Alphatracks

The Sony Alpha hot shoe is the best in the business…but where is the radio trigger to fit it?

Nov. 6, 2008 Last time I discussed the A900’s lack of a popup flash and the need for a $500 HLV-F58AM flash unit if you want to trigger the Sony Alpha wireless flash system. The hope is that Sony may offer another method to wirelessly trigger remote flash units with the A900.

Sony could offer some sort of less expensive optical trigger, which would be capable of serving as a master for the Sony wireless system. But why optical? True, the Sony wireless system, derived from the original Minolta optical wireless system, is excellent. Maybe more than excellent. But optical flash systems have limits, which is why most top pros choose wireless radio triggers.

Radio triggers work at longer distances, don’t need to be in line of sight of the camera and work reliably in brightly lighted conditions.

Unfortunately, as as far as I am aware, there are no radio triggers that will attach directly to the Sony Alpha flash shoe. Nor are there receivers designed to attach directly to any of the Sony or Minolta dedicated flash units that are fully compatible with the Alpha dSLRs.

No radio trigger for the Sony hot shoe?

Most(all?) of the radio triggers on the market are designed to attach to the standard, old-style hot shoe employed by the majority of cameras not manufactured by Sony. The receivers either attach to the foot of the older style flash shoe, or plug into the old-style PC sync port. That leaves Sony Alpha users out of luck, unless they attempt to cobble up a home-brew solution utilizing adapters. Setting up a radio trigger system with adapters isn’t rocket-science and I always encourage users to experiment with modding their gear. Still, it is disappointing that no “off-the-shelf” radio trigger is available for the Alpha.

Am I the only one who is flummoxed that Sony hasn’t stepped up to address this deficiency? I mean, this is Sony we are talking about. How many radio engineers do they have on their payroll? They may not be the be-all and end-all when it comes to radio technology, but they come pretty close. Walkman personal stereos, clock radios, component stereo equipment, car receivers, boom boxes, cordless phones… you name a piece of radio equipment; and Sony has probably produced a version of it.

Except, of course, radio triggers to accompany their line of Alpha dSLRs.

It’s not that there isn’t a market out there. The A100 was said to sell 360+ thousand units in the six months it was available in 2006. I don’t have exact sales figures for 2007, but with an entire 12 months to work with and the introduction of the outstanding A700, I have to believe the numbers well exceeded 2006. We are still in 2008, of course, so figures aren’t available, but with the A200, A300, A350 and A900 all joining the A700, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sony dSLR sales easily exceeded both 2006 and 2007 combined. That is a lot of Alphas.

Then there are the Minolta Maxxum dSLRs. The Maxxum 5D and 7D sold well and most of them are still in service. Minolta also sold truck-loads of the non-dSLR Dimage 7 variants, which begat the similar Konica-Minolta Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) cameras; the A1, A2 And A200 (not to be confused with the Sony A200). These units share the same hot shoe and flash circuitry as the Minolta Maxxums, making them fully compatible with the latest flash units from Sony.

There are still millions of Maxxum film cameras hanging around. Film may be all but dead, but the Maxxum 9 film SLRS are still trading for well over $100 – $600 on ebay. Maybe those are being bought by collectors, but I have to believe at least some photographers are buying those used film SLRs to use, not sit in a display case.

Of course, not all of the owners of those millions of cameras are potential flash trigger buyers. Some photographers never use flash, especially off-camera flash. Others are satisfied with the current optical wireless flash available with the dedicated Sony flash units. Still others will fire their off-camera flash with sync cords, or use adapters to use standard radio wireless flash.

Even so, there are have to be a good percentage of users who would be eager to add a Sony brand wireless trigger on their Alpha or Minolta cameras. And don’t forget, Sony is in this dSLR thing for the long-haul. Which means millions more Alpha cameras will appear in the future. How many of those new Alpha owners will be looking for a radio trigger solution?

Radio flash triggers — why aren’t there any to fit the Sony Alpha?

Sooner or later, someone has to step up to the plate and offer a comprehensive radio trigger solution for the Alpha series. I don’t really care who it is…if the PocketWizard folks or Metz, Bowens, Quantum, MicroSync or someone else comes forward with a reliable solution, I would be happy.

But consider Sony’s clear advantages in this area.

In addition to the radio engineering experience I alluded to earlier, Sony owns all the specs, the pin-outs and the internal technology of the Alpha system. The third-party makers have to disassemble off-the-shelf cameras and flashes to determine this information, and they have to hope they don’t miss something significant.

Sony also has access to all the special components: flash shoes, dedicated sync connectors, etc. If you are a third-party vendor, you have manufacture your own components, since you can’t just order a package of components from a supplier somewhere.

Finally, Sony has a huge built-in advantage in brand recognition. When the third-party makers create a radio trigger for the old style flash shoe, they can sell the same basic unit to Canon, Nikon, Pentax and other shooters. If Nikon or Canon were to develop their own trigger, the third party vendors would still have plenty of other customers. If they develop an Alpha shoe radio trigger, the only people they can sell it to are Sony (and Minolta) shooters. That is fine…unless Sony steps up with their own branded solution.

Could any radio trigger maker compete with Sony?

If Sony enters the fray, how does a third-party trigger maker compete in the Alpha arena? Sony’s Alpha components are generally excellent, so you probably won’t be able to beat Sony on quality or performance.

Sony will probably also beat the third-party makers on appearance. True, the look of a radio trigger device has no impact on it’s performance, but you can’t argue that a trigger with a matching finish and a big orange Alpha logo won’t be more appealing to the majority of Alpha shooters.

That leaves price as the only way a third-party maker could compete against Sony. But here Sony holds all the cards. Sony generally prices their stuff on the high side, but if they wanted to compete against a third-party interloper. all they have to do is come in somewhere close to the other guy’s list price.

I don’t have any hard figures, but I would guess that if most Alpha users had their choice, they would buy a Sony brand trigger, even it it was ten or twenty dollars more expensive. Even if the Sony product was thirty or forty dollars more, Sony would probably still outsell it’s competitors. To compete against Sony in the radio trigger arena, you would probably have to price your trigger at least $50 less than Sony.

Sony, of course, is in the driver’s seat. They could bring their mythical product in at a price point where no high-quality aftermarket trigger could compete.

Of course, this is simply my own musing. I have no idea if or when Sony will offer an Alpha radio trigger. I don’t know if any of the third-party makers are really taking a look at offering a dedicated Alpha radio trigger.

Interestingly enough, two separate Alphatracks readers: Paulo Rodrigues and a reader named Dave, commented on my earlier post to explain how they rigged up a wireless radio flash system for the Alpha hot shoe. You can see their DIY flash trigger notes here. I have been considering an attempt at something similar. If I do, I will do a full report on Alphatracks.

I am convinced that the market is there and the A900, with it’s lack of a built-in optical trigger, creates a real need for this sort of product. Sooner or later, someone has to address the need.

Are you listening, Sony?

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Will Sony provide a way to trigger the wireless optical flash system other than with the HLV-F58AM?

Nov. 4, 2008: At long last, the A900 is starting to wind its way into the hands of eager photographers and it looks to be every bit as sweet a camera as we hoped. Of course it is hard to miss with a 24.6mp full frame dSLR, but it appears that Sony has exceeded most people’s expectations.

There are plenty of other sites discussing the A900, and I will be offering up my 2 cents as well. Today, however, I want to talk about options for triggering a remote flash with the A900.

This post came about because, as expected, the new A900 doesn’t not have a popup flash. Not a big concern, as the top level dSLRs from other makers don’t include a popup flash either. Pros seldom, if ever use flash units located directly above the lens axis, so why design a pro-level camera with a popup that will never be used? Besides, the flash might not fit so well with the A900’s impressive looking pentaprism.

There is just one fly in the ointment. All the past Sony dSLRs, as well as the dSLRs from Minolta were equipped with a popup flash. All these cameras use the popup as a trigger for the Sony/Minolta wireless flash system. It is a good thing those cameras had the popup, because until recently, the popup was the only way to trigger the wireless flash system. Some of the older external Minolta flashes could act as trigger for other flash units in the wireless mode, but that only worked with film cameras. In the dSLR arena, the only trigger for Sony or Minolta wireless flash units was with the built in flash. Which as I already mentioned; the A900 is lacking..

Fear not, the A900 supports wireless flash, when equipped with the brand new HLV-F58-AM flash unit. The 58AM can serve as a flash trigger for any flash in the Sony Alpha system.

The HLV-F58AM lists just south of $500, and since it is brand spanking new, you will probably have to pay the full sticker if you want the privilege of using wireless flash with your new A900.

That isn’t to say the HLV-F58AM isn’t worth the price, but who wants to shell out all that cash just to use that top-of-line flash unit as a lowly flash trigger?

Consider the poor guy who already has a collection of Sony and Minolta D series flash units. To use them wirelessly, he has to buy yet another flash unit. The kicker is the F58AM specs make it hands-down the best flash available for the Sony Alpha. If you use it a s a flash trigger, however, you don”t get the benefits of all that power and multi-jointed flexibility. With the Sony wireless system, if you use the trigger to fire two or more remote flashes, the trigger fires before the exposure so that the trigger’s light doesn’t spoil the lighting setup. That’’s all well and good, however, it means if you buy a HLV-F58AM to trigger multiple wireless flashes from your A900, your newest and very best flash can’t be used to light the scene. it can only be used as a trigger. Unless you are sufficiently well healed to be in a position to acquire an A900 and multiple copies of the F58AM.

Now I fully expect to hear from someone pointing out that: “If you can afford a new A900, I guess you have enough cash to add a F5AM or two.”

That isn’t how it works in real life. Sure, there will be some people who have a fat enough wallet that they can afford three A900s; one for the summer house, one for the winter house and another one to use while traveling between the two. But there are many shooters who have to scrimp and save to snare a copy of a A900, For these photographers, digging up another half-grand for a flash trigger represents somewhat of a hardship.

Of course pro photographers can shell out for any piece of equipment they need, right? In reality, pros have to watch their expenses just like anyone else. There is an old joke that “only wealthy amateurs can afford pro photography equipment.” It is simplistic statement, but there is more than a grain of truth there. Working professionals have a whole raft of stuff to spend their cash on. In addition to cameras and lenses, there are any number of things like computers, software, marketing, studio rent, lighting equipment and much more that can eat up the budget. What’s another five bills on top of that overhead? For some pros, it’s a lot.

It is possible that Sony could offer develop some optional, less-expensive way to trigger the wireless flash system, but for the moment it appears its the HLV-58AM or nothing.

Hmm… maybe there is another option. That will be the topic of my next post….

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Sony quickly ended speculation about whether the new 24mp sensor would show up in the yet to be officially named “flagship” dSLR. Soon after Sony announced the full frame sensor, several high-profile Sony doubters expressed their opinion that Sony would never use the sensor in their own cameras, because after all “Sony would never dare to challenge Nikon and Canon in the pro arena.”

Here is what technology site Gizmodo had to say when Sony took the wraps off the new sensor: “Sony isn’t about to pop it in one of its Alpha models, at least not as far as we can tell.” That idea was echoed by several other commentators.

That sound you hear is those same forecasters gnashing their teeth after Sony proclaimed that, yes indeed, the upcoming flagship will be equipped with the big full frame sensor. So much for the theory that Sony is afraid of competing in the professional category.

There is, however a minor mystery. The new full frame sensor is rated at 24.8 megapixels. The flagship, on the other hand, will boast 24.6mp. That unexplained 0.2mp difference has led to some interesting speculation.

Sony Alpha flagship will boast full frame sensor, 24+ megapixels

Some have suggested it is a completely different sensor. Sony however has indicated that the flagship will use the recently announced full frame sensor.

If you’ve been reading Alphatracks for any length of time, you know we have discussed at length the ramifications of installing a full frame sensor with in-body stabilzation.

Could that 0.2mp difference represent the crop factor needed to use the sensor with Super Steady Shot? If so, it isn’t much of a crop. If my math is correct, the sensor would be roughly 99.193548387096774193548387096774 percent of a full frame. That would be something like a 1.008 crop factor. In other words, no crop at all.

Of course Sony hasn’t said the missing 0.2 megapixel is related to the Super Steady Shot. Perhaps there is some other reason Sony trimmed that portion of a mp from the sensor. Since the flagship will use a CMOS sensor, it should be possible to “shut off” any unneeded pixels.

Sony has said the flagship will ship this year. Many observers are suggesting a Photokina timeframe. (September) Sony hasn’t confirmed that — in fact Sony hasn’t said that the dSLR will be known as the A900, although many people have already started calling it that. Sony has firmly said the dSLR will ship in 2008.

To me, it really doesn’t matter where that 0.2mp went. The flagship will be full frame and pack more that 24mp.

All of a sudden those Sony haters have started to get rather quiet.

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Sony has just announced a 24.8MP full frame 35mm sensor targeted at digital SLRS. The new CMOS sensor is said to use advanced circuitry to overcome the limitations inherent in creating a full frame sensor.

The answer to a hard drive maker’s prayers: the Sony 24.81mp sensor.

The following is from the Sony press release:

This sounds pretty incredible. We’ve all heard the “too good to be true” rumors, now we have Sony’s announcement that they will offer a full frame, nearly 25mp sensor.

Two things are evident. This has to be the sensor Sony will use in the flagship/A900 dSLR. It has to be. Sony will undoubtedly offer to sell this sensor to other manufactures including Nikon and Pentax. But they can’t call their top-of-the-line camera the flagship unless it utilizes the best technology Sony has to offer. So unless Sony is developing something even more incredible, this has to be the heart of the flagship.

The other point is the press release says the sensor will be mass produced within this year. That tells me the flagship won’t be on sale any time soon. This year, maybe, but those hoping for a PMA announcement with the camera shipping soon afterwards are going to be disappointed. It is possible Sony could announce the flagship at the PMA show, but from the tone of the press release the top of the line Alpha won’t be on dealer shelves for some time.

Don’t worry too much about the A900. It seems that Sony has a whole box of new toys they are ready to announce at PMA. We are sure to see some new Sony dSLR hardware before the week is up.

If you still have your heart set on the flagship, look at it this way…you’ll have several months to stock up on terabyte hard drives to store all those images from that huge sensor

Watch this space for more Sony dSLR news in the coming days.

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