E-P2: employing flash plus OVF?

[sheygetz]

<p>I wonder if there is any way at all to employ both the ovf and (off-camera) flash at all? Maybe with some third party gizmo, maybe a male/ female hotshoe adapter for a sync-cable - anything. I know the E-PL1 has both, but then I would miss a wheel for aperture and exp comp.<br>

Hendrik</p>

[Greg M]

<p>If you plug something else into the hot shoe to make use of both, you'll lose the ability to plug the EVF in to its' power source and use it.</p>

<p>I guess Olympus just figured no E-P1 or E-P2 user would be interested in both viewing at eye level AND using flash at the same time. Imagine that type logic with a camera that is, supposedly, the more advanced model. They even figured out a way to screw this series up.</p>

[Greg M]

<p>Duplicate post. No idea how that happened. Just ignore. Sorry!</p>

[fred_c1]

<p>I suspect this was done so that it can later be "improved" for the next model or two, just like the onboard flash on the E-PL1.</p>

[rogerjporter]

<p>I was thinking at first how clever and useful a double shoe accessory would be, like the old ones that were used for Leicas and such. then i got to thinking, with the plugin port for the viewfinder, it would be the clunkiest accessory ever for a camera, then figured if i end up with an EP-2 (i'm close) i will just have to settle for one or the other. </p>

[meissner]

<p>I have seen in one of the other forums (dpreview.com probably which is down right now for upgrades, possibly 43photo.com, but I couldn't find it there) that somebody took apart an Olympus off-camera flash cable (FL-CB05) or 3rd party equivalent cables (including Canon, since the pins overlap), and separated the 5 wires inside. They then used scotch tape to tape the wires to the equivalent pin on the hotshoe, and carefully slid in the EVF. You mount the flash on a bracket, and you have the ability to use the EVF (or microphone adapter) and flash at the same time. In using a bracket, you do give up some of the smallness of the E-P2.</p>