Follow Up - Sony A6000 with Sony 28-70mm f/3.5 Lens and Sony HVL-F20M Flash

I recently posted about my camera and lens selection for a New Year's Eve Party I was to photograph and went into the reasons why I ultimately chose the Sony A6000 with the Sony 28-70mm f/3.5 lens, which is actually the kit lens that comes with the Sony A7 line of cameras. I paired this combo with a Sony HVL-F20M external flash. Below you can see some of the results and my thoughts. Scroll down even further and you'll find links where you can buy the A6000 and/or Sony HVL-F20M flash.

Sony A6000 with Sony 28-70mm f/3.5 lens and Sony HVL-F20M external flash.

A few remarks about the Sony HVL-F20M external flash. I really like the simple design of this flash. From the way it powers on to the simple flip-of-a-switch method for changing the flash to "bounce" mode. To turn the flash on, you flip it up from a horizontal position to a vertical position. The is a fast and easy way to turn it on. No mucking about trying to push a button. The same goes for positioning the flash to bounce the light off of the ceiling. There is a switch on the side of the flash that just slides into the "bounce" position. Too easy.

There was definitely a sweet spot for the flash, about 6-10 feet from the subject was ideal. Any closer that 6 ft and my subject would be blown out, any further and the flash was too weak.

This shot was taken WITHOUT the flash, as long as the subject wasn't moving and there was a little ambient light, the results were good.

In the pictures above and below, you can see the flash and camera work well together in that 6 to 10 foot sweet spot.

Above: DJs on stage. This image is taken with the flash. The flash has added light to the stage lights and resulted in a nice exposure.

Here we see a photo with the flash from about 4 feet, still ok but a little harsh. Still acceptable.

Overall, I was quite pleased with this camera, lens and flash combination. I did not bring my best lenses because, as I mentioned in the previous blog post, I didn't want to bring my best glass to a party like this where there was a chance of someone spilling their drink on my gear. 

The Sony 28-70mm f/3.5 lens holds it's own against more pricey offerings. Still, with a Zeiss 24-70mm f/4 having been recently added to my inventory, I will put this lens (Sony 28-70mm) for sale because it pretty much overlaps with my new 24-70.

Buy yourself a Sony A6000. I HIGHLY recommend this camera for enthusiasts, amateurs and professionals.

Here is the link to buy a Sony HVL-F20M external flash.