Flash for Olympus epl-1

[midnightrat]

I recently found that I need a flash for my camera as the pop-up flash just doesn't cut it. I don't know too much about camera's other then point and shoot. So I guess my question what kind of flash do I need? Does it need to by olympus compatible?

Thanks

 

[midnightrat]

don't everyone speak at once

Maybe this will help? I'm mostly taking pics indoors of people and I noticed in my pictures that the shadows tend to be a little bit too dark or the whites a little to washed out based on whether I'm taking the pictures in the morning or evening. I was thinking that a stronger flash would alleviate the problem with the dark shadows. I found a couple of flash's on amazon ranging from $367 which is compatible but way over my budget;

http://www.amazon.com/Metz-MZ-58312O.../dp/B0011WN7C4

to $67 but doesn't say anything about being compatible with the Epl-1 but read somewhere that it is compatible

http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Digita.../dp/B005HV1AK6

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks

 

[fralexandr]

flashes are a good way of evening out lighting, but unless you use a diffuser or bounce the light off another surface, images tend to be not pretty.

could you provide an example of whites being washed out and darks being too dark?
are the darks too dark? or is the whole image too dark?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_compensation
you might want to try exposure compensation (EV)

flash compatibility can be tricky, and will even vary between camera's from the same manufacturer.
http://www.digitalphotographer.com....mpus-Pen-amp-Yongnuo-flash-work-fine-together
the yongnuo will probably work, but I'm not sure if it will automatically meter correctly

the problem with cheap flashes is that they have a long recycle time (thus you'll have to wait a while for the flash to recharge)
The yongnuo will obviously have more power than an on-camera flash, but on-camera flashes tend to recharge a lot faster than 5 seconds

 

[midnightrat]

I'll see if I can find a pic that I can use to show what I mean regarding the shadows and whites being washed out. As for the Yongnuo flash being compatible or not, I guess there's only one way to find out.

I'm not too concerned about the recharge time, as long as they are bright enough to clear up some of the shadows. I guess I should look into a diffuser as well.

And thank you fralexandr for your response, I was wondering if there was anyone here

 

[SecurityTheatre]

The BIGGEST problem with cheap flashes is that they probably won't give you auto exposure.

If you use that Nikon-compatible flash, it may actually fire properly, but it will be in full-manual mode. Assuming the flash has some settings to control the flash power, this is usable, but requires some experience and/or some trial-and-error to get the flash power right.

Honestly, to get auto-exposure, you need one that is specifically compatible with that camera and that may rule out some of the cheaper ones. I wouldn't worry about recycle time for your average casual "family photos" type of shooting.

I also wouldn't worry about a flash diffuser. To do a decent job, it needs to be big and bulky (and probably cumbersome) and that means you will probably not use it.

I recommend simply getting a flash that does have a swivel head and can be aimed to bounce off walls/ceiling.

If you shoot with the flash aimed at a white ceiling and it is set in auto-exposure (TTL) mode, you should ge great results.

Good luck. Flash compatibility is a weakness of these off-brand and smaller camera formats.

 

[midnightrat]

Here's an example of a photo that is too dark.

http://i.imgur.com/jaUMr.jpg

His jeans are almost black, when they are actually not that dark.

I figure with a flash they should brighten up quite a bit. I haven't played around with the exposure yet but I'll try this week.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

That's not a problem of flash power, that's a problem of the camera's metering system.

Nikon, for example, has a pretty complex 3d matrix metering and iTTL mix that actually determines what you are focused on and makes sure that area of the frame is appropriately lit.

Many metering systems will be confused (to a greater or lesser extent) by a dark figure standing in front of a white wall. In this case, you probably need to dial up the flash exposure compensation by about +1.0 EV. That will light your foreground better though it may wash out details in the background a bit (not a problem in this photo).

It's certainly not a problem if insufficient power, though.

 

[midnightrat]

well, I was playing with the camera a little bit yesterday and I realized sometime during the setup, I inadvertent had set the flash to the wrong setting. I'm playing around with the settings, it may take some time to figure out the optimal setting, but at least I'm learning.

SecurityTheatre, I think you're right, it's definitely not an issue of the built-in flash being underpowered as I thought.