Reviews for Sony HVL-F36AM High-Power Digital Camera Flash for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera

Sony HVL-F36AM High-Power Digital Camera Flash for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera by Sony

Sony HVL-F36AM High-Power Digital Camera Flash for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera Our Price: $299.00
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Digital camera reviews of Sony HVL-F36AM High-Power Digital Camera Flash for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera

Digital camera Review: Nice little flash
Summary: 5 Stars

This does what it is supposed to do. Good Guide number, wireless capabilities, bouncing capabilities, High speed sync(even in wireless mode), manual zoom.

I am very happy with its performance. It gave me correct exposure with Sony A700 and A100. I prefer to use it in wireless bounce mode with camera in manual meter. This is a must for every Sony DSLR owners.

Digital camera Review: Overall a Respectable Flash
Summary: 4 Stars

Overall I have been pleased with this flash. It suits its purpose indoors when indoor lighting is low or when the existing lighting is of the wrong color temperature and hard to get a good white balance from. Outdoors it has served its purpose quite well as fill flash although most of my photographs are of landscapes or animals at a distance (or too close for flash).

I was irked by a couple of things. The minor issue is that Sony seems to have made this flash of a lighter plastic than the earlier Minolta flashes (although this doesn have one major advantage: it cuts down on the amount of weight I have to carry around which is a big issue with me). My cameras and related equipment do get a fairly good workout but so far this flash has held up (and I've been careful in handling it). But if anything really got under my skin it was the fact that Sony seems to have changed the flash circutry. I still have my Minolta 5400HS flash that I used with my Maxxum 9 and 7. That flash will not work on the Sony Alpha cameras. The hot shoe remained the same (not a standard hot shoe) but the Minolta flashes will not work on the Sony digital cameras. I am self employed and money does not come easily and sometimes not very often. So I was forced to buy Sony's flash unit. The built-in flash on the Sony digital cameras, like Minolta's, is hardly worth mentioning. Also, the wireless off-camera feature is something I am very glad that Sony retained; I only wish they had also retained the ability to shoot at a 2:1 flash ratio. The built-in flash on the camera can only be used to trip the off-camera flash. You have to use one flash or the other but not both (one as a key light and the other as a fill light). This was a feature I appreciated on Minolta's 5400HS.

That being said I would be inclined to encourage others to buy this flash. The output is sufficient for all but the largest of rooms or objects at a good distance. This flash is light-weight, not terribly expensive, doesn't eat up batteries like my 5400HS flash did, and mounts well to the camera. I would have given it a 5-star rating if only Sony had retained the original circutry.

Digital camera Review: So far so good
Summary: 5 Stars

I have only used the flash a few time, but so far it has done me well. I feel like i got more flash then what i need, and ham vary happy so far.

Digital camera Review: Sony HVL-36AM Great Flash
Summary: 5 Stars

I recently purchased this flash for my Konica/Minolta Maxxum 5D. This flash is very fast and has high speed sync. It works great with this camera and is compatible with my AF DT 18-70 lens. Very nice indeed.

Digital camera Review: Sony HVL-F36AM
Summary: 4 Stars

I got this flash in May 2008 with my Alpha 200 before a trip to Alaska cruise. I got it for about one hundred bucks, I think a very good deal for a genuine Sony product. The ttl autoexposure is perfect, but a little bit underpower to take indoor pictures. I used it to take my cousin wedding reception at a local chines e restaurant and I have to adjust my raw images to +1stop. I am not happy with the wireless capability of this flash, because the flash need to be in the front of camera in order to be triggered by incamera pre-flash. I meant it is not triggered by radio frequency so it works same way as a cheap photosensor with ttl autoexposure. Overall it's okay for 100bucks flash.
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