Jumping in to agree that Godox is the only logical choice for the Sony ecosystem. If you want to maximize portability and save money, the Godox TT350S Mini TTL Flash is a great pick. It has a Guide Number of 36 at ISO 100, which is solid for its size and fits the mirrorless form factor way better than the huge blocks. Quick tip: If you stick with AA flashes, grab some Panasonic Eneloop Pro AA Rechargeable Batteries. Standard alkaline batteries have high internal resistance and cant handle the rapid current draw during recycle cycles. NiMH cells have a much flatter discharge curve, meaning your recycle times wont crawl as the batteries hit 50 percent capacity. Its basically the best low-cost performance boost you can get for any speedlight setup.

just saw this thread and wanted to add my two cents. honestly reliability is everything when you're on a shoot. if you can stretch to it, the Godox V350S Li-ion Camera Flash is a night and day difference over the AA version. the lithium battery keeps the recycle times consistent even when the juice gets low, which is usually where AAs start to fail you and slow you down. another solid option if you want that round head look for cheap is the Neewer Z1-S Round Head Flash for Sony. it usually sits well under 200 and the build quality is surprisingly decent for neewer. its got the quick lock hot shoe which i personally think is way more reliable than the old screw dials that always seem to rattle loose on sony bodies. basically:

• go v350s if you want something small that wont tip your camera over
• get the z1-s if you want that softer falloff and more power ngl i would avoid anything that doesnt have a lithium pack if you're doing serious work. once you stop swapping AAs you never go back.

> What features should I prioritize, such as TTL, HSS, or swivel head? Honestly, if you're shooting Sony, just go straight for Godox and don't look back. Their 2.4GHz X-system is basically the industry standard for third-party gear because it actually talks to the Sony MI (Multi Interface) shoe without constant misfires. For under $200, you have two main paths. If you want a workhorse with a Li-ion battery, the Godox V860III-S is the one. The recycle time is insanely fast (about 1.5s at full power) compared to AA-powered units. It has TTL and HSS, which are absolute must-haves for shooting outdoors when you're trying to overpower the sun at wide apertures. If you want to save some cash, look at the Godox TT685II-S. It’s technically the same flash engine but runs on 4x AA batteries. It’s cheaper, usually around $130, so you can spend the rest on a Godox X2T-S trigger for off-camera work. Tbh, Yongnuo and Neewer just don't have the same ecosystem reliability for Sony users right now. Haha, ask me how I know after my old Neewer unit fried a hot shoe! Go Godox.

If you are trying to stay well under that 200 dollar limit, I would honestly suggest looking at the Godox TT685II-S. Its essentially the AA battery version of the higher-end models and performs just as well for way less money. Using AA batteries is actually a safer bet for some people - if your custom lithium pack dies or fails on a shoot, youre stuck, but you can find AAs anywhere. Just a quick warning though - be reallyyy careful with the Sony hot shoe pins. They are super thin and fragile compared to other brands. I always make sure the locking wheel is totally unscrewed before I even think about sliding the flash in. Replacing a damaged camera shoe is a total nightmare and costs way more than the flash itself lol. Stick to the Godox ecosystem though, its definitely the most reliable for Sony right now.