Dave,
Your OM-4 has TTL flash capabilities with two popular units from Olympus:
the T20 and the T32. The T32 is the more powerful of the two and also has
more flexibility. Filters for ND, wide angle, telephoto can be added to
the T32 in addition, the head will tilt up and down.
Other companies also make flash units that are "dedicated" for the OM line.
Two of the best (most popular)are Sunpak and Vivitar. The style of many
of the Vivitar and Sunpak units gives some additional flexibility because
some of them will both swivel horizontally as well as pivot. It is also
possible to find other products from manufacturers such as Soligor, Focal
and others but support and repair could be more problem than it's worth.
Dedicated units I have used from Vivitar are the 550FD (MPO version), this
unit will work on Minolta, Pentax and Olympus cameras; the 3500 for OM
(uses an optional OM module); and the Series 1 Model 600 (has both tilt and
swivel).
Sunpak makes the 422D, 433D and 440D as well as the 30DX. All Sunpak flash
units with a "D" designation will work with OM cameras when you purchase an
OM module.
If you use the T20 Flash, you will need to use it only on the camera hot
shoe unless you purchase a T20 Auto Connector which will allow you to use
the flash off the camera with an optional T series cord. The same
conditions also apply to the Sunpak and Vivitar flash units (you need the
T20 Auto Connector). OR, you can buy the Bounce Grip 2 and then use those
flash units off camera on the Bounce Grip 2.
The T32 flash will function on the hot shoe or off the camera with one of
the optional Olympus T series flash cords.
Because the Olympus series are a low profile design (nice to carry), they
will also present problems when you use them on the hot shoe of the camera.
The biggest problem is that red-eye can be VERY noticeable. The Vivitar
and Sunpak units do not have this problem because they sit higher off the
camera. There is a possible fix for the "T" problem and that is a flash
extender. The downside of this device is that it extends the flash so far
off the hot shoe (about 3 inches) that it becomes much more likely to
seriously damage the camera/hot shoe if the flash receives a hard knock or
even hard pressure while carrying.
There is much more that can be discussed regarding OM flash capability, but
I imagine your head is getting pretty full right now. I'll also allow
others to take a turn and comment on my comments.
Welcome to a good group. We all work to support understanding and use of
OM products.
Pass it on.
Brian Huber
-----Original Message-----
From: David Fineman [SMTP:reddogue@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, March 06, 1999 12:51 PM
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OM] OM-4
I have recently acquired a fully overhauled OM-4 and several lenses from
my son who has switched to another system. The camera underwent a
complete overhaul and seems to be functioning perfectly. Olympus was
good enough to send me a copy of the instructions, but I still have
several questions. Does this camera have TTL flash capability? If it
does can someone suggest a flash for it that uses a dedicated module and
also bounces and swivels? At this point I need all the help I can get.
Thanks in Advance,
Dave
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