on the ELP-5?

 

[mu43nik]

The 603CII has a switch on the side this needs to be set to Tx. The flash then needs to be configured for off camera flash.
It works with my E-M10.

Edit: Did you test that the 603 and the 560III worked together with the 603 off camera and using the button?

 

[kitaden]

You know what? The 603 that I had didn't have anything on the side

 

[mu43nik]

If it had a switch on the top between the button and the hotshoe it was a 603C (original version)
I believe that the original version needs modification.

 

[inkista]

Better yet, blow about $40 and get a YN-560-TX instead, and be able to control the manual power level remotely from the camera.

The RF-603IIs improved over the 603s in several ways: locking rings (so you can actually mount a flash on top on the camera hotshoe and have it be stable), faster sync speeds are possible, the Off/Tx/TRx switch so it can be used on non-Canon/NIkon branded cameras (without this switch, Transmitter (Tx) mode only happens if the unit is mounted on a compatible TTL hotshoe (I.e., NIkon or Canon, depending on which version of the 603s you got), and the correct signal appears on one of the non-sync pins--or you mod the hell out of the unit to get that signal to the right MFT pin (think: soldering). And the max sync voltage limit is now 250V instead of 11V. And you can actually reach the off/mode switch on the side when it's attached to a flash, vs. the on/off switch on the top of the 602s and 603 (MkI) units.

But, if you're only using the 603ii with a YN-560iii flash, you're likely to be even happier with a YN-560-TX dedicated transmitter, as discussed in this thread: https://www.mu-43.com/showthread.php?t=65960

 

[yakky]

Yes you are right, the camera was not triggering the 603. I could put the flash itself on the camera and it will flash. But once I put the 603 on the camera, while the flash is away there is no light anymore. Some people did some modification on the 603 and it worked for them but I am not that confident to make it.

So Do you think I can buy the 602 and use it on the ELP-5?

I use the 602s on my em2 with no issues. They are much smaller than the 603.

 

[inkista]

I use the 602s on my em2 with no issues. They are much smaller than the 603.

Not that much smaller. The transmitter, yes, but the Rx vs. the 603 transceivers are roughly the same size.

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602s are older units than the 603 MkI. They have separate Tx/Rx units, so that's why they don't have the same problem as the RF-603 (MkI)s. However. They have separate Tx/Rx units, not transceivers that can be re-purposed to either role. The transmitter unit uses a weird non-standard battery (CR-2). There's no off-switch on the transmitter. You need two sets if you want to use them as a shutter release and wireless flash triggers simultaneously, And they use a proprietary three-pin (Olympus) sync connector which means the ONLY sync cables you can buy are Yongnuo's. And, of course, the on/off switch is still on the top of the receiver where it's a PITA to try and reach it if you have a flash mounted on it.

 

[yakky]

Well...OP is trying to make it all work with the 560-3, which doesn't need a receiver. I'm not sure I'd call the CR-2 weird, its a pretty common camera battery but I do agree AAA are more common. As stated the 602's biggest feature is size, they are tiny and look at home on an M43 camera versus the clunky 603.

 

[inkista]

For me, the 602's best feature was the PC input on the transmitter, which YN then promptly ditched when they moved from the 602-TX to the 600-TX in the sets (sigh). However, I've moved on to the 622s (I also shoot a Canon system), so to me the 603s look small. It's all relative. And size seems a relatively trivial thing in the face of gaining remote flash power control. Yes, the YN-560-TX would be ungainly vs. a RF-600TX, but you can control the power level and zoom on the remote flashes from the camera in six different groups, as well as turning those groups on and off individually--if you're using all YN-560iii flashes.

 

[Dogman]

Not sure if we answered the OP's original question. The answer is that the OP's RF-603C (original version) does not work on Panasonic/Olympus m4/3rds cameras without a wiring modification. The RF-602TX, RF-603C II, and YN560-TX will all trigger a YN-560 III flash via a radio signal with no wiring modification or additional receivers. I will note that my copy of the RF-602-TX did not fit well in my GX7 or E-PL5 hot shoe. The pins underneath needed to be pushed in with a knife to get the unit into the hot shoe. I have had no problems, however, getting the RF-603C II or YN560-TX into the GX-7 or E-PL5 hot shoe.

 

[LowTEC]

My 603ii and 560iii works perfectly and reliably on em5, epl5 and gh4. But I am tempted to get the 560tx so I don't have to manually change output power on each of 3 flashes on light pods every single time I want to change power ratio

 

[dav1dz]

This

If it had a switch on the top between the button and the hotshoe it was a 603C (original version)
I believe that the original version needs modification.

And this

Not sure if we answered the OP's original question. The answer is that the OP's RF-603C (original version) does not work on Panasonic/Olympus m4/3rds cameras without a wiring modification. The RF-602TX, RF-603C II, and YN560-TX will all trigger a YN-560 III flash via a radio signal with no wiring modification or additional receivers. I will note that my copy of the RF-602-TX did not fit well in my GX7 or E-PL5 hot shoe. The pins underneath needed to be pushed in with a knife to get the unit into the hot shoe. I have had no problems, however, getting the RF-603C II or YN560-TX into the GX-7 or E-PL5 hot shoe.

Unfortunately RF-603 I will be simply marketed as RF-603, and will come in Canon or Nikon versions. It will require modifications to work with MFT's flash system. RF-603 II will work out of the box. I got a set of these recently and they work great.

YN-560-TX is the most popular option if you have multiple Yongnuo YN-560 III flashes. Though it's not as universal as it's meant to only trigger the Yongnuo YN-560 III flash.

The modification doesn't seem overly difficult: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3076574