Sony HVLF43M High Power Flash with Quick Shift Bounce (Black)

You looking to find the "Sony HVLF43M High Power Flash with Quick Shift Bounce (Black)" Good news! You can purchase Sony HVLF43M High Power Flash with Quick Shift Bounce (Black) with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $398.00    

Product Feature

• High-power illumination
• Longer effective range of over 30 ft.
• The innovative "Quick Shift Bounce" system allows the HVL-F43M to orbit 90 degrees left and right, allowing you to maintain horizontal light distribution even when shooting vertically.

Product Description

The Sony HVL-F43M flash unit delivers flexible lighting control for photographers. The innovative "Quick Shift Bounce" system allows the flash to pivot 90 degrees left and right, and Wireless Ratio Control allows the wireless control of up to three groups of flashes with user-selected luminosity ratios.

Sony HVLF43M High Power Flash with Quick Shift Bounce (Black) Review

Just like it's predecessor, the (Sony HVL-F43AM Sony Alpha System HVL-F43AM Flash Unit for Alpha DSLR) which I reviewed a while ago and still own, this makes for a very solid external flash option for newer Sony cameras- the big change of course is the new F43M unit uses the new MIS (Multi Interface Shoe) interface. It still has these features:

- Sony's unique swivel head design ("Quick Shift Bounce"), probably this flash unit's best feature, for changing bounce angles and easy switching to and from landscape and portrait shooting by a quick flick of the hand.. the F43M/AM is Sony's smallest flash unit with this feature, which makes it leagues better than the F20M/AM. Angles range from 8 to 150 degrees vertically and 90 degrees each side.

- Guide Number of 43, which is plenty powerful for bounce flash use for most uses. How powerful is this? Well with the camera set to ISO 100, it gave me overly-white (overexposed) shots until I had stopped down aperture to F/22, 1/250 sec. in my living room with a white ceiling. At full power, it can fire another in 2.9 seconds or pretty much without any delay for most power levels. I imagine a working professional may want more headroom (ex. with the larger F60M) for dealing with darker, higher ceilings.

- a built-in, pull-out wide angle diffuser and white bounce card- the diffuser is very handy for ensuring even bounce flash coverage with irregular ceilings during busy events like weddings and the bounce card can provide additional highlights to your subjects' eyes; these take up no additional space in your bag and I actually leave the STO-FEN Omni-Bounce OM-EW attachment at home most of the time.

- comes with a foldable stand and a cushioned zipper case (note the omission of the orange Alpha logo on both the case and flash head, as is the case with recent Sony camera products, which strangely makes the unit seem more premium)

- supports HSS (high-speed sync.)- basically allows shooting at shutter speeds beyond your camera's x-sync speed (1/250 on the A99, which is properly exposed with this flash, BTW) up towards your camera's fastest shutter speed (I've tested 1/8000 on the A99) and is very handy for overpowering ambient lighting

- can work wirelessly and be triggered by your camera's built-in flash, or in the case of full-frame cameras like the A99 with no included flash, can also be triggered by another external flash mounted on the camera. For my purposes, the F43M is on top of the A99 and the F43AM acts as the wireless flash- I tested firing a long wireless flash burst on high-speed drive (6fps) and both flash units worked in unison to get perfect flash exposures in wicked-fast wireless fashion all the way until the camera itself hit its (RAW) buffer limit. Sony's specs indicate the flash can work well up to continuous shooting of 10fps.

- can act as a flash controller for other wireless flashes and has ratio control for creative use

- TTL- and with the A99, so long as there is sufficient light and the flash is not wrongly bounced or blocked, it seems every shot is perfectly.. I mean PERFECTLY AND CONSISTENTLY exposed

- manual mode for the experts (I've never operated in a studio and my shooting style has not called for using manual, though I did test overheating this flash on manual mode..) and the ability to fire at a continuous strobe for multiple exposures in 1 shot (ex. total of 5 flashes, every half a second).

- has an effective and wide AF-assist beam. On the A99, which comes with a bright AF-assist for the center focusing points, I observed that sometimes it uses the A99's built-in AF-assist beam and other times the F43M's. I'm not sure what the logic is but locking focus in dark environments where phase-detect normally would struggle or a plain white wall works very well.

- auto-zoom from 24mm to 105mm (and as wide as 15mm with the wide angle diffuser)

- test and modeling flash, which may be set to fire in a short burst

- it is weather-sealed, though I cannot validate this nor am I willing to test this in pouring rain. I can say the battery compartment has the proper seals and all buttons feel damped. Also the swivel action of the flash head feels very solid, even more so than the F43AM, though it could just be needing breaking-in.

- has a nice amber LCD backlight and matching amber LED flash-is-ready-to-fire indicator / test button.

- continues to use (boring old) AA batteries, granted most flashes in the market do and working pros may prefer this... I'm still looking forward to a flash unit with a lithium pack for a reduction in size and weight! Oh well, though I've been using and like the eneloop XX 2500mAh Typical / 2400 mAh Minimum, High Capacity, 4 Pack AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries.

So what's changed over the F43AM?
- a built-in LED light which the specs indicate are 400 lx at 0.5 m or 100 lx at 1 meter; you can adjust the power levels from 1 to 10 on the flash unit. The dimmest setting is not so bad for people in the vicinity (and is already much more bright than the an iPhone's LED flash), though at level 10, even people wearing sunglasses will be complaining- everyone else will be momentarily blinded, as this reviewer was when testing it. The LED light can be only be used independently of the main flash and is activated by a button on the side of the unit. It can be used without the flash unit being mounted on the camera, which expands its creative use. It can be used as solid-state lighting for taking pictures for when you don't want to strobe and becomes very useful for taking video. There is only a single bright LED but the reflector design works well and you end up with a very even spread of white light in a large egg shape. Video professionals may still want to opt for a dedicated LED panel with dozens or hundreds of LEDs for more power and a softer effect from a larger light source.

- flash exposure compensation is now featured prominently on the flash so you have direct access to it just by pressing the up and down keys, see it right on the flash unit's LCD, and not have to dive into a menu in the camera to change this- this was relatively quick with the A99's Function menu or Quick Navi interface, but this saves steps with the camera's buttons and joystick. This is a big usability plus especially during a busy shoot! Thanks to Gary Friedman's article about recent Sony Alphas dealing with flash exposure differently, I have FEC set to -0.7 EV most of the time for natural-looking exposures; I currently do this with FEC on the A99 permanently set to -0.7 EV and 0 EV on the F43M. Should I want to manipulate the FEC depending on the scene, I would just make adjustments on the flash unit.

- the new hotshoe mount is very nice. It's very firm and secure on both the camera shoe and the flash unit's stand and has a reassuring locking lever, which also employs 2 locking pins which stops any movement. To release the flash unit, a button on the lever needs to be depressed. One of the unfortunate changes Sony has made in the transition to the ISO hotshoe from its (much-loved by Sony users / hated by all others) auto-lock shoe was with the adapter that came included on its newer cameras and caused older flash units to slip off even with proper tightening because it did not have a locking pin. I've been dreading the F43AM on the adapter falling off with each outing and it hasn't been until this F43M that I no longer have to worry about that. The shoe is still made of plastic, though that has the upside of not damaging the camera hotshoe or flash should something cause heavy stress on this connector (ex. dropping the camera with flash mounted)- should it break, there are 4 screws to replace this part, in theory (I have not seen how much this part costs).

- the overall finish of the unit is less shiny than the F43AM, and has a fine sandpaper feel. It appears to show my oily fingerprints more. How's that for making your gear truly yours? (hah)

- the flash unit has increased in height slightly from the F43AM, though when mounted on the newer Sony cameras, it becomes much lower from not having to use the adapter. There is a much improved lower center of gravity with the F43M on the A99 than the long neck contraption that was the F43AM with adapter. (see my uploaded pictures for a comparison and how this flash looks atop the A99 with 24-70 Zeiss)

Differences with the F60M
- this unit's larger brother, the F60M had many reported issues of overheating, and only after a handful of near-full power flashes (granted GN60 is pretty powerful), when it would go to the bleachers for several minutes of cooling down. I wanted to like the F60M though this factor and the increased heft ultimately made me wait for a replacement for the F43AM. I wanted to make sure that this part of the Sony DNA (sorry, couldn't resist!) didn't trickle down to the F43M and so I test fired in manual mode- 1/1 full-power shots as fast as I could basically whenever the amber light lit, indicating the flash had recycled, approximately every 3 seconds until it overheated and it was able to do it straight for 36-38 full-power shots- for a total of around 2-3 minutes of flashing. Not bad and I don't see this ridiculous scenario happening in the real world!

- the F60M has probably the world's most user-friendly LCD with software that looks like it was built from the ground-up for it with graphical bars for flash exposure compensation and the LED light level which works well with its control wheel; unfortunately the F43M does not inherit this (and continues to use the directional arrows) and the LCD looks slightly revised (mainly with the addition of the FEC adjustment) from the F43AM's older, but still straightforward interface.

- the F60M's LED light is on the flash head which allows it to be tilted in all sorts of angles for creative use, whereas the F43M's LED light is fixed on the base. The F60M also has a snap-on diffuser and an amber-gelled attachment for the LED light, which the F43M doesn't have room for.

- the F60M is Sony's only current flash unit that can be attached with an external battery pack, which some wedding photographers consider a must-have.

- the F43M doesn't come with a STO-FEN-like diffuser nor does it come with an adapter for backwards-compatibility with older Sony cameras.

- unless the F60M I tried at Sony's booth at a B&H event was abused, this F43M feels much more solid and better built

Price-wise, it is a little on the high side. At $400, this is currently a bit more than the F43AM, which I thought was perfectly priced at around $300 when it was released. It's easy to justify this expense should you need a good bounce flash solution and know you would be using it often, however. Every serious shooter should have one for indoor photography. Acquiring a bright lens would get you more light, however gives you no control over how shadows are cast on your subjects and areas of focus (ex. needing F/5.6-8 so subjects are not blurred) will become much more limited. Also, as lighting and composition are the 2 main components of great photos, this is an outstanding tool for supplying most of the lighting portion.

In summary, unless you must have the F60M's features and aren't concerned of its overheating tendencies, and feel just as I do, that the benefits of this flash outweigh the size and weight advantage of the F20M/AM, I can wholeheartedly recommend the F43M for all Sony shooters with recent cameras (starting with the A99, A58, NEX6, RX100 II, RX1, etc.). The (Sony HVL-F43AM Sony Alpha System HVL-F43AM Flash Unit for Alpha DSLR)
remains a great choice for those with the auto-lock shoe, unless you have plans to acquire a newer Sony camera, in which case I would then get the F43M and Sony's ADP-AMA adapter. Sony appears to be committed to this new MIS interface across all their cameras and this update to the F43 has been done very well.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Sony HVLF43M High Power Flash with Quick Shift Bounce (Black)" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Sony HVLF43M High Power Flash with Quick Shift Bounce (Black) ...

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 Factory Unlocked International Version - Titanium Silver/Gray

You looking to find the "Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 Factory Unlocked International Version - Titanium Silver/Gray" Good news! You can purchase Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 Factory Unlocked International Version - Titanium Silver/Gray with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $500.00 $494.98   

Product Feature

• 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
• CPU Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 Chipset Exynos 4412 Quad
• OS Android OS, v4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 16 GB Storage International Model

Product Description

Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100. Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 Chipset Exynos 4412 Quad Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 720 x 1280 pixels, 5.5 inches (~267 ppi pixel density) Multitouch Yes Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 2

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 Factory Unlocked International Version - Titanium Silver/Gray Review

When one opens the box, there is a sense of awe. People ask "Is this really a phone" was one reaction I got. It is an amazing piece of hardware. I have used Android devices starting from Cupcake version, used iPhone, HP Veer with webOS, Windows 7.5 HTC Titan 2. This phone is the sleekest and one of the best so far. It is fabulous! I find the big size to be very good and not a problem at all. Will the Galaxy Note 3 be 6" ?!

Out of the box, connect to wireless and get the phone logged into Google account. The advantage of Android phones is that once you are logged into Google universe, everything gets synced up especially if you have been using Android. The position of power button is at an excellent position for your hand on this Note 2. The additional LED for notification on top is very handy. Listen Apple? The camera serves some really futuristic ideas also. It can check if you are looking at the phone and disable screen lock (even if you set timeout to say 30 sec). Also it can serve as password unlock. Amazing! These can be set from Settings Menu.

The Android version as of Oct 26 2012 is Jellybean 4.1.1. Kernel version is 3.0.31-259982. Model GT-N7100. I got the 64 GB microSD card. Get this mobileUltra, it is the latest as of Oct 2012. (SanDisk 64GB Mobile Ultra MicroSDXC Class 6 Memory Card with SD Adapter - Retail Packaging. Settings show an available space of 59.45 GB. So along with 16 GB built (system shows only around 10.46 GB), my Note 2 has 80 GB memory. With music in the Google Music cloud, I intent to use the memory for video/pictures as a camcorder/camera.

I strongly suggest going through Settings and customizing many things as per your desire. I did Voice Input, Keyboard (this comes with English(UK), change to English(US) for example. Fiddle around the settings and you will be amazed how much you can customize. I also did Battery % to appear in notification bar.

One thing I found the default keyboard did not show Mic button. I realized it was next to Sym button. Long press it and choose Mic. And then on, it will appear in default keyboard. Also customize the accent. It can do magic for typing. I type paragraphs at a time effortlessly. This is Google backend servers at work. The Mic on Samsung Galaxy Note 2 does a fantastic job!

S-Pen, Ah.. I was truly impressed. You have to use these to believe it. The note taking was very fluid. Samsung seem to have nailed it. I wrote up an equation in Equation mode - x^5 = x^2 + 2x + .... Something completely random, another one d/dx(an equation) and it recognized perfectly and asked it to search, it went to Wolfram Alpha and solved it. It is at first unbelievable and then it starts to sink in this is a computer program made well. Like it should be in first place! Export to pdf is very good. The main thing is the pen is very fluid and feels like a fountain pen writing.

Overall, the phone feels very smooth and snappy. The screen is crisp and clear. Apps can even be multi screened. Samsung approved apps can be placed two in a screen. Eg. Maps on top and email on bottom portion. I doubt I will use this, but handy.

One gripe I have with this phone is speaker is on the back. Typically if you lie the phone down, the speaker is blocked on bottom. I wish the speakers were in the side. This is a design decision and not sure why phones have speaker on back. But the speaker volume is very high, so I am not complaining too much.

One big pain point with Android is once you purchased/downloaded for free Apps, they cannot be permanently deleted. So even if you get a junk app, and delete immediately they are permanently there in your Google Play store. From the phone's play store I got 300+ Apps. One cannot choose 50 apps and say get all these. You have to do one by one. After getting one, the screen resets to beginning. So I went to a computer browser and pushed apps to pone. This is easier and faster.

UPDATE: With Jellybean and even ICS, I found you can delete the apps. It is not very intuitive. On Play, there is a circle with a /. Click on it to delete the app. It disappears from the phone list.

Some of apps I have as of now :

Nike Running+ App - Excellent app uses GPS to track walk/run, highly recommend for fitness tracking
Amazon Mobile
Android Status : Android Status app shows ARMv7, Max Freq 1.6 GHz, BogoMips 1592.52 Memory 1.79 GB, Free 365 MB, Internal Storage 10.46 GB Free 7.18 GB. Total Process running 271! Kernel 159/User 112 Interface has IPv6 as well as IPv4 address
Androidify
Angry Birds (Space/Seasons)
Asphalt 7
Amazon App Store
Box
Car Maintenance Reminder Pro
Chrome
CNET TV
Google Currents (nice way to read News)
Draw Something
Google Drive
Ebay
FM Radio (needs headphone)
Linkedin
Google Music
OverDrive Media Console: Library eBooks & Audiobooks (public library consumption of media)
Microsoft One Note (legacy docs, skydrive of 25 GB is good)
Subsonic Music Streamer
Terminal Emulator (still need to use vi, yes this is it)
TweetCaster Pro for Android (excellent twitter client)
Twit.Tv
Google Voice
Plenty of Widgets

Ask questions, the review cannot do justice to Note 2, I find something new always. I will be glad to answer any questions.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 Factory Unlocked International Version - Titanium Silver/Gray" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 Factory Unlocked International Version - Titanium Silver/Gray ...

MSI Slim GS70 2OD-002US Intel Core i7-4700HQ 16GB Memory 1TB HDD 128GB x 2 SSD Super RAID0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB 2 x Mini Displayport 1xHMDI Connect up to 3 Monitors 17.3" Gaming Laptop/Notebook Windows 8 Thinner than Razer Blade Pro

You looking to find the "MSI Slim GS70 2OD-002US Intel Core i7-4700HQ 16GB Memory 1TB HDD 128GB x 2 SSD Super RAID0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB 2 x Mini Displayport 1xHMDI Connect up to 3 Monitors 17.3" Gaming Laptop/Notebook Windows 8 Thinner than Razer Blade Pro" Good news! You can purchase MSI Slim GS70 2OD-002US Intel Core i7-4700HQ 16GB Memory 1TB HDD 128GB x 2 SSD Super RAID0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB 2 x Mini Displayport 1xHMDI Connect up to 3 Monitors 17.3" Gaming Laptop/Notebook Windows 8 Thinner than Razer Blade Pro with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $1,999.99    

Product Feature

• Thinnest & Lightest 17" Gaming Notebook Introducing the world's thinnest and lightest 17" gaming notebook measuring at less than 0.86in and weighing in at a mere 6lbs.The extremely lightweight, ultra form factor machine is the pinnacle of portable gaming at the palm of your hands. With designs inspired by the F22 Raptor stealth fighter, the simple yet streamlined brush aluminum chassis is a reflection of speed, aggression, and power.
• Latest 4th Generation Intel? Core? i7 Processor Packing speed and power under the hood, the GS70 features the latest 4th Generation Intel? Core? i7 processor. Boost your performance and processing speed from 2.4 - 3.4GHz with Intel Boost 2.0
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX Graphics Powered by the latest 765M graphics from NVIDIA, experience a whole new level of gaming with stunning visuals and life-like physics. Easily stay up-to-date with the latest drivers and optimize your games effortlessly with the GeForce Experience.
• Matrix Multi Display Enhance your work and play experience with the exclusive Matrix Display feature. Connect up to 3 independent external monitors to work, watch and play at the same time. Handle the big screen with support of up to 3840 x 2160 resolutions to watch your movies or play your games in true HD when connected to an HDTV.
• Sound Blaster Cinema, Solid State Storage, SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard, Killer? DoubleShot Designed with exclusive networking optimizations.

Product Description

Super Slim Gaming Laptop Connect up to 3 monitors and 4K Display
Brand:MSI
Model:GS70 2OD-002US
Part#:9S7-177114-002
General
Color:Alumium Grey
Operating System:Windows 8
CPU Type:Intel Core i7-4700HQ 2.4GHz
Screen:17.3" Full HD
Memory Size:16GB DDR3
Hard Disk:1TB HDD + 2 x 128GB SSD Super RAID
Graphics Card:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M
Video Memory:2GB
Dimensions:16.47" x 11.29" x 0.85"
Weight:5.73 lbs.
Other Features:Protective sleeve included
CPU
CPU Type:Intel Core i7
CPU Speed:4700HQ(2.40GHz)
CPU Support:6MB L3 Cache
Chipset
Chipset:Intel HM87
Display
Screen Size:17.3"
Wide Screen Support:Yes
Display Type:Full HD
Resolution:1920 x 1080
LCD Features:Non Reflection
Operating Systems
Operating System:Windows 8
Graphics
GPU/VPU:NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M
Video Memory:Dedicated 2GB
Graphic Type:Dedicated Card
Hard Drive
SSD:128GB x 2
HDD:1TB
HDD Spec:Super RAID (128GB SSD x 2 RAID 0+ 1TB
Memory
Memory:16GB
Memory Speed:DDR3 1600
Memory Spec:8GB x 2
Memory Type:204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM
Communications
LAN:Killer Gaming Network
WLAN:Killer N1202 2x2(a/b/g/n)
Bluetooth:Yes
Ports
USB:4 x USB 3.0
Video Port:2 x Mini Displayport
HDMI:1 x HDMI
Audio
Speaker:Speakers x 2 + Subwooferx1
Input Device
Touchpad:Click Pad
Keyboard:Steel Series Full-color backlight with Anti-Ghost key
Supplemental Drive
Card Reader:SD (XC/HC)
Webcam:720P HD Webcam
Power
AC Adapter:120-watt AC adapter
Battery:6-cell lithium ion
Physical Specifications
Dimensions:16.47" x 11.29" x 0.85"
Weight:5.73 lbs.

MSI Slim GS70 2OD-002US Intel Core i7-4700HQ 16GB Memory 1TB HDD 128GB x 2 SSD Super RAID0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB 2 x Mini Displayport 1xHMDI Connect up to 3 Monitors 17.3" Gaming Laptop/Notebook Windows 8 Thinner than Razer Blade Pro Review

Pros: Beautifully made.
Awesome keyboard.
Lighter than other gaming notebooks.
Windows 8

Cons: Not as light as expected.
Gets warm. (Seems like when they were producing this the thermal paste was not correctly applies as I'm getting idle temperatures around 50-60 and when gaming I rich about 93-97C. Seems kind of high.)
Frames drop from 80s to 35 when unplugged. (Throttling)
Battery life. (2.5 - 4 hours)

Wattage is at 1.2 W when display is down and still plugged in.
When in use and fully charged it can go from 25 to 50 watts.
When charging it can go from 30 to 50 most of the time.
When charging from bottom and using, it can go all they way to 80s.

Per temperature, after almost 2 weeks with this notebook the temperatures seem to have gone down by about 5C. The thermal paste might have needed to be broken in.

Battery life is okay, but not poor. Lasted me 2 and a half hours before had to charge again. Lash half an hour was gaming. The other 2 hours used up a little over 50 %, so if used for school stuff, it should last 4 hours easily.
(Small update)Battery life seems to be okay actually. I do end up having to charge it after a few hours, but it seems to be doing just fine when I'm watching movies and browsing, even a few minutes in the game. So the battery life is not terrible, but not great. (Small Update)
I tested the throttling when played SC2 on ultra settings. So the FPS are awesome for ultra settings when plugged in and when unplugged it's still fine, no major stutters.

The screen is decent. The images starts to fade if pushing screen up, but fine when closing the screen. Side to side viewing is fine too, better than when opening screen up.

Originally wrote this review on Newegg, but since I couldn't edit my review I'm just going to write one here now.

Most of the consumer Reviews tell that the "MSI Slim GS70 2OD-002US Intel Core i7-4700HQ 16GB Memory 1TB HDD 128GB x 2 SSD Super RAID0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB 2 x Mini Displayport 1xHMDI Connect up to 3 Monitors 17.3" Gaming Laptop/Notebook Windows 8 Thinner than Razer Blade Pro" are high quality item. You can read each testimony from consumers to find out cons and pros from MSI Slim GS70 2OD-002US Intel Core i7-4700HQ 16GB Memory 1TB HDD 128GB x 2 SSD Super RAID0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB 2 x Mini Displayport 1xHMDI Connect up to 3 Monitors 17.3" Gaming Laptop/Notebook Windows 8 Thinner than Razer Blade Pro ...