Can I use any brand's stand alone flash with my Olympus SLR?

Question

I have read that Nikon and Canon have superior flashes. Will they be compatible with my Olympus? I eventually want to get a Canon, so the convenience of having one of their flashes would be great. If the flash would be compatible, do you have any suggestions on a stand alone flash that would be used for headshots?

Answer 1

First, you need to be aware that you have to be VERY CAREFUL using stand alone flash units with digital SLR's (and some 35mm SLR's). Many of the units designed for mechanical shutters use a trigger voltage that is too high for electronic shutters. You can buy adapters to suppress the trigger voltage if you have an older or used unit that you want to use.

Second, most DSLR's have internal flash metering designed to work with specific flash units that will help balance flash and ambient light to get the best exposure. For Olympus, they have a number of flashes that work with their OM series cameras and with their digital SLR's. In general the best flash units for cameras are now designed by and for the specific brand.

BTW, Olympus has more experience in electronics than either Canon or Nikon, makes a much wider range of electronic components than either of the others AND they are generally top quality.. I have a twenty five year old Olympus compact tape recorder that still works fine and a number of their flashes that work very well.

Email if you have specific questions or with more details about the specific camera you are getting a flash for.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 2

No they won't be compatible. In terms of triggering, you can trigger any external electronic flash with any camera that has a hot shoe. Wein makes adapters that will protect the circuitry of both the flash and the camera when using external flashes, but without it I wouldn't recommend it. Or you can use a simple sync cord. I can tell you from experience that you can't use almost any external flash on a canon SLR (film or digital) unless it has a canon accessory foot. Canon (digital) limits the trigger voltage to 4-6VDC, nikon goes up to 250VDC. So if you used a nikon flash on a canon camera, chances are you could fry the camera's circuitry. And all cameras have different TTL pin layouts, so if you use a flash with a different TTL pin layout than your cameras shoe has, you could fry you cameras circuitry. Those are reasons why you shouldn't use off brand flashes unless made to work on a specific shoe. Many third party flash manufacturers like Bower, Vivitar, and Sunpak make flashes for virtually every camera that's available, so that is another option for you to consider. A suggestion for a flash to be used for headshots would be a ring type flash used for macro photography, they work great for headshots by providing even shadowless light and catchlights in the eyes which can often be quite flattering.

Answer 3

Nope. You'll need to use a flash that is compatible with the camera you have. That would be Olympus and possibly a third party that makes flashes specifically for Olympus.

Answer 4

I have the sunpack flash for my olympus E500, I wonder if they stopped making the model I had because i can't find it. Anyway its small, has adjustable tilt and can be used as a camera mounted or a slave flash, which I've found to be a very nice feature.

Answer 5

Generally not - you either need a dedicated flash from your cameras manufacturer, or a multi-purpose flash such as a Metz, which can fit onto pretty much any camera system with a flash hot shoe or a flash socket. Check with a decent store before you buy!

Answer 6

Using the wrong flash on your camera can burn out the entire electrical system, I know, Ive done it twice. Once on a film camera years ago and once on a digital when I thought the safe sync was connected and it wasn't. That one cost me $106 in repairs, the film one I just trashed.

Just be careful out there!