When I sold my Canon 5D Mark III and 7D Mark II cameras and bought into Sonys A7 camera system one of the deciding factors was the Sony cameras ability to use Canon lenses via third-party adapters. As someone who has a long-standing love affair with Canons L-series glass, I was loathe to give them up. A have also been a fan of Canons underrated 600 EX-RT Speedlites and I am happy to report that they work wonderfully with my Sony A7R Mark II thanks to the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT commander module.
Clone Wars
When I invested in the 600 EX-RT system a few years ago I picked up three of the speedlites and Canons whiz-bang cool ST-E3-RT transmitter. On my Canon cameras, the ST-E3-RT allowed for radio TTL remote control, which proved to be much more dependable than the previous line-of-sight remote flash solutions. When I picked up a Fuji X-T1, I discovered the Canon transmitter didn’t fire the speedlites when on the Fuji.
A quick Google search identified a solution: Yongnuos ST-E3-RT clone, the not so cleverly named YN-E3-RT. For considerably less money than the Canon, the Yongnuo clocks in at about $75 on Amazon. I picked one up and was pleased to see it fire the 600 EX-RTs, albeit in Manual mode only.
I tend to use my flashes in manual mode most of the time anyway, so the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT is just peachy. Compared side-by-side with the Canon unit, the Yongnuo seems identical. I am not privy to the manufacturing situation for these units, but it would not surprise me one bit to learn that the Yongnuo and Canon units pass down the same assembly line. I have not used any other Yongnuo products, but I have read that their flash units also feel and work just like the models that inspired them.
Sony Passes Notes to Canon
On my Sony A7R Mark II, the Yongnuo works perfectly to control all three of my Canon 600 EX-RTs. I have had successful flash pops at distances over 100 feet and through walls. The YN-E3-RT mounts in the A7R Mark IIs hot shot without resistance, and when powered up and paired with the speedlites, the unit can be used to change each flashs power setting. Unlike the Canon ST-E3-RT on a Canon camera, the Yongnuo requires that you transmit each setting change to the speedlites by pushing the test button. The transmitter allows for all of the channel options and special functions that the Canon ST-E3-RT supports. Each speedlite can be controlled independently or as a homogenous group.
For those of us who have moved over to Sonys A7 cameras, being able to retain much of our Canon kit is a financial and functional relief. If you are building a speedlite kit for your Sony A7-series camera from scratch it wouldn’t make much sense to invest in the Canon 600 EX-RT speedlites and the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT, as there are less expensive options out there, including the TTL-capable Nissin Di700A and Air 1 combo. For me the hybrid Canon/Yongnuo solution is money saved and problems solved.
I transitioned from Canon to Olympus about two years ago and giving up on the 600EXRT system was the hardest part. After much trial and error I landed on Yongnuos and never looked back. My advice, sell your EXRTs while they are still fetching a pretty penny. The sell of one unit will pay for 3 YN speedlites with radio transceivers built in and a control module.
Why did you switch to Sony camera bodies?
Long story short… the image quality, smaller form factor and more intelligent autofocus of the A7RII was too much to resist.
Will this work with my 430ex ii and Sony a7ii?
It should work with any of the Canon speedlites with “RT” in the name, which denotes the radio transmitter. If there’s no RT, you will need an optical solution.
Hi.
I recently switched to Sony A7RM2 and having problem with a7rm2 communicating with YN E3 RT to trigger YN 600EX RTs. The firmware on the YN E3 RT is Version 1.14 Would it help if I upgrade it to Version 1.20?
Thanks
Tedz
I have the same issue. Would be great to hear from you if somebody solved the problem.
Are you using it with the Canon speedlites or YN?
I use the YN-600ex-rt and the yn-e3-rt on the A7R2
I’m curious to find out if the firmware update resolved your issue!
unfortunately not.
I’m also having the same problem too. When I put the flash directly on the camera, it does fire but the wireless function from the 600ex-RT or the yn-ex-rt does not fire by depressing the shutter on the a7r2. Everything is updated to the latest firmware. Any suggestions?
Hi Mason, thanks to you I have got my 600’s working on my A7r2. Is there away to get HSS to transmit across? It seems 1/160-200 is the max. Cheers tao
i have the same yn-e3-rt controller (for canon), a sony a7m2 body, and 2 yn600ex-rts. i cannot fire any of them from the sony through multiple manual, ettl, ittl configurations. when i look at the seating of the yn-e3-rt controller it does not fit all the way into the sony hotshoe, leaving multiple contacts on the controller towards the back, fully exposed.
which yn-e3-rt controller do you have?
Hi
I use a7r2, canon 600ex rt with yn-e3-rt. In any mode the flash fires after the shutter is fully closed. Can you please help me with this?
Thanjs
Sorry to bring this out of the dead… It did not work for me .. :(
If I may ask, What firmware is your YN-E3-RT and A7?
has anyone been able to get their sony a7 cameras to work with the yongnuo transmitter and canon flashes? Im currently shooting with 5D mark lll and I want to transition to the Sony A7 bodies.
I don’t want to give up the 600exrt flash system along with my modifiers that i’ve heavily invested in this year. (Magmods)
I did a comparison of these two as I used the Youngnuo for my backup. The canon is definitely superior in its range and picking up the flashes but the range is so unrealistically far (you notice the difference after 100 meters, 50 meters with some obstacles) that in most situations they would perform the same. The build quality is also very different. The canon uses better plastic and is secured more to the camera.
Thanks for the info and article btw.
I have both Canon ST-e3-RT transmitter and the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT transmitter, I can not get the Yongnuo 600EX-RT flashes to trigger. Most of what I’ve been reading seems to state that the Canon 600EX-RT flashes will trigger. But what could be the cause of the Yongnuo flashes not trigger with the same transmitters that can also trigger the canon flashes? Using the same hotshoe converter I can get the Yongnuo flash to trigger on camera – just not remotely. Hoping someone has a fix – otherwise it looks like I’ll be stepping down to the YN-560 IV flashes and accompanying… Read more »
I got the same problem. Anyone has a solution to trigger Yongnuo 600EX-RT using YN-E3-RT Transmitter on Sony A7SII? The speedlight fires straight on the camera but not with the Yongnuo transmitter. Any adapter or anything?
I have the same problem, i can fire the yn600 speedlite on a7r3 but yn-e3-rt will NOT fire the flash have you found a way of getting it to work ?
has anyone been able to get their sony a7 cameras to work with the yongnuo transmitter and canon flashes? Im currently shooting with 5D mark lll and I want to transition to the Sony A7 bodies.
I don’t want to give up the 600exrt flash system along with my modifiers that i’ve heavily invested in this year. (Magmods)
I transitioned from Canon to Olympus about two years ago and giving up on the 600EXRT system was the hardest part. After much trial and error I landed on Yongnuos and never looked back. My advice, sell your EXRTs while they are still fetching a pretty penny. The sell of one unit will pay for 3 YN speedlites with radio transceivers built in and a control module.
Will this work with my 430ex ii and Sony a7ii?
It should work with any of the Canon speedlites with “RT” in the name, which denotes the radio transmitter. If there’s no RT, you will need an optical solution.
Why did you switch to Sony camera bodies?
Long story short… the image quality, smaller form factor and more intelligent autofocus of the A7RII was too much to resist.
Hi.
I recently switched to Sony A7RM2 and having problem with a7rm2 communicating with YN E3 RT to trigger YN 600EX RTs. The firmware on the YN E3 RT is Version 1.14 Would it help if I upgrade it to Version 1.20?
Thanks
Tedz
I’m curious to find out if the firmware update resolved your issue!
unfortunately not.
I have the same issue. Would be great to hear from you if somebody solved the problem.
Are you using it with the Canon speedlites or YN?
I use the YN-600ex-rt and the yn-e3-rt on the A7R2
I’m also having the same problem too. When I put the flash directly on the camera, it does fire but the wireless function from the 600ex-RT or the yn-ex-rt does not fire by depressing the shutter on the a7r2. Everything is updated to the latest firmware. Any suggestions?
I did a comparison of these two as I used the Youngnuo for my backup. The canon is definitely superior in its range and picking up the flashes but the range is so unrealistically far (you notice the difference after 100 meters, 50 meters with some obstacles) that in most situations they would perform the same. The build quality is also very different. The canon uses better plastic and is secured more to the camera.
Thanks for the info and article btw.
Hi Mason, thanks to you I have got my 600’s working on my A7r2. Is there away to get HSS to transmit across? It seems 1/160-200 is the max. Cheers tao
Sorry to bring this out of the dead… It did not work for me .. :(
If I may ask, What firmware is your YN-E3-RT and A7?
Hi
I use a7r2, canon 600ex rt with yn-e3-rt. In any mode the flash fires after the shutter is fully closed. Can you please help me with this?
Thanjs
i have the same yn-e3-rt controller (for canon), a sony a7m2 body, and 2 yn600ex-rts. i cannot fire any of them from the sony through multiple manual, ettl, ittl configurations. when i look at the seating of the yn-e3-rt controller it does not fit all the way into the sony hotshoe, leaving multiple contacts on the controller towards the back, fully exposed.
which yn-e3-rt controller do you have?
I have both Canon ST-e3-RT transmitter and the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT transmitter, I can not get the Yongnuo 600EX-RT flashes to trigger. Most of what I’ve been reading seems to state that the Canon 600EX-RT flashes will trigger. But what could be the cause of the Yongnuo flashes not trigger with the same transmitters that can also trigger the canon flashes? Using the same hotshoe converter I can get the Yongnuo flash to trigger on camera – just not remotely. Hoping someone has a fix – otherwise it looks like I’ll be stepping down to the YN-560 IV flashes and accompanying… Read more »
I got the same problem. Anyone has a solution to trigger Yongnuo 600EX-RT using YN-E3-RT Transmitter on Sony A7SII? The speedlight fires straight on the camera but not with the Yongnuo transmitter. Any adapter or anything?
I have the same problem, i can fire the yn600 speedlite on a7r3 but yn-e3-rt will NOT fire the flash have you found a way of getting it to work ?