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Cameras & Studio

Godox TT350S on the Sony A7 IV: Small Flash, Big Lesson

2022 · From the Tech with Asher channel · Watch below or read on

Bigger is always better, right? With camera flashes the answer is genuinely complicated. Bad flash ruins photos in two opposite ways: overexposing faces until the features wash out, or carving hard, ugly shadows behind your subject. The compact Godox TT350S, mounted on my Sony A7 IV, makes the case that a small flash used well beats a big one used badly.

Do this before buying any flash

The S in TT350S means Sony; Canon and Nikon versions exist under other letters. But the real homework is deeper: open the flash's manual and check which camera bodies it has actually been tested with. Mine listed the A7 series broadly, but not the A7 IV specifically, which released in December 2021. It mounted with a firm push and worked without a hitch, but knowing the tested list before you order is the difference between confidence and hoping.

Living with it

• Runs on two AA batteries you can swap mid-shoot, no proprietary packs (a V350 sibling exists with lithium if you prefer).
• The head swivels 270 degrees and tilts to 30, 45, 60, and 75, and there is a pull-out white bounce card for portraits.
• Three modes via the small orange screen: TTL, manual, and multi. I shoot TTL ninety percent of the time, with exposure adjustable from minus 3 to plus 3 in 0.3 steps on the front dial.
• One quirk that will confuse you exactly once: if the bounce card is not pushed fully in, the zoom locks at 14mm. Seat it, and auto zoom from 24 to 105mm returns.
• Sync and slave buttons handle wireless setups, and in burst mode the refresh keeps up better than its size suggests, demonstrated in the video.

The tip worth more than the flash

Resist pointing the flash straight at your subject. Bounce it off a wall or the ceiling instead; that is the entire difference between harsh snapshots and light that looks natural, and it is why the swivel head exists. Support the flash base as you rotate it so the camera's hot shoe never takes the strain.

The verdict

Thumbs up, genuinely. Small enough to live in the bag, simple enough for a beginner's first flash, capable enough that the pros I watch keep one as a backup. Weddings, family events, any room where the light lets you down: this covers it.