Which external flash works best with the Sony a7R IV for portraits?

Question

So I finally upgraded to the a7R IV last year and I love the resolution but man, my old cheapo flash is just not cutting it anymore for the portrait work I'm starting to get. I've got this gig for a local clothing shop here in Seattle in about three weeks and I need to get my lighting situation sorted out before then because I really want these shots to look professional. I've been doing a ton of reading and I'm basically stuck between three different paths and my brain is kind of mush at this point.

My logic was to maybe go with the Sony HVL-F60RM2 since it's native. I figured it would play nice with the a7R IV's specific autofocus features and I wouldnt have to worry about weird glitches or the flash not firing when I'm using the eye-tracking stuff. But the price is steep. It's like 550 bucks which is right at the top of my budget and I'm not sure if the build quality justifies it.

Then there's the Godox V1-S. Everyone on YouTube seems to love this thing. I really like the idea of the round head for softer light falloff on people's faces and it's way cheaper, almost half the price of the Sony. I could basically get two for the price of one Sony unit but I've heard people complain about the hot shoe being a bit flimsy and the last thing I want is a flash snapping off during a session. I also looked at the V860III as a more traditional option but I'm torn.

Here is what I am considering:

Sony HVL-F60RM2 (Native but expensive)

Godox V1-S (Round head, great price)

Godox V860III (Solid backup choice)

I'm leaning toward the V1 because of the magnetic accessories but then I think about the Sony reliability and I hesitate... like is there a real difference in how the camera talks to the flash? Does the a7R IV actually perform better with a Sony flash in terms of the eye-tracking or is that just marketing talk? I'm mostly doing indoor portraits so I need something that wont overheat if I'm shooting fast. Which one would you guys go with if you were in my shoes?

nPTWanRUkTvfYXsQKZ · Accepted Answer

Honestly, I have been very happy with the Sony HVL-F60RM2 External Flash GN60 on my a7R IV. The communication between the body and flash is noticeably more reliable than third-party options during heavy burst shooting. It works well with the face detection logic, so no complaints there. I would recommend spending the extra cash to ensure you dont have any sync issues at your Seattle gig.