HVL-F43AM

So I got myself the little brother to the Sony HVL-F58AM flash - the new Sony HVL-F43AM flash! It has the same Quick Shift Bounce mechanism, so you don't have to press any buttons to rotate the flash head from landscape to portrait, from macro to rear bounce, etc.

The button layout is identical, with the only difference being the On/Off switch.

It dishes out a Guide Number of 43 meters at F1.0, ISO100, with the flash zoom head set to 105mm.

This is less than the F58AM, which does a Guide Number of 58 meters at F1.0, ISO100, with the flash zoom head set to 105mm.

The F43AM has the full capability of the F58AM as far as wireless control is concerned - it can be in the RMT2 off-camera group, where the F42 could not, and it can be in Channel 3 and 4, where the F42 could not.

It can even control off-camera flashes, when on the A700, A850 and A900! It has both CTRL+/CTRL1 (3-group ratio wireless) and CTRL/CTRL2 (2-group ratio wireless).

Just like the F58AM, it can trigger the HVL-F56AM and HVL-F36AM, but only when using CTRL/CTRL2 mode.

All Sony Alphas that have a pop-up flash can trigger off-camera Sony flashes using the CTRL/CTRL2 mode. As for Sony Alphas that do not have a pop-up flash, like the A850 and A900, the F20AM can be attached to trigger off-camera Sony flashes.


Comparison of the pouches. The F43AM's pouch is smaller, obviously! Also, the F43AM can fit in the F58AM flash loosely but the F58AM cannot fit in the F43AM pouch unless you leave it unzipped (bottom-left picture).


The F43AM and F58AM both have the same foldable flash stand. They both do macro (10 degrees down) and rear bounce (120 degrees up).

Two things that are missing from the F43AM, compared to the F58AM, are the external battery power socket (for the FA-EB1AM 6 AA battery pack) and the Minolta/Sony flash sync port. I don't use either of these so it's not a big deal.


The flash foot appears to be the same as the F58's, so spare parts should come quickly, should you accidentally break the flash foot. It happens!


Let's zoom in on the bottom-right picture! The F43AM adds a 9th custom function - the ability to set manual power in either 0.3 or 0.5 EV steps.


The F43AM also has a built-in bounce card and wide-angle panel diffuser. The serial number of the flash is stuck on the other way on the F43AM.


Top-left - the HVL-F56AM next to the HVL-F43AM. I don't have a HVL-F42AM to compare it to, though.
Top-right: Despite the F43AM being able to throttle down to a lower 1/128 manual power, it doesn't count any higher than 100 times at 100 Hertz when in multi-flash mode.

In the bottom pictures, the F43AM is set to 1/128 +0.3 manual power. This is the same as the F43AM set to 1/64 -0.7 manual power - it's just whether you pressed up from 1/128 or down from 1/64 that shows a positive or negative number.

Oh, and the F43AM is 340 grams without batteries, 100 grams lighter than the F58AM at 440 grams without batteries. It is a lot more balanced on the Sony Alpha 55! Heck, should anything happen to my F58AM, I would buy a F43AM to replace it. It is priced exactly the same as the F42AM that it replaces!

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Edited by albnok - 28 May 2011 at 11:02

emopunk wrote: jvsanchez wrote: i like the F43. i'll be getting one to compliment my F42 next time i have some cash That's what I plan to do too if it can act as Master flash!!

Yes. It would be a grand master flash.


See what I did there?

emopunk wrote: gouldina wrote: emopunk wrote: jvsanchez wrote: i like the F43. i'll be getting one to compliment my F42 next time i have some cash That's what I plan to do too if it can act as Master flash!! Yes. It would be a grand master flash. See what I did there? Where?

HERE

It was a weak joke, ignore me...

Yes. I'd love one if it can act as a master. Did we decide it could or not?

gouldina, I see what you did there! :D

emopunk: No, you cannot use the F43 on an A200 to trigger other Sony flashes.

trainerKEN: Uh, where did I say that? On the contrary, the F43 ON the A900 can trigger an off-camera F42.

thanks for the info albnok

I saw the part where you said: "Just like the F58AM, it can trigger the HVL-F56AM and HVL-F36AM, but only when using CTRL/CTRL2 mode." and thought for some reason that it only triggers the 56 and 36