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My favourite issues to evaluate for this web site are flashes. Most individuals examine cameras and lenses. However the true creators care about gentle. Flash is, sadly, a spot the place there must be much more innovation. That’s the case with the Sony HVL-F60R M2 particularly. Being introduced at this time, that is Sony’s new flagship flash. For such an extremely progressive firm, they’re certainly holding again on their flashes. In actual fact, the Sony HVL-F60R M2 flashes really feel like a little bit of an afterthought. And to be frank, we’re nonetheless unsure who would purchase them.
Too Lengthy, Didn’t Learn
The Sony HVL-F60R M2 is a humdrum replace to their flash lineup. It’s competent, however there are rather more efficient lights on the market for cheaper. And for just a few hundred bucks extra, you will get an Elinchrom One. For what it’s, it’s a very good flash. Nevertheless it’s one which the market didn’t want. Sony is an extremely progressive firm in terms of lenses and cameras. You wouldn’t assume so whenever you have a look at the flashes, although.
Professionals and Cons
Professionals
Cobra head continues to unlock a lot potentialStills activates and off with the cameraFaster flash sync with the a1 is fairly superior, however not essential at this pointFeels effectively builtComes with Gels and diffuser.Insanely simple to pair with the Sony wi-fi radio transmitter.Implausible and extremely quick recycle velocity, however I by no means machine gun shoot with a flash anyway.Can be utilized as a receiver with decrease finish flashesRear sync and gradual sync is loads higher than the earlier versionSolid white steadiness efficiency, besides when gelledImproved sturdiness.By no means as soon as overheated, however that’s not likely a problem with flashes today anyway.
Cons
Why is it nonetheless utilizing Double A batteries? It’s 2021Sony touts auto white steadiness accuracy that solely first-party tools can obtain. However I haven’t had that downside with different manufacturers in years.There isn’t any level in utilizing this this off-camera besides when you’re indoors, at night time, or have a whole lot of gentle management. For the cash, you might as effectively get an Elinchrom One or a Flashpoint flash as a substitute.Whereas the sooner flash sync talents with the Sony a1 are superior, excessive velocity sync is extremely accessible today with out challenge.Sluggish flash durationA touchscreen would’ve been a pleasant addition.The necessity to continuously pair with different flashes is form of annoying.Fairly weak for the worth level.Sony’s personal TTL is basically bizarre in comparison with Profoto’sIt’s $599.99. Why? Simply get a Flashpoint Zoom Li-on X R2 TTL that will provide you with extra energy output for much less cash.If in case you have an older Sony digicam physique, there’s no level in getting this.It’s 2021 and Sony launched a flash and not using a USB-C interface. Even a far cheaper Flashpoint flash has USB-C.
Gear Used
We examined the Sony HVL-F60R M2 with the:
Improvements
The Sony HVL-F60R M2 has higher sturdiness on the scorching shoe. They’re additionally touting higher white steadiness, however in any other case, it’s not an progressive flash in any respect. In comparison with Canon’s EL1, which is extra dear, the Sony HVL-F60R M2 can’t adapt its energy output accordingly. It additionally lacks a quick flash period that extra inexpensive Flashpoint lights boast. Total, the Sony HVL-F60R M2 is an extremely disappointing replace in that it simply brings Sony flashes as much as par with others in some methods and doesn’t innovate in any respect.
Tech Specs
Information quantity 60Overheating protectionLinked to digicam face detectionEnhance auto white steadiness accuracyMore rugged shoe240 flashes1.7 second recycle timeUp to 200 steady flashes at 10 fps$599.99.
Ergonomics
The Sony HVL-F60R M2 is a flash that, for probably the most half, appears to be like like all different hot-shoe flashes available on the market. Nevertheless it’s certainly a lot totally different. Nonetheless, it’s additionally akin to a lot of what Sony has completed for years.
Flip to the again of the flash, and also you’ll discover the settings. These are easy and easy to make use of. There’s additionally a strong lock on the underside.
Flip to the aspect of the flash, and also you’ll discover the batteries. These are double-A batteries. Why Sony is making a flash like this in 2021 is past me.
On the underside, you’ll discover different ports. You’ll be able to join a PC sync cable and a cable for a battery pack.
And maybe the most important insult is the outdated USB interface. This isn’t even a USB C interface. Why did you do that, Sony?
Like a few of Sony’s different flashes, the Sony HVL-F60R M2 has a cobra head. Which means it is going to flip backward and forward. The pinnacle may also transfer ahead and again. It offers an ideal protection space, but it surely does so in another way from different flashes.
Construct High quality
The Sony HVL-F60R M2 is total constructed very effectively. For the report, we didn’t go banging the flash up, dropping it, and even utilizing it within the rain. Fairly truthfully, I don’t assume I’d ever use an on-camera flash within the rain. And if anybody would, I’m fairly certain it will be me. Nonetheless, it feels extremely strong, as does each single flip of the cobra head.
Sony did the suitable factor in addressing the recent shoe concern, although. For years, if the recent shoe bought a bit bit soaked, the digicam would freeze up and wouldn’t allow you to shoot. It felt nearly like utilizing an Epson or Canon printer and being informed you can’t use the scanner as a result of the ink ran out. Utilizing the Sony HVL-F60R M2 on the digicam will assist forestall that from occurring.
For the report, it feels extra substantial than something from Flashpoint, although solely barely. And it nearly feels as sturdy as Profoto’s A10. And certain, the Profoto flash is double the worth. Nevertheless it’s additionally considerably extra succesful.
Ease of Use
To begin issues off, the menu system of the Sony HVL-F60R M2 is tremendous simple to make use of. In actual fact, I’d argue that it’s the only to make use of I’ve seen in years. One wouldn’t assume that’s the case with Sony contemplating their mantle-piercing menu system. Nonetheless, pairing the flash was a simple affair. Altering the configurations, nevertheless, bought annoying. Right here’s what I examined:
Sony HVL-F60R M2 as a receiver from the radio transmitter, since this has radio constructed inSony HVL-F60R M2 as a receiver for the 46R flash.Sony HVL-F60R M2 as a commander for the 46R flashSony HVL-F60R M2 and the 46R flash each being receivers for the radio transmitter
Mainly, you’ll must continuously pair them time and again to get the configurations you need. It doesn’t take lengthy, but it surely’s a tedious course of that might’ve been mounted with the Imaging Edge app, digicam, or one thing.
Throughout my whole time utilizing the Sony HVL-F60R M2, I truthfully searched deep in my ideas to determine who’d use it. Once I spoke with Sony’s exterior PR reps, we had been really useful marriage ceremony pictures. And that type of made sense earlier than I bought the flash in my hand. Once I began to make use of it, I bought totally different ideas. I haven’t shot a marriage in years, so I requested Opinions Editor Hillary Grigonis. She agrees with me that it in all probability wouldn’t make sense vs. the Flashpoint stuff. If a flash breaks, you’d simply purchase a brand new one with Flashpoint. And you’ll find offers for 3 Flashpoint R2 Zoom Lion lights for the worth of 1 Sony HVL-F60R M2.
The place the Sony HVL-F60R M2 actually began to indicate its colours is with real-life use. I examined the flash in documentary, portrait, and occasion eventualities. It’s implausible you can get publicity preview with the Sony a1, but it surely’s nonetheless not at all times correct. Sony’s PR reps, once more, reasoned that it’s because the digicam doesn’t even know that the flash exists. In my thoughts, that made sense. So a whole lot of the time, I ended up not even utilizing the publicity preview setting. As it’s, publicity preview is horrible for autofocus efficiency, and it drains battery life. I hardly ever use it. By that logic, I additionally don’t put on sun shades in the dead of night.
The Sony HVL-F60R M2 is a Information Quantity 60 gentle. And for what it’s value, it additionally has a fairly gradual flash period. I do know this from the outcomes we bought taking pictures high-speed sync. What which means is that you simply’ll constantly want a sooner shutter velocity to kill the ambient gentle. That would have an effect on the battery life and, in fact, the motion-stopping skill. Comparatively talking, the Flashpoint Zoom Lion R2 flashes can overpower the solar with much less effort. In precise life use, it signifies that you’re additionally staying extra according to shutter speeds. You could possibly be exterior taking pictures at 1/1,000 and overpowering the solar with quick flash period. Then you definitely solely should go to 1/one hundred and twenty fifth whenever you go inside, theoretically. However with the Sony HVL-F60R M2, you’ll should go to 1/8000th all the best way all the way down to 1/one hundred and twenty fifth as a substitute. The additional fiddling round with the shutter velocity might value you an ideal shot that you simply’ll miss.
One in every of my extra important issues with the earlier flashes from Sony was the second curtain flash sync and gradual sync. It typically felt like I used to be utilizing an outdated Minolta system as a substitute. Fortunately, the Sony HVL-F60R M2 addresses that very effectively. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless not one of the best I’ve seen for the second curtain. Check out the photograph beneath; it’s from an outdated Lumopro LP-180 flash. It was glorious at stopping movement and accentuating the sooner stuff. This photograph was shot at 1/sixth of a second, based on the EXIF knowledge.
Sadly, the Sony HVL-F60R M2 can’t do stuff like this partially due to the slower flash period. As an alternative, Sony leaves trails such as you see within the photographs beneath. They’re alright, not, however they’re once more, nothing particular in any respect. For these, we needed to shoot at round 1/thirtieth of a second as a result of the Sony couldn’t cease the quick movement. Why? Once more, it’s a flash period challenge.
I actually want Sony had given this flash a sooner flash period. However as a substitute, you’re higher off reaching for Flashpoint, Godox, or Profoto gear. For the report too, these pictures had been more durable than you’d assume to drag off. The Sony gentle stored attempting to overpower the background and made the scene tremendous shiny after I was utilizing Tamron lenses. This was in TTL mode. Once I switched to Sony lenses, it was nice.
Sony tells the press that the flash additionally works to ship higher white steadiness. And certainly, that’s the reality. My buddy Alex came over me in Queens, and in whole, we shot perhaps 5 photographs most. On this particular place, we solely shot two pictures. However the Sony HVL-F60R M2 and the Sony a1 nailed the shot. Granted, there’s one thing to be stated for simply how extremely environment friendly I’m on a set. Nevertheless it’s additionally onerous to disclaim how good the white steadiness is.
Excessive-speed sync is one more challenge. Particularly, it’s a problem with wanting on the digicam’s publicity preview setting. The Sony a1 tells you that it could estimate what the flash publicity can be. However with HSS, that predictability is as correct as a weatherman who predicts a sunny day when it’s raining exterior. But once more, due to the dearth of quick flash period, you’re in all probability going to want to do extra modifying. In actual fact, a number of these pictures had been edited in a roundabout way or kind. Basically, stand by typical flash ideas, search for managed gentle areas.
Picture High quality
Can you actually inform that this output is from the Sony HVL-F60R M2? No — that’s particularly the case in terms of modifying the photographs. However you possibly can inform it’s from a weak Speedlight of some kind. By pictures, we are able to know in the event that they had been shot with a strobe or a high-powered Speedlight. In the event you’ve shot with flash for years, that’s fairly simple to do. However you possibly can’t determine a photograph by the producer in any respect. That, particularly, is the case with the Sony HVL-F60R M2. It doesn’t make a case for purchasing it any higher.
Additional Picture Samples
From day one, the Phoblographer has been large on transparency with our viewers. Nothing from this evaluate is sponsored. Additional, a number of of us will publish critiques and present a number of modifying within the photographs. The issue then turns into that anybody and everybody can do the identical factor. You’re not displaying what the product can do. So we have now an entire part in our Additional Picture Samples space to indicate off edited and unedited photographs. From this, you may make a call for your self.
Unedited
Edited
Conclusions
Likes
Construct qualityWhite steadiness
Dislikes
Sluggish flash durationSony had years to vary the flash world and so they twiddled their thumbsDouble A batteries? Actually, Sony?No USB-C interface to replace firmware. Why can’t this factor have a battery that costs by way of USB-C?$599.99, which isn’t justifiable.Why no touchscreen and why does Sony hate the happiness that touchscreens give us so badly?
As you possibly can inform, I don’t assume you should purchase the Sony HVL-F60R M2 despite the fact that it’s not a foul flash. There are simply much better choices available on the market on the market. As an alternative of reiterating all of the issues it does fallacious, I’ll somewhat speak about what I count on from Sony:
Radio management of the flash throughout the digicam systemFlashes working on a bluetooth or wi-fi wifi systemMuch sooner flash durationA touchscreen interfaceIntegration with the Imaging Edge apps to do issues like firmware updates by way of the appUSB-C interface and tech. This shouldn’t be utilizing double A batteries. Give us batteries that may cost by way of USB-C and that can cost whereas the flash is plugged into USB-C energy.Change the top design to a spherical head with a frosted design.In-built modelling gentle that may change coloured and double as getting used for videoExposure preview that works with the digicam to inform you what the publicity will appear to be even when the flash is off-camera inside 15 ft.Personally talking, I just like the output of quartz speedlights like Nissin’s. Perhaps try this?
If Sony did all of this stuff and even made the worth one thing like $799, I’d be head over heels for it and screaming from the tops of rooftops. However as a substitute, that is the weakest sauce that met water and determined to be watered down weaker sauce.
The Sony HVL-F60R M2 receives two out of 5 stars. Don’t purchase one.
Mannequin Credit go to Alex Simmons and Robespierre Dornagon.
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