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

I bought this flash for my SONY cameras for outdoor fill light on sunny days. This one is more than that. Can be a ceiling bounce and night time flash. Unfortunately it does not turn and does not have many positions BUT it is tiny, turns on and off by moving it up from the horizontal position and when fired sits quite high above the lens. Recharge time is fast. Control is from the camera (+/-, sync). Expensive but the ease of use and the dedicated SONY operation may justify the price. I used it with an a6400 and an a7RIII body.

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.

I came very close to buying one of the many third-party inexpensive flash units available for my Sony A6000, but then I noticed the size and weight. The other units are about 50% larger in all dimensions, and they weight nearly a pound as compared to the HVLF20M's quarter-pound. This unit is small enough and light enough to fit in just about any compact camera bag along with the camera, kit lens and telephoto zoom lens. My biggest gripe is that the shooting options are limited. There is a setting for bounce flash, but there is only one option for it - to aim the light straight up at the ceiling. There is no way to adjust the light output other than through the exposure settings of the camera. On other other hand, unlike with third party units, the HVLF20M does not obstruct the A6000's pop-up flash, allowing the two to be used together. This makes the available flash output similar to that of the much heavier, third party units, and the flash output can be adjusted by using the pop-up flash alone, the HVLF20M alone, or the two together. Further, one can get a very pleasing effect by using the HVLF20M in bounce mode and the pop-up flash in direct mode - a combination not available on most third party flash units. The only other complaint I have is the lack of a separate on-off switch. The flash is turned on by snapping it into the upright position on the camera and off by flipping it back down, but this puts the hot shoe at a right angle with respect to the flash unit, which makes it more difficult to fit in a camera bag. The only way to store it in a camera bag with the hot shoe extended is to remove the batteries. I ended up cutting a hole in the mesh pocket of the lid of my camera bag with the hope that the hole doesn't get bigger with wear. At least the bag was only $15 - I'm not sure I'd have been willing to cut up a $50 camera bag.

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+.

As we know the built in flash on the NEX-6 does not work well with the 18-200 zoom lens. The add-on Shoe Flash solves that problem without adding that much more bulk or weight to the camera. The flash added more "natural" look for indoor photography, especially if you have fluorescent lighting inside your home. The flash did a better job than the built in flash in white balance. The recharge time takes about two to three seconds with rechargeable batteries. Usage is simple, flip the flash down and it turns off. Flip it up and it turns on. I was able to get about 100 flash before the recharge time in between pictures began to get unbearable. There's a small turn dial for telescope flash, but I couldn't really tell the difference. It's more of a preference, but I would've have prefer if they engineered it where the flash can be powered from the NEX-6 built in battery instead of using 2-AAA battery.

I use this flash with a couple of different Sony cameras. The lack of manual controls on the flash make it's useful mainly in full-auto mode, where it does work very well, giving me accurate exposures almost all the time. Construction quality is iffy, though. The lightweight all plastic body and plastic switches do not feel very durable. For this price, I expect better build quality. I'm also disappointed that there is no on/off switch, other than opening and closing the flash. It switches on way too easily when in my camera bag and drains the batteries. I've gotten into the habit of removing the batteries when the flash is not in use.

I recently bought the NEX-6 and added this soon after (to replace the other Sony that incorrectly claimed to work with this camera). I had not used it much so when I decided to take pix at an outdoor - night - retirement party I had no clue what to expect. Since I was about 30 ft back from the guest of honor I used the 55-200 lens, something else I had not tried. I fired away from many angles and zoom levels and must say I was amazed at the results. The pix were clear and crisp and pretty much perfectly exposed. (I used auto settings on camera.) It turns out the wife of the retiree thought she had someone to take pix but he failed to show. I showed them my "practice" pix and they were ecstatic. I do think the price is a little high (no doubt due in part to no alternatives - yet), but it's about as plug-and-play as it gets.

When I received my A7R I started using the $540.00 Sony HVL60M flash I purchased for my a99. While there isn't a better flash on the market and I use it on my A7R for tripod shots indoors, the size and weight of the HVL60M, overpowers the A7R when used for hand-held shots, especially when traveling. At $162.00, the HVLF20M was too good a deal to pass up. I've just returned from a trip and the HVL20M performed perfectly. Sony positions it as a parallel to a pop-up flash and I have to agree. When mounted on the A7R and in its upright position, the HVL20M's off/on mode is controlled by the camera's on/off switch. When folded into its a position that's parallel to the lens, the flash is always off. The flash can be easily adjusted to regular and telephoto, straight or bounce. Finally; unlike the 4 AA batteries needed to run every-other Sony flash, the HVLF20M runs on just 2 AAA's

I love this one because it's small, less weight and reliable. I am using this with a f4 lens, so it will give me 20/4=5 meter range. It's perfect for house parties and when I am traveling, at night, I am using it to illuminate my subject and with slow shutter is capturing the background real light, you will have amazing pictures. Also, I am using it as a commander for other Sony flash and another big one. I recommend this one to all action camera guys. You have to travel light and this is light with big performance.

Fits Sony 6300 perfectly. Not too big. Adjustable indirect of reflective flash.

Very nice flash. I wish it had more adjustable settings to compete with other flashes, but the simplicity is also a great thing.

Does the job it claims. A bit pricey though but it's a Sony, you should expect.

I had a hard tone deciding which flash to get that was within my price range. It was only after I got it that I realized it wasn't powerful enough and that I really needed TTL.