Most inexpensive external flash options for a6000?

macmaster05 · Sep 2, 2015

What is the most inexpensive way to obtain/use an external flash for the a6000? I've heard of some models being thrown around; Nissin i40, Sony HVL F20, etc etc. but these are upwards of $250, and as a beginner, that's a daunting price point for an accessory.

I'd like to be able to do some simple flash photography (such as rotating the flash at different angles, or using it off-camera [is that "simple?"]) the without spending a fortune. Are there any other more generic and inexpensive options (<$100) (<$50??) that will work with an a6000? Thanks

rlyons · Sep 2, 2015

macmaster05 said:
What is the most inexpensive way to obtain/use an external flash for the a6000? I've heard of some models being thrown around; Nissin i40, Sony HVL F20, etc etc. but these are upwards of $250, and as a beginner, that's a daunting price point for an accessory.

I'd like to be able to do some simple flash photography (such as rotating the flash at different angles, or using it off-camera [is that "simple?"]) the without spending a fortune. Are there any other more generic and inexpensive options (<$100) (<$50??) that will work with an a6000? Thanks

Yes, there are.. dozens. This has also been discussed dozens of times so you may be better off doing some searches as well.

Just looking on Amazon.com yields many results that will work on a Sony camera. Some with full TTL support, some that are fully manual. Look at the Neewer for cheap (<50 for manual, <100 for TTL) and Yongnuo is also popular as cheap alternatives.

bravomail · Sep 2, 2015

If you want big and cheap - try Yongnuo. It's manual though, but it works with Yongnuo radio triggers, which is also supercheap and supercool.

Ray Maines · Sep 2, 2015

macmaster05 said:
What is the most inexpensive way to obtain/use an external flash for the a6000? I've heard of some models being thrown around; Nissin i40, Sony HVL F20, etc etc. but these are upwards of $250, and as a beginner, that's a daunting price point for an accessory.

Well, actually the HVL-20 is only $149, and it's not a bad investment.

It's pretty limited, but it's small, easy to use and much better than the built in flash. The Nissin is probably better and worth its price too, but the HVL-20 works for me.

Marky12 · Sep 2, 2015

macmaster05 said:
What is the most inexpensive way to obtain/use an external flash for the a6000? I've heard of some models being thrown around; Nissin i40, Sony HVL F20, etc etc. but these are upwards of $250, and as a beginner, that's a daunting price point for an accessory.

I'd like to be able to do some simple flash photography (such as rotating the flash at different angles, or using it off-camera [is that "simple?"]) the without spending a fortune. Are there any other more generic and inexpensive options (<$100) (<$50??) that will work with an a6000? Thanks

There the Neewer tt560. Super cheap but also super manual.
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Vu Anh Tung · Sep 2, 2015

macmaster05 said:
What is the most inexpensive way to obtain/use an external flash for the a6000? I've heard of some models being thrown around; Nissin i40, Sony HVL F20, etc etc. but these are upwards of $250, and as a beginner, that's a daunting price point for an accessory.

I'd like to be able to do some simple flash photography (such as rotating the flash at different angles, or using it off-camera [is that "simple?"]) the without spending a fortune. Are there any other more generic and inexpensive options (<$100) (<$50??) that will work with an a6000? Thanks

I faced this question a bit ago.

Luckily, a friend of mine lends me a yongnuo yn-560 to try out. It's manual, needed some shots to find correct exposure via trial-and-error. And it's super super big (for the camera).

Then, I decided to go with Meike mk320s. Mind the "s" for sony ttl version. Cost me ~80$. Totally satisfied. The size and weight is perfect for the camera. Can rotate to bounce in portrait position. Remember that there's a mk300s, has ttl too, but only direct flash, no bounce in whatever direction.

Summary:
Yongnuo yn560: ~80$, manual, heavy, big, powerful, rotate & tilt
Meike mk300s: ~40$, ttl, small, light, enough power, only direct
Meike mk320s: ~80$, ttl, small, light, enough power, rotate & tilt, highly recommended

macmaster05 · Sep 2, 2015

Sweet thanks for the good suggestions!

Can anybody please explain really quickly what people mean when they say its a "manual" external flash. Does that mean when I press the shutter it won't fire or does it at least have that basic communication? Does it mean that I have to tell it my ISO, aperture, and shutter speed every time I'm about to take a picture?

Maybe briefly summarize the main differences between manual and automatic flash? (I'm assuming models like Nissin i40 is automatic due to the much more expensive price).

bravomail · Sep 2, 2015

Manual flash - you set its power as 1, 1/2, 1/4,... 1/64 etc. Camera still measures exposure so you won't have bad shots. Better start with lower values of flash power and then increase... Camera should be in S-priority or M-manual to set Shutter to 1/180 (or 1/125 ) - check what Sony's flash sync speed is...

fotowbert · Sep 2, 2015

macmaster05 said:
Sweet thanks for the good suggestions!

Can anybody please explain really quickly what people mean when they say its a "manual" external flash. Does that mean when I press the shutter it won't fire or does it at least have that basic communication? Does it mean that I have to tell it my ISO, aperture, and shutter speed every time I'm about to take a picture?

Maybe briefly summarize the main differences between manual and automatic flash? (I'm assuming models like Nissin i40 is automatic due to the much more expensive price).

You are correct. The i40 (Sony model) supports Sony's TTL auto flash exposure protocol as well as having a self-auto mode. Like most full-featured flashes it also has a manual mode. Manual flashes like the YongNuo 560 series are only manual.

With TTL auto exposure flash the camera and flash work together to set the flash exposure for you. To do this the flash sends out a calibrated preflash at the start of the flash shot but before the shutter opens. The camera's exposure meter reads the return light thru the lens (TTL) and determines how bright the flash needs to fire for proper exposure. The flash then finishes its burst at this power level with the shutter open to capture the image. You have the option to bias this flash automation for lighter or darker results using the flash exposure compensation (FEC) setting. The self-auto operation differs by using a light sensor on the flash itself to set the power level.

Manual flash means you take control the flash exposure process yourself, there is no automation as described above either because the gear doesn't support it or you chose to not use it. For consistency it's best to manually control all exposure parameters, lens aperture (F stop), shutter speed, and ISO. You control the amount of light produced by setting a fractional power level on the flash. The flash distance to subject and any light modifiers in use influence the amount of light reaching the subject.

You can determine the manual flash exposure with a trial and error chimping process due to the near instant feedback of digital photography. Using a hand-held flash exposure meter will greatly speed up this process.

It should be obvious to you now that TTL auto flash is the way to go for casual flash photography and any fast paced "run and gun" event shooting. Having a TTL flash in your kit is a good idea and when you are new to flash photography it makes sense that it is your first flash gun. That's my recommendation.

John

--
"[If you don't sweat the details] the magic doesn't work." Brooks, F. P., The Mythical Man-Month, Addison-Wesley, 1975, page 8.

hex anon · Sep 3, 2015

Hi macmaster05, The cheapest full Sony TTL flash is the Meike 320s. It fully communicates with the camera, and at about 1/3 of the price of a comparable Sony or Nissin. At this price, it doesn't do HSS but other than that, it's very good. This is the one I'm talking about http://www.ebay.com/itm/Meike-MK-32...9-RX100-III-/181836652369?hash=item2a564f1f51

hex anon

macmaster05 · Sep 3, 2015

Perfect thanks so much! I got the answers I needed!

MEIKE 320s it is! I'll add it to my wish list....

Antone · Sep 3, 2015

You should just pick up an old autothyristor Sunpak 383. They're around US$50 and have tilt and swivel. For off-camera, just get a hot-shoe to PC sync adapter and then you just need a PC sync cable to trigger the external flash.

https://www.keh.com/251567/sunpak-383-super-flash-gn120-bounce-swivel

--
Tony-S

Rick Blaski · Sep 3, 2015

Ray Maines said:
macmaster05 said:

What is the most inexpensive way to obtain/use an external flash for the a6000? I've heard of some models being thrown around; Nissin i40, Sony HVL F20, etc etc. but these are upwards of $250, and as a beginner, that's a daunting price point for an accessory.

Click to expand...

Well, actually the HVL-20 is only $149, and it's not a bad investment.

It's pretty limited, but it's small, easy to use and much better than the built in flash. The Nissin is probably better and worth its price too, but the HVL-20 works for me.

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Most inexpensive external flash options for a6000?

macmaster05

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rlyons

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bravomail

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Ray Maines

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Marky12

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