Sony HVL-F20S Specification Sheet

HVL-F20S
The α Lighting System HVL-F20S is a compact, lightweight flash unit
targeted at first-time Sony E-mount users. Developed with the goal
of "making it easy to get the best shot" for virtually anyone to take
beautiful photos in low light, the affordably priced HVL-F20S is slim and
stylish enough to keep it mounted on the camera at all times.
Extends flash range beyond camera's included flash
Though compact and lightweight, the HVL-F20S has a maximum range twice that of the included
flash units of the NEX-3, NEX-5, and NEX-C3 cameras. This is represented as the guide number
(GN) of 20 with a 50mm focal distance.
Bounce flash enables shadowless indirect lighting
When set to 'indoor' shooting mode, the flash points up to bounce light off the ceiling for
shadowless illumination of your subject. When set to the 'outdoor' shooting mode, the flash
directs light directly at your subject.
Built-in diffuser for wide and telephoto shooting
With the built-in diffuser, the flash illumination covers a wider angle of view or if users want to to
shoot at a greater distance, they can rotate the dial on the side of the flash unit to the 'Tele'
Position. While the 'Tele" setting reduces the width of flash coverage, it extends the range to
illuminate more distant subjects.
Easy intuitive operation
Unlike most external flash units, the HVL-F20S has no dedicated ON/OFF switch. Instead, power is
automatically switched on simply by raising the flash unit into the shooting position. In addition,
a switch on the side of the unit offers Indoor and Outdoor settings, making it easy to obtain flash
illumination that suits the shooting situation. A charging lamp indicates when the flash is ready to
fire.
ADI Flash Metering System
The ADI (Advanced Distance Integration) flash metering system offers the optimum flash metering
and automatic white-balance compensation regardless of the background conditions or
the subject's reflectance. ADI flash metering works in combination with α cameras and lenses
that incorporate a distance encoder. When used with these lenses, the camera calculates a
guide number to control TTL (through the lens) flash metering. This guide number is calculated
according to distance from the subject, ambient light and pre-flash reflectivity of the subject and
the background.