Author Topic: E-p1 + t20 flash (Read 6211 times)

daphnesayshi · « **on:** February 28, 2011, 04:35:10 PM »

Hey all,

First post!

I've been lurking on E-P1.net for a little while - it's an awesome site.

I recently bought an old T-20 flash on a whim off ebay, planning it for use on the E-P1 (they look very nice together, dont you think?) However, a little research online later and I'm left confused and not entirely sure if i should even think about using it when it arrives..

So here is the question straight up, for people who've had experience with this: will the T-20 flash work with the E-P1, or will my E-P1 end up getting fried?

I ask because I seem to get contradictory responses from various places! I've seen accounts of people using the flash without problems, I've seen people worry about the supposed high trigger voltage (being new to flash photography in general, i have NO idea what that is), I've seen people comment on very different values of what's considered "safe" for the E-P1 to work..
I'm darn confused!

Anybody who's used it care to give some comments?

Thanks!
-Daphne

gareth · « **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2011, 08:48:43 PM »

I have performed some searches on trigger voltage on PEN when I contemplated to buy a 3rd party flash head for my E-P2. The followings are some thoughts I shared in a local HK forum about one year ago.

======

I am confident that E-P2 shoots well in low ambient light with suitable lens and IBS. No built-in flash is not a major issue, IMHO. No one wants a harsh straight frontal flash on the subject anyway. In order to make it even more versatile for different shooting situations, I finally bought a Metz unit compatible with M4/3.

The content is simple, just the flash and a user manual (strobe stand not included)

One bit of hard-to-find information is the hot shoe voltage. It'll be useful if 3rd party automatic / manual flash is used on the camera. I looked up quite a number of information in the internet before making the purchase decision but I simply could not find such information about Olympus' flash. (It's generally accepted for Canon's model that it's better to be below 6V). For this Metz M4/3 compatible unit, the hot shoe voltage is 4.64V

When it's mounted on E-P2, it's seemingly big at first glance. I can still handle it with ease without tipping the balance. Its weight without battery is 205gm (0.45 pound)

The first shot with the flash unit was pleasing to me.

TTL - 42mm shot - Bounced flash 60 degree with a simple white flat reflector (resized, no crop, straight JPEG out)

I mentioned the importance of knowing hot shoe voltage. When I tried to find a suitable flash, I came across a report in a local board. The user made use of a small manual flash on his E-P1. He spray-painted the black unit to a matching white with his white E-P1. I must confess that the look and size is perfect.
(If any vendor makes a TTL or automatic flash with this look and size compatible and safe for use in a M4/3, I WILL PAY

)

I bought one set because it's dirt cheap.

However, its hot shoe voltage is horrifying. Obviously I'll not use it.

=======

I have gone through the user manual of E-P2 but I could not find advice on safe trigger voltage.

In user manual of Olympus XZ-1, it mentions that a voltage up to 24V is safe to the camera. XZ-1 use the same hotshoe as PEN and recommended compatible flashes are also the same. I cannot be 100% sure that the safe voltage is also 24V but you can take it as a reference.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/files/oima_cckb/XZ-1_Instruction_Manual_EN.pdf (Page 80; or search voltages)

Cheers,

Gareth

daphnesayshi · « **Reply #2 on:** March 01, 2011, 04:22:36 AM »

Thanks for your reply

I think I saw your post about the holga flash on some forum I came across during my search..

Indeed I am horrified by the voltage reading from the holga flash.. to think for a shitty little piece of equipment I'm surprised it actually gave off readings at that range - but then again I have a feeling some bits of science is escaping me and I'm not grasping the relationship between voltage and flash strength or something like that.

There is actually a response on the olympus website's FAQ:

Quote

I have a third-party electronic flash. Can I use it on the E-P1?

Flash units that are not part of the Olympus E-System may pose problems if used on the E-P1.

Thyristor-type flash units can be used with the E-P1’s Manual shooting mode as long as the sync voltage does not exceed 6.5 VDC. Third-party TTL flash units will not have TTL capability but possibly may be used with Manual exposure control. Olympus can only guarantee the operation of Olympus flash units.

It does however, sound suspiciously like a plug for the Olympus flashes, specifically
* FL-14
* FL-20
* FL-36
* FL-50
amongst others.

Which is why I've taken to seeking help in the forum, hoping to find someone who's used the T-20 and perhaps might be still using the T20 for some feedback on its compatibility with the E-P1..
anyone at all?

I'm not a regular flash user (hate the way it looks, and never really learned how to control it), but after one night out for drinks and a casual photo-op which ended up turning my friends into exasperated monsters (the AF sucks in low light, and manual focus on the LCD at night equally bad) I thought maybe I should just get a random flash for occasions such as these. The T20 was SUCH an impulse buy (I decided solely on how well I thought it would look on top of my EP1) and I;m really hoping I wont end up regretting it...

As a side note, I've been thinking of selling my E-P1 to fund an E-P2. Wise move, or just plain stupid?

adash · « **Reply #3 on:** March 01, 2011, 04:46:17 AM »

The metz by Gareth is a fully compatible TTL flash, somewhere between FL-20 and FL-36 in features, but much cheaper. I have it too, and I can only recommend it. Just make sure you buy the Panasonic/Olympus dedicated version.

Quote

Indeed I am horrified by the voltage reading from the holga flash.. to think for a shitty little piece of equipment I'm surprised it actually gave off readings at that range - but then again I have a feeling some bits of science is escaping me and I'm not grasping the relationship between voltage and flash strength or something like that.

Xenon flashes always use high voltages inside. Even the built-in ones in compact cameras. It is the amount of charge that defines the output power, not the voltage. The Holga flash, being a cheap one made for use with mechanical film cameras, omits an SCR (one simple thyristor) which normally stands between the hot shoe contacts ant the high voltage trigger circuit.
I don't know how good the auto-exposure computer in T20 is, but it makes sense as it was an expensive flash and still sells relatively high in ebay. Exposure with such a flash will certainly be less predictable than TTL flash and you will be limited to A-mode (less likely) or M-mode (most of the time). A TTL flash on the other hand will allow you to use any mode.

mhobart · « **Reply #4 on:** June 16, 2011, 05:43:34 AM »

The Olympus OM SLR FAQ lists the trigger voltages for the T20 and T32 [disclaimer, I haven't measured these myself]

http://brashear.phys.appstate.edu/lhawkins/photo/olympus.faq.html#ques_F10

T-20: ~6 Volts
T-32: ~12 Volts

I have seen elsewhere that the Quick Auto 310, however, has a very high trigger voltage and should not be used with the digital cameras. There is a summary of the wide variety of answers that people are getting from Olympus in various countries in a DPReview thread

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1022&message=29167372&changemode=1

It looks like the pro 4/3 bodies (E-1, E-3) can handle higher voltages, while the consumer 4/3 bodies (E-300, E-330, E-500 in that particular answer) need the lower voltages (ca 24 v). Use at your own risk, of course :-)

mhobart · « **Reply #5 on:** June 16, 2011, 05:53:13 AM »

The following site has some measurements of flash trigger voltages

http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html

E-M5 Pete · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2011, 10:57:08 AM »

I have a T32, and I have a Safe-Sync for it (Hot-shoe TO Hot-shoe), but, I am more interested it on my Contax G1... But, it is too frontend bulky for me...

But, the 12v I believe is the high side for the T32
and the T20 shows a 7.4v on the high side....

IF, the Camera can take 12v, you are OK as it is, if not, a Hot-show to Hot-shoe Safe-Sync will be needed, and it will raise the flash about 1/2 inch.

E-p1 + t20 flash