Olympus FL-50 Electronic Flash for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras

I have an Olympus E-510 and i can not be more happier with the purchase of the FL-50. My indoor pics looks ten time better specially when you learn how to bounce light... You can be very creative... In short, highly recommended....

Olympus FL-50 Electronic Flash for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras. Excellent product. Made very good experience, and tend to using it. Very good.

There was a reason why you selected a D-SLR over a point and shoot. I know that when I was considering the investment (no getting around that word - investment) of a D-SLR I also thought about a good compact camera; you know one of those 12x - 15x zooms that look like an SLR, but do not have the detachable lenses. But I went for the D-SLR and then I did my homework into which make & model I wanted to get. For me the choice was the E-510 and I have been really happy with it. The reason I am happy is that the camera has the features and options that I want that allow me to get creative with my camera shots. Sure the auto feature makes it handy as a point and shoot, but I did not but it for that reason - I have other cameras that fit that need. No, the D-SLR has a special purpose in my camera bag.

The same is now true with my flash. The FL-50 is to flashes what the E-510 is to a point and shoot. The pop-up flash that came with the E-510 is not that great - sure it works in a pinch, but not that well. The FL-50 does everything you could ever want out of a flash and allows you the flexibility to be creative.

Case in point - As soon as I got the FL-50 I popped it on my E-510 and started to play with it. I set the controls to TTL-Auto, turned it on and took 4 pictures of my wife reading her book (yeah - she LOVED that!). First shot was 4 feet away from her, flash facing dead straight at her, the second was the same location but the flash facing the ceiling, the third was the same location with the flash facing the wall and the last was the same location with the flash facing away from her (shooting back over my head!). Results - all four were in perfect exposure with very different results (look & feel). Even the shot where the flash was facing 180 degrees from her came out just fine - COOL!

Bottom line is that this flash talks to the camera, understands the f-stop, aperture and distance and then adjusts based on where the flash head is pointing. You can hear the zoom feature kick in as soon as you start re-positioning the flash head. If you want full control over these functions, just turn it to manual and do what ever you want - VERY COOL!!

The flash is ultra strong too. I set the camera to manual so that I was shooting at 100ASA with a medium opening; then standing in my back yard at night I manually adjusted the focus and clicked. I shock me neighbor because the flash was as bright as a bolt of lightning. The end result was a perfectly exposed shot of my back yard (it is big). Even the stuff that is 80 feet away was visible - TOTALLY COOL!

These just are extreme cases but it does highlight how powerful & flexible the flash is. I took a point blank, full on flash and a wide open, pitch black shot and both came out looking great. I did not even read the manual yet.

Yes - there was a reason why you bought your D-SLR and saving money was not part of the equation. Do not make the mistake of trying to save money on your flash either. This is an expensive unit, but it is as versatile as the camera you will bolt it to. Say good buy to your pop-up flash. After you get this unit you will never go back to that thing ever again.

Question to self - "Would I buy it again if I lost it or had it stolen?". Answer - It would be hard to choke down another few hundred bucks, but yes - I would buy it again if I lost mine.

Oh, and buy the way... the recycle on this unit is tops too. Just a few seconds are needed before you can take your next photo.

Expensive for an amateur like me, but worth it after my first photo shoot. I use an e-500 and the pop-up flash would drive me nuts trying to take a photo the strobing annoyed people). With the FL-50, it just takes the picture. I also bought the Gary Fong diffuser and love it.

I have always wanted this flash, and it has worked as expected.

Excellent as a fill-in or bounced flash operation.

Recommend it to anyone that wants a flash for their E-1,E300,E500 or E510.

It was at a great price too!