Are there speedlites for the sony alpha 100?

Question

If so, which are compatible and are they good quality?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Sony offers a complete line of flash units for the Alpha series DSLRs. Metz and Sigma shoul offer compatible units but you'll have to check their sites.

Flash units for the older Minolta Maxxum 35mm SLR cameras may be compatible BUT - you'll have to contact Sony or check with a knowledgeable professional camera store. The trigger voltage may be too high and that could fry the A100. You might have to buy a WEIN HSHS-SS* (Hot Shoe to Hot Shoe Safe Sync) unit to protect the camera.  Flash units for the Konica-Minolta D5 & D7 DSLR cameras should be compatible since Sony based the Alpha series on those cameras.

You can safely ignore anyone who tells you that any flash is compatible with your A100.

The Sony hotshoe is a proprietary design which is a carry-over from the K-M cameras**.

* Check at http://www.weinproducts.com/safetysyncs....

** Someone will likely denigrate the Sony proprietary hotshoe and try to say that Nikon and Canon use the same hotshoe and that means more compatibility. That isn't completely true. Both Nikon and Canon use contacts on the hotshoe to allow the camera, flash and lens to communicate. Those contacts are arranged differently and so you really can't use a Nikon flash on a Canon or vice versa.

Answer 2

Pretty much any speed light is compatible with any camera that has a hot shoe (and these have been in cameras since maybe the 50s).

Nikon has some pretty good speed lights that you might find very useful.