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Flashes for use with Panasonic m4/3?

CPWarner

Member
I have been looking around for a flash to use with my G2 (and GH2 when it arrives), and wondered what input people here might have on the Panasonic FL3600 and FL500. The FL500 seems like it might be a bit large on a m4/3 body, so I am interested in what people's experiences are with either flash unit.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I have been looking around for a flash to use with my G2 (and GH2 when it arrives), and wondered what input people here might have on the Panasonic FL3600 and FL500. The FL500 seems like it might be a bit large on a m4/3 body, so I am interested in what people's experiences are with either flash unit.
The FL3600 and FL5000 are re-branded siblings to the Olympus FL36 and FL50, which have both been superceded by FL36R and FL50R models. (The R stands for "Remote", meaning these updated flash units can be used in dedicated-wireless-remote mode with Olympus bodies supporting the protocol. Panasonic does not yet support the dedicated wireless protocol.)

They are all very good flash units: well made with a good feature set and reasonable power.

I've been using the FL36 with the G1, L1, E-1 and now E-5 bodies since 2007. It's a nice size and weight for the G1/G2/GH2 bodies and has satisfactory power for most uses. If you're going to be considering extensive use of light modifiers or need more power for larger spaces, the FL50/FL5000 is the one to get as it has substantially more power.

There are also a couple of Olympus-FourThirds dedicated flash units from Metz that can work well with the Lumix G cameras according to others who have used them, but I have no personal experience with them.
 

CPWarner

Member
Thanks for the input Godfrey. I will look at the Panasonic FL360 and Olympus FL36R. They seem a good size for the G2/GH2. Too bad Panasonic did not put wireless flash in the GH2. That would have been a nice addition.
 

cjlacz

Member
I only have the FL-50R and I've used it a few times on the GF1. Works just find, but it is rather unbalanced, especially once you put a reflector on it. It's good for events. The camera looks so ridiculous people like getting their photo taken with it.
 

photoSmart42

New member
I use a Vivitar 285HV on my GH1, and while the flash unit is large, it doesn't seem abnormally large on the camera. Fits nicely enough. The G-bodies can handle large accessories and lenses surprisingly well. I can't imagine the large Panasonic or Olympus flashes would present a huge issue, but that's a personal call.
 

CPWarner

Member
Thanks for the links Tesselator, those are useful. One thing that is a real bummer is that the Canon ST-E2 does not trigger Canon flashes when used on a Panasonic m4/3. I tried on my G2 and could not get it to fire the flash. Too bad, as that would have been an easy method to get wireless flash on a Panasonic m4/3 body. Bummer. My 550ex will fire in manual mode as one of the sites mentioned. So, I think I will play with that a bit before looking too hard at dedicated flashes. TTL would be nice though...
 

Tesselator

New member
I like these things for that:





They work reliably to 30 meters is dim lighting and to about 10m (with the GH1's pop-up flash) in normal lighting. They aren't reliable in direct Sun though. For that I like to use PC cables - so i try to make sure that the flashes I buy have PC sockets. :)
 
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