Olympus e-30 & e-510 with Metz 48 Flash...

[mylifethrulenses]

<p>I purchased Metz 48 flash for my Olympus e-30 and e-510 with the great insights some of you provided me with.<br>

I have couple of more questions;<br>

1) Is there a particular brand that you would recommend for wireless triggers? I am aware of Pocket Wizard but seems to be quite pricey. What are my other options?<br>

2) Is there any reason to get a PC Cord if I have a wireless trigger?<br>

3) Are the optical triggers (Manufacturer Wein) useful and/or will be an alternative to wireless?<br>

I primarily use flash in the studio (small one in my basement) for objects (various sizes between 18"-20").<br>

Thank you very much...</p>

[meissner]

<p>If you are primarily using it in a studio, you might consider down loading the firmware for the Metz 48 to allow it to work wirelessly with TTL mode with your E-30, using the pop-up flash as a commander (the E-510 does not support wireless TTL flashes). You might have problems outdoors, since the flash has to see the light from the pop-up flash to get the instructions, and in bright light it might not see the flash (or if the flash isn't in the line of sight of the pop-up flash and there are no walls nearby to bounce off of).</p>

<p>If you use radio or optical triggers, you will need to shoot in manual flash mode. In a studio environment, it isn't that hard to learn, but some people would prefer not to start down that route.</p>

<p>In terms of pc-cord for the E-30, it would allow you to use a flash on the hot-shoe as well as a second one via the trigger. Note, you generally don't want to mix a flash in TTL mode with a flash in manual mode, so the flash on the camera should be turned to manual mode as well. If you are shooting in manual flash mode, you don't need a second TTL flash, but if you wanted to experiment with multiple TTL flashes, then you would want to get a second Metz 48 (or FL-36R). Also note, that you can't use an external flash to trigger flashes in remote TTL mode, you have to use the popup flash.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, it appears that the Metz does not support a dumb flash mode. If it did, you could avoid the use of an optical trigger, since the flash would have the trigger (you would need to fire the flash on the camera in manual or auto mode to turn off the pre-flash).</p>