Sony A55 Flash

Sony SLT-A55V Flash

The Sony A55 features a built-in, pop-up flash, which operates in either Auto, Fill-Flash, Slow-sync, Rear-sync, Wireless, and Flash-off modes. To release the flash from its compartment, press the button on the left side of the electronic viewfinder / flash housing. Close it again by pushing the flash head back down.

The Flash mode is changed from the Function screen. In Auto flash mode (available only in the camera's Auto or Scene Selection modes), the camera automatically determines when to fire the flash based on the existing lighting, and will pop-up the flash automatically. In Fill-Flash mode, the flash fires with every exposure, regardless of lighting conditions. Slow-sync mode fires the flash for foreground fill exposure, while allowing the background to burn in. The Rear Flash Sync mode fires the flash at the end of the shutter time, rather than the beginning. If you have moving objects in the scene with lights, such as a passing car, this will produce a sharp image of your subject, with a "motion trail" following behind it when shooting at slower shutter speeds. The flash is off when Flash Off mode is selected, or when the flash is down in non Auto exposure mode.

Flash exposure compensation can be set via the Function menu, within a +/- 2-stop range, in 1/3-stop increments. Flash metering options are ADI, which considers focus distance as well as pre-flash light metering, and pre-flash TTL, which considers only exposure metering of the pre-flash. The flash metering mode is selected through screen 2 of the Record menu.

The A55's built-in flash has a Guide Number (GN) of 10 meters or 32.8 feet at ISO 100. That's a bit less than typical consumer SLRs we've tested, which average about 12 meters. Maximum flash sync speed is 1/160 second. High Speed Sync (HSS) shooting with shutter speeds up to 1/4,000s is available with Sony HVL-F58AM and HVL-F42AM external flash units.

A Red-Eye Reduction option is available through screen 1 of the Custom menu. When Red-Eye reduction is enabled, the camera will fire a few low-power flash pulses before it actually snaps the picture, to make the pupils of your subjects' eyes contract.

The A55 also has a top-mounted, proprietary hot shoe for attaching an external flash unit. The shoe design and contact arrangement are set up for Sony's own dedicated flash units.

The Wireless mode lets the Sony A55 work with compatible remote flash units with wireless capability, specifically the Sony HVL-F58AM and HVL-F42AM. Four separate control channels are available for wireless operation, to allow multiple photographers to work wirelessly in the same area without interfering with each other. You're limited to a single external flash unit vs the 3 groups that you can control with Sony's higher-end models, but it still opens a lot of creative possibilities, when the flash doesn't have to be attached to your camera. Operating in Wireless mode with a compatible external flash unit, the Sony A55's flash exposure compensation adjustment can adjust the intensity of the external flash remotely, once the camera and flash unit have been initially synched to each other.