Sony A100 flash wich one?

[demonsmasher]

The only thing I have found so far for a flash for my alpha 100 is sony makes 2 models.
1.
Explore
HVL-F56AM


and
2.
Explore
HVL-F36AM


Dose anyone have exp. with any of these or wich one should I get. Right now I only have the flash that is on the camera. Which I hate, so I am looking at getting a flash for it.

 

[Big Mike]

I would guess (I can't tell) that the F56 is more powerful than the F36...and that's basically why it's more expensive. If you can afford the more expensive one, then go for it. If you have a limited budget, then consider if the less powerful unit will be good enough for your needs.

 

[demonsmasher]

Thanks mike for the input. The only thing that the f56 has over the f36 is
Bouncing in all directions
Modeling flash
Multiple flash emissions

How important are these to have? If it's something important to have then I will go for the 56 over the 36. Only 150 bucks more. Atlest in theory, the wife on the other hand I'll have to work on:hail:. I'm a newb at this, but I do know that if I'm going to get into this and maybe make a job change in the future then I don't want to half-butt do it when it come to building up my equipment.

 

[Big Mike]

Bouncing in all directions

Well what directions can the f36 be pointed to? As long as it can tilt and rotate 180 degrees, that should be good enough.

Modeling flash

I wouldn't worry about that.

Multiple flash emissions

I guess this to similar to Canon's 'High Speed Sync'...which allows you to use flash above the camera's max sync speed. This is a good feature when shooting outdoors in bright light, but it's not something that you would use all the time.

If the power is the same, I'd probably go for the cheaper one...but if the f56 has those extra features plus more power, then I'd take that one.

 

[demonsmasher]

I think the 36 only turn up and down and the 56 can swivle in all directions.

 

[Big Mike]

I can't really tell too much from those links (it doesnt help that my company's new firewall is blocking half of it)....but I can tell that the 36 & 56 are the guide numbers...so the f56 is quite a bit more powerful.

I would suggest that you get your hands on both of them, (at a store etc) and see just how much mobility they have.

 

[demonsmasher]

Well after looking around the net alittle. I can get the 56 for 8 more bucks than the 36 through amazon.com