Art the Science Guy
- Comment
It is a very simple flash that is quick to recycle and relatively powerful for its small size with a Guide number of 14 in Std setting and 20 in Tele setting. Using PowerEx "Ready When You Are" AAA [NEW! 950mAh] NiMH Rechargeable Batteries - 4 Batteries Per Pack it recycles in under a second. The available controls are limited to a Standard/Tele rotating dial which slides a diffuser over the flash tube for between 18mm - 35mm focal length (Std) and a Direct/Bounce slider which changes the angle of the flash tube from facing forward to straight up. The on/off switch is actuated by merely lifting the flash up to a vertical position, when it is "off" it sits horizontally facing forward. The only problem I have with this power switch arrangement is that when the flash is "off" the multi Interface foot of this unit that slides into the shoe of the camera is sticking up and more likely to be damaged (see my customer pictures). The flash comes with a flimsy cloth drawstring bag to store and protect it which provides about as much protection as a handkerchief. You would think that for $150 Sony could provide a small case for this somewhat overpriced flash. I found a small leather case to put the flash into and I store it in the flat "on" position with the batteries removed. When taking pictures with it I have found that is has plenty of power even in totally dark rooms of relatively large size (25x25) with the flash set at the standard setting, the exposure was balanced with no hot spots and the white balance was dead on. The flash integrates well with the NEX-6 (and the Sony cameras referenced below) and according to Sony uses TTL/ADI (through the lens)/(Advanced Distance Integration) flash metering when used with Sony lenses that send distance information back to the camera. The camera calculates a specific guide number for each photo based on the distance from the subject using ADI, along with ambient light and pre-flash reflectivity of the subject and the background using TTL metering, this insured proper white balance and even exposure. This is way stronger than the internal flash by far and extends the cameras capabilities even though the NEX-6 does well in low light, more light when properly applied, is usually better. I have found that using the bounce setting with an index card extending above the flash to reflect some of the light forward produced nice balanced portraits without shadows. Note: It cannot be used off-camera and has no independent light sensing capabilities. Overall the flash is very small and light weight so it adds little bulk to the camera and is easy to attach to the camera once you remove the hot shoe protector from the camera and base protector from the flash. There are small, gold plated contacts at the front of the cameras hot shoe and at the base of the flash (see my customer photos) which communicate with them and they are delicate and need to be protected. Ordinarily, I would not keep replacing the hot shoe protector on a camera or a protector on the base of a flash but if these are bent or damaged in any way, the camera and flash will not cooperate with each other and that would not be a good thing so I replace the protectors after I use the flash and suggest that you do this as well. According to Sony, you should get about 90 flashes with AAA alkaline batteries and up to 150 with Ni-MH with quicker recycling time with the Ni-MH. I shot about 50 exposures with the "Ready to use" Imedion-Powerex batteries right out of the package with no significant loss in recycling time. Overall this is a good flash, certainly better than the built in one but not as flexible nor as powerful as you might expect for its $150 price. Addendum: This flash is also compatible with the following other Sony cameras according to their website: Cyber-shot Digital RX100 II Alpha NEX-7 Camera Sony a58 DSLR Sony a65 DSLR Sony a77 DSLR Sony a99 Full-Frame DSLR As well as the discontinued Alpha 37 and 57 DSLR cameras