Sony HVL-F60RM2
Radio-Controlled & Regular Flash
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Sony HVL-F60RM2 Flash (19.1 oz./541 g with 4-AA eneloop, measured GN 67'/20m at 35mm (rated GN 98'/30m), GN 105'/32m at 105mm (rated GN 161'/49m) and 123'/37½m at 200mm (rated GN 197'/60m), 2.8s measured recycle time (rated 1.7s), $548). bigger. I'd get mine at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, gray-market, store demo or used flash — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new flash. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new flash before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
March 2022 Better Pictures Sony Sony Flash Canon Nikon Fuji LEICA Zeiss All
Sony HVL-F60RM2. bigger.
Sample Images top
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These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are shot hand-held as a LIGHT JPGs; no tripods, no STANDARD, FINE or EXTRA FINE JPGs or RAW files were used or needed.
Bougainvillea, 11:10 AM, Saturday, 26 February 2022. Sony A7 IV set to VV (Vivid) Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony HVL-F60RM2 flash in TTL mode, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at 70mm at f/16 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100, -0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 16.0), Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or camera-original 33 MP © JPG file (6 MB).
Yellow 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe, 11:22 AM, Saturday, 26 February 2022. Sony A7 IV set to VV (Vivid) Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony HVL-F60RM2 flash in TTL mode, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at 88mm at f/9 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 33 MP © JPG file (7 MB).
Latino Classic, 11:35 AM, Saturday, 26 February 2022. Sony A7 IV set to VV (Vivid) Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony HVL-F60RM2 flash in TTL mode (that's me and the flash in the reflection in the bumper on the lower right), Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at 125mm at f/22 for (great sunstars) at 1/125 at Auto ISO 640 (LV 13.2), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 33 MP © JPG file (5 MB).
Red Ford Pickup Liftgate, 11:46 AM, Saturday, 26 February 2022. Sony A7 IV set to VV (Vivid) Creative Look with +9 Saturation, no flash, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at 200mm at f/5.6 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 33 MP © JPG file (6 MB).
Black 1956 VW Beetle, 12:02 PM, Saturday, 26 February 2022. Sony A7 IV set to VV (Vivid) Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony HVL-F60RM2 flash in TTL mode, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at 94mm at f/5 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 12.6), as shot. bigger or camera-original 33 MP © JPG file (6 MB).
Flaming Hot Rod, 12:16 PM, Saturday, 26 February 2022. Sony A7 IV set to VV (Vivid) Creative Look with +9 Saturation, Sony HVL-F60RM2 flash in TTL mode, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II at 88mm at f/9 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 14.3), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original 33 MP © JPG file (4 MB).
Fill-Flash Examples
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Fill-flash adds detail to shadows without affecting the highlights. Shot with Sony A7 IV, flash in TTL mode and Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II. Click any to enlarge.
Introduction top
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I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
The Sony HVL-F60RM2 is a modern medium-to-large on-camera flash dedicated to Sony's cameras. It's a great flash to use all the time for greatly improved photos in every kind of light, especially in daylight as shown above.
Lighting is more important to making better photos than your choice of camera or lens, and flash is a major way to make a huge improvement in your lighting.
Flash is all about improving the quality, not quantity of light. We don't use flash today because it's dark; we use flash to fill-in shadows selectively, which higher ISOs can't do.
On-camera fill-flash is critical to good people photos, and as you see above, I use it for photos of just about everything. It adds far more details to shadows than any software-based post processing or modern wide-dynamic range sensors can.
The concept behind fill flash is so simple most people never realize it. Imagine a subject in direct sunlight. Let's call that 100 units of light. The shadows are typically 2 stops darker, or have only 25% as much light, so let's say 25 units of light in the shadows.
Let's use an on-camera flash to add 12½ units of light to every part of the scene. It adds only a slight amount of light (12%) proportionally to the sunlit portions (100 + 12½ = 112½ units of light), but adds a relatively huge 50% of additional lighting to the shadows (bringing them from 25 units to 37½ units of light).
This why fill-flash has been a professional secret for over 100 years: it selectively adds more light, detail and color to the shadows while not blowing out the highlights.
I'd get my HVL-F60RM2 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Legible LCD and well-marked buttons. bigger.
New intro top
Radio remote control. I never use small flashes like this remotely. I either use this flash on-camera or I use full-sized studio strobes for multi-light setups.
Has multiple contacts in the shoe to talk better to Sony's newest cameras:
Smart Shoe. bigger.
On the bad side, the HVL-F60RM2 now includes a shoe cover to protect these delicate contacts, which gets in the way when having to remove it to mount on your camera.
Good intro top
Plenty of power in a moderate-sized package — but not much more power than the smaller HVL-F46RM.
Built-in captive wide panel.
Built-in captive kicker card. Use this with bounce flash to keep highlights in subject's eyes.
Fast recycling.
Flexible pivoting head optimized for vertical shooting.
Easy to setup and use; great ergonomics — but the crazy vertical-optimized head isn't ideal for horizontal use.
Clear and legible LCD.
Well-lit LCD with amber LED backlight.
Weather resistant.
Includes a marvelous soft case.
Includes a tiny (remote) stand.
Optional FA-EBA1 external 8-AA battery holder gives full-power recycle times as fast as 0.6 seconds, as well as more flashes per set of 8-AA cells.
Includes colored (tungsten and fluorescent color-conversion) filters and Sto-Fen-style diffuser.
You can use the diffuser at the same time as either of the filters:
Included tungsten and fluorescent color-conversion filters and Sto-Fen-style diffuser. bigger.
Bad intro top
Dimly-lit ready light is invisible in daylight (use the in-finder indication instead). A small, bright ready light would be better; this ready light is the big, dim TEST button.
The buttons are not illuminated so they are completely invisible in the dark.
Missing intro top
No illuminated buttons (LCD is well lit).
Can't charge over USB.
Specifications (Sony's Ratings) top
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I'd get my HVL-F60RM2 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Power specifications top
Rated Guide Numbers (in meters) at ISO 100.
Recycle Time specifications top
1.7 seconds.
Zoom Settings (full-frame) specifications top
14mm wide panel.
20, 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 105, 135 and 200mm settings in the zoom head.
Pivoting Head specifications top
Sony HVL-F60RM2. bigger.
The head moves -8º to +150º (points backwards 60º) relative to the body.
The whole body, with head, moves ±90º left or right.
As shown above, the body is rotated 45º right and the head is flipped up 150º.
This thing looks as crazy as it is. It is designed for vertical shooting, in which case half the flash rotates 90º left or right to remain vertical as you rotate your camera. Rotate the camera as you hold the flash in the same vertical position and you still have the whole -8º to +150º vertical range, a Godsend for people wanting to use bounce flash with vertical shots.
That's the good news. The bad news is that the head does not move left or right relative to the control panel, so you can't swing the head left or right easily for horizontal shots. To do that we have to flip the whole thing 90º left or right and then rotate it left or right — but without any vertical bounce ability at the same time.
It works OK horizontally and great vertically, but it takes some getting used to horizontally. You can point it in any direction; you just get there differently.
Battery Life (Ni-MH) specifications top
240 full-power flashes.
Burst Flashes specifications top
200 flashes at 10 FPS a 1/32 power with Ni-MH cells.
Manual Power Settings specifications top
Full to 1/256 in 1/3 stops.
Case specifications top
Included Soft Case. bigger.
Size specifications top
5.63 × 3.07 × 4.12 inches HWD.
143.1 × 78.1 × 104.6 mm HWD.
Weight specifications top
19.079 oz. (540.9 g) actual measured weight with 4-AA eneloop.
Rated 15.5 oz. (439 g) empty.
Quality specifications top
Sony HVL-F60RM2. bigger.
Made in China.
Announced specifications top
21 October 2021.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
October 2021 ~ March 2022
$548 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield.
Optional Accessories top
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Performance Recommendations More
I'd get my HVL-F60RM2 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
The FA-EBA1 external 8-AA battery holder gives full-power recycle times as fast as 0.6 seconds, as well as more flashes per set of 8-AA cells.
Actual Measured Performance top
Sample Images Intro New Good Bad Missing
Performance Recommendations More
I'd get my HVL-F60RM2 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Recycle Time performance top
From a full-power dump with with 4-AA eneloop cells:
2.8 seconds with freshly charged cells.
3⅓ seconds with 60% charged cells.
Power Output performance top
Zoom Setting |
14mm Wide Panel |
20mm |
24mm |
35mm |
105mm |
200mm |
Guide Number, feet |
35 |
56 |
59 |
67 |
105 |
123 |
Guide Number, meters |
11 |
17 |
18 |
20 |
32 |
37½ |
It measures about one stop less than rated, which is typical for Japanese flash makers who have been lying like this since the 1970s when guide numbers were bare minimums used with negative film to set manual exposure based on distance. It took advantage of about a 1-stop underexposure latitude on the part of negative film: you could underexpose a stop and still get a picture. It's sort of like the "one-inch" sensor lie.
Recommendations top
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I'd get my HVL-F60RM2 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This is a great flash to take everywhere with your Sony, however the HVL-F46RM packs almost the same power in a smaller and less expensive package. The reason to get this over the HVL-F46RM is because this will recycle a bit faster at any similar power output level. This flash also zooms longer, give more range and better battery life if you often shoot around 200mm.
A flash like this will make far more of an improvement in your photos than buying a new body or lens.
More Information top
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Performance Recommendations More
I'd get my HVL-F60RM2 at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Sony's HVL-F60RM2 User's Guide.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Sony does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, gray-market, store demo or used flash — and all of my personally approved sources allow for 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new flash. I've used many of these stores since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new flash before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken.
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