Sony HVLF1000 External Flash for MVCCD500, DSCF717/V1/R1 Cameras

This will be my second HVL-F1000, the first was a simple but effective flash for my Sony F707. I'm ordering this one for my Sony R1.

AntOnline lists the item as "In Stock" but THEY DO NOT ACTUALLY HAVE IT IN STOCK. Important, if you order this item, don't order it from AntOnline. I ordered 4 separate purchases through Amazon 8 days ago, and received all of them quickly, except the flash unit from AntOnline. I just now called their customer service (which hung up on me 3 times first) and they informed me the item was NOT in stock so Amazon had canceled my order. I recommend checking directly with AntOnline before ordering anything they claim to have in stock.

I bought this for a Sony DSC-F717 and it is atrocious at best.
(I would still like to find a GOOD and ADEQUATE video light)
I returned it as it was really no better than the flash unit that comes on the camera but it added weight up high.

My flash went out and I had to buy something. I thought I was getting [...] having to buy this and it does have its limitations. It is big and bulky. It has such a bright flash that it whites out close ups. However, I have made a couple of slip over filters to minimize the light for close ups, and better yet, you can detach the flash and use even more filtering to get light to those macro shots the stock flash would always obscure. The bright flash makes long range shots and outside shots soo much better too.

The flash is great for what it does. It is not for sports photography, to say the least. The quality is really great though. Aside from the speed factor I didn't have any complaints. I would recommend this flash as long as you don't do sports photography. Battery Consumption is average, good considering the quality.

This is not a product rating but rather a request...(sorry for the one star but I was required to enter something in order to post this)...

Does the HVLF1000 work with the DSC-V3? If so, how well?