Plastic hot shoe on A77=BAD

AmbientBuzz · Nov 2, 2011

I broke the hot shoe on my A350 a few years ago and described it here: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1037&message=30106144&q=ambientbuzz&qf=m

I can't recall exactly, but I think the eventual cost of repair at Camera Techs was around $300, and it was less expensive than what Sony quoted. Of course, they were also faster, being four blocks away: http://www.cameratechs.com/

Karl Scharf · Nov 2, 2011

The plastic hot shoe on the Sony A77 (and other Minolta and Sony cameras) is actually much better than the old fashioned ISO hot shoes found on most other brands of cameras.

It is a quick release system that is actually faster and easier to use, and is not subject to locking up to a point where it becomes difficult or impossible to remove.

It becomes even more expensive for repairs when a flash gets knocked off a metal mount hot shoe, not even considering the added expense for removing a jammed up flash.

There are very few photographers I know that have not had some kind of horror story of a malfunctioning ISO hot shoe.
--

May the good light always be with you! - Karl: A77 - (8/10-20/18-250/50-500mm)

ShotFromTheSidewalk · Nov 2, 2011

my a550 hot shoe began to fail. sony replaced the "top plate". took about 4 weeks. now i really hesitate to put my flash (42) in. i'm looking for a flash adaptor. i did get the puffer tho, and it seems to work ok. the fit is loose but i just put a piece of tape to hold it on (a nikon puffer i used was so tight i worried about the shoe). old saying: better loose than sorry.

digitalshooter · Nov 2, 2011

--
Thanks,

Digitalshooter

cyainparadise · Nov 2, 2011

Say aren't you the person who made this post?-

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1037&message=39719504

You can talk the talk, but you can't walk the walk.

grebedweeb · Nov 2, 2011

Thanks all for your thoughts on this. I feel a bit more confident given that the plastic shoe seems to be holding up well for most users, and that the shoe is stronger than the foot by design. I guess time will tell if the plastic hot shoe holds up well on the A77. It certainly wouldn't put me off of buying this camera when it is time to replace my A700.

tom55604 · Nov 2, 2011

It does seem to me that the newer cameras (A700 on) have a sloppier fitting flash shoe than my Minolta film cameras had. With my film cameras the flash snapped on and did not wiggle. With my A700 my flash rocks as I tilt the camera up or down. It does seem much less secure. Maybe the dies are wearing, or there's some tolerance stack up?

I am surprised that I read of camera shoe failures. In the "old" days, the Minolta flash foot (on the flash) was the weak link, because that was a fairly easy (even do-it-yourself) replacement and it protected the camera shoe. The shoe breaking off the camera is a very different story.

tom

cyainparadise · Nov 2, 2011

tom said:
It does seem to me that the newer cameras (A700 on) have a sloppier fitting flash shoe than my Minolta film cameras had. With my film cameras the flash snapped on and did not wiggle. With my A700 my flash rocks as I tilt the camera up or down. It does seem much less secure. Maybe the dies are wearing, or there's some tolerance stack up?

tom

Tom, are you using a flash that is the same size on the A700. If it's bigger heavier and taller) than the one you used on the film camera, it could be a case of the added size that is making seem like the fit is sloppier.

Thomas Karlmann · Nov 2, 2011

I have used Minolta cameras with flash back in film days -- and ALL of the Minolta-Style hotshoes are plastic. All. I feel overall the Minolta/Sony mount is superior in operation and more secure than the "standard" hotshoe. That said, the use of other flash units has necessitated custom cables for me in the past. That shoe is a mixed blessing, but overall I never had any issues with the security of the mount.
--
Thom--

SonyA77 · Nov 2, 2011

It was designed so when you drop your system with the flash on hitting first, the hot shoe will crack easily so it will minimize the damage to the whole unit.

grebedweeb said:
I have the A700 and the HLV 58AM flash, and am constantly concerned about busting off the hot shoe when using this flash on this camera, having read where people have done just that and were faced with expensive repairs. I see that the A77 retains the plastic hot shoe. Enthusiast and pro cameras usually have metal alloy hot shoes. I haven't read any comments about this shortfall on the A77. Seems like a serious shortcoming on a camera that has an an alloy chassis and is sealed against moisture and dust. Is the lack of a pro-quality hot shoe on the A77 not a concern?

--

From Yashica Mat 124g, Canon EOS-1 SLR, Nikon F75 SLR, Sony A100, A700, A55 and A77

harleydavidson · Nov 3, 2011

digitalshooter said:
--
Thanks,

Digitalshooter

And a 'quick warning" to my fellow DP members is a bad thing how? If it stops someone else from wasting money on one, then it's worthwhile to share. Even the thread's OP thanked me for doing so as he himself was thinking of buying one of these. (His post is directly under mine above.) I didn't feel the "Puffer" issue deserved it's own separate thread and being the part that doesn't fit is in fact the hotshoe mount, I threw it in here. NOTICE I also placed the gist of it right in the title of my post so you needn't even go any further then that to quickly scan what I had to say. It's not hard to skip right over, just like I ignore and skip cyainparadises posts.

It's unfortunate that we have internet forum 'bullys" such as "cyainparadise" who is a real BIG BIG man behind his screen name and thinks he must intimadate people on his hit list. I feel sorry for him actually that he goes through life as such a miserable person. It really must be hel l to be him. So, if this sort of thing bothers him all I can say is oh well, too bad - soooo sad. Don't stroke out cyainparadise, go take your pills and see your doctor.

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
--
Ken
Sony Alpha Seventy Seven & Kit 16-50 lens
5 Tamron lenses, 10-24, 60m, 180m, 70-200, 200-500

OldClicker · Nov 3, 2011

harleydavidson said:
Just don't buy the Gary Fong "PUFFER" pop up flash diffuser made for Sony hotshoes. It doesn't fit, not even close. Biggest piece of garbage I ever threw money away on...

Get wih the program! You are only allowed to inject irrelevant, negative comments in every thread if it is about something made by Sony. - TF

OldClicker · Nov 3, 2011

Thomas Karlmann said:
I have used Minolta cameras with flash back in film days -- and ALL of the Minolta-Style hotshoes are plastic. All. I feel overall the Minolta/Sony mount is superior in operation and more secure than the "standard" hotshoe. That said, the use of other flash units has necessitated custom cables for me in the past. That shoe is a mixed blessing, but overall I never had any issues with the security of the mount.

IMO, the mount is NOT good enough to justify being non-standard. Nothing fits. - TF

jonikon · Nov 3, 2011

Kzoozoomer said:
I've had three Minolta/Sony cameras with plastic shoes and have never had a single problem with the hot shoes while using either the 5600HS, F42, F43, F58, F20, or Sigma Macro Ring EM-140 DG flash units. In particular, I've never had a flash unit slip out of a Sony hot shoe and break like I've had happen with one of those wonderful "metal alloy" hot shoes.

Nikon's metal hot shoe has a lever actuated locking pin arrangement, which works great. Once the pin is engaged the connection is rock solid with no wobble, and there is no way for the flash unit to slip out of the shoe. Like I said before. I like the push button concept of the Minolta/Sony hot shoe arrangement, but as an engineer, I can see where the design is not structurally sound and the electrical connection method is just a poor design. Having used both types of hot shoes.

IMO, it would be wise for Sony to abandon their old Minolta proprietary shoe mount and join the rest of the photographic world and use a standard metal sliding shoe with a lock pin , similar to what Nikon does.

Best regards,
Jon

cyainparadise · Nov 3, 2011

Harley, you're like the guy who cuts in front of a line of cars waiting patiently at a light to make a turn, and when someone honks at him, you flip the bird.

I can understand your screen name, as you want to be the bad boy on this forum, flipping the bird at those that honk you.

harleydavidson said:
digitalshooter said:

--
Thanks,

Digitalshooter

Click to expand...

And a 'quick warning" to my fellow DP members is a bad thing how? If it stops someone else from wasting money on one, then it's worthwhile to share. Even the thread's OP thanked me for doing so as he himself was thinking of buying one of these. (His post is directly under mine above.) I didn't feel the "Puffer" issue deserved it's own separate thread and being the part that doesn't fit is in fact the hotshoe mount, I threw it in here. NOTICE I also placed the gist of it right in the title of my post so you needn't even go any further then that to quickly scan what I had to say. It's not hard to skip right over, just like I ignore and skip cyainparadises posts.

It's unfortunate that we have internet forum 'bullys" such as "cyainparadise" who is a real BIG BIG man behind his screen name and thinks he must intimadate people on his hit list. I feel sorry for him actually that he goes through life as such a miserable person. It really must be hel l to be him. So, if this sort of thing bothers him all I can say is oh well, too bad - soooo sad. Don't stroke out cyainparadise, go take your pills and see your doctor. BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
--
Ken
Sony Alpha Seventy Seven & Kit 16-50 lens
5 Tamron lenses, 10-24, 60m, 180m, 70-200, 200-500

cyainparadise · Nov 3, 2011

OldClicker said:
harleydavidson said:

Just don't buy the Gary Fong "PUFFER" pop up flash diffuser made for Sony hotshoes. It doesn't fit, not even close. Biggest piece of garbage I ever threw money away on...

Click to expand...

Get wih the program! You are only allowed to inject irrelevant, negative comments in every thread if it is about something made by Sony. - TF

Is it any wonder why there is no moderator on this forum. This is the Wild, Wild, West of dpreview. There is no law and order here, only the bullies like Harley and Digitalshooter, who go around doing what they want, posting non-relevant posts.

They try and intimidate those that dare to call them out.

You'd have to be a very brave person to want to be a moderator on this forum.

jonikon · Nov 3, 2011

tom said:
It does seem to me that the newer cameras (A700 on) have a sloppier fitting flash shoe than my Minolta film cameras had. With my film cameras the flash snapped on and did not wiggle. With my A700 my flash rocks as I tilt the camera up or down. It does seem much less secure. Maybe the dies are wearing, or there's some tolerance stack up?

I am surprised that I read of camera shoe failures. In the "old" days, the Minolta flash foot (on the flash) was the weak link, because that was a fairly easy (even do-it-yourself) replacement and it protected the camera shoe. The shoe breaking off the camera is a very different story.

tom

There are two very slightly different versions of the Sony hot shoe out there. My first a700 was a very loose fit and the flash unit wobbled like a drunken sailor on a rolling deck. However, my newer a700 had a better fit, (but still not snug, compared to a Nikon hot shoe for instance). When I carefully inspected the shoes side by side I could see that there was a slight design difference between the two shoes. So it would appear that Sony has addressed the wobble to some degree at least. I still don't like those very tiny little electrical contacts though, as they are too easy to get a little something on them and then you loose your connection.

Jon

jonikon · Nov 3, 2011

SonyA77 said:
It was designed so when you drop your system with the flash on hitting first, the hot shoe will crack easily so it will minimize the damage to the whole unit.

Really? I don't believe Minolta designed it like that because having the camera shoe break before the foot of the flash breaks is a really bad idea!

Ask any wedding photographer if he would rather have the shoe on the camera break or the foot of his flash damaged, you will get 100% saying the foot of the flash. You can always mount another flash unit on the camera, but if the foot on the camera is destroyed than your SOL!

--
Jon

SonyA77 · Nov 3, 2011

I believe they both break to minimize damage to the body and flash...well I am not sure now. I will find out...

jonikon said:
SonyA77 said:

It was designed so when you drop your system with the flash on hitting first, the hot shoe will crack easily so it will minimize the damage to the whole unit.

Click to expand...

Really? I don't believe Minolta designed it like that because having the camera shoe break before the foot of the flash breaks is a really bad idea!

Ask any wedding photographer if he would rather have the shoe on the camera break or the foot of his flash damaged, you will get 100% saying the foot of the flash. You can always mount another flash unit on the camera, but if the foot on the camera is destroyed than your SOL!

--
Jon

--

From Yashica Mat 124g, Canon EOS-1 SLR, Nikon F75 SLR, Sony A100, A700, A55 and A77

cyainparadise · Nov 3, 2011

The foot is designed to break before the shoe. However, the shoe will break before the body, whether it's polycarbonate or metal alloy.

How do you intend to "find out"? Planning to drop your body and flash?

SonyA77 said:
I believe they both break to minimize damage to the body and flash...well I am not sure now. I will find out...

jonikon said:

SonyA77 said:

It was designed so when you drop your system with the flash on hitting first, the hot shoe will crack easily so it will minimize the damage to the whole unit.

Click to expand...

Really? I don't believe Minolta designed it like that because having the camera shoe break before the foot of the flash breaks is a really bad idea!

Ask any wedding photographer if he would rather have the shoe on the camera break or the foot of his flash damaged, you will get 100% saying the foot of the flash. You can always mount another flash unit on the camera, but if the foot on the camera is destroyed than your SOL!

--
Jon

Click to expand...

--

From Yashica Mat 124g, Canon EOS-1 SLR, Nikon F75 SLR, Sony A100, A700, A55 and A77

Plastic hot shoe on A77=BAD

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