Olympus OM2n and Flash Photography - Dumb Question

[Lilserenity]

Hiya,

I do come out with some doozies from time to time and I think this is one of them. My knowledge of flash photography can be written down on one side of a postage stamp.

I acquired another OM2n yesterday with a T20 flash as my first OM2n had a dodgy advance lever, which then broke after a bit of use (3-4 days) and then I got a good deal on a clean second body with a T20.

I tend to ignore flash, I don't like it on the whole but sometimes it's a good thing. It's much better to use the OM2n for flash than my Leica M2 as that just sounds like a recipe for making my life hard.

So the question:

The manual says, if flash must be used, get the needle to 1/30th in the VF. Does that mean in all instances or when you want it to forcibly fire the flash? Ie: I'm outside in the dark shooting someone's party and I want to use the flash for a photo. Do I focus up, adjust the aperture ring until I get to 1/30th and then fire?

Or can I use any aperture within reason and limitations on distance from subject, and fire away even if the needle isn't on 1/30th?

Basically, this fool proof flash system has fooled me and I'm feeling a bit of a dunce again, but I have never used flash before, at least that's my "self preservation" excuse 🙂

I've read the manual, and read it again, and still, I'm just not sure!

Thanks!
Thicko Vicky 😀

 

[oscroft]

The manual says, if flash must be used, get the needle to 1/30th in the VF

I suspect all it really means is that when using flash you should shoot at shutter speeds of 1/30 or slower (though I'd have thought it would be 1/60 or slower), and the reason for that is that it is only at slower speeds that the shutter curtains are fully open at any time - at faster speeds, what you get is a 'slit' between the shutter curtains traveling across the frame, and as the flash duration is very short, it will only illuminate the part of the frame that the slit is passing at the time the flash fires.

 

[Lilserenity]

Thanks, I agree that I was thinking if the synchro speed was 1/60th why doesn't the manual say 1/60th? Also, when the manual says use any aperture, I was thinking that goes into the territory you suggest with only part of the frame illuminated e.g. f/1.8 at 1/250th is gonna cause some probs!

I think I'm going to work on the principle that so long as the needle is showing a shutter speed slower than 1/60th we're safe and I'll try to trust the camera to do the rest. (You can see I have been used to a life of manual exposure and doing all the thinking for the camera! Which to many extents I prefer anyway as my photography has improved no end since I started to think about it rather than let the camera make all the decisions.)

 

[ruby.monkey]

Surely you would set the shutter speed manually to flash sync speed (or slower)?

(Nope - forget that. The camera automatically selects flash sync speed when one mounts a T-20 or T-32. Set the camera to auto and have away with it)

 

[oftheherd]

You might want to look for some older books that have a good exxplanation of using flash, guide numbers and such. I believe Roger Hicks has some of that on his site as well. The reason being that just as with a non-flash exposure meter, it may be fooled by too much light or dark in a scene and not bring out what you want. Shooting in low or no light may make it worse, as often there is little or no background within the range of the flash.

There were nonetheless, some really great auto flash setups from about that era. The Contax 139Q I had and my current FX103s are incredible with auto flash. But for those times it won't work, or when you want to paint with flash, you need more information on how to use the flash guide number.

Try it, it will be fun experimenting.

 

[ruby.monkey]

My knowledge of flash photography can be written down on one side of a postage stamp.

The OM-2N has off-the-film flash metering which should help you out. Shame about the slow flash sync speed, because other than that it's a pretty wonderful little camera.

(Well, that and the pain of trying to find a flash shoe 4)

 

[Trius]

"Everything" OM: http://olympus.dementia.org/eSIF/om-sif.htm

OM flash info:

http://olympus.dementia.org/eSIF/om-sif/flashphotogroup.htm
http://olympus.dementia.org/eSIF/om-sif/flashphotogroup/flashmodes.htm

While it is true the OM flash sync is only 1/60 (except for the OM 3/4,) the flash system is quite sophistcated. On the OM-2n you will need accessory shoe 4 to take advantage of the T20 (or others); just set the camera and flash on auto and shoot away.

 

[Beemermark]

With the OM-2 in auto the flash will not fire above 1/60 sec. The shutter speed in the viewfinder is an approximation of the shutter speed, the actual shutter speed is determined by the light bouncing off the film when the shutter is depressed. The manual recommends picking 1/30 sec to ensure the flash fires (because if the light changes slightly when you press the shutter button and the SS > 1/60 the flash won't fire).

So for example, your using a 300 mm lens and you have the flash mounted and are shooting in Auto. If you pick an aperature that gives an indication of 1/60 in the viewfinder and at the moment you press the shutter the camera senses the light at 1/90 - oops no flash and a very blurry picture (since you cannot hand hold a 300mm lens at 1/90)

If you want to use the flash at 1/60 then put the camera in manual, swap the panel on the flash around and use the flash sensor to control the flash output.

Olympus, with the introduction of the OM-2, invented TTL flash. A gigantic leap forward in flash.

 

[Lilserenity]

Many thanks for the help, it now makes sense!

As I say I don't anticipate using the flash a lot, hardly ever in fact -- a good example was a recent wedding anniversary I was asked to photograph along with another photographer who had a good Nikon DSLR with flash. His photos were great but they are the posed shots that I tend to not pusue myself (I'm candid, candid and thrice times a candid fan!) so this is probably a last resort thing and for if I get into doing the odd bit of portraiture more often indoors, although I was looking at the prices for the T32 which is what I ultimately want, I've seen good looking examples go on eBay for £10, doesn't seem bad at all for a TTL Bounce flash.

On an off note, can you get diffuser boxes for the T20 flash?

Thanks!
Vicky

 

[Trius]

Vicky: I think a variety of the usual diffuser suppliers would have models that fit the T20. Check Stoffen, etc. John Hermanson may be able to comment as well.

 

[John Hermanson]

The 2/2N will not even fire the X (electronic flash) contact above 1/60th. Suggesting 1/30 gives you a one stop margin so you won't end up going a little over 1/60, where the flash might not fire at all. On TTL flash (dedicated flash like T20, black side of panel showing, camera on auto, shoe 4), the camera reads flash off the film during exposure and sends a cutoff signal to the flash when it has put out enough light to complete exposure. The flash cuts off, shutter closes. In this case, the manual is confusing. IF you open the f stop wide enough to achieve 1/30 needle position, then you're only going to get one stops worth of flash to raise the speed up to 1/60, and by then you've already lost your depth of field by opening the lens. The T20 flash is lower power so it doesn't have that great a range to begin with. John