Sony HVL-F42AM Digital Camera Flash for Sony Alpha Digital Cameras

NOTE: Scuffs on flash body.

The Sony HVL-F42AM Digital Camera Flash for Sony Alpha Digital Cameras is a shoe-mount flash designed to replace the entry-level HVL-F36AM, giving Sony Alpha DSLR and SLT photographers added illumination power beyond their camera’s built-in flash. It’s well suited to formal portraits, weddings, special events, still-life photography, and general hobby shooting.

The flash offers a guide number of 138 ft. (42m) at ISO 100, 105mm, providing an effective shooting range of over 30 ft. (10.5m) and solid illumination power for a variety of flash photography needs. The flash head tilts and rotates for bounce flash, moving upward 90 degrees, rotating 90 degrees to the left, and rotating up to 180 degrees to the right, letting photographers bounce light off a ceiling or wall for softer, more flattering illumination. The flash head also zooms automatically to match the camera’s shooting angle on compatible Sony Alpha bodies (excluding the DSLR-A100), and a retractable wide-angle panel extends coverage out to a 16mm equivalent angle.

ADI (Advanced Distance Integration) flash metering combines TTL (through-the-lens) metering with guide-number control, calculated automatically based on subject distance, ambient light, and pre-flash reflectivity, when paired with lenses equipped with distance encoders. Auto WB Adjustment signals color temperature information to the camera body before white balance is set, helping ensure accurate color in flash-lit scenes. High-Speed Sync (HSS) mode enables flash sync at shutter speeds from 1/500 to 1/4000 second, eliminating the usual flash-sync-speed restriction and allowing flash use across the camera’s entire shutter speed range, useful for freezing fast-moving subjects or shooting with wide apertures in bright light.

Handling includes simple, easy-to-use controls along with a flash test button that confirms both flash-ready (amber) and proper exposure (green) status, and selectable modes including Flash On, Auto, Fill-Flash, Wireless Flash, and Flash Off. Wireless off-camera flash control is supported via optical pulse signaling. Build quality includes a backlit display panel for quickly confirming flash settings, and the unit recharges approximately 38% faster than its HVL-F36AM predecessor, with a recycle time of about 4 seconds at full power using fresh alkaline batteries. The flash runs on 4 AA batteries (alkaline or Ni-MH) and weighs approximately 334-340g, measuring roughly 75 x 123 x 100mm (reported dimensions vary slightly by source).

Key Features
– Shoe-mount flash for Sony Alpha digital cameras
– Guide number of 138 ft. (42m) at ISO 100, 105mm
– Effective shooting range of over 30 ft. (10.5m)
– Tilt and swivel bounce head (90° up, 90° left, 180° right)
– Automatic zoom head (matches camera shooting angle on compatible bodies)
– Retractable wide-angle panel (16mm equivalent coverage)
– ADI (Advanced Distance Integration) flash metering
– Auto WB Adjustment (signals color temperature to camera)
– High-Speed Sync (HSS), 1/500 to 1/4000 sec
– Flash test button (ready/exposure confirmation)
– Flash On, Auto, Fill-Flash, Wireless Flash, and Flash Off modes
– Wireless off-camera control (optical pulse)
– Approximately 4-second recycle time at full power (fresh alkaline batteries)
– Runs on 4 AA batteries (alkaline or Ni-MH)
– Approximate weight: 334-340g