The 56 flash

[oz peleg]

Dear Friends,
I use the Alpha 100 for the last year and recently I bought external flash device HVL-F56AM.
Although I follow the instruction very careful 2 of the options are not working:
1.The "flash rang" dose not display on the data panel as well as the "auto" sign.
2. The "Auto Zoom" don’t work and keep showing 85 mm even when the focal length changes.
I am using the original DT 18-70mm Sony lens.
All the relevant camera setups in Auto mode.
Is there any menu or sub menu I need to setup to support those options?
Please advise.
Thanks in advance.

[Canuck935]

Unless you've set manual modes or zoom on the flash it should default to auto when you put it on the camera. Try with the camera in P mode.

[roundinthird]

Hi everyone
i too am having trouble with the sony 56 flash i bought one last week and it froze i could not reset it it stuch on 17mm and none of the buttons would respond.
B&H in new york replaced the flash i took another hundred shots and the second flash froze.
i am using the a100 with the kit lens i have been shooting mostly it the P mode. Has anyone heard of this problem and is there a solution other than getting another replacement?

thank you

[Canuck935]

Ok lets see...

oz peleg:
For flash range, it will only show when the flash head is pointed strait forward or down, if it is tilted up or swiveled flash range will not be displayed. Auto actually only shows up when you are in full auto or one of the preset auto modes (i.e. sports/action mode). In PASM it does not display auto on the flash LCD. It still works automatically, so don't worry about having to do any manual settings.

oz peleg and roundinthird:
For auto zoom, make sure you don't have the built in wide angle diffuser down on the flash, that will force it into 17mm and it will no longer zoom.

roundinthird:
As far as the flash freezing up, I have neither had nor heard of that issue. Since you repeated the problem with a second unit, I would contact Sony about this issue.

[roundinthird]

i picked up the disfuser and guess what? the flash "unforze". I can't beleive they did not know that at B&H.
However i have other problems i just can' seem to get enought light my on camera flash is giving me the same amount of light and my wife's point and shot is brighter.
I must be doing somthing wrong , however , i can't figure it out i have tried every mode the camera offers. please help.

thank you

[Canuck935]

The a100 has flash exposure issues. The problem is that bright and shiny things will cause the camera to underexpose (severely in some cases). A stray reflection from a window or mirror, or even off the frames or lenses of someone wearing glasses. ADI flash metering doesn't seem to help either.

Not all is lost, however. There are a few things that can be done short of getting a new camera and/or flash.

1) Bounce flash often gives much better exposures. Combine it with a diffuser and your results may be better yet.

2) Wireless flash seems to eliminate the problem almost completely iirc.

3) Make sure your camera is using the latest firmware. It doesn't help much, but there's other fixes and it's good to be up to date anyway.

It seems to be a camera specific issue. The a700 I can tell you from experience has none of the flash exposure problems of the a100. I haven't heard whether or not the a200, a300, or a350 have any issues. I would think that they don't since they came after the a700.

Short of a new camera body, flash units with built in thyristor metering will also fix exposure problems, since in thyristor mode it doesn't rely on the camera for flash metering. The units from Metz are best since they also offer wireless and even HSS I believe.

[roundinthird]

Hello again
I took over 100 shots of my daughter's pre wedding gathering and am very disappointed, many of the photos have a yello tinge. i am using the a100 with the kit lens and the 56 flash. i have tried every mode and i can not get consistent results. Any thoughts?

[Canuck935]

Yellow tinge? Sounds like a white balance issue. What were your whit balance settings? If you used AWB that probably wasn't the best choice. AWB works fine for natural lighting but usually doesn't do a very good job with tungsten or florescent lighting.

If you used flash and AWB, I think the camera automatically uses flash WB. Combine a flash WB with flash underexposure, and the room lighting will have a more prominent effect to the color of your photo's. In your case it sounds like tungsten lighting in combination with poor flash exposures.

There are a couple of things you can do. First you can try the methods I mentioned above for better flash exposures. Depending on the room lighting conditions, the background may still be very yellow/orangish from tungsten lighting. Another trick people use is to match the flash output color to the room lighting. This is achieved via colored gels placed over the flash head. Then a custom WB is done to correct for the color. This will then allow both the subject being flashed and the background to have normal looking color.

[demonsmasher]

I have to bounce my 56 on the a100 all the time. I get better results doing that. I haven't had any problems from the flash yet. Works fine for me.