I want to try flash photography and just received a HVL-F45RM. Started reading some threads that said maybe that was not the best solution for the money.
I think it might depend on how you define "value for money."
Godox is the bee's knees for the budget set and for other reasons. But an OEM flash will have factory warranty service and customer support behind it. And it probably works better in TTL and for AF-assist than any third-party reverse-engineered flash will. I'm also thinking Sony's radio system, while pricey, probably doesn't have the same TTL underexposure with wide aperture settings the Godox X system does.
There may be reasons to keep an OEM flash, or maybe not. It's expensive. And for that price, you could put together a manual-only three-light setup with Godox gear. But whether that's a better choice depends on what you plan to use your flash for and how you plan to use it. I own a lot of Godox gear, but I kept my 580EXII specifically for event shooting with my 5DmkII. Sometimes there are reasons to own an OEM flash.
Anyway I can exchange it and was looking at this (see link.) Thoughts? I would be using it with the A7RIII and A6500. Thanks. Oh and anything else I might need such as umbrella, etc...
Well, a V860II is a lithium-ion flash, so the battery life will be a lot better. It does TTL and HSS, and has a multi-interface hotshoe. But head rotation is a little stuff, AF-assist may or may not work, and TTL accuracy is okay, except for the wide aperture bug. It may be a little big/heavy for a small mirrorless body, but that's a matter of personal taste.
The main advantages are that the Godox system supports five other camera brand systems with cross-switching (i.e., you can share lights with an other-system shooter or switch to another system by simply replacing the on-camera transmitter unit), and has a lot of larger-than-speedlight options. If those things matter to you, or you're willing to give up customer support (aside from what a retailer can give you) and warranty repair service for a lower price tag, then Godox may be the right choice for you.
If you want to use a flash off-camera, you typically need four additional pieces of gear:
- Some way to trigger the flash off-camera (radio transmitter, pop-up flash, sync cord)
- A light stand to hold the light in position where you want.
- An umbrella swivel or bracket to attach your light (and modifiers) to the lightstand.
- A modifier (typically an umbrella or softbox)
This Lighting 101 post on the Strobist demonstrates how they go together and how you use them (although he's using a flash without built-in radio triggering, so there's also a radio receiver in the path).
