At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere.
That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box,
verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs.
We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.
Features
Overview: The Sony Alpha-series HVL-F20AM compact external
flash extends illumination range beyond your Sony Alpha-series DSLR camera's
built-in flash. TTL (through the lens) flash exposure is automatically
controlled by your Alpha-series DSLR camera for easy and intuitive operation.
Though compact and lightweight, the HVL-F20AM has a maximum range twice that of
the built-in flash units on the Sony Alpha-series 230, 330 and 380 DSLR cameras.
Compatibility: The Sony HVL-F20AM is designed specifically for Sony
Alpha-series DSLR cameras.
Ultra-Compact Design: With a weight of only 90g (approx.) and a
thickness of only 24mm (1-inch), the HVL-F20AM is so compact it can simply be
folded down and left mounted on the camera when it is not in use, or detached
and carried in a shirt pocket. When removed from the camera, the flash unit's
hot shoe can be folded to the side, making the body even more compact. The
HVL-F20AM comes with a soft drawstring carrying pouch to store the flash when
not in use.
Easy Operation: Unlike most external flash units, the HVL-F20AM has no
dedicated ON/OFF switch. Instead, power is automatically switched on simply by
raising the flash unit into the shooting position. In addition, a switch on the
side of the unit offers Indoor and Outdoor settings, making it easy to obtain
flash illumination that suits the shooting situation. A charging lamp indicates
when the flash is ready to fire.
ADI Flash Metering System: The ADI (Advanced Distance Integration)
flash metering system offers the optimum flash metering and automatic
white-balance compensation regardless of the background conditions or the
subject's reflectance. ADI flash metering works in combination with Sony's
Alpha-series DLSR cameras and lenses that incorporate a distance encoder. When
used with these lenses, the camera calculates a guide number to control TTL
(through the lens) flash metering. This guide number is calculated according to
distance from the subject, ambient light and pre-flash reflectivity of the
subject and the background.
Built-In Diffuser: The Sony HVL-F20AM features a built-in diffuser for
wide and telephoto shooting. With the built-in diffuser the flash illumination
covers an angle of view of 27mm at the default Standard Position setting. If you
want to shoot at a greater distance, you can rotate the dial on the side of the
flash unit to the 'Tele' Position. Although this reduces flash coverage to an
angle of view of 50mm, it extends the range to illuminate more distant subjects.
Bounce Flash: Bounce flash enables shadow-less indirect lighting. When
set to 'indoor' shooting mode, the flash points up to bounce light off the
ceiling for shadowless illumination of your subject. When set to the 'outdoor'
shooting mode, the flash directs light directly at your subject.
Wireless Flash Trigger (DSLR-A900 only): When connected to the Sony
Alpha-series DSLR-A900 camera, the HVL-F20AM can also be used to trigger
wireless flash setups. Please note, however, that this functionality is only
available with DSLR-A900, and does not include luminosity ratio control.
Battery Power: The Sony HVL-F20AM operates off of two "AAA" alkaline
or Ni-MH batteries (sold separately).
| Flash Interval/Number of Flashes |
Alkaline Batteries |
Ni-MH batteries (930 mAH) |
| Flash Interval (sec) |
approx. 0.1-5 |
approx. 0.1-4 |
| Number of Flashes (times) |
approx. 90 or more |
approx. 150 or more |
Specifications:
- Zoom Flash Range:
- Standard Position: APS-C Format (equivalent to the 18mm focal
length range), 35mm Format (equivalent to the 27mm focal length range)
- Tele Position: APS-C Format (equivalent to the 35mm focal
length range), 35mm Format (equivalent to the 50mm focal length range)
- Flash Length Range:
- Standard Position: 14 (unit: m)
| Aperture (F) |
ISO100 |
ISO200 |
ISO400 |
ISO800 |
| 2.8 |
1-5 |
10-7 |
1-10 |
1-14 |
| 4 |
1-3.5 |
1-5 |
1-7 |
1-10 |
| 5.6 |
1-2.5 |
1-3.5 |
1-5 |
1-7 |
| 8 |
1-1.5 |
1-2.5 |
1-3.5 |
1-5 |
- Tele Position: 20 (unit: m)
| Aperture (F) |
ISO100 |
ISO200 |
ISO400 |
ISO800 |
| 2.8 |
1-7 |
1-10 |
1-14 |
1-20 |
| 4 |
1-5 |
1-7 |
1-10 |
1-14 |
| 5.6 |
1-3.5 |
1-5 |
1-7 |
1-10 |
| 8 |
1-2.5 |
1-3.5 |
1-5 |
1-7 |
