Yongnuo YN686EX-RT User manual

1
To avoid fire or electrical shock, do not expose this product to rain or
moisture.
To avoid short circuit, please sure the batteries contacts are securely
packed and in accordance with local provisions when handling the
battery.
Please place the batteries and the parts which can be swallowed
mistakenly away from children. Contact a doctor immediately when it
occurs.
To avoid possible injury to eyes, do not use the flash light in a short
distance from the eyes.
To avoid possible safety accident, do not use the flash light on the people
who need a high degree of attention.
This product is dropped or shocked seriously and the inner part of this
product is bared.
Wear gloves and take the batteries out if the corrosive liquid inside the
batteries leaks.
This product gives off strange smell, heat or smokes.
Do not dissemble or maintain this product because the internal high
voltage circuit may cause the electric shock.
Please take out all the batteries if this product is not used for a long time.
Precaution

2
Portable Li-ion Battery System
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 2000mAh Li-ion battery, which makes
YN686EX-RT fires at least 600 times in full power possible.
Battery built-in Protective Circuit.
Battery built-in overcharge protection, short-circuit protection and
thermal-shutdown circuit, with advantages of long service life, high safety.
Ultrafast Charging Recycle System
Every great moment can be catched because it takes just 1.5s for
YN686EX-RT to finish charging recycle when it is used in full power.
Compatible with Canon Wireless RT System
In wireless radio transmission flash shooting, one YN686EX-RT can be
used as master unit to trigger YONGNUO RT speedlites and Canon RT
speedlites, and remotely control the flash mode and flash intensity of the
slave unit. One YN686EX-RT can be used as slave unit to receive
wireless signal from YONGNUO RT speedlites and Canon RT speedlites,
and realize remote TTL/M/MULTI/Gr flash.
Supports Wireless Optical Master Function
In wireless optical shooting, YN686EX-RT can be used as master unit to
trigger YONGNUO EX speedlites (except YN585EX)and Canon EX
series speedlite, and realize wireless flash in TTL/M/MULTI mode.
Supports Wireless Optical Slave Function
YN686EX-RT suports receiving wireless master signal from Canon
speedlites or Nikon speedlites, and it supports S1 and S2 flash mode.
High Guide Number, High-speed Sync
GN60@ISO100，200mm，supports TTL, M, MULTI and Gr flash, the
highest sync speed up to 1/8000s.
Supports USB Firmware Upgrade
YN686EX-RT is equipped with USB port. Please visit YONGNUO official
website to download the upgrade firmware and update the flash.
Supports Real-time Display of Battery Remaining Capacity
YN686EX-RT supports real-time display of battery remaining capacity,
which is convenient for you to learn the status of charge.
Supports Power Zoom
YN686EX-RT supports auto zooming and manual zooming. The flash
range can be adjusted from 20mm to 200mm.
Supports Auto-save, Custom Function (C.Fn)
Equipped with Big Size LCD Display Screen
Features

3
Precaution.......................................................................... 1
Features ............................................................................. 2
Quick Start ......................................................................... 4
Components Description.............................................. 5~9
Mount and Remove ......................................................... 10
Basic Functions......................................................... 11~16
Advanced Applications............................................. 17~20
Wireless Flash Shooting........................................... 21~26
C.Fn: Custom Settings.............................................. 27~28
Troubleshooting Guide ................................................... 29
Specifications ............................................................ 30~31
Conventions used in this user manual:
In order to learn and master the operation of this speed-lite, at the
meanwhile you read this manual, please take user manual of your
camera as reference.
In every operating step, we assume that both camera and speed-lite
are power on.
Icons used in this user manual
：Supplementary information
：Long press the button
：Short press the button
Contents

4
If you don’ t have much time to read the whole user manual, we
advise you to read this section.
1.Please avoid the excessive user of the output with maximum power. It
can effectively extend the service life of this product. (It’ s
recommended that the speedlite should be idle for more than 10
minutes when entering the overheat protection)
2.Long press [MODE] button to enter into trigger method selection
interface, and rotate [ ] to select trigger method.
3.Short press [MODE] button to switch flash mode: ETTL/M/MULTI/Gr.
(Gr mode can only work in wireless master mode.)
4.Rotate [ ] to adjust the selected parameters, and press [SET] button
to confirm and save the settings.
5.Short press [ ] button to enter into focal length setting status;
long press [ ] to enter into custom setting status.
6.Functional button 1-4 corresponding to different function according to
current state of the flash, operation and details please refer to the
following chapters.
7.By pressing and holding button 1 and button 3 simultaneously, the
flash parameters of the speedlite will be restored to default.
8.In off status, press and hold [MODE] button, the speedlites will be
turned on and it will enter into firmware upgrade interface.
Quick Start

5
Dial
Reflector
Wide-angle
diffuser panel
Flash head
Wireless sensor
Off-camera indicator
AF assist beam
Battery compartment cover
Hotshot contact Sound port
LINK : Wireless
connection indicator
Bounce angle index
USB port
Terminal cover LCD panel
Charging indicator/
TEST button
Power switch/
Lock switch
Functional button 1/2/3/4
Select/Set button
Hot shoe cantact Lock Button
[MODE]/
Flash mode button/
Trigger mode button
Components Description

6
LCD Panel
ETTL Mode
:Automatic zoom
:Manual zoom
ETTL:ETTL auto flash
:Over heat
Effective flash range
:High-speed sync
:Second-curtain sync
:Battery capacity
:Auto zoom for
sensor size
FEB sequence
:FEB
:Custom function
:Aperture
Distance indicator:M/feet
:Beep
Zoom focal length
Distance indicator scale
Function menu
Flash exposure level
M:Manual flash
Flash output
FEC
FEC amount
M Mode
Components Description

7
MULTI:Multi flash
Number of flashes
Flash mode
:Master unit
fires ON
:Master unit
fires OFF
Flash group
:Slave icon
:Slave
:Master control
:Wireless transmission
:Optical transmission
:Channel
:Channel auto-set
Flash light ratio
Flash frequency
Master Unit
Wireless Slave Unit
MULTI Mode

8
LINK indicator
Red light and blue
light blinking
Overheat protection mechanism is
activated.
Stop using the
speed-lite/shut down the
speed-lite until it cools
down.
Status of Charging
Indicator Meaning Method
Red light The speed-lite is fully charged and
can be used. Normal.
Blue light The speed-lite has not been fully
charged.
Waiting for completion of
charging.
Blue light blinking
A. Low battery; the speed-lite is
about to shut down
B. Overheat prompt
A. Please replace batteries.
B.Reduce flash frequency or
stop using the speed-lite
until it cools down.
Red light blinking Overheat prompt
Reduce flash frequency or
stop using the speed-lite
until it cools down.
Meaning of Indicator Light
Status of LINK
Indicator Meaning Method
Green Wireless master unit and slave unit
are in normal transmission. Normal
Check if the channel and ID
of the master unit and slave
unit are consistent.
Wireless master unit and slave
unit are not connected.
Blue
Green light +
Blue light Used as a slave unit Normal
Status of Indicator
Components Description

9
Sound Prompt
The Sound Form Meaning Method
The sound indicator is enabled; the
speed-lite is started and ready to
fire.
Tick twice Normal
Three ticks,
two times The exposure is possibly excessive. Adjust exposure compensation
or change the shooting condition.
Tick Tick Tick The exposure is possibly insufficient.
Adjust exposure
compensation or change the
shooting.
Tick-tick twice
-tick twice
The charging has not been
completed.
Wait for completion of
charging.
Tick-a long sound The speed-lite is fully charged and
can be used. Normal
Tick continuously
and quickly
Low battery; the speed-lite is about
to shut down.
Please replace the
batteries.
Tick-tick-tick- The speed-lite is in sleep mode and
it shuts down automatically.
Please turn off the
speed-lite and restart it.
Components Description

10
1.Install Batteries
Slide the battery compartment cover in the direction of the arrow as
shown.
Insert the batteries according to the label inside the battery compartment
and make sure the direction of the battery contact (+/-)is correct.
Close the battery compartment cover in the direction of the arrow as
shown.
2.Attaching to the Camera & Detaching from the Camera
Slip the speedlite’s mounting foot all the way into the camera’s hot shoe.
Slide the mounting foot lock lever to the right side as the arrow shown
until a “click” sound is heard.
3.Detaching
Slide the [lock button] to the left side and detach the speedlite.
Mount and Remove

11
1.Power-on and Power-off
Set the power switch to [ON] position, the
speedlite will turn on and start charging. After
turned on, the [Charging Indicator] will bright
with red light which indicates it can flash.
If the battery is low, and the speedlite cannot
be fully charged in 25s, the <Charging
Indicator> will bright with blue light, the LCD screen shows low-battery
icon, and the speedlite will shut down automatically. At this moment,
please change batteries.
2.Key Lock Function
Slide [Power Switch] to <LOCK> position, the
[ ]and buttons of speedlite will be locked.
This function prevents the selected
parameters from being changed accidentally.
3.Test Flash
When the charging indicator turns red,
pressing [ ] button to test if the flash is
normal or not.
4.ETTL Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as ETTL mode. In ETTL mode, the light
measuring system of the camera can detect
the flash lighting reflected from the subject,
adjust the flash output amount automatically
and makes the subject and the background
expose evenly. YN686EX-RT supports FEC, FEB, high-speed sync,
second-curtain sync, exposure lock, aperture preview, menu access of
Canon camera, etc.
In ETTL mode, the flash intensity can be compensated. The
compensation range is -3EV~+3EV; the accuracy is 1/3EV or 1/2EV.
SEL/
SET
SEL/
SET
5.M Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as M mode. In M mode, the flash
intensity can be asjusted according to your
own need. By short presssing functional
button [ ], after <Flash Output> is
highlighted, the flash output power can be
adjusted when you rotate [ ]. Adjustement
range of flash output in M mode is 1/128~1/1.
The output can be divided into 8 grades.
Each grade has maximum 3 grades for find
adjustment. With 1/3EV as adjustment
increment, there are totally 22 grades for fine
adjustment. In shooting, you just need to set flash output, adjust the
camera and press camera shutter, the flash fires when it receives sync
signal from the camera.
6.Multi (Stroboscopic) Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as Multi (stroboscopic) mode. In Multi
mode, the speedlite fires according to the
selected flash output, flash frequency and
number of flashes. The setting method of
flash output is same as setting method in M
mode. The flash output range is
1/128-1/64-1/32-1/16-1/8-1/4. Select number
of flashes through functional button [ ]
and select flash frequency through [ ]
button. Enter into parameter setting status
and rotate [ ] to adjust number of flashes
and flash frequency. The range of number of flashes is 1~100; the range
of flash frequency is 1~100.
SEL/
SET
7.ZOOM: Setting Flash Range
Automatically zooming: Short press [
] button, wait for the focal length value
highlighted on the LCD screen and adjust the
coverage range through [ ]. When < >
displays at the left side of <ZOOM> button,
put the speedlite on the camera, the flash
light cup will move back and forth along with the change of the focal
length of the lens to fit different flash coverage range (Defaults to
35mm).
Manually Set the zooming position: Press[ ] button to select
focal length value, and adjust the focal length value with [ ] button.
When < > displays at the left side of [ZOOM] icon, the flash coverage
(24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80, 105，200mm) can be manually adjusted.
8.Camera Menu (Supports newer versions of Canon
cameras only)
For the newer versions of Canon cameras which supports ETTL,you can
operate the flash through the camera menu.On the Flash Control
Menu,you can set relevant parameters of the flash through “External
flash func. Settings” or “External Flash C.Fn settings” ,for
example,ETTL switching mode,M mode,MULTI mode,Gr mode,Wireless
Flash mode,Synchronization method, Exposure bracketing,Exposure
compensation ,zoom and self-defined functions.
9.AF -Assist Beam
When it is difficult to autofocus on the subject
in low-light or low-contrast shooting
environment,the flash will activate the built-in
AF-Assist Beam to help autofocus,the
AF-Assist Beam can be set to be enable or
disable.
10.Modeling Flash
When the camera’ s depth-of-field preview button is pressed,the flash
fires continuously for approx.1 second,this feature is called “Modeling
Flash” .For detailed operation,please refer to the user manual of the
camera.
11. Power Saving Mode
This product is designed with power saving
mode,and the power saving mode can be
achieved by setting self-defined function,for
detailed settings,please refer to subsequent
“Self-defined function setting” chapter.When
the power saving mode is on ,the flash will
keep idle for a while and go to sleep,in sleeping mode,the flash keeps
idle for a while and powers off automatically.
If the flash is in sleeping mode,you can half press the shutter of the
camera or press[]to wake up the flash.
12. Overheat Protection
Sequential flash causes the increase of the internal temperature of the
speedlite,when the temperature reaches to a certain amount,the
overheat warning appears.
If the speedlite is used too frequently,the
overheat protection will be triggered,and the
LCD screen shows the icon of <overheat
protection>,with red and blue light of
[recycling indicator light ]flashing
alternatively.When the overheat protection is
triggered,the speedlite will be locked, the
parameter cannot be adjusted and the
speedlite cannot flash.In this case,please
keep the speedlite idle for over 10 minutes
until the speedlite cools down for continual
use.In order not to affect shooting,please try
to use 1/4 output or lower output level when fast shooting is needed.
13. Sound Prompt Function
Through the C.FN20 option of Self-defined setting,you can turn on or off
the sound prompt function.When this function is on,the speedlite will
make different sounds to remind the working mode,for the specific
sound method and meaning,please refer to “Component Description”
chapter.
14. Automatic Setting Saving
The speedlite will save the current settings automatically ,which is
convenient for your next use.
15. Clear Settings
Press the function button 2 and 3 at the same
time for about 2 seconds,apart from the
self-defined function setting,the parameters
such as the trigger mode,flash mode,flash brightness and focal length
will be restored to default setting.
16. Firmware Upgrade
This product supports firmware upgrade,please visit YONGNUO official
website www.hkyongnuo.com to download the latest update software
and firmware to upgrade the speedlite.The upgrading method is as
follows,
(1) Connect with the PC through
USB cord(USB cord is required to
buy separately)
(2) Turn off the speedlite,
press[MODE]until it enters the
upgrade interface.
(3) Enter upgrade software,
upgrade the speedlite according to
the software prompts.
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Basic Function

12
1.Power-on and Power-off
Set the power switch to [ON] position, the
speedlite will turn on and start charging. After
turned on, the [Charging Indicator] will bright
with red light which indicates it can flash.
If the battery is low, and the speedlite cannot
be fully charged in 25s, the <Charging
Indicator> will bright with blue light, the LCD screen shows low-battery
icon, and the speedlite will shut down automatically. At this moment,
please change batteries.
2.Key Lock Function
Slide [Power Switch] to <LOCK> position, the
[ ]and buttons of speedlite will be locked.
This function prevents the selected
parameters from being changed accidentally.
3.Test Flash
When the charging indicator turns red,
pressing [ ] button to test if the flash is
normal or not.
4.ETTL Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as ETTL mode. In ETTL mode, the light
measuring system of the camera can detect
the flash lighting reflected from the subject,
adjust the flash output amount automatically
and makes the subject and the background
expose evenly. YN686EX-RT supports FEC, FEB, high-speed sync,
second-curtain sync, exposure lock, aperture preview, menu access of
Canon camera, etc.
In ETTL mode, the flash intensity can be compensated. The
compensation range is -3EV~+3EV; the accuracy is 1/3EV or 1/2EV.
5.M Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as M mode. In M mode, the flash
intensity can be asjusted according to your
own need. By short presssing functional
button [ ], after <Flash Output> is
highlighted, the flash output power can be
adjusted when you rotate [ ]. Adjustement
range of flash output in M mode is 1/128~1/1.
The output can be divided into 8 grades.
Each grade has maximum 3 grades for find
adjustment. With 1/3EV as adjustment
increment, there are totally 22 grades for fine
adjustment. In shooting, you just need to set flash output, adjust the
camera and press camera shutter, the flash fires when it receives sync
signal from the camera.
6.Multi (Stroboscopic) Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as Multi (stroboscopic) mode. In Multi
mode, the speedlite fires according to the
selected flash output, flash frequency and
number of flashes. The setting method of
flash output is same as setting method in M
mode. The flash output range is
1/128-1/64-1/32-1/16-1/8-1/4. Select number
of flashes through functional button [ ]
and select flash frequency through [ ]
button. Enter into parameter setting status
and rotate [ ] to adjust number of flashes
and flash frequency. The range of number of flashes is 1~100; the range
of flash frequency is 1~100.
SEL/
SET
SEL/
SET
SEL/
SET
SEL/
SET
When the speedlite is in low battery, the charging speed is slow. It possibly
results in flash missing when the speedlite fires with high frequency. In this
situation, please reduce flash frequency and change batteries.
7.ZOOM: Setting Flash Range
Automatically zooming: Short press [
] button, wait for the focal length value
highlighted on the LCD screen and adjust the
coverage range through [ ]. When < >
displays at the left side of <ZOOM> button,
put the speedlite on the camera, the flash
light cup will move back and forth along with the change of the focal
length of the lens to fit different flash coverage range (Defaults to
35mm).
Manually Set the zooming position: Press[ ] button to select
focal length value, and adjust the focal length value with [ ] button.
When < > displays at the left side of [ZOOM] icon, the flash coverage
(24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80, 105，200mm) can be manually adjusted.
8.Camera Menu (Supports newer versions of Canon
cameras only)
For the newer versions of Canon cameras which supports ETTL,you can
operate the flash through the camera menu.On the Flash Control
Menu,you can set relevant parameters of the flash through “External
flash func. Settings” or “External Flash C.Fn settings” ,for
example,ETTL switching mode,M mode,MULTI mode,Gr mode,Wireless
Flash mode,Synchronization method, Exposure bracketing,Exposure
compensation ,zoom and self-defined functions.
9.AF -Assist Beam
When it is difficult to autofocus on the subject
in low-light or low-contrast shooting
environment,the flash will activate the built-in
AF-Assist Beam to help autofocus,the
AF-Assist Beam can be set to be enable or
disable.
10.Modeling Flash
When the camera’ s depth-of-field preview button is pressed,the flash
fires continuously for approx.1 second,this feature is called “Modeling
Flash” .For detailed operation,please refer to the user manual of the
camera.
11. Power Saving Mode
This product is designed with power saving
mode,and the power saving mode can be
achieved by setting self-defined function,for
detailed settings,please refer to subsequent
“Self-defined function setting” chapter.When
the power saving mode is on ,the flash will
keep idle for a while and go to sleep,in sleeping mode,the flash keeps
idle for a while and powers off automatically.
If the flash is in sleeping mode,you can half press the shutter of the
camera or press[]to wake up the flash.
12. Overheat Protection
Sequential flash causes the increase of the internal temperature of the
speedlite,when the temperature reaches to a certain amount,the
overheat warning appears.
If the speedlite is used too frequently,the
overheat protection will be triggered,and the
LCD screen shows the icon of <overheat
protection>,with red and blue light of
[recycling indicator light ]flashing
alternatively.When the overheat protection is
triggered,the speedlite will be locked, the
parameter cannot be adjusted and the
speedlite cannot flash.In this case,please
keep the speedlite idle for over 10 minutes
until the speedlite cools down for continual
use.In order not to affect shooting,please try
to use 1/4 output or lower output level when fast shooting is needed.
13. Sound Prompt Function
Through the C.FN20 option of Self-defined setting,you can turn on or off
the sound prompt function.When this function is on,the speedlite will
make different sounds to remind the working mode,for the specific
sound method and meaning,please refer to “Component Description”
chapter.
14. Automatic Setting Saving
The speedlite will save the current settings automatically ,which is
convenient for your next use.
15. Clear Settings
Press the function button 2 and 3 at the same
time for about 2 seconds,apart from the
self-defined function setting,the parameters
such as the trigger mode,flash mode,flash brightness and focal length
will be restored to default setting.
16. Firmware Upgrade
This product supports firmware upgrade,please visit YONGNUO official
website www.hkyongnuo.com to download the latest update software
and firmware to upgrade the speedlite.The upgrading method is as
follows,
(1) Connect with the PC through
USB cord(USB cord is required to
buy separately)
(2) Turn off the speedlite,
press[MODE]until it enters the
upgrade interface.
(3) Enter upgrade software,
upgrade the speedlite according to
the software prompts.
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.

13
1.Power-on and Power-off
Set the power switch to [ON] position, the
speedlite will turn on and start charging. After
turned on, the [Charging Indicator] will bright
with red light which indicates it can flash.
If the battery is low, and the speedlite cannot
be fully charged in 25s, the <Charging
Indicator> will bright with blue light, the LCD screen shows low-battery
icon, and the speedlite will shut down automatically. At this moment,
please change batteries.
2.Key Lock Function
Slide [Power Switch] to <LOCK> position, the
[ ]and buttons of speedlite will be locked.
This function prevents the selected
parameters from being changed accidentally.
3.Test Flash
When the charging indicator turns red,
pressing [ ] button to test if the flash is
normal or not.
4.ETTL Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as ETTL mode. In ETTL mode, the light
measuring system of the camera can detect
the flash lighting reflected from the subject,
adjust the flash output amount automatically
and makes the subject and the background
expose evenly. YN686EX-RT supports FEC, FEB, high-speed sync,
second-curtain sync, exposure lock, aperture preview, menu access of
Canon camera, etc.
In ETTL mode, the flash intensity can be compensated. The
compensation range is -3EV~+3EV; the accuracy is 1/3EV or 1/2EV.
5.M Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as M mode. In M mode, the flash
intensity can be asjusted according to your
own need. By short presssing functional
button [ ], after <Flash Output> is
highlighted, the flash output power can be
adjusted when you rotate [ ]. Adjustement
range of flash output in M mode is 1/128~1/1.
The output can be divided into 8 grades.
Each grade has maximum 3 grades for find
adjustment. With 1/3EV as adjustment
increment, there are totally 22 grades for fine
adjustment. In shooting, you just need to set flash output, adjust the
camera and press camera shutter, the flash fires when it receives sync
signal from the camera.
6.Multi (Stroboscopic) Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as Multi (stroboscopic) mode. In Multi
mode, the speedlite fires according to the
selected flash output, flash frequency and
number of flashes. The setting method of
flash output is same as setting method in M
mode. The flash output range is
1/128-1/64-1/32-1/16-1/8-1/4. Select number
of flashes through functional button [ ]
and select flash frequency through [ ]
button. Enter into parameter setting status
and rotate [ ] to adjust number of flashes
and flash frequency. The range of number of flashes is 1~100; the range
of flash frequency is 1~100.
When using wide-angle diffuser, the flash coverage will be extended to 14mm
and the focal length will be locked.
7.ZOOM: Setting Flash Range
Automatically zooming: Short press [
] button, wait for the focal length value
highlighted on the LCD screen and adjust the
coverage range through [ ]. When < >
displays at the left side of <ZOOM> button,
put the speedlite on the camera, the flash
light cup will move back and forth along with the change of the focal
length of the lens to fit different flash coverage range (Defaults to
35mm).
Manually Set the zooming position: Press[ ] button to select
focal length value, and adjust the focal length value with [ ] button.
When < > displays at the left side of [ZOOM] icon, the flash coverage
(24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80, 105，200mm) can be manually adjusted.
SEL/
SET
8.Camera Menu (Supports newer versions of Canon
cameras only)
For the newer versions of Canon cameras which supports ETTL,you can
operate the flash through the camera menu.On the Flash Control
Menu,you can set relevant parameters of the flash through “External
flash func. Settings” or “External Flash C.Fn settings” ,for
example,ETTL switching mode,M mode,MULTI mode,Gr mode,Wireless
Flash mode,Synchronization method, Exposure bracketing,Exposure
compensation ,zoom and self-defined functions.
Example of EOS 1DX screen Example of EOS 60D screen
9.AF -Assist Beam
When it is difficult to autofocus on the subject
in low-light or low-contrast shooting
environment,the flash will activate the built-in
AF-Assist Beam to help autofocus,the
AF-Assist Beam can be set to be enable or
disable.
10.Modeling Flash
When the camera’ s depth-of-field preview button is pressed,the flash
fires continuously for approx.1 second,this feature is called “Modeling
Flash” .For detailed operation,please refer to the user manual of the
camera.
11. Power Saving Mode
This product is designed with power saving
mode,and the power saving mode can be
achieved by setting self-defined function,for
detailed settings,please refer to subsequent
“Self-defined function setting” chapter.When
the power saving mode is on ,the flash will
keep idle for a while and go to sleep,in sleeping mode,the flash keeps
idle for a while and powers off automatically.
If the flash is in sleeping mode,you can half press the shutter of the
camera or press[]to wake up the flash.
12. Overheat Protection
Sequential flash causes the increase of the internal temperature of the
speedlite,when the temperature reaches to a certain amount,the
overheat warning appears.
If the speedlite is used too frequently,the
overheat protection will be triggered,and the
LCD screen shows the icon of <overheat
protection>,with red and blue light of
[recycling indicator light ]flashing
alternatively.When the overheat protection is
triggered,the speedlite will be locked, the
parameter cannot be adjusted and the
speedlite cannot flash.In this case,please
keep the speedlite idle for over 10 minutes
until the speedlite cools down for continual
use.In order not to affect shooting,please try
to use 1/4 output or lower output level when fast shooting is needed.
13. Sound Prompt Function
Through the C.FN20 option of Self-defined setting,you can turn on or off
the sound prompt function.When this function is on,the speedlite will
make different sounds to remind the working mode,for the specific
sound method and meaning,please refer to “Component Description”
chapter.
14. Automatic Setting Saving
The speedlite will save the current settings automatically ,which is
convenient for your next use.
15. Clear Settings
Press the function button 2 and 3 at the same
time for about 2 seconds,apart from the
self-defined function setting,the parameters
such as the trigger mode,flash mode,flash brightness and focal length
will be restored to default setting.
16. Firmware Upgrade
This product supports firmware upgrade,please visit YONGNUO official
website www.hkyongnuo.com to download the latest update software
and firmware to upgrade the speedlite.The upgrading method is as
follows,
(1) Connect with the PC through
USB cord(USB cord is required to
buy separately)
(2) Turn off the speedlite,
press[MODE]until it enters the
upgrade interface.
(3) Enter upgrade software,
upgrade the speedlite according to
the software prompts.
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Basic Function

14
1.Power-on and Power-off
Set the power switch to [ON] position, the
speedlite will turn on and start charging. After
turned on, the [Charging Indicator] will bright
with red light which indicates it can flash.
If the battery is low, and the speedlite cannot
be fully charged in 25s, the <Charging
Indicator> will bright with blue light, the LCD screen shows low-battery
icon, and the speedlite will shut down automatically. At this moment,
please change batteries.
2.Key Lock Function
Slide [Power Switch] to <LOCK> position, the
[ ]and buttons of speedlite will be locked.
This function prevents the selected
parameters from being changed accidentally.
3.Test Flash
When the charging indicator turns red,
pressing [ ] button to test if the flash is
normal or not.
4.ETTL Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as ETTL mode. In ETTL mode, the light
measuring system of the camera can detect
the flash lighting reflected from the subject,
adjust the flash output amount automatically
and makes the subject and the background
expose evenly. YN686EX-RT supports FEC, FEB, high-speed sync,
second-curtain sync, exposure lock, aperture preview, menu access of
Canon camera, etc.
In ETTL mode, the flash intensity can be compensated. The
compensation range is -3EV~+3EV; the accuracy is 1/3EV or 1/2EV.
5.M Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as M mode. In M mode, the flash
intensity can be asjusted according to your
own need. By short presssing functional
button [ ], after <Flash Output> is
highlighted, the flash output power can be
adjusted when you rotate [ ]. Adjustement
range of flash output in M mode is 1/128~1/1.
The output can be divided into 8 grades.
Each grade has maximum 3 grades for find
adjustment. With 1/3EV as adjustment
increment, there are totally 22 grades for fine
adjustment. In shooting, you just need to set flash output, adjust the
camera and press camera shutter, the flash fires when it receives sync
signal from the camera.
6.Multi (Stroboscopic) Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as Multi (stroboscopic) mode. In Multi
mode, the speedlite fires according to the
selected flash output, flash frequency and
number of flashes. The setting method of
flash output is same as setting method in M
mode. The flash output range is
1/128-1/64-1/32-1/16-1/8-1/4. Select number
of flashes through functional button [ ]
and select flash frequency through [ ]
button. Enter into parameter setting status
and rotate [ ] to adjust number of flashes
and flash frequency. The range of number of flashes is 1~100; the range
of flash frequency is 1~100.
When using this function,the focus mode of the camera should be set to
one-shot AF（one shot）,otherwise the assist beam might not work.
Please try to keep the times of continuous modeling flash within 10 in case of
the excess temperature or burn out of the flash.
7.ZOOM: Setting Flash Range
Automatically zooming: Short press [
] button, wait for the focal length value
highlighted on the LCD screen and adjust the
coverage range through [ ]. When < >
displays at the left side of <ZOOM> button,
put the speedlite on the camera, the flash
light cup will move back and forth along with the change of the focal
length of the lens to fit different flash coverage range (Defaults to
35mm).
Manually Set the zooming position: Press[ ] button to select
focal length value, and adjust the focal length value with [ ] button.
When < > displays at the left side of [ZOOM] icon, the flash coverage
(24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80, 105，200mm) can be manually adjusted.
8.Camera Menu (Supports newer versions of Canon
cameras only)
For the newer versions of Canon cameras which supports ETTL,you can
operate the flash through the camera menu.On the Flash Control
Menu,you can set relevant parameters of the flash through “External
flash func. Settings” or “External Flash C.Fn settings” ,for
example,ETTL switching mode,M mode,MULTI mode,Gr mode,Wireless
Flash mode,Synchronization method, Exposure bracketing,Exposure
compensation ,zoom and self-defined functions.
9.AF -Assist Beam
When it is difficult to autofocus on the subject
in low-light or low-contrast shooting
environment,the flash will activate the built-in
AF-Assist Beam to help autofocus,the
AF-Assist Beam can be set to be enable or
disable.
10.Modeling Flash
When the camera’ s depth-of-field preview button is pressed,the flash
fires continuously for approx.1 second,this feature is called “Modeling
Flash” .For detailed operation,please refer to the user manual of the
camera.
11. Power Saving Mode
This product is designed with power saving
mode,and the power saving mode can be
achieved by setting self-defined function,for
detailed settings,please refer to subsequent
“Self-defined function setting” chapter.When
the power saving mode is on ,the flash will
keep idle for a while and go to sleep,in sleeping mode,the flash keeps
idle for a while and powers off automatically.
If the flash is in sleeping mode,you can half press the shutter of the
camera or press[]to wake up the flash.
12. Overheat Protection
Sequential flash causes the increase of the internal temperature of the
speedlite,when the temperature reaches to a certain amount,the
overheat warning appears.
If the speedlite is used too frequently,the
overheat protection will be triggered,and the
LCD screen shows the icon of <overheat
protection>,with red and blue light of
[recycling indicator light ]flashing
alternatively.When the overheat protection is
triggered,the speedlite will be locked, the
parameter cannot be adjusted and the
speedlite cannot flash.In this case,please
keep the speedlite idle for over 10 minutes
until the speedlite cools down for continual
use.In order not to affect shooting,please try
to use 1/4 output or lower output level when fast shooting is needed.
13. Sound Prompt Function
Through the C.FN20 option of Self-defined setting,you can turn on or off
the sound prompt function.When this function is on,the speedlite will
make different sounds to remind the working mode,for the specific
sound method and meaning,please refer to “Component Description”
chapter.
14. Automatic Setting Saving
The speedlite will save the current settings automatically ,which is
convenient for your next use.
15. Clear Settings
Press the function button 2 and 3 at the same
time for about 2 seconds,apart from the
self-defined function setting,the parameters
such as the trigger mode,flash mode,flash brightness and focal length
will be restored to default setting.
16. Firmware Upgrade
This product supports firmware upgrade,please visit YONGNUO official
website www.hkyongnuo.com to download the latest update software
and firmware to upgrade the speedlite.The upgrading method is as
follows,
(1) Connect with the PC through
USB cord(USB cord is required to
buy separately)
(2) Turn off the speedlite,
press[MODE]until it enters the
upgrade interface.
(3) Enter upgrade software,
upgrade the speedlite according to
the software prompts.
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Basic Function

15
1.Power-on and Power-off
Set the power switch to [ON] position, the
speedlite will turn on and start charging. After
turned on, the [Charging Indicator] will bright
with red light which indicates it can flash.
If the battery is low, and the speedlite cannot
be fully charged in 25s, the <Charging
Indicator> will bright with blue light, the LCD screen shows low-battery
icon, and the speedlite will shut down automatically. At this moment,
please change batteries.
2.Key Lock Function
Slide [Power Switch] to <LOCK> position, the
[ ]and buttons of speedlite will be locked.
This function prevents the selected
parameters from being changed accidentally.
3.Test Flash
When the charging indicator turns red,
pressing [ ] button to test if the flash is
normal or not.
4.ETTL Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as ETTL mode. In ETTL mode, the light
measuring system of the camera can detect
the flash lighting reflected from the subject,
adjust the flash output amount automatically
and makes the subject and the background
expose evenly. YN686EX-RT supports FEC, FEB, high-speed sync,
second-curtain sync, exposure lock, aperture preview, menu access of
Canon camera, etc.
In ETTL mode, the flash intensity can be compensated. The
compensation range is -3EV~+3EV; the accuracy is 1/3EV or 1/2EV.
5.M Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as M mode. In M mode, the flash
intensity can be asjusted according to your
own need. By short presssing functional
button [ ], after <Flash Output> is
highlighted, the flash output power can be
adjusted when you rotate [ ]. Adjustement
range of flash output in M mode is 1/128~1/1.
The output can be divided into 8 grades.
Each grade has maximum 3 grades for find
adjustment. With 1/3EV as adjustment
increment, there are totally 22 grades for fine
adjustment. In shooting, you just need to set flash output, adjust the
camera and press camera shutter, the flash fires when it receives sync
signal from the camera.
6.Multi (Stroboscopic) Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as Multi (stroboscopic) mode. In Multi
mode, the speedlite fires according to the
selected flash output, flash frequency and
number of flashes. The setting method of
flash output is same as setting method in M
mode. The flash output range is
1/128-1/64-1/32-1/16-1/8-1/4. Select number
of flashes through functional button [ ]
and select flash frequency through [ ]
button. Enter into parameter setting status
and rotate [ ] to adjust number of flashes
and flash frequency. The range of number of flashes is 1~100; the range
of flash frequency is 1~100.
When the overheat warning appears,the recycling time may be increased.
When the overheat warning appears,please lower flash rate or output level
appropriately.
When you take out the batteries after sequential flash,please be careful that
the batteries are very hot.
7.ZOOM: Setting Flash Range
Automatically zooming: Short press [
] button, wait for the focal length value
highlighted on the LCD screen and adjust the
coverage range through [ ]. When < >
displays at the left side of <ZOOM> button,
put the speedlite on the camera, the flash
light cup will move back and forth along with the change of the focal
length of the lens to fit different flash coverage range (Defaults to
35mm).
Manually Set the zooming position: Press[ ] button to select
focal length value, and adjust the focal length value with [ ] button.
When < > displays at the left side of [ZOOM] icon, the flash coverage
(24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80, 105，200mm) can be manually adjusted.
8.Camera Menu (Supports newer versions of Canon
cameras only)
For the newer versions of Canon cameras which supports ETTL,you can
operate the flash through the camera menu.On the Flash Control
Menu,you can set relevant parameters of the flash through “External
flash func. Settings” or “External Flash C.Fn settings” ,for
example,ETTL switching mode,M mode,MULTI mode,Gr mode,Wireless
Flash mode,Synchronization method, Exposure bracketing,Exposure
compensation ,zoom and self-defined functions.
9.AF -Assist Beam
When it is difficult to autofocus on the subject
in low-light or low-contrast shooting
environment,the flash will activate the built-in
AF-Assist Beam to help autofocus,the
AF-Assist Beam can be set to be enable or
disable.
10.Modeling Flash
When the camera’ s depth-of-field preview button is pressed,the flash
fires continuously for approx.1 second,this feature is called “Modeling
Flash” .For detailed operation,please refer to the user manual of the
camera.
11. Power Saving Mode
This product is designed with power saving
mode,and the power saving mode can be
achieved by setting self-defined function,for
detailed settings,please refer to subsequent
“Self-defined function setting” chapter.When
the power saving mode is on ,the flash will
keep idle for a while and go to sleep,in sleeping mode,the flash keeps
idle for a while and powers off automatically.
If the flash is in sleeping mode,you can half press the shutter of the
camera or press[]to wake up the flash.
12. Overheat Protection
Sequential flash causes the increase of the internal temperature of the
speedlite,when the temperature reaches to a certain amount,the
overheat warning appears.
If the speedlite is used too frequently,the
overheat protection will be triggered,and the
LCD screen shows the icon of <overheat
protection>,with red and blue light of
[recycling indicator light ]flashing
alternatively.When the overheat protection is
triggered,the speedlite will be locked, the
parameter cannot be adjusted and the
speedlite cannot flash.In this case,please
keep the speedlite idle for over 10 minutes
until the speedlite cools down for continual
use.In order not to affect shooting,please try
to use 1/4 output or lower output level when fast shooting is needed.
Overheat protection
13. Sound Prompt Function
Through the C.FN20 option of Self-defined setting,you can turn on or off
the sound prompt function.When this function is on,the speedlite will
make different sounds to remind the working mode,for the specific
sound method and meaning,please refer to “Component Description”
chapter.
14. Automatic Setting Saving
The speedlite will save the current settings automatically ,which is
convenient for your next use.
15. Clear Settings
Press the function button 2 and 3 at the same
time for about 2 seconds,apart from the
self-defined function setting,the parameters
SEL/
SET
such as the trigger mode,flash mode,flash brightness and focal length
will be restored to default setting.
16. Firmware Upgrade
This product supports firmware upgrade,please visit YONGNUO official
website www.hkyongnuo.com to download the latest update software
and firmware to upgrade the speedlite.The upgrading method is as
follows,
(1) Connect with the PC through
USB cord(USB cord is required to
buy separately)
(2) Turn off the speedlite,
press[MODE]until it enters the
upgrade interface.
(3) Enter upgrade software,
upgrade the speedlite according to
the software prompts.
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Overheat warning
Basic Function

16
1.Power-on and Power-off
Set the power switch to [ON] position, the
speedlite will turn on and start charging. After
turned on, the [Charging Indicator] will bright
with red light which indicates it can flash.
If the battery is low, and the speedlite cannot
be fully charged in 25s, the <Charging
Indicator> will bright with blue light, the LCD screen shows low-battery
icon, and the speedlite will shut down automatically. At this moment,
please change batteries.
2.Key Lock Function
Slide [Power Switch] to <LOCK> position, the
[ ]and buttons of speedlite will be locked.
This function prevents the selected
parameters from being changed accidentally.
3.Test Flash
When the charging indicator turns red,
pressing [ ] button to test if the flash is
normal or not.
4.ETTL Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as ETTL mode. In ETTL mode, the light
measuring system of the camera can detect
the flash lighting reflected from the subject,
adjust the flash output amount automatically
and makes the subject and the background
expose evenly. YN686EX-RT supports FEC, FEB, high-speed sync,
second-curtain sync, exposure lock, aperture preview, menu access of
Canon camera, etc.
In ETTL mode, the flash intensity can be compensated. The
compensation range is -3EV~+3EV; the accuracy is 1/3EV or 1/2EV.
5.M Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as M mode. In M mode, the flash
intensity can be asjusted according to your
own need. By short presssing functional
button [ ], after <Flash Output> is
highlighted, the flash output power can be
adjusted when you rotate [ ]. Adjustement
range of flash output in M mode is 1/128~1/1.
The output can be divided into 8 grades.
Each grade has maximum 3 grades for find
adjustment. With 1/3EV as adjustment
increment, there are totally 22 grades for fine
adjustment. In shooting, you just need to set flash output, adjust the
camera and press camera shutter, the flash fires when it receives sync
signal from the camera.
6.Multi (Stroboscopic) Mode
Short press [MODE] button to set the flash
mode as Multi (stroboscopic) mode. In Multi
mode, the speedlite fires according to the
selected flash output, flash frequency and
number of flashes. The setting method of
flash output is same as setting method in M
mode. The flash output range is
1/128-1/64-1/32-1/16-1/8-1/4. Select number
of flashes through functional button [ ]
and select flash frequency through [ ]
button. Enter into parameter setting status
and rotate [ ] to adjust number of flashes
and flash frequency. The range of number of flashes is 1~100; the range
of flash frequency is 1~100.
7.ZOOM: Setting Flash Range
Automatically zooming: Short press [
] button, wait for the focal length value
highlighted on the LCD screen and adjust the
coverage range through [ ]. When < >
displays at the left side of <ZOOM> button,
put the speedlite on the camera, the flash
light cup will move back and forth along with the change of the focal
length of the lens to fit different flash coverage range (Defaults to
35mm).
Manually Set the zooming position: Press[ ] button to select
focal length value, and adjust the focal length value with [ ] button.
When < > displays at the left side of [ZOOM] icon, the flash coverage
(24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 80, 105，200mm) can be manually adjusted.
8.Camera Menu (Supports newer versions of Canon
cameras only)
For the newer versions of Canon cameras which supports ETTL,you can
operate the flash through the camera menu.On the Flash Control
Menu,you can set relevant parameters of the flash through “External
flash func. Settings” or “External Flash C.Fn settings” ,for
example,ETTL switching mode,M mode,MULTI mode,Gr mode,Wireless
Flash mode,Synchronization method, Exposure bracketing,Exposure
compensation ,zoom and self-defined functions.
9.AF -Assist Beam
When it is difficult to autofocus on the subject
in low-light or low-contrast shooting
environment,the flash will activate the built-in
AF-Assist Beam to help autofocus,the
AF-Assist Beam can be set to be enable or
disable.
10.Modeling Flash
When the camera’ s depth-of-field preview button is pressed,the flash
fires continuously for approx.1 second,this feature is called “Modeling
Flash” .For detailed operation,please refer to the user manual of the
camera.
11. Power Saving Mode
This product is designed with power saving
mode,and the power saving mode can be
achieved by setting self-defined function,for
detailed settings,please refer to subsequent
“Self-defined function setting” chapter.When
the power saving mode is on ,the flash will
keep idle for a while and go to sleep,in sleeping mode,the flash keeps
idle for a while and powers off automatically.
If the flash is in sleeping mode,you can half press the shutter of the
camera or press[]to wake up the flash.
12. Overheat Protection
Sequential flash causes the increase of the internal temperature of the
speedlite,when the temperature reaches to a certain amount,the
overheat warning appears.
If the speedlite is used too frequently,the
overheat protection will be triggered,and the
LCD screen shows the icon of <overheat
protection>,with red and blue light of
[recycling indicator light ]flashing
alternatively.When the overheat protection is
triggered,the speedlite will be locked, the
parameter cannot be adjusted and the
speedlite cannot flash.In this case,please
keep the speedlite idle for over 10 minutes
until the speedlite cools down for continual
use.In order not to affect shooting,please try
to use 1/4 output or lower output level when fast shooting is needed.
13. Sound Prompt Function
Through the C.FN20 option of Self-defined setting,you can turn on or off
the sound prompt function.When this function is on,the speedlite will
make different sounds to remind the working mode,for the specific
sound method and meaning,please refer to “Component Description”
chapter.
14. Automatic Setting Saving
The speedlite will save the current settings automatically ,which is
convenient for your next use.
15. Clear Settings
Press the function button 2 and 3 at the same
time for about 2 seconds,apart from the
self-defined function setting,the parameters
such as the trigger mode,flash mode,flash brightness and focal length
will be restored to default setting.
16. Firmware Upgrade
This product supports firmware upgrade,please visit YONGNUO official
website www.hkyongnuo.com to download the latest update software
and firmware to upgrade the speedlite.The upgrading method is as
follows,
(1) Connect with the PC through
USB cord(USB cord is required to
buy separately)
(2) Turn off the speedlite,
press[MODE]until it enters the
upgrade interface.
(3) Enter upgrade software,
upgrade the speedlite according to
the software prompts.
SEL/
SET
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Basic Function

17
When this product is used as slave unit,the synchronization method should be
set through the master control unit.
1.High-speed Sync Flash
With high-speed sync flash(FP flash),the
speedlite can be synchronized with all shutter
speeds,the maximum shutter sync speed is
up to 1/8000s.High-speed synchronization
makes it very convenient for you to shoot in
aperture-priority to fill flash for portrait.Short
press[]to turn on or off high-speed synchronization
function,when the function is on,the high-speed sync icon will be
displayed on the LCD screen.
SEL/
SET
2.Second-curtain Sync
With Second-curtain Syn,the speedlite
flashes at the moment that the shutter is
closing.Using slow shutter speed and
second-curtain sync captures the trail of light
source of the subject.The second-curtain
sync function needs to be supported by the
camera itself,for the setting method,please refer to the user manual of
the camera.In the case that your camera supports this function,you can
press[]on the control panel to turn on or off second-curtain sync
When the second-curtain sync is on,the LCD screen shows the icon of
second-curtain sync.
3.Remote Wireless Flash
YN686EX-RT supports remote
wireless flash:The effective trigger
distance of shooting with 2.4GHz radio
flash is up to 100 meters;In shooting
with optical transmission wireless
flash,the longest distance is 25 meters
for indoors,15 meters for outdoors.
SEL/
SET
4.Flash Exposure Compensation
In order to make the shooting effect more
satisfactory,you can set the flash exposure
compensation on the camera menu or on the
flash.The settable range of the flash exposure
compensation is -3EV ～+3EV，the
increment of exposure compensation level is
1/3EV or 1/2EV (the increment of exposure compensation should bet set
through the camera).Short press the function button[ ]of the flash
to enter setting of exposure compensation,rotate[]to adjust
exposure compensation amount,press[SET]to save setting.
5.Flash Exposure Bracketing
You can set the exposure bracketing on the
speedlite or on the camera.When the
exposure bracketing is set,for every 3
photos,a certain amount of positive or
negative compensation will be made
automatically,and exposed in the sequence of
,for example, “normal→under→over” .This function will increase the
success rate of your photography.The setting method on speedlite:short
press [ ],rotate [ ]to adjust exposure compensation
value,then press[SET]to save setting.
6.FE lock (Canon)
With FE lock,you should lock the center of camera’ s viewfinder at the
subject,press the flash exposure lock button [*] of the flash,the
speedlite will fire a preflash and the camera will calculate the suitable
output level,at this time you have some time to recompose,after that,
just press shutter to shoot.(This function can be used only when it is
supported by the camera itself,for the setting,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
7.FV Lock (Nikon)
With FE lock,you should set the “AE-L/AF-L” on the camera to “Fv
Lock” first.At this time,you can use the viewfinder of the camera to focus
on the subject,then press [AE-L/AF-L]button on the camera,the
speedlite will fire a preflash to obtain flash exposure reading for the
subject,when you confirm the scene framework of your shooting,press
the shutter.(This function can be used only when it is supported by the
camera itself,for the setting of “AE-L/AF-L” ,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
8.High-speed Burst Shooting
This product supports high-speed burst shooting,please set burst
shooting mode on the camera before shooting.
ceiling should be flat and white ,which helps to get efficient reflection,if
the reflecting surface is not white,color cast may appear on the photo.
10.Use reflection board for shooting
Using reflection board for flash,pull out
reflection board and wide panel at the same
time from the flash head and push back the
wide panel.If you take photo as this time, a
highlight will be produced in the person’ s
eyes,which makes the eyes more charming
(catchlight).It is most effective when you
position the flash head toward the front and 90°up.
11.Use Wide-angle diffuser panel
Pull out the wide-angle diffuser panel ,push back
the reflection board ,and place them according
to the picture,the flash range will be increased
and the flash effect will be softer and more
natural.
9.Reflection Flash
Refection flash means using flash head
aiming at the wall or ceiling,illuminate the
subject with the help of reflected light for
shooting.(commonly known as “bounce flash”，
which can decrease the shade behind the
subject for more natural shooting effect.
If the wall or ceiling is out of distance,the
bounce flash may be too weak to get enough exposure.The wall or
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
IndoorOutdoor
Advanced Applications

18
In shooting with optical transmission wireless flash,when the flash is in Sc/Sn
trigger mode,the flash mode and output of the slave unit is fully controlled by
the master control unit.
When the exposure compensation are set on flash,camera and flash trigger all
at once ,the value of compensation will be added.
When using FEB,it is recommended to set the camera’ s drive mode to “single
shooting” ,and please make sure the speedlite has been recharged before
shooting with FEB.
1.High-speed Sync Flash
With high-speed sync flash(FP flash),the
speedlite can be synchronized with all shutter
speeds,the maximum shutter sync speed is
up to 1/8000s.High-speed synchronization
makes it very convenient for you to shoot in
aperture-priority to fill flash for portrait.Short
press[]to turn on or off high-speed synchronization
function,when the function is on,the high-speed sync icon will be
displayed on the LCD screen.
2.Second-curtain Sync
With Second-curtain Syn,the speedlite
flashes at the moment that the shutter is
closing.Using slow shutter speed and
second-curtain sync captures the trail of light
source of the subject.The second-curtain
sync function needs to be supported by the
camera itself,for the setting method,please refer to the user manual of
the camera.In the case that your camera supports this function,you can
press[]on the control panel to turn on or off second-curtain sync
When the second-curtain sync is on,the LCD screen shows the icon of
second-curtain sync.
3.Remote Wireless Flash
YN686EX-RT supports remote
wireless flash:The effective trigger
distance of shooting with 2.4GHz radio
flash is up to 100 meters;In shooting
with optical transmission wireless
flash,the longest distance is 25 meters
for indoors,15 meters for outdoors.
4.Flash Exposure Compensation
In order to make the shooting effect more
satisfactory,you can set the flash exposure
compensation on the camera menu or on the
flash.The settable range of the flash exposure
compensation is -3EV ～+3EV，the
increment of exposure compensation level is
1/3EV or 1/2EV (the increment of exposure compensation should bet set
through the camera).Short press the function button[ ]of the flash
to enter setting of exposure compensation,rotate[]to adjust
exposure compensation amount,press[SET]to save setting.
SEL/
SET
5.Flash Exposure Bracketing
You can set the exposure bracketing on the
speedlite or on the camera.When the
exposure bracketing is set,for every 3
photos,a certain amount of positive or
negative compensation will be made
automatically,and exposed in the sequence of
,for example, “normal→under→over” .This function will increase the
success rate of your photography.The setting method on speedlite:short
press [ ],rotate [ ]to adjust exposure compensation
value,then press[SET]to save setting.
SEL/
SET
6.FE lock (Canon)
With FE lock,you should lock the center of camera’ s viewfinder at the
subject,press the flash exposure lock button [*] of the flash,the
speedlite will fire a preflash and the camera will calculate the suitable
output level,at this time you have some time to recompose,after that,
just press shutter to shoot.(This function can be used only when it is
supported by the camera itself,for the setting,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
7.FV Lock (Nikon)
With FE lock,you should set the “AE-L/AF-L” on the camera to “Fv
Lock” first.At this time,you can use the viewfinder of the camera to focus
on the subject,then press [AE-L/AF-L]button on the camera,the
speedlite will fire a preflash to obtain flash exposure reading for the
subject,when you confirm the scene framework of your shooting,press
the shutter.(This function can be used only when it is supported by the
camera itself,for the setting of “AE-L/AF-L” ,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
8.High-speed Burst Shooting
This product supports high-speed burst shooting,please set burst
shooting mode on the camera before shooting.
ceiling should be flat and white ,which helps to get efficient reflection,if
the reflecting surface is not white,color cast may appear on the photo.
10.Use reflection board for shooting
Using reflection board for flash,pull out
reflection board and wide panel at the same
time from the flash head and push back the
wide panel.If you take photo as this time, a
highlight will be produced in the person’ s
eyes,which makes the eyes more charming
(catchlight).It is most effective when you
position the flash head toward the front and 90°up.
11.Use Wide-angle diffuser panel
Pull out the wide-angle diffuser panel ,push back
the reflection board ,and place them according
to the picture,the flash range will be increased
and the flash effect will be softer and more
natural.
9.Reflection Flash
Refection flash means using flash head
aiming at the wall or ceiling,illuminate the
subject with the help of reflected light for
shooting.(commonly known as “bounce flash”，
which can decrease the shade behind the
subject for more natural shooting effect.
If the wall or ceiling is out of distance,the
bounce flash may be too weak to get enough exposure.The wall or
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Advanced Applications

19
The quantity of photos of burst shooting depends on the flash output
setting,please use the batteries with sufficient electricity.
1.High-speed Sync Flash
With high-speed sync flash(FP flash),the
speedlite can be synchronized with all shutter
speeds,the maximum shutter sync speed is
up to 1/8000s.High-speed synchronization
makes it very convenient for you to shoot in
aperture-priority to fill flash for portrait.Short
press[]to turn on or off high-speed synchronization
function,when the function is on,the high-speed sync icon will be
displayed on the LCD screen.
2.Second-curtain Sync
With Second-curtain Syn,the speedlite
flashes at the moment that the shutter is
closing.Using slow shutter speed and
second-curtain sync captures the trail of light
source of the subject.The second-curtain
sync function needs to be supported by the
camera itself,for the setting method,please refer to the user manual of
the camera.In the case that your camera supports this function,you can
press[]on the control panel to turn on or off second-curtain sync
When the second-curtain sync is on,the LCD screen shows the icon of
second-curtain sync.
3.Remote Wireless Flash
YN686EX-RT supports remote
wireless flash:The effective trigger
distance of shooting with 2.4GHz radio
flash is up to 100 meters;In shooting
with optical transmission wireless
flash,the longest distance is 25 meters
for indoors,15 meters for outdoors.
4.Flash Exposure Compensation
In order to make the shooting effect more
satisfactory,you can set the flash exposure
compensation on the camera menu or on the
flash.The settable range of the flash exposure
compensation is -3EV ～+3EV，the
increment of exposure compensation level is
1/3EV or 1/2EV (the increment of exposure compensation should bet set
through the camera).Short press the function button[ ]of the flash
to enter setting of exposure compensation,rotate[]to adjust
exposure compensation amount,press[SET]to save setting.
5.Flash Exposure Bracketing
You can set the exposure bracketing on the
speedlite or on the camera.When the
exposure bracketing is set,for every 3
photos,a certain amount of positive or
negative compensation will be made
automatically,and exposed in the sequence of
,for example, “normal→under→over” .This function will increase the
success rate of your photography.The setting method on speedlite:short
press [ ],rotate [ ]to adjust exposure compensation
value,then press[SET]to save setting.
6.FE lock (Canon)
With FE lock,you should lock the center of camera’ s viewfinder at the
subject,press the flash exposure lock button [*] of the flash,the
speedlite will fire a preflash and the camera will calculate the suitable
output level,at this time you have some time to recompose,after that,
just press shutter to shoot.(This function can be used only when it is
supported by the camera itself,for the setting,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
7.FV Lock (Nikon)
With FE lock,you should set the “AE-L/AF-L” on the camera to “Fv
Lock” first.At this time,you can use the viewfinder of the camera to focus
on the subject,then press [AE-L/AF-L]button on the camera,the
speedlite will fire a preflash to obtain flash exposure reading for the
subject,when you confirm the scene framework of your shooting,press
the shutter.(This function can be used only when it is supported by the
camera itself,for the setting of “AE-L/AF-L” ,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
8.High-speed Burst Shooting
This product supports high-speed burst shooting,please set burst
shooting mode on the camera before shooting.
ceiling should be flat and white ,which helps to get efficient reflection,if
the reflecting surface is not white,color cast may appear on the photo.
10.Use reflection board for shooting
Using reflection board for flash,pull out
reflection board and wide panel at the same
time from the flash head and push back the
wide panel.If you take photo as this time, a
highlight will be produced in the person’ s
eyes,which makes the eyes more charming
(catchlight).It is most effective when you
position the flash head toward the front and 90°up.
11.Use Wide-angle diffuser panel
Pull out the wide-angle diffuser panel ,push back
the reflection board ,and place them according
to the picture,the flash range will be increased
and the flash effect will be softer and more
natural.
9.Reflection Flash
Refection flash means using flash head
aiming at the wall or ceiling,illuminate the
subject with the help of reflected light for
shooting.(commonly known as “bounce flash”，
which can decrease the shade behind the
subject for more natural shooting effect.
If the wall or ceiling is out of distance,the
bounce flash may be too weak to get enough exposure.The wall or
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Advanced Applications

20
Using the wide-angle diffuser panel,the flash range will be increased and be
locked at 14mm.
1.High-speed Sync Flash
With high-speed sync flash(FP flash),the
speedlite can be synchronized with all shutter
speeds,the maximum shutter sync speed is
up to 1/8000s.High-speed synchronization
makes it very convenient for you to shoot in
aperture-priority to fill flash for portrait.Short
press[]to turn on or off high-speed synchronization
function,when the function is on,the high-speed sync icon will be
displayed on the LCD screen.
2.Second-curtain Sync
With Second-curtain Syn,the speedlite
flashes at the moment that the shutter is
closing.Using slow shutter speed and
second-curtain sync captures the trail of light
source of the subject.The second-curtain
sync function needs to be supported by the
camera itself,for the setting method,please refer to the user manual of
the camera.In the case that your camera supports this function,you can
press[]on the control panel to turn on or off second-curtain sync
When the second-curtain sync is on,the LCD screen shows the icon of
second-curtain sync.
3.Remote Wireless Flash
YN686EX-RT supports remote
wireless flash:The effective trigger
distance of shooting with 2.4GHz radio
flash is up to 100 meters;In shooting
with optical transmission wireless
flash,the longest distance is 25 meters
for indoors,15 meters for outdoors.
4.Flash Exposure Compensation
In order to make the shooting effect more
satisfactory,you can set the flash exposure
compensation on the camera menu or on the
flash.The settable range of the flash exposure
compensation is -3EV ～+3EV，the
increment of exposure compensation level is
1/3EV or 1/2EV (the increment of exposure compensation should bet set
through the camera).Short press the function button[ ]of the flash
to enter setting of exposure compensation,rotate[]to adjust
exposure compensation amount,press[SET]to save setting.
5.Flash Exposure Bracketing
You can set the exposure bracketing on the
speedlite or on the camera.When the
exposure bracketing is set,for every 3
photos,a certain amount of positive or
negative compensation will be made
automatically,and exposed in the sequence of
,for example, “normal→under→over” .This function will increase the
success rate of your photography.The setting method on speedlite:short
press [ ],rotate [ ]to adjust exposure compensation
value,then press[SET]to save setting.
6.FE lock (Canon)
With FE lock,you should lock the center of camera’ s viewfinder at the
subject,press the flash exposure lock button [*] of the flash,the
speedlite will fire a preflash and the camera will calculate the suitable
output level,at this time you have some time to recompose,after that,
just press shutter to shoot.(This function can be used only when it is
supported by the camera itself,for the setting,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
7.FV Lock (Nikon)
With FE lock,you should set the “AE-L/AF-L” on the camera to “Fv
Lock” first.At this time,you can use the viewfinder of the camera to focus
on the subject,then press [AE-L/AF-L]button on the camera,the
speedlite will fire a preflash to obtain flash exposure reading for the
subject,when you confirm the scene framework of your shooting,press
the shutter.(This function can be used only when it is supported by the
camera itself,for the setting of “AE-L/AF-L” ,please refer to the user
manual of you camera.)
8.High-speed Burst Shooting
This product supports high-speed burst shooting,please set burst
shooting mode on the camera before shooting.
ceiling should be flat and white ,which helps to get efficient reflection,if
the reflecting surface is not white,color cast may appear on the photo.
10.Use reflection board for shooting
Using reflection board for flash,pull out
reflection board and wide panel at the same
time from the flash head and push back the
wide panel.If you take photo as this time, a
highlight will be produced in the person’ s
eyes,which makes the eyes more charming
(catchlight).It is most effective when you
position the flash head toward the front and 90°up.
11.Use Wide-angle diffuser panel
Pull out the wide-angle diffuser panel ,push back
the reflection board ,and place them according
to the picture,the flash range will be increased
and the flash effect will be softer and more
natural.
9.Reflection Flash
Refection flash means using flash head
aiming at the wall or ceiling,illuminate the
subject with the help of reflected light for
shooting.(commonly known as “bounce flash”，
which can decrease the shade behind the
subject for more natural shooting effect.
If the wall or ceiling is out of distance,the
bounce flash may be too weak to get enough exposure.The wall or
1.Wireless Radio Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function. As the
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO and Canon RT
series speedlites,such as the YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/430EX III-RT;as the slave unit, the same YN686EX-RT can
respectively receive the YONGNUO and Canon RT series speedlites
and the wireless signal of YN600EX-RT II/YN968EX-RT/600EX
II-RT/YN-E3-RT/ST-E3-RT.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each slave unit.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
mode of the master unit.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[ ]
until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,the flash
mode will be totally controlled by the master unit.If the master unit and
slave unit are set the exposure compensation,the exposure
compensation value from both units will be superimposed.
•Transmission channel/Radio ID set
In public if there are other photographers in use of the wireless radio
multiple flash or other radio equipment, you can change the
transmission channel and radio ID to avoid the interference.The
YN686EX-RT is equipped with 15 physical channels,an automatic
channel and 10000 ID for option .
Channel setting: short press the[ ] button
to enter the channel setting state,rotate the [
] to choose “AUTO” or choose the suitable
channel from 1 to 15,short press the [SET]
button for save.
ID setting:short press the function button [
]to enter ID waiting state,rotate the [
]to choose the position need to change,short
press the [SET] button to enter the
responding ID position to adjust the state,then
rotate the [ ] to choose the required number
from 0 to 9,and short press the [SET] button
to save the setting,press the function button [
]to return to the wireless interface.
In the wireless radio transmission flash
shooting process, make sure the transmission
channel and ID setting of the master unit and slave unit are the
same,otherwise the flash could not work normally. When the master unit
and the slave unit make connection establishment, the <LINK>indicator
will be in green light.
•Scan the master unit transmission channel
You can scan the radio receiving state and automatically or manually set
the transmission channel of the master unit.
When the channel set to “AUTO” ,it will
automatically set the received signal
channel.When manually set the channel,you
can reset the transmission channel at the
same time in the reference scan results.
Scan setting: short press the function button[
]to enter the scan interface,the flash
LCD panel will display the scan results,the
higher the peak of which channel on the
chart,the stronger the radio the radio signals.
•The master flash on or forbid flash（ON/OFF）
When the YN686EX-RT as master unit to
process wireless radio transmission flash
shooting,you can choose if the master unit
participate in the flash or not. When the
master unit set to ON,the master unit will
participate the flash as Group A flash.Short
press the function button 4 to display < >,short press the
function button 1 [ ]to set the master unit to ON/OFF. <
>means the master unit flash ON，< >means the master unit
flash OFF。
•Use one to three slave units for transmission flash shooting
Short press the function button[ ]on
the slave unit and set the slave unit as any
group of group A,B,C.
Short press the function button on the master
unit to set the flash group,each short press[
],the setting change will change by:
RATIO OFF、RATIO A:B、RATIOA:B C（or
RATIO A:B:C）.Short press the function
button [ ]and rotate the [ ] to select the
flash group which need to set the flash ratio
and flash output,then short press the[
]button to enter the flash parameter
setting state,through rotate the [ ]to adjust the flash ratio,exposure
compensation or flash output of the group flash.
If you need larger output or hope for better
lighting,you can increase the number of speedlite
on one slave group for maximum total 15 units.
For example: if the three slave units set to group
A,they will be seen as one speedlite and
controlled by the master unit.
•Gr:set different flash mode and flash output on each group of
speedlite to process transmission flash shooting
Short press the [mode] button on the master
unit and set tot Gr mode, then set the slave
units group with different flash mode and
flash output through the master unit. When in
Gr mode flashing,up to 5 groups
（A/B/C/D/E/F）of speedlite can be triggered
at the same time.Short press the [
]button,rotate the [ ]to select the flash
group which need to set the parameter,short
press the [ ]button to select the flash
mode（ETTL、M、OFF）,short press the[
]button and rotate the [ ] to adjust the
exposure compensation and flash
output.After the parameter set press the [
]button to return to the shooting ready
state.
2.Optical Transmission
The YN686EX-RT supports optical transmission wireless flash
shooting,realize wireless TTL,manual and stroboscopic function.As
master unit,the speedlite can trigger the YONGNUO EX series
speedlite(excluding the YN585EX) through the wireless radio
transmission;as the slave unit, the same YN600EX-RT II can
respectively receive the wireless signal of YN686EX-RT、YN600EX-RT
(II)、YN568EX II、Canon 600EX（II）-RT、580EX II、7D/60D/600D
cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C command and optical
transmission wireless signal.
The flash mode,manual flash output,exposure compensation,exposure
bracketing,exposure locking and etc settings of the master unit will be
automatically transfer to each subordinate unit.
The YN686EX-RT in optical transmission wireless flash shooting,up the
supports A、B、C three groups of slave unit flash control,with total four
channels（CH1/2/3/4）for option.The setting method of flash grouping
and transmission channel is the same as the wireless radio transmission
flash shooting.
•Master unit setting
Long press the [Mode]button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the < >to
enter wireless radio master unit state.Short
press the [MODE] button to swift the flash
modes between the ETTL、M、MULTI three
flash modes.
•Slave unit settings
Long press the [Mode] button to enter the
trigger mode selected interface,rotate the[
] until the LCD displays the< >to
enter wireless radio slave unit state. When
the YN686EX-RT used as slave unit,there are Sc、Sn、S1、S2 four
trigger modes for option.
Sc/Sn trigger mode can respectively receive the
YN686EX-RT,YN600EX-RT(II),YN568EX II,Canon 600EX（II）
-RT,580EX II,7D/60D/600D cameras built-in flash,Nikon built-in flash C
command and optical transmission wireless signal,realize off camera
TTL and manual flash.When the YN686EX-RT in Sc/Sn trigger mode,the
flash mode and flash output of slave unit will be totally controlled by the
master unit.
Sc trigger mode:only accept the Canon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
Sn trigger mode:only accept the Nikon optical transmission wireless
flash signal
S1/S2 trigger mode is respectively suitable for the manual flash
environment and TTL flash environment.When the YN686EX-RTin
S1/S2 trigger mode, the flash mode will default to M mode, the setting
method of flash output is the same as set top M mode.
S1 mode: In this mode it will work with the first flash synchronously of
the master flash, with the result consistent with the use of radio slave. To
use this mode properly, the master flash should be set to manual
flash,should not use the TTL flash system with preflight function and the
red eye reduce function with multiflash.
S2 mode: It is also called “pre-flash cancel mode” . This mode is similar
with S1 mode, but it can neglect the pre-flash given by TTL flash.
Therefore, it can support the master flash working in TTL mode. In
particular, if S1 mode cannot flash properly and sync with your internal
flash, you can try to use S2 mode.
Advanced Applications