suitable flash for olympus om 2

[vincent_sebastiano]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am new to the forum as I just bought my first OM 2. I also have 2 flash shoe

2's in excellent condition. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a suitable

flash? I know the Quick Auto 310 provides TTL but I heard it's a very old

model. Is it still a good choice? Would the T20 or 32 be a good alternative

even if they aren't TTL with the Shoe 2 or would it be better to buy the Shoe

3? I know the OM shoes are prone to ing so having 2 excellent Shoe 2's

makes me lean to keping/using them. If so are there any off market flashes that

work with shoe 2 and provide dedication?

 

Any advice would be appreciated, I've read so many great reviews about the OM 2

I'd really like to create a decent system to work with.

 

Thanks everyone,

 

Vince

[richard_oleson]

Get a Shoe 3 and a T32. The T32 has a bounce head which the 310 lacks, plus the flash will be several years newer. The lack of a bounce head significantly reduces the benefits of TTL operation with the 310. I would not get a T20 for the same reason, plus it has lower power and no test fire button (still wonder what they were thinking on that).

 

The Shoe 3 is less expensive than the Shoe 4 (which only fits the 1N & 2N), because it fits only on the OM2. The Shoe 2's are less expensive again, since they only fit on the OM2 and don't provide TTL unless you use the 310. If you want to use the Shoe 2 without TTL operation, the T32 is still fine but it's no better than any number of less expensive flashes. The small size and light weight makes it more attractive for the OMs than tall flashes like the Vivitar 283 which is very hard on the shoe, but there are other compact units. One of my favorite brands is Popular, which made non-dedicated flash units very similar in size, weight and power to the T32... but despite their name, they weren't very popular, and you don't see them around very much.

[tim_kohlman]

yeah, grab a T32 or T20 and slam in a shoe3 and you'll be laughing.

 

As far as aftermarket flashes go, there are plenty of manual or dedicated auto flashes that will do, not too sure about aftermarket TTL models but I have been using a Sunpak 3075G auto with my OM-2 just using X sync and it's sweet (well as far as flashes go), I was taking photos at night in my backyard and the photos were correctly exposed, it was also able to hit the fence at the end of the backyard about 40m away.

[nickwhite]

I used to use the T32 on my OM2,s and OM4's - I also had the superb T28 macroflash which was far in advance of anything else at that time. http://www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/t28-macro-twin-flash.html

[john_hermanson2]

I also suggest the Shoe 3 and T32 flash. 310 flash (which requires Shoe 2) cannot be bounced without using Bounce Grip 1. John, www.zuiko.com

[vincent_sebastiano]

The advice for Shoe 3 is good but I haven't seen any available. I had bought 2 excellent Shoe 2's for $15. as a backup to the Shoe Fix that's on the camera. That's why I had considered the Quick Flash 310 or the Vivitar 2600 I already have. Would it be a good idea to get the T32 which still works on auto mode and just wait until a shoe 3 is available.?

 

Vince

[nickwhite]

Yes get the shoe 3, and T32.

 

There's one on ebay -UK Item number: 330213233020

[harold_gough]

With my 2n I used flash more via TTL cords (up to 5m long) off the camera than I did on the hotshoe. To do this, with a single flashgun, you need to detach the hotshoe and replace it with Auto Connector Type 4.

 

If you have the TTL cord you can plug it straight in the side of a T32 on the hotshoe to connect a second T32 but you need a TTL auto connector T20 (a free-standing hotshoe) to do this with the T20 as the off-camera second unit.

 

Alternatively, again having a TTL chord, you could use one T32 on the camera hotshoe and another, via the chord, as a main light (perhaps from above the subject), closer to the subject.

 

The T32 has ND filters and wide adapters, as a set, and a colour filter set (both occasionally offered on eBay) and a zoom adapter to concentrate the beam for telephoto lenses (more common that the wide adapter set). The T20 has none of these.

 

You will find that twin flash generally gives you much more acceptable results than a single one, especially with close-ups and true macro. T32 and T20 flashguns are now available cheaply and regularly on eBay.