Sony Alpha flash and conclusion

Ah, the Sony flash, the HVL-F58AM flash...what a nice tool to work with. The above picture was shot at sunset with the Alpha 900 with flash set to normal, 800 ISO and the EXIF reports 1/60th at F 5.6. If I recall, I had the camera set to Auto and let the fun happen. There is noise in the image which, like I stated in my previous post, should not exist in a 08/09 camera model but the flash really did a nice job. There is slight detail in the black, the white cards dangling from the lanyards are not blown out, and the skin tones are just about right. The image could have been a bit brighter but overall, the image is great. This is the image straight out of the camera. And at fine jpg setting at that! I wonder how a raw file would have done? The Alpha 900 metered, in my opinion, perfectly. Canon! Take note of the flash unit and metering Sony seems to have gotten right.

The Sony flash

is awesome with its rotating/pivoting ability. The shadows were always under the chin where they belong.

Everything about the flash and camera combo do speak of a (do I dare say!?!?) a glorified Cybershot. Yes, the 900 with the flash became a big point and shoot that leaves little to think about.

And why not? Why should I have to think about a mindless picture and create something fancy when I am just "doing a job." In my opinon, there really wasn't much to think about when using this camera and flash together. The Canon flash unit leave so much to wish for...after years of trying to understand its matrix metering, ETTL, and whatnot, it is a hit and miss game with the Canon.

I didn't spend anytime having to fuss with my Sony images after the shoot. No levels adjustment, no color correction, or any type of photoshopping. THIS IS WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY SHOULD BE LIKE (at times, mind you) where you don't have to do anything but shoot, download, burn a disc, and handover to a client.

Don't get me wrong, I constantly use the Canon flash for lots of work but compared to the Sony, the Canon can't hold its weight. Most Canon shooters would probably agree. Its never an issue of plug and play. Its lets dial down/up the flash, or the cameras get thrown off by a white dress shirt and black dress combo. It never seems consistent. The Sony flash got it right just about 90% of the time, and thats a wonderful ratio!

I mean with the Canon, I'd have a good exposure but a black background, or a nice background and blurry players cause of the slow shutter. The Sony flash took all the guess out.

The flash alone would make me jump over to Sony if there were more assets within the Sony system.

With this said, I will get to my conclusions on the Alpha system...

I like it. If all my Canon gear fell into the depths of the Pacific, I still wouldn't invest it all in Sony but I like the system. There is so much Sony needs to improve on and before long it probably will be a major player.

My buddy Hugh just purchased the Canon 5D Mark II with 1080 HD video capabilities. He finally told me all about the video capacity and he said it good for certain things but will never replace a real video camera. He also mentioned some of the bad things about it and what the 5D can and cannot do. With photography, there is not just one tool that will work for everything.

Sony does have the capability to create a "bi-user" system with great video and still capability. A Red system without the headaches. I could be wrong because Canon also has a video equipment company as well and they are on their way to creating a future video/still system. Until then, Sony will have to keep making their system stronger and better.

Improvements should include faster handling, easier user accessibility, a much more durable body and many other things I cannot really elaborate on. I can go on and on and complain about Canon, Sony or Nikon as nothing is perfect. If I could take all the systems and make a frankenstein type body with the Nikon glass look, the Canon handling, and the Sony flash...we'd have the perfect tool. Add near perfect web/tv video capabilities, and jacks for sound, and voila! Time will only tell.

If you haven't tried a Sony, please do. They are very very nice systems and make great images. Like I said, I don't know if its ready to roll around the beach waiting for a celeb to pop out, a journalist sitting in the back of a humvee, or jumping from the pool van to quickly catch a President eating shaved ice. A photojournalist needs a camera that can take it all, not a camera that is only good (rather, great) at a few things. If you keep it in a studio, you can't go wrong.

It's price point at $3000 for 24.6 megapixels, and market value lenses make it a contender for people who are starting out in the business. For me, I might wait to see what the 3rd and 4th versions will create.

But do we really need a camera that can shoot 21 frames a sec at 98 megapixels?


Sony 700, 24-70mm F2.8, Hawaiian sunset light.