honestly fed up with my huge godox its way too top heavy and just ruins the whole point of having a small camera but i am SO excited for my Tokyo trip in five days and need a replacement fast. budget is 200 ish what compact flash works best with the a7C II?
Ugh, honestly I feel your pain. I spent way too much money trying to find a flash that didnt make my a7C II feel like it was gonna tip over. Most compact options still feel like bricks once you actually start shooting. I tried the Sony HVL-F28RM External Flash and while it looks sleek, the recycle time really frustrated me during fast street shoots. You miss shots waiting for the damn beep. If you want something genuinely small tho, check these out:
Regarding what #2 said about "Ugh, honestly I feel your pain. I spent..." - yeah I totally get that. I am always so worried about snapping the hot shoe off if the flash is too big or top-heavy. Since you are on a budget, you might want to consider the LightPix Labs FlashQ X20 for Sony TTL. It is super tiny and way cheaper than the Sony brand stuff, which is nice if you are trying to save cash for the actual trip. Just be careful though, because it uses AA batteries and they can die pretty fast if you are shooting all night. Before I say go for it... what are you actually planning to shoot in Tokyo? Like, is it mostly indoor cafes or people on the street? You really gotta make sure to check the recycle times because small flashes can be slow. I would suggest bringing extra batteries just in case. Better safe than sorry, especially on a big trip!
I had the exact same issue when I first started travel photography. Carrying a massive speedlight on a small body like that feels like putting a truck engine on a bicycle... it just doesnt balance right. For my last trip, I picked up the Godox TT350S Mini Thinklite Flash and it was a decent middle ground for the price. Heres my experience with it: