Many flashes offer a bounce feature too. The Metz units are all pretty good
and most if you later get an OM2n, OM3TI or OM4Ti can be used with a SCA
connector (321) as TTL (OTF) flash. Most also feature bounce capabilites.
For fill in its best to use them in normal computer mode though. Flash sync
speed is limited to 1/60 second. It is one of the few weaknesses of the OM
system, the slow sync speed.
The Metz 32 series can be found secondhand for around the £60 mark and
are a similar power to the T32. But the 40MZ series are better still. The 40
series are usefully quite a bit more powerful than a T32 and you can't have
a flashgun that is too powerful. Bounce handles to contain an extra power
pack are also available. And if you should ever get another SLR system
(heresies of heresies) Metz produce a huge range of adaptors to connect the
flash to your system I have a couple of Metz flashes a 32MZ3 and a 60CT4 as
well as an Agfa flash that use the SCA connections. I use them with Canon
EOS wonderbricks, a Bronica ETRSi as well as my OMs. The SCA connections are
only necessary if you use them in TTL (OTF) mode and that won't be the case
with fill-in flash on the OM. Metz have a good website www.metz.de and the
Bogen Photo website of the US importers has an excellent chart listing the
features of all the Metz guns www.bogenphoto.com.
Others will be able to advise better on the various modes of the OM40
as I don't have one but it can be used in manual mode which is how fill-in
flash is normally done on an OM. For fill in flash I normally use my OM2n in
manual with the shutter speed set at 1/60 second and set the aperture to
give the correct exposure. That aperture then needs to be transferred to the
flash unit some flash units only offer two or three possibilities and this
can be very limiting. The Metz 40MZ series however offer 12 different
apertures. If I want the effect to be subtle I'll set the aperture to an F
stop one stop larger on the flashgun. Say the correct camera exposure was
1/60 at F8 I'll set the flashgun to F5.6 and so the computer bit is fooled
into producing a little less light.
Hilary Stone
----------
Mike Blayney wrote:
>
> Hi, I,m fairly new to this list and Olympus gear. First let me say how useful
> and helpful I've found the various advice on the postings (OT lists apart!).
On
> the strength of all the comments, I've just acquired the 35-70mm f3.5/4.5 zoom
> as I've got fed up carting too much gear around Dartmoor (a UK 365 sq mile
> National Park). It looks a great little lens although I've yet to shoot with
> it.
>
> Next on the wish list is a flash. As a rule, I hate direct flash preferring to
> bounce or at least diffuse it. The budget's limitted but it still looks like I
> need a T32 to get these features - unless someone knows better?
>
> Having read the OM40 instructions and the (Web) based T32 instructions, I'm
> still confused regarding some of the "OTF" features though:
>
> 1. The OM40 instruction book says "In Program mode the flash will not fire
> unless shutter speed is less than 1/8th". Why? This seems a very slow speed.
>
> 2. In Program mode, how is the aperture determined? Presumeably from the
> ambient light? Surely aperture can't react fast enough to OTF flash light?
>
> 3. In Auto mode - aperture priority (the one I use above all others), the
flash
> is said to fire when shutter speed shows 1/30th or less. What speed does it
> actually fire at? 1/60th?
>
> 4. How do most people go about using "fill in flash"? If I want "fill in" in
> cases where the flash would not fire in auto, do I need to go to manual and
> calculate everything myself?
>
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