Newbie looking for flash

[jeffnb]

I am brand new a photography and want to try something better than the flash built into my a200. I have heard that almost any flash will work with any camera. So my first question is why go with a cheaper flash vs the one that sony sells. Secondly, what alternative flash units would be the most cost effective to buy.

[Tiberius]

With today's digital cameras, they usually communicate with the flash for metering purposes. So you'll need to get a flash that can communicate with your camera. if not, you'll be stuck on manual, which can get very annoying.

[inkista]

While just about any flash will trigger and fire on any camera (although you do want to look up trigger voltages and make sure you don't fry a new digital camera with an old made-for-film flash), the body-to-flash communication allows for a few extra, fancy features.

Typically, on-brand flashes will have IR wireless mastering capability and some form of TTL (through-the-lens) metering-based auto-setting of the flash power, and high-speed synch. A "manual-only" flash requires that you set the flash power and spread manually and your camera will be limited to its max synch. shutter speed when used with the flash.

If you plan on using the flash on-camera for some form of event shooting (weddings, photojournalism, sports), then TTL-metering becomes far more important because you don't have time to check the shot, adjust, and reshoot. If you plan on using the flash off-camera with radio triggers all the time, then a manual flash (like the Sunpak 383) may get you more bang for your buck, since you'd be losing TTL capability, anyway.

[jeffnb]

Thanks for that I appreciate the response from both of you. I stopped by a Ritz camera and they said sony alpha series hotshoe is completely proprietary. The guys that said it seem iffy as to whether they have any idea what they are talking about. Anybody hear about this?

[inkista]

Every brand's hotshoes are proprietary, pretty much the way that the lens-to-body contacts are proprietary. But the pin that gives the signal to fire the flash is consistent across all makes (because, back in the day, there was only the one pin and everybody standardized)--that's why you can pretty much fire any flash from any hotshoe--but all the other stuff (IR commanding, E-TTL, high-speed synch commands, etc.) won't work--that relies on the other pins.

[jeffnb]

Now the question I have on external flash is does anybody know what I can use for a hotshoe adapter. I have looked and am not seeing anything that simply allows a wireless adapter to the hotshoe like on nikons or canons.

[Cuchulainn]

The Sony a200 has built in wireless flash capability that will work with HVL-F42AM and HVL-F58AM flash units.

You can purchase the FA-CS1AM Off-Camera shoe, but I believe this unit only works with the Sony Alpha Flashes. I am not sure what benefit it would offer over the built in wireless.
http://tinyurl.com/4nj8sg

You might find this guide for Flash Choices for Alpha DSLR's useful.
http://tinyurl.com/67xs4l

Now the question I have on external flash is does anybody know what I can use for a hotshoe adapter. I have looked and am not seeing anything that simply allows a wireless adapter to the hotshoe like on nikons or canons.

[wp416]

I just bought a very low cost flash shoe adaptor from these guys:

http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/home.php

It cost about $20 plus shipping. That beats the Sony adaptor hands down.

Mostly I wanted a PC contact for studio flash equipment, and I would do my own manual flash settings.

However, I found after trying it, that you have to set the Sony A300 (my body) to "no flash" , either using the Fn button to turn onboard flash OFF, or using the no-flash setting on the quick-dial, to get the PC contact or hotshoe mounted flash to fire.

I think I might buy the Vivitar DF400MZ Flash for Sony / Konica Minolta Cameras TTL (from the same above reseller, in Hong Kong) because it is the only low-cost option I can find that supports ADI, which is the Sony Alpha onboard TTL option. Unlike non-digital TTL flashes, you must have an ADI flash. Besides the wicked overpriced Sony flashes, you can get this vivitar, you can also find a sigma, a metz, and others.

The second best option for me, besides the cheapie Vivitar above with ADI, is the SIGMA EF530DG SONY SUPER FLASH SO-ADI, which seems much cheaper than the Sony branded units.

Warren
Toronto,Canada