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Looking for a good flash for nex ea50u
- Thread starter firehawk
- Start date
If you want a Sony branded flash then there really is only ONE option - the HVL-F43M. This is their upper mid-line flash which will give full TTL integration with Sony cameras having the "Multi Interface Shoe" - the new one that looks like a standard cold shoe with a bunch of tiny pins way at the front of it. It puts out a decent amount of light, has a good array of custom functions (very cryptic to configure compared to Nikon though), and does not overheat even under extended use.
Whatever you do, do NOT get the HVL-F60M, as this flash is known to shut down after as few as 20 pops. It apparently thinks it is overheating, even though it is not, and Sony has never issued a firmware upgrade to address the calibration of the internal thermal sensor... indeed, never even acknowledged an issue, despite many angry complaints from professionals and amateurs alike - especially pro wedding & event shooters.
Their other offerings are likely too small - the HVL-F20M is very small, and it uses a very weak pair of AAA batteries, so it's recharge time after a full power pop is very long, and you won't get very many full power pops before you need to replace the batteries. It's OK for casual shooting with an a6000 or something, a few pops at a party or a family get-together, but useless for professional work. The HVL-F32M is another small offering, this time powered by 2 AA cells, so it will again provide slower recycle times and fewer full power pops before you need to replace the batteries.
If you are on a tight budget, you can also use the MI-shoe to Auto-lock shoe adapter (about $25) and attach almost any of the old Minolta-Sony flashes. These typically end in AM (eg HLV-F43AM) and can sometimes be found at a steep discount on Ebay.
If you do NOT need full TTL integration, in other words you are OK with MANUAL flash, whereby you set the power level, and you adjust exposure either by aperture, ISO or by distance (using your feet to move forward or backward like they did in the 80's before TTL), then your options are wide open. Almost any Canon or Nikon flash will be triggered by the shoe, so maybe you have one of those just lying around.
If you are going out to buy brand new, and again are Ok with MANUAL flash, then one of the nicest units around is the Yongnuo YN560 III. This is a nearly perfect copy of the Canon 580EX II (but full manual regardless of camera used on), and can be obtained for $60 to $75 on Ebay or Amazon. They support a full wireless setup as well, including a nice little wireless trigger & control system called the YN560-TX (about $50) that allows you to control up to 6 remotely placed Yongnuo flashes from the camera. So for less than the price of just ONE brand name flash, you can have a really nice little 3 light "portable studio" setup.
Last thing - if the hot-shoe on your camera is BLACK (painted, anodized, whatever), then any non-Sony flash might NOT fire. The reason is very simple - the anodization or paint is preventing a full circuit from being completed. Use a jewelers flat blade screw driver or a nail file to scrape away a small amount of the black material from the underside of the top rails of the shoe, and you will instantly get a flash. Sony cameras with a normal silver metal colored shoe do not have this problem.
Whatever you do, do NOT get the HVL-F60M, as this flash is known to shut down after as few as 20 pops. It apparently thinks it is overheating, even though it is not, and Sony has never issued a firmware upgrade to address the calibration of the internal thermal sensor... indeed, never even acknowledged an issue, despite many angry complaints from professionals and amateurs alike - especially pro wedding & event shooters.
Their other offerings are likely too small - the HVL-F20M is very small, and it uses a very weak pair of AAA batteries, so it's recharge time after a full power pop is very long, and you won't get very many full power pops before you need to replace the batteries. It's OK for casual shooting with an a6000 or something, a few pops at a party or a family get-together, but useless for professional work. The HVL-F32M is another small offering, this time powered by 2 AA cells, so it will again provide slower recycle times and fewer full power pops before you need to replace the batteries.
If you are on a tight budget, you can also use the MI-shoe to Auto-lock shoe adapter (about $25) and attach almost any of the old Minolta-Sony flashes. These typically end in AM (eg HLV-F43AM) and can sometimes be found at a steep discount on Ebay.
If you do NOT need full TTL integration, in other words you are OK with MANUAL flash, whereby you set the power level, and you adjust exposure either by aperture, ISO or by distance (using your feet to move forward or backward like they did in the 80's before TTL), then your options are wide open. Almost any Canon or Nikon flash will be triggered by the shoe, so maybe you have one of those just lying around.
If you are going out to buy brand new, and again are Ok with MANUAL flash, then one of the nicest units around is the Yongnuo YN560 III. This is a nearly perfect copy of the Canon 580EX II (but full manual regardless of camera used on), and can be obtained for $60 to $75 on Ebay or Amazon. They support a full wireless setup as well, including a nice little wireless trigger & control system called the YN560-TX (about $50) that allows you to control up to 6 remotely placed Yongnuo flashes from the camera. So for less than the price of just ONE brand name flash, you can have a really nice little 3 light "portable studio" setup.
Last thing - if the hot-shoe on your camera is BLACK (painted, anodized, whatever), then any non-Sony flash might NOT fire. The reason is very simple - the anodization or paint is preventing a full circuit from being completed. Use a jewelers flat blade screw driver or a nail file to scrape away a small amount of the black material from the underside of the top rails of the shoe, and you will instantly get a flash. Sony cameras with a normal silver metal colored shoe do not have this problem.