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Flash HELP! Wireless not working!?

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Tubbycub

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HI all I just obtained the Sony HVL-F43M flash unit for my Sony A7.

I have gone through the steps numerous times according to the instruction manual to activate wireless flash and it is not working. :(

Attach the flash unit, Select wireless flash on the camera settings, WL appears on the flash unit.

Un mount the flash , It has a blinking red light on the front and when I trigger a shot it doesn't fire off.

What am I missing here?

thanks.
 
Tubbycub said:
Im disappointed that Sony chose to leave this option out… Money making scoundrels.
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Absolutely. 2004's Konica Minolta dImage A2 allowed the pop up flash to wirelessly trigger their flashes. Sony purchased Konica Minolta's camera and flash knowhow but somehow, such an useful feature as this requires another Sony flash on E-mount.

Another example of seeking to extract every last penny is Sony's rebadging of KM's 5600HS (D) as the HVL-F56AM flash and (of course) charging more for the privilege.
 
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It's been this way always... I haven't owned canon for a year, but NO Canon body that I know of has wireless control built in (unless there is a built-in flash)... No flash.. no control.

Maybe do a bit of research before purchasing?
 
sasoph said:
Tubbycub said:
Im disappointed that Sony chose to leave this option out… Money making scoundrels.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. 2004's Konica Minolta dImage A2 allowed the pop up flash to wirelessly trigger their flashes. Sony purchased Konica Minolta's camera and flash knowhow but somehow, such an useful feature as this requires another Sony flash on E-mount.

Another example of seeking to extract every last penny is Sony's rebadging of KM's 5600HS (D) as the HVL-F56AM flash and (of course) charging more for the privilege.
Click to expand...
My A7 doesn't have a flash... does yours?
 
dv9973 said:
santiclaws said:
Tubbycub said:
Doesn't the A7 body communicate with the flash wirelessly?
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No. I'm pretty sure no camera has that capability.
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Almost every Canon has this option.
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Not true.

5d3, 6d, and 1dx do not have any sort of wireless trigger built in. And the only reason crop bodies can shoot wireless is because of the pop up flash, which is hardly usable for serious flash work.

Please note wifi is not fast enough to trigger flashes so lets not go there.

Anyone seriously into using flash is using radio transmitters, be they pocket wizards or other third party triggers, or canons own radio transmitter with 600ex that have transceivers built in.
 
I had no idea flashes worked this way...

i love the flash I have purchased but would like to know that if I purchased another (to trigger mine wirelessly) is there a way that I could trigger the stand alone flash without allowing the mounted one to go off?

Or is it needed to go off to trigger the stand alone flash?
 
Tubbycub said:
I had no idea flashes worked this way...

i love the flash I have purchased but would like to know that if I purchased another (to trigger mine wirelessly) is there a way that I could trigger the stand alone flash without allowing the mounted one to go off?
Click to expand...
There is no way to do it because you need it to go off to trigger the wireless flash.
 
santiclaws said:
Tubbycub said:
I had no idea flashes worked this way...

i love the flash I have purchased but would like to know that if I purchased another (to trigger mine wirelessly) is there a way that I could trigger the stand alone flash without allowing the mounted one to go off?
Click to expand...
There is no way to do it because you need it to go off to trigger the wireless flash.
Click to expand...
Not even with a radio trigger rather than a second flash?
 
Tubbycub said:
i love the flash I have purchased but would like to know that if I purchased another (to trigger mine wirelessly) is there a way that I could trigger the stand alone flash without allowing the mounted one to go off?
Click to expand...
You can cover the light emitting portion of the flash. With my HVL-F20AM, I use the included bag for this. A piece of film can also be used block the light whilst allowing the IR pulses through.

You can also trigger the flash via an off camera cable. One advantage is removing the pre-flash delay of wireless TTL flash. Cords are limited by how far you need the flash to be away from the camera and how static the flash can be - I know someone who shoots musicians with the flash in one hand, angling it around for effect.
 
sasoph said:
Tubbycub said:
Im disappointed that Sony chose to leave this option out… Money making scoundrels.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. 2004's Konica Minolta dImage A2 allowed the pop up flash to wirelessly trigger their flashes. Sony purchased Konica Minolta's camera and flash knowhow but somehow, such an useful feature as this requires another Sony flash on E-mount.
Click to expand...
Yup, the same technology is still used.

Sony cameras with a pop-up flash can trigger off-camera Sony flashes using the pulse from the pop-up flash. The flash itself can be powered down - it's the pulse - not the light.

But Sony cameras that don't have a pop-up flash such as A7, A7R, A7S, A99, A900 need to use something else to trigger the external flash such as a HVL-F20M flash.

Canon works the same way except they also offer flash controllers that can trigger off camera flashes. While flash controllers cost more than a HVLM-F20M, they are a much more logical way of controlling off-camera flash - a flash controller has been on my Sony wish list for years.
 
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