Buying Used F36 (3600) and F56 (5600) flash guns

[KevinBarrett]

I was wondering, without going into the metering difficulties with older flashes, is there anything to look out for when purchasing second-hand Minolta flash guns (3600HS D and 5600HS D) and their Sony counterparts (HVL-F36AM and HVL-F56AM)? I have been using an F56 gun for three years without issue, so my inclination is to say that this unit, at least, is a safe investment.

[David Kilpatrick]

No problems I know of. Just check that the shoe is not cracked or loose in any way, preferably test any purchase before paying (or have a refund possibility in place).

David

[KevinBarrett]

Ah yes, the shoe...thanks DK.

[Greg Beetham]

It wouldn't hurt too check if the contacts in the battery compartment are ok, (that is if you can get access before you buy), you never know, someone might have forgotten and left the batteries in there until they leaked....it can happen.
Greg

[KevinBarrett]

Doh! Checking the batteries is not a possibility in my current options...plus another brave soul just picked up the 5600HS (D) that I was watching on ebay with a $287 BIN.

[PongoAlpha]

I currently use 2 5600 flash guns wireless control with my Alpha700 with no problems, however I was on the Sony stand at Focus on Imaging in Birmingham (England) there I tried my 5600 fash guns with the Alpha 900 and the guns did not work at all wirelessly (is that spelt right) Sonys' tech guys said they should work because everything is backwards compatible. I never took it further because an Alpha 900 is not on my list of things to buy in the next two years, by then the replacement will be out and it will be so good that you only have to whistle to get the shot you want.

[KevinBarrett]

I have one F56AM gun and love it. It works flawlessly off camera, and is very stable on the a700 hotshoe. I have also acquired a couple of older Minolta guns as freebies in various ebay transactions, the 3500xi and 5200i, which are virtually useless in comparison to the F56. While trying to get the F56 and 5200i to work together, I've got some passable results linking them together with cables and using the 5200i at 1/4 to 1/8 power.

So I've been thinking about the F58, but I understand it is actually less powerful than the F56, but covers a wider zoom range. I also read that the F58 wobbles on most a700 hotshoes.