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Note: this camera was first sold in Mar 2008. There may be newer versions available.
Sony Alpha A350
Sony Alpha A350
B
HQ Grade: B
A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of digital cameras.
B means they are good, with some standout features.
C means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth.
D & F mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs.
  • 5 out of 5
"awesome<3"
  • 5 out of 5
"Gotta stay with a winner"
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Question Possibly Answered (10 points for the best answer)
Bill (Pokerpilot) 25 pts
September 10, 2008 3:41 PM
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Is there any way to use a 5400 Minolta flash with the A39?

I hate the idea of having to purchase a proprietary flash for my new Sony A350 and would like to use my Minolta 5400 flash with it...can it be used as an "off camera" flash or would I need a cable to connect the two if that is possible?
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Answers This question has replies but the author has not yet indicated whether it's answered after a long time. Can you answer the question, or post a clarifying follow-up?
Bill (Pokerpilot) 25 pts
September 10, 2008 3:42 PM
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sorry about the typo....meant A#%)
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Aditya D (Adhere) 7462 pts
September 12, 2008 12:03 AM
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Looks like you had your shift key pressed, I'm assuming you meant the A350. In either case I'm pretty sure you can still use the Minolta 5400 flash with the A300, because I know people who use the Minolta flashes with their A700, so I don't see why it wouldn't work. By the way Sony bought out Minolta, and kept the same design, so lenses and flashes (and some other accessories) that work with the Minoltas should work with the new Sony Alphas.
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Bill (Pokerpilot) 25 pts
September 12, 2008 12:26 PM
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thanks Aditya D...appreciate your feedback....just a bit worried about the electronics...thought perhaps Sony only used proprietary equipment....if I tried my 5400HS, is it possible it may mess up the electronics of the Sony???
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Aditya D (Adhere) 7462 pts
September 12, 2008 12:32 PM
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They have not used proprietary equipment, all the mounts for both the flashes and the lenses remain Minolta. Basically for the original Sony Alpha, what they did is just wipe off the Minolta name and put on the Sony name, and add the Super Steady Shot. Same with half of their lenses, including the G series lenses. It won't mess up the electronics if you were to try, and I'm 90% sure it will work. If it helps ease your conscience, I worked for Sony cameras for 2 years when the Alpha came out.
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Bill (Pokerpilot) 25 pts
September 12, 2008 5:57 PM
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thanks again Aditya D
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by James DeRuvo (byjamesderuvo) 38780 pts
September 15, 2008 2:33 PM
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Worse case, I would imagine that manually would definitely work. But I bow to Aditya's resume on this one. ;)

BTW - If you're happy with the answer you received, you can simply click on "Mark for best answer" bubble and it will place the question in the "Answered" category for all to see. Or, you can leave the question open for a little while longer and see what else gets posted.
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bukit97 (bukit97) 12611 pts
September 20, 2008 8:02 PM
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The question " ... is there any way to use 5400 ........ " probably indicates that you have found out Minolta flash 5400 does not work with Sony digital cameras.

To avoid buying a new flash, you may want to buy an adapter instead.
this article gives a brief account of the adapter developed for such purposes and can be obtained from the address given near the bottom of the article.






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Aditya D (Adhere) 7462 pts
September 21, 2008 8:12 PM
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Actually I think he was worried about compatibility before trying it on the camera, just in case it may mess with the electronics in the camera, which is a completely legitimate concern. Also, the Sony flash mount and Minolta flash mount are the same... so pretty much all Minolta flashes should work with the camera, including accessories like cables (to be able to move the flash around), and some other things.
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bukit97 (bukit97) 12611 pts
September 22, 2008 12:39 AM
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Perhaps to close the subject, the following are areas where 5400HS won't work with Sony dSLR :

a. Program Reset : not available
b. ADI Flash metering : not available
c. P-TTL Flash metering : not available
d. TTL Flash metering : not available
e. HSS : not available
f. Wireless / Remote HSS : not available
g. Wireless/Remote Flash : not available

Unlike 3600HS and 5600HS, 5400HS only works as a manual flash on Sony dSLR.
It wouldn't spoil the circuit, but program wise, it doesn't communicate, hence all the functions mentioned above wouldn't work.
Mounting it on a Sony dSLR literally ' downgrade ' an otherwise very good dedicated flash to an ordinary cheap flash unit.

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Bill (Pokerpilot) 25 pts
September 22, 2008 1:22 PM
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Thanks so much guys for your helpful input....I have tried using the mInolta flash on the Sony A350 and it will not respond to most settings....I did find that it works ok when aperture is set to F22...otherwise almost useless....I will check out the article about the adapter which would be very helpful.....one thing I should mention is that the built in flash on the A350 is very good in most situations within 15ft or so....once again, glad I found this site....regards to all, Bill
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pvs (pvs57) 10 pts
February 14, 2009 11:52 AM
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Conversly will the new Sony flashes work with the older minolta film cameras such as the Minolta 7 or the 3xi?
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viewoflife (viewoflife) 0 pts
May 19, 2009 2:29 AM
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Kind of new to dslr photography. I have Sony a350 and a Quantaray PZ40X II flash for Nikon. Is there a way to make them work together?
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viewoflife (viewoflife) 0 pts
May 19, 2009 2:38 AM
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Oops...posted above in the wrong place....sorry!
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dare 0 pts
August 31, 2009 2:56 PM
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You can convert 5400HS flashes to work with Sony alpha's
See http://www.voitzsch.net/index.php/en/flashconv-a-minolta-flash-converter
I have converted two of my flashes, and it works great
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Alan 0 pts
September 3, 2009 6:10 AM
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Dare:
I also have the Minolta 5400HS flash unit & would like to convert it to work with a Sony (A900) but the link you gives seems not to be available (my browser times out after a long delay). Is there another way I can get the information? Thanks indeed.
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