Flash or hotshoe adapter for Sony NEX 6's "universal" hotshoe???
Apr 26, 2013 11:38:23 #
Yea well, that opens a whole new can of worms.
You can't really rely on the camera to set the exposure level in this situation.
Those bright spots, windows and lamps, are only going to muck things up for you.
Assuming that the light from that window is constant, you really need to manually set the same ambient exposure for every shot.
This is especially true if the images are be stitched as you say.
If you set the ambient exposure for a slight underexpose, you can then let the TTL flash fill in the shadow areas.
My choice would be to use a more powerful flash bounced off the ceiling to give a less directional fill.
You can't really rely on the camera to set the exposure level in this situation.
Those bright spots, windows and lamps, are only going to muck things up for you.
Assuming that the light from that window is constant, you really need to manually set the same ambient exposure for every shot.
This is especially true if the images are be stitched as you say.
If you set the ambient exposure for a slight underexpose, you can then let the TTL flash fill in the shadow areas.
My choice would be to use a more powerful flash bounced off the ceiling to give a less directional fill.
Apr 26, 2013 16:08:13 #
Yes, bouncing it off the ceiling would take a more powerful flash, which I suspect I may purchase one of these days. For now I had to adjust in PSE 10, and it worked out okay. Time consuming though.... Thanks.
May 4, 2013 05:47:52 #
Now i have to dig out this thread again, because something strange has happend.
As is tought, that i may have damaged the flash unit in my Nex6, trying to fire up old Flashes like i explained here, i sent my Sony to the Repair Shop.
After a week i today received a letter that means:
Problem couldnt be reproduced.
Flash worked find with HVL-F6011.
Ony compatible with Sony Flashes.
So what is this now. Is it really, that my NEX really would just shoot SONY Flashes? And you BobD would really had to replace you NEX?
Im somehow confused now
Any Idea?
As is tought, that i may have damaged the flash unit in my Nex6, trying to fire up old Flashes like i explained here, i sent my Sony to the Repair Shop.
After a week i today received a letter that means:
Problem couldnt be reproduced.
Flash worked find with HVL-F6011.
Ony compatible with Sony Flashes.
So what is this now. Is it really, that my NEX really would just shoot SONY Flashes? And you BobD would really had to replace you NEX?
Im somehow confused now
Any Idea?
May 4, 2013 07:43:15 #
An old flash will not of necessity damage the camera, it's just a possibility.
It's just as possible that the old flash will simply not work.
It's just as possible that the old flash will simply not work.
May 4, 2013 07:58:39 #
Thanks for your fast response
Somehow it used to work with a wireless trigger system. And after some time it didnt. So i was pretty sure, that my NEX is damaged.
The more strange, that they say it is still working with a HVL-F6011 (which i looked for and it seems that a flash with this name doesnt even exist)
Somehow it used to work with a wireless trigger system. And after some time it didnt. So i was pretty sure, that my NEX is damaged.
The more strange, that they say it is still working with a HVL-F6011 (which i looked for and it seems that a flash with this name doesnt even exist)
May 4, 2013 10:14:28 #
nozer wrote:
Thanks for your fast response
Somehow it used to work with a wireless trigger system. And after some time it didnt. So i was pretty sure, that my NEX is damaged.
The more strange, that they say it is still working with a HVL-F6011 (which i looked for and it seems that a flash with this name doesnt even exist)
Somehow it used to work with a wireless trigger system. And after some time it didnt. So i was pretty sure, that my NEX is damaged.
The more strange, that they say it is still working with a HVL-F6011 (which i looked for and it seems that a flash with this name doesnt even exist)
I think you misread the model number...perhaps it was a HVL-F60M?
See: http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666488671#compatability
May 4, 2013 10:15:14 #
May 4, 2013 11:26:52 #
If you live near to an UHH member with a Sony flash, you could get together and experiment.
May 4, 2013 11:57:51 #
My camera was still within the time period to return it to Amazon, which I did, and I ordered a replacement NEX6 from them. The first flash I tried in the hotshoe on the camera was a Yongnuo. The flash fired once, produced an extremely overexposed, barely viewable picture on the LCD and then never fired again.
I finally bit the bullet and ordered the Sony ADP-MAA adapter and their small HVLF20AM flash. I've had it a week or so, and am returning it. The flash coverage seems to be very iffy, producing a properly exposed image followed by one right next to it (for stitching images into panorama later), which is generally way too dark or too light. I've shot in bounce, direct, tele, and normal and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how it's going to light the images. So... I am returning it to Amazon and have ordered the Sony $348 HVL-F43AM flash. I did NOT want to have to spend that kind of money for a freakin' flash, but after trying five or six other brands, none of which worked (probably because the very first one fried the hotshoe electronics), I am sticking strictly to Sony products from now on.
On another subject, I recorded a bunch of jazz videos in a lounge the other night, and the noise from BEHIND the camera was as loud, or louder, than the musicians I was trying to record. So my next purchase will be an external mic. Of course I'll be using only an expensive Sony mic (I've learned my lesson), so need to save some money before buying the mic. I'm hoping Sony will announce a version of their ECM-HGZ1 Shotgun Microphone or maybe the ECMSST1 Compact Stereo Mic for the NEX6. Seems like they'd have these products ready when the announce a new model, but they don't. C'est la vie. I can't afford to buy a mic any time soon anyway, but it is REALLY needed if you want to record anything in a noisy environment, unless you don't want to hear what you're trying to record and you LIKE lots of loud background noise. Geesh.
I finally bit the bullet and ordered the Sony ADP-MAA adapter and their small HVLF20AM flash. I've had it a week or so, and am returning it. The flash coverage seems to be very iffy, producing a properly exposed image followed by one right next to it (for stitching images into panorama later), which is generally way too dark or too light. I've shot in bounce, direct, tele, and normal and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how it's going to light the images. So... I am returning it to Amazon and have ordered the Sony $348 HVL-F43AM flash. I did NOT want to have to spend that kind of money for a freakin' flash, but after trying five or six other brands, none of which worked (probably because the very first one fried the hotshoe electronics), I am sticking strictly to Sony products from now on.
On another subject, I recorded a bunch of jazz videos in a lounge the other night, and the noise from BEHIND the camera was as loud, or louder, than the musicians I was trying to record. So my next purchase will be an external mic. Of course I'll be using only an expensive Sony mic (I've learned my lesson), so need to save some money before buying the mic. I'm hoping Sony will announce a version of their ECM-HGZ1 Shotgun Microphone or maybe the ECMSST1 Compact Stereo Mic for the NEX6. Seems like they'd have these products ready when the announce a new model, but they don't. C'est la vie. I can't afford to buy a mic any time soon anyway, but it is REALLY needed if you want to record anything in a noisy environment, unless you don't want to hear what you're trying to record and you LIKE lots of loud background noise. Geesh.
May 4, 2013 12:00:33 #
P.S. At first I wasn't waiting long enough between shots, but realized it and then waited until the "ready" indicator stopped blinking before taking the next shot, so the flash was fully charged and still produced inconsistent coverage. I had to "fix" almost every image in PSE10, a time-consuming pain in the butt. Hopefully the new flash will fix that. We'll see.... I'll test it against the little flash before I return it....
May 4, 2013 18:43:43 #
Flash inconsistency is usually down to problems with objects of very high or very low reflectivity and which fool TTL exposure systems.
An example would be Bridal Gowns which can often be underexposed when relying on TTL flash.
That's where ADI flash comes into play, it tries to automate the process of manual flash.
ADI requires a flash that allows fine adjustment of power.
Knowing the distance (from the AF system), iso and aperture, the camera calculates the required GN for correct exposure.
This way bright objects can be correctly rendered.
There are limitations: the flash must be camera mounted and cannot be bounced, nor can diffusers be used.
An example would be Bridal Gowns which can often be underexposed when relying on TTL flash.
That's where ADI flash comes into play, it tries to automate the process of manual flash.
ADI requires a flash that allows fine adjustment of power.
Knowing the distance (from the AF system), iso and aperture, the camera calculates the required GN for correct exposure.
This way bright objects can be correctly rendered.
There are limitations: the flash must be camera mounted and cannot be bounced, nor can diffusers be used.
May 8, 2013 07:52:40 #
After two unsatisfactory photoshoots with the Sony HVL-F20AM I returned it to Amazon.com and dug down and ordered the larger $348 Sony HVL-F43AM flash. It arrived yesterday, and WOW what a terrific flash!!! The ADP-MAA adapter is necessary to use this flash on the NEX6, as it was for the little F20AM. Also, just as with the F20AM, to remove it from the camera it is necessary to push and hold in the lock release button, so I can't imagine it will ever get knocked off the camera unless the entire flash/adapter somehow gets knocked off. As tightly as the adapter is secured to the camera I don't see that ever happening. The light coverage from it is sensational, particularly in bounce mode, and I love that when I shoot in portrait/vertical mode I can swivel the entire flash body so the flash HEAD remains horizontal for greater coverage. The head even tilts BACKWARD so I can bounce off the wall behind me as well as the ceiling, which I tried and it worked great! It is a very HEAVY flash, and almost as large as the NEX6 itself, but hey, it provides superb light coverage so the extra size and weight is the trade-off one makes in order to get excellent results. I now feel like I have a truly professional flash, and I'm VERY satisfied with the system I have now.
May 8, 2013 07:57:46 #
great! i will get my nex6 back this week.
It came to my mind:
Would it be possible that your first Nex6 wasnt even damaged, and just showed up the usual incompatibility to third party Flashes?
It came to my mind:
Would it be possible that your first Nex6 wasnt even damaged, and just showed up the usual incompatibility to third party Flashes?
May 8, 2013 08:11:56 #
I think the first flash I tried on it fried the hotshoe as when I first fired it there was this BIG "pop" flash. The picture was so overexposed I could barely make out any pixels on the LCD, and after that neither that flash or any others would fire from the hotshoe. I returned it to Amazon for a full refund and as you know, am now using the Sony ADP-MAA adapter, which I just leave on the camera at all times. Sigh.... Works great, however, so no complaints. I now have a truly excellent photography system consisting all Sony equipment, the NEX6 camera, 16mm f/2.8 pancake lens, wide angle adapter (Sony), 16mm-50mm power zoom lens, 55mm-210mm telephoto zoom, Hoya UV and Polarizing filters for all, and the ADP-MAA adapter, and HVL-43AM flash. Also use a SLIK AMT "travel" tripod. My next purchase will be an external mic since the internal mics pick up way too much crowd noise when shooting video....
May 8, 2013 09:00:51 #
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