Sony flash for weddings... Is the HVL-F45RM powerful enough?

I am switching over from Canon (5DMarkIII) to Sony (A7R III). One of my main reasons for doing so is to lessen the weight of the rig I must hold for 10 hours straight for most of the weddings I cover...ouch! Is the HVL-F45RM flash powerful enough inside a large dimly church or reception hall, or should I bite the bullet and go with the higher price tag and heavier weight of the HVL-F60RM? Obviously, in the end, nothing is worth skimping on having enough light!

I recommend the larger F60 model for professioinal use. It is not only more powerful, but more versatile too. It has a continuous LED lamp for use with video. TTL exposure is flawless. There is a noticeable delay for the exposure pre-flash on the first frame. However I can use it for half a dozen frames or so at 12 fps.

 

No flash short of burning magnesium powder is going to illuminate a cavernous church. Thanks to the 15 stop dynamic range and high ISO capability of the Sony A7Riii, the normal mode of the flash is fill only. Not only is this enough light for reasonable distances (< 25'), very little power is required. One set of AA batteries lasts for hours and hundreds of exposures. The flash comes with colored gels, for matching ambient light.

 

I use a cross-shoulder strap, which easily handles the weight of the Sony with a 24-70, 70-200 or 100-400 lens comfortably. There are many to choose from, but I use a Magpul single-point strap, which attaches to the RRS L-plate with a mil-spec quick connector.

It's false economy to stint on flash 'power', especially for professional use.

 

The F45RM is what I'd call a 2nd tier or second-rank flash. It'll have a true GN of around 22 (metres) @ 100 ISO and 50mm zoom setting. That's barely enough for amateur domestic use IMO.

 

Get the top-line model, and don't stint yourself or your customers.

Thanks so much for your reply!

Thanks a bunch!