Sony HVLF20M, MI Shoe External Flash for Alpha SLT/NEX (Black)

This seems to be the go-to "cheap" flash unit for Sony mirrorless APS-C cameras like NEX6 and the newer Alphas (i.e., Alpha 6000). I've not seen any reviews of it being used with RX100M2 which its compatible with, so I went on blind faith that thing will turn out okay.RX100M2 is a nifty little camera with excellent image quality but it's also been one of my most frustrating cameras to use b/c of the slow shutter speed it chooses for low light settings (wrote a lengthy review of that). I've also always struggled with the poppy-uppy-flashy of RX100M2. Direct flash is too harsh so often, I'd use bounce b/c the in-camera flash unit is spring loaded and can be tilted upwards as with most other Sony mirrorless cameras; however the bounce effect would only light up top half of the photo, so either the angle is wrong or the flash is too weak. I almost got to the point of selling the RX but decided to give it a try with this little guy (HLVF20M) to see how taking low-light, indoor photos might change.I used it at a wedding recently (as slave camera to the NEX5R outfit ;-) and must say, I got some fantastic photos with this thing out of RX100M2. I used bounce for all photos (the strobe can be pointed upwards), which is invaluable, and the pics came out smooth, evenly lit, and the color rendition was great. It looks rather funny to attach such a big piece of accessory to a little camera like RX100M2 but I really now appreciate the fact that the camera came with a hot shoe mount b/c it allows for things like this. If you think about it, to get TTL flash with a camera like RX100M2 is great. Also, the strobe part sits quite high distance apart from the camera lens, which is what you want anyway so this is good. Sadly, the updated RX100M3 model has dropped the hot shoe mount to make room for in-camera EVF, so as far as the RX100 series go, M2 is now the only model and perhaps the last model where you can attach external accessories. *Tears*Back to the flash unit. It's small, light, runs on its own batteries so the cycle time are fast and does not cut into the camera's battery, and is strong enough, as long as you're not expecting Speedlite-like strength and range. Again, the ability to bounce is invaluable. For mid-sized rooms, it's perfect. I do wish it had swivel but I'm not aware of any flash unit with swivel in this price range. One minor complaint is that the unit turns on/off by the hinge that's at the bottom of the unit. So in the off position, the flash unit sits parallel to the ground and to turn on, you swivel it upwards as you see in the product pic. I wish there was a separate on off switch, since the off position makes the unit protrude out compared to the depth of the RX100M2 camera. At $150, it's not a bad price at all especially when you think full-sized flash units are $400+.

Flash works great on my A6700. It is much more powerful than its tiny size lets on. Flip function to turn it on and off is great.

It is a very simple flash that is quick to recycle and relatively powerful for it's 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 camera's 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 camera's 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 it's $150 price.Addendum: This flash is also compatible with the following other Sony cameras according to their website:Cyber-shot Digital RX100 IIAlpha NEX-7 CameraSony a58 DSLRSony a65 DSLRSony a77 DSLRSony a99 Full-Frame DSLRAs well as the discontinued Alpha 37 and 57 DSLR cameras

This is a great little flash. I use it on my Sony A6000 and it's surprisingly good. Cycles in about 1 sec and it's powered by 2 AAA batteries. Some people may complain that there is no on/off switch. When the flash is up, it's on. When it's flat light a right angle, it's off. That too bothered me when I ordered it, but I figured out a work around. If you leave the flash in the on (up) position while mounted on your camera, and then turn off the camera, the power on the flash will go off as well even though it's officially in the "on" position. The reason this is good is that now it's off and flat so that it can fit into a camera bag better. If you use the Think Tank Mirrorless mover bags, this will fit perfectly into the iPhone pocket. Great little flash and gets the job done for those occasional fill flash moments.

Picked this up to bring to a wedding I was packing light for in the hopes it would improve shots of my friends at the reception. The results totally surpassed my expectations. Even in a reception hall with a 30 foot ceiling, using the unit in bounce mode provided a great soft light and really enhanced subject separation from the background.It's no pro flash, but it's leaps and bounds better than any built in flash and it's still quite compact.I can see why some people don't like the fact that flipping it down is the only way to turn it off, but I found it super convenient when it was mounted on my camera. When I store it, I just take out the batteries so I can fold it flat.Quick recycling when paired with NiMH batteries.