If you need a good flash for your photographic work but can’t afford one of Canon’s professional SpeedLites ([shoplink 9656]Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT[/shoplink], [shoplink 9690]Canon Speedlite 580EXII[/shoplink], [shoplink 9691]Canon Speedlite 430EXII[/shoplink]), you may be interested in the featured review about the Chinese manufactured Yongnuo YN568EX Speedlite Flash, which comes at a price of $159/€159/£100. The Yongnuo YN568EX Speedlite is available on Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon UK | Amazon FR, and on eBay.

Lighting Rumours reviewed the Yongnuo YN568EX Speedlite Flash and they were very impressed by this flash, particularly by the build quality and the feature set:

[…] the YN568EX is a million miles away from that YN460 in every aspect, build, features, consistent output and recycle times. To me this shows that Yongnuo do kind of listen to the photography community, taking on board what’s been suggested and acting on that. For sure, there are some things that are missing, such as an external power hook up, and I’d rather had seen a 3.5mm jack over the 2.5mm one, but that’s a minor issue.

In the conclusion they write:

[…] very very impressed with the Yongnuo YN568EX. The build quality and feature set are excellent, even more so when you consider its price. Sure, there are some flaws but I have to give due credit to Yongnuo for the work they’ve put it on this; they have moved up in the world from those YN460 days. Yongnuo are starting to give the big guns a run for their money.

Pro:

• Great Feature Set
• Price
• Build Quality
• Audio Ready Beep
• Canon/Nikon Wireless Control

Cons:

• Build Quality (Internal Components)
• Not a Master
• No External Battery port
• Head swivel mechanism not great
• 2.5mm Sync port.

There are a lot more information about the Yongnuo YN568EX Speedlite in Lighting Rumours’ review.

Update: it turned out it is deal, retail price was $400!

Don’t know how many of you may need this, but it is not expensive and it may be fun to use, opening new creative photographic possibilities. Amazon has the AmScope Canon SLR/DSLR Camera Adapter for Microscopes for $89.90 (click here). It comes with 23.2mm, 30mm and C-mount adapters, it fits almost all kinds of microscopes including compound and stereo microscopes.

Rob Stothard, 27 years young and from Leeds, has been named the tenth Times/Canon Young Photographer of the Year. He got a six-month contract with The Times, and will be trained and learn about photojournalism. And he will receive all the state-of-the-art Canon gear he needs along with a year’s membership to the British Press Photographer’s Association. As reported on the London College of Communication’s blog:

Rob studied mathematics at the University of Leeds and had been working in the city when he turned his attention to photography, applying for LCC’s MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography course. Then in a desire to better his photography skills he threw himself head-first into a big international story by making the brave decision of going to Egypt to cover last year’s elections.

Rob explains “I had been interested in and travelled in the Middle East for some time and felt going to Egypt and setting myself up to cover the elections would be perfect. So I changed to the online mode of the course hoping it would give me the structure and mentorship I feel is difficult to gain as a freelancer fresh into the industry.”

“Aside from the help from course director Paul Lowe, the other staff and my fellow students, being part of a society of journalists based in Cairo has been an invaluable experience. Whilst my technical skills as a photographer have improved I feel the most valuable part of my time in Cairo has been learning from more experienced journalists how to accurately and honestly depict a complex political scene.”

Check out some of his pictures at the London College of Communication’s blog. Congrats Rob!

That’s the same factory where the Canon EOS 6D is made, the factory is located in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Exposure Magazine was invited to visit the factory. They were welcome by Mr. Ritsuo Mashiko, head of the Canon factory in Oita. All started in 1982, with a first factory built in in Aki, near the Oita airport. In 2005 the new factory began to work.

This is the factory where the [shoplink 7139]Canon EOS 6D (price & specs)[/shoplink], [shoplink 2431]Canon EOS 5D Mark III (price & specs)[/shoplink], [shoplink 337]EOS 7D (price & specs)[/shoplink], [shoplink 6091]Canon EOS M (price & specs)[/shoplink], and all the other digital EOS DSLRs are manufactured, where the Cinema EOS camera line-up is produced, all Legria and XF series camcorders are made, and all EF lenses too. But there is more: The Oita factory is also the place where Canon builds and tries out prototypes and deploys technological pilot projects. Moreover, advanced automation techniques are applied in the production chain. The know-how developed in automation goes so far that visitors are not allowed to take pictures:

“All automation came from ourselves and we did it ourselves,” said Mashiko. It is acceptable that to keep the secrecy, visitors are not allowed to take pictures in the factory, except in the area of guest reception and cafeteria.

The design of the automation process is based on a cell based production (i.e. the assembly stages are grouped together according to the similarity of parts of the parts that get assembled, or the tasks that are performed; each cell is an autonomous steps that lead to the finished product) and involves men and machines. Unmanned vehicles go from one assembling area to the next. Clearly, being this a factory where highly sensitive opto-electronic equipment is manufactured, everything has to be clean and dust free.

One interesting thing in Canon Oita factory is that it is clean, no dust at all. It could be cleaner than hospital. Workers wear special white shoes in the factory, and visitors are asked to wrap their shoes with plastics provided by the factory.

This is the same factory I reported about a few days ago, the factory where the Canon EOS 6D is assembled and packaged in 40 minutes.

[via Exposure Magazine]