Flash Guns for the Olympus Digital Cameras

• see also:
  • my homepage
  • Olympus E digital
  • flash technology comparison of TTL modes and features
  • flash modifiers
  • Olympus C-8080WZ digital camera technical stuff
  • Meissner's guide to flashes for the Olympus
  • DP FWIW guide to flashes for the Olympus
  • English Bob's guide to using the FL-36 and FL-50 (pdf)

Olympus dedicated external flash functions:

• NB. only the auto & manual mode flash functions below are possible if using a non-dedicated flash unit
• flash exposure modes:
  • TTL auto exposure:
    • ie. camera determines external flash light output amount
    • camera must be set to a non-Manual exposure mode
    • external flash must be set to TTL-auto mode
  • flash auto mode:
    • ie. external flash unit determines its own light output level using its inbuilt sensor
    • camera can be set to any exposure mode but best set to either Manual or Aperture mode
    • external flash is set to one of its auto modes which gives a ISO + aperture setting
    • set camera to the ISO & aperture setting as indicated on the external flash setting
  • flash manual mode:
    • ie. external flash gives off a set amount of light, it is up to you to determine the appropriate aperture/ISO setting on the camera
    • camera can be set to any exposure mode but best set to either Manual or Aperture mode
    • external flash is set to one of its manual modes
• flash charge ready indication in viewfinder or LCD screen
• flash zoom function:
  • on flash units that have a motorized zoom (eg. the Metz MZ series), the camera can set the zoom level automatically according to the camera's zoom thereby optimising the efficiency of the flash output and giving you better working distance at telephoto and better conservation of batteries.
• external flash red eye reduction:
  • ?
• external flash slow sync 2 mode:
  • Olympus flashes & Metz flashes incl. 45CL-4;
• external flash auto-off or sleep mode:
  • when camera turns off or flash setting is turned off in the camera, a compatible flash unit will be put into sleep mode to conserve its batteries.
• flash multi-burst mode:
  • only available with the E-1 camera and the FL-50 flash
• external flash AF-illuminator to assist auto-focus:
  • only available with the E-1/E-300 camera and the FL-50 or FL-36 flash
• Super FP TTL/Manual:
  • allows for higher shutter speed (1/4000th sec) synchronisation with certain Olympus cameras (eg. E-1) and the FL-50 (not available on Metz flashes, yet)
• built-in modeling light:
  • Metz 54MZ-4, Metz 70MZ-5
• wireless TTL:
  • FL-36R, FL-50R with Olympus E3 body or later

For TTL control with Olympus digital cameras:

• Olympus FL flash guns:
  • FL-20 - $US130; compact unit; no bounce/tilt/zoom;
  • FL-36 - (late 2004) 
    • rotatable head; especially designed for E300 so can use internal flash too. 
    • Motorized zoom on flash when in '0 degree mode' (parallel to onboard-flash)
    • Flash intensity adjustable via camera
    • Recharge time with 2 duracell ultra's is about 10 seconds, but during the recharge time of the flash, the camera doesn't
      react to any commands, including picture preview (this is for the Oly 5060 not sure about other models).
    • Not recommended for O5050 though according to Olympus.
    • Focus assist lamp does not work with O8080.
    • Super-FP flash sync apparently is supported for the E-330.
    • R version adds wireless TTL
  • FL-50:
    • $US550; 
    • adds multi-burst flash mode that can only be used with the E-1 camera.
    • adds Super FP flash synch at 1/4000th sec but only works on some Olympus E digital SLRs incl. E-330.
    • R version adds wireless TTL
  • SRF-11 - ring flash
    • very nice albeit bulky kit which has an adapter to attach it onto the ZD 50mm f/2.0 macro lens
    • for an inexpensive TTL ring flash, try making your own - see Jens Birch's version for the Oly 5050
  • twin macro flash
  • off-camera TTL cords for Olympus FL flash units:
    • Olympus brand TTL off-camera flash cord:
      • options:
        • FL-BK01 Flash Bracket ($A130) and FL-CB02 Hot Shoe Cable ($A139)
        • generic flash bracket and FL-CB05 hot shoe cable ($A103)
      • WARNING: it has been reported that the pins on the Olympus cables are too short and may not provide sufficient contact with the hotshoe to actually work in TTL mode!
    • alternatives:
      • Canon EOS flash accessories:
        • Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2
          • although the Canon uses 4 pins instead of 3 as with Olympus digital, the pins appear to be compatible with Olympus
          • see http://www.fourthirdsphoto.com/vbb/archive/index.php/t-1104.html 
        • presumably the same applies to the latest Canon flash accessories such as:
          • Off-Camera Shoe Cord OC-E3 designed for the Canon 580 EXII 
          • TTL Hot Shoe Adapter 3 + Off-Camera Adapter OA-2 + connecting cord (60cm or 300cm)
  • problems:
    • FL-40:
      • not compatible with the Olympus E digital SLRs
      • large bulky unit with rotatable head & zoom but discontinued; too bulky to use internal flash on E300; 
      • TTL does not work on E300;
      • from http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/c5050/c5050-flash-units.html :
      • camera sets flash to TTL-auto automatically although on C5050, you need to half-press the shutter for this to happen. This can be confusing & makes it difficult to use flash in manual/auto over-ride modes.
      • flash zoom with C5050 & perhaps other cameras:
        • Set the camera zoom to wide angle, then press the zoom button on the flash to move the head to the Tele position. It will stay there regardless of the current camera zoom setting even when you press the shutter release — your pictures will show significant light fall-off toward the edges. Ugly. As soon as the zoom lever is activated, however, the flash catches up.
        • The flash zoom feature is also almost useless on the '5050. First, the head has only two extreme zoom positions; secondly, it stays in the "wide" setting almost all the time, moving to "tele" only just before the camera lens reaches the longest focal length (at EFL about 100 mm). As a matter of fact, on the E-20 the switch occurs at the equivalent focal length of about 80 mm. Strange.
• Metz flash guns need to use SCA 3202 adapter (~$A100) and either:
  • go to the Metz page to see compatibility issues, especially with TTL and Olympus E digital SLRs
  • on camera flash if flash unit permits (eg. 32 MZ-3, 44 MZ-2, 50 MZ-5, 54 MZ-3), or
  • connection cable SCA3000C (~$A100)
  • with MZ flashes and SCA 3202:
    • pre-flash TTL even with spot-metering - now that is impressive!! sure beats non-spot-metering, much more accurate.
    • AF illuminator beam on the SCA control unit works in tandem with camera's beam (but can't turn camera beam without turning off the SCA beam)
    • motor zoom works as you alter camera zoom
    • SCA control unit displays camera settings
    • ( I have a 50MZ-5 and it works very well with the 8080 although a bit heavy to hold)
  • NB. newer versions of the 3202 adapter numbered M1,2,3 ,4 are backwardly compatible, but you need at least the M3 for the Olympus E-1 and the M4 for the E-300. You do not need to buy the new adapter if you already own an older version of the SCA3202. Metz, will re-flash the adapter with the new code at no charge.
  • 44MZ-2 on hotshoe still allows inbuilt flash use as well.
    • TTL, AF illuminator, and works in auto & manual modes in slave mode.
  • if using a Metz unit like the 32MZ-3, it may work using directly mounted on hotshoe, but Metz insist it should be mounted on an Olympus flash bracket FL-BK01 and connected to the camera hotshoe via the Olympus synch cable FL-CB01 - maybe Metz not realise it has a hotshoe?
  • Metz comments regarding its 34 CS-2 slave flash Oct 2004:
    • unfortunately, a mecablitz "34 CS-2" (without the supplement "digital") can not be used with a C8080 because it is still not able to ignore the pre-flashes coming from the camera's flash. This is only possible with the later model "34 CS-2 digital" which can be synchronized at the right time. Also a NEW 28 CS-2 digital can be used as well wireless  triggered
      from the camera. In this case only auto flash mode with manual settings is possible. Unfortunately, the reflector of a 34 or 28 can not be tilt or swiveled for bounce flash. Therefore we recommend to use either a 44 MZ-2, 54 MZ-4 etc with adapter SCA3202 supporting all flash features of camera plus bounce flash plus wireless triggering flash (by switch SL on the rear of adapter SCA3202)
  • Metz also sell a digital slave trigger SCA-3083 which allows light-triggered wireless TTL control of other compatible Metz units such as the 54MZ-3, 70MZ-5, 70MZ-4.
• Promaster 5750DX with 1045 DX Olympus Shoe Mount:
  • $US200; GN 30 (40 tele), manual zoom, secondary light, tilt/swivel 90/180deg; 0.3-10sec recycle; 
  • for TTL off camera, need as for Olympus FL flash guns
  • The only feature that's lacking compared to the FL40, FL50 and the Metz 32 is the motorized zoom
  • supports slow sync (front and rear curtain)
  • focus assist illuminator that projects a pattern of vertical red lines
• Soligor:
  • Soligor DG-20 DA and DG-34 DA
• Cullmann:
  • Cullmann AF 20-O Digital with GN20
  • Cullmann AF 34-O Digital with GN30. 
  • They have AF diodes and up-tilting reflectors.
• Phoenix RL-59C ring flash

(Not all features below are available on the Olympus C8080 eg. AF-measuring flash)

External flash units directly mounted on camera:

• TTL compatible on camera units:
  • see above TTL flash units
• non-TTL flash units:
  • set camera to manual & use shutter speed up to 1/300th sec - can use faster but may lose flash light output
  • set Flash mode in camera to IN+external or external only
  • set camera aperture & ISO according to flash auto setting or your flash meter readings, or guestimate.
  • must not have high voltage (?>6V) synchro terminal - these may damage the camera - see Botzilla's guide
    • ie. not the Sunpak MX130 as 190V
    • NB. Olympus do sell a voltage-regulated PC sync adapter for $US90 that fits on a hotshoe & allows use of any flash gun with correct polarity see https://emporium.olympus.com/innards/empProdDetails.asp?sku=200600-410 
    • HOWEVER, an Olympus technician has said that the C5060 has an inbuilt voltage regulator and thus higher voltage flash units are safe - still not sure you would be covered under warranty if this turned out not to be!
  • must not use units with non-FL TTL contacts as these may damage the camera
    • ie. not the Olympus T20 but may be OK via a PC link as only 3-7V however, many do use it!
    • ie. not the Vivitar 3700  but may be OK via a PC link as only 9.4V
    • Tip: either cover up all hotshoe pins other than the central one, or, buy a hotshoe extender which only has one pin or the Olympus voltage-regulated PC sync adapter
  • some units may not work as they have opposite polarity
  • see Meissners guide
• consider a bouncer:
  • see http://www.lumiquest.com/lq871.htm  via peterb@vanbar.com.au

External flash units remotely connectable to the hot shoe mount:

• for TTL use see TTL flash units
• for non-TTL use:
  • see general points above, in addition, need to either:
    • connect the PC sync cable of the flash (if flash does not have a PC sync cable, then need to buy an adapter for it's hotshoe connection that provides a cable) to a hotshoe-PC sync adapter set on the camera hotshoe, or,
    • use a slave trigger connected to the flash & trigger it from the inbuilt camera flash with camera flash set to SLAVE and setting = 1 or higher.
  • ie. you don't need to buy the expensive TTL cables & adapters, but you do lose TTL capability and all the other dedicated flash functions
  • flash unit recommendations for bounce flash, etc off the camera:
    • Metz flash guns (can also connect via Metz SCA 3202 adapter and connection cable SCA3000C  for TTL auto):
      • for safety, maximum dedicated functions, and versatility in aperture/power output settings, use the new MZ series which have a safe trigger voltage of < 5V
      • 45CL-4:
        • has 14-17V but direct PC connect to hotshoe seems to be safe.
        • readily available on Ebay for $A300-350 (retail ~$A550)
        • rapid recycle time, secondary flash, easy to use
      • do NOT use the older Metz CT-1 or CT-2 models as their trigger voltage is way too high and risk destroying the camera, although the CT4 & CT5 models should be OK
    •  
  •  

Metz 45 series flashguns:

• Metz voltage safety (from Metz):
  • "Metz mecablitz 45-CT 1 units featuring a model number that is smaller than 534 000 are fitted with a so-called high-voltage ignition circuit. These flash units must not be directly connected to modern cameras as this could even damage the camera! All other flash units of the Metz mecablitz 45 CT and 45 CL series feature a low-voltage ignition circuit in keeping with the current standard."
• Metz 45 series and non-proprietary rechargeable batteries:
  • "A battery case supplies a flash unit, such as the Metz mecablitz 45, with 9 V power (6 x 1.5 V). However, if NC or NiMh batteries are loaded in the battery case, then only 1.2 V (6 x 1.2 V = 7.2 V) will be available on account of the cell’s lower voltage rating. This results in a significantly smaller guide number, thereby greatly reducing the maximum flash range in automatic and TTL flash mode. It also means that manual flash operation becomes impracticable because a guide number is no longer available to calculate the camera’s aperture setting.
    
    The contacts of our NC battery pack 45-40 are located at a different point so that the existing voltage difference is compensated. The NC batteries incorporated in this pack are special cells that are rigidly connected with metal strips to cope with the high power consumption of the flash unit. Consequently, an empty NC battery case cannot be loaded with other commercial rechargeable batteries.
    
    Furthermore, the high currents of an inadvertently incorrectly loaded NC battery may destroy the electronic circuitry of the flash unit. Consequently, we urgently advise against the use of NC batteries in the battery case."
• 45 CT vs 45 CL series:
  • "Flash units of the Metz mecablitz 45 CL series are successor models of Metz mecablitz 45 CT units, and they feature a modified method of flash readiness indication. Accordingly, flash readiness is indicated by a light-emitting diode on Metz mecablitz 45 CL units, whereas flash units of the Metz mecablitz 45 CT series feature a glow lamp for flash readiness indication. Furthermore, Metz mecablitz 45 CL flash units have standard connecting sockets."
  • they all share the same brackets, filters, batteries, PC sync & SCA cords
  • 45CT-1 has only 1 manual setting and 5 auto settings and no TTL mode and no SCA 3002 functions
  • 45CL-4 has 4 manual settings (full, half, quarter & "winder" which is 1/40th), 6 auto settings + TTL as well as having a secondary flash and SCA 3002 functions such as in camera flash ready signal, TTL.
    • thus this is more versatile for hair lighting, etc.
• SCA 300 vs SCA 3002 systems:
  • "SCA-300 is an analog system, whereas SCA-3002 is digital. As a result of the additional exchange of digital data further special flash functions become possible when these cannot be set on the camera concerned. The flash units of the SCA-3002 system are downward compatible, and can ,therefore, also be fitted with SCA-300 adapters. However, SCA-3002 adapters are not necessarily compatible with SCA-300 flash units. For instance, the SCA-3000 C connecting cable is required to match SCA-3002 adapters with handle-mount flashguns of the SCA-300 system, but not all the functions of the given adapter will then be available with this connection."
  • "The adapters of the Metz SCA adapter system are constantly being updated to match new cameras with additional or modified flash functions. For this reason the new adapter models are continuously numbered (M, M2, M3 …). The latest adapter model always replaces the previous one and is downward compatible. The adapters of the SCA 3002 system can generally be upgraded by way of software update."