If you use a digital SLR, then it may be time to try getting an off-camera Olympus Flash.
I know I’ve been in many situations where the on-camera flash was not enough. When I first started photography, using the on-camera flash would sometimes ruin the pictures, for various reasons. For example, if I was photographing a friend, I’d suffer a flash blowout. Because of that, I decided to invest in my equipment, and I bought an off-camera flash.
I never looked back. After several years of using my Olympus E-510 (a newer version is available here), I’ve finally been able to appreciate how an off-camera flash is simply SUPERIOR to my on-camera flash.
For one, if you even need to focus in a low-light environment, the off-camera flash, such as the Olympus FL-50, comes with infrared, which allows your camera to auto-focus with great accuracy. This is extremely difficult with your on-camera flash, especially if you are in low-light conditions.
Secondly, you have zero control with the position of your on-camera flash, which results in a lack of creative control! Every single time the flash goes off, the light hits your subject directly in the face. With an off-camera flash, you can turn your flash around and position it in many different ways. You can bend the head up so that the light reflects off the ceiling. You can swivel it around so that it doesn’t strike your subject straight in the face, which causes a washed out look.
Furthermore, if you own a flash cord, you can move your Olympus flash (such as the FL-50) off-camera, thus giving you so much control over how the light hits your subject and how it lights up the room. It becomes a pleasure using the camera and flash combination. Being able to move the flash all over the place and point it in as many directions as you want, you create the flexibility in using the flash in all scenarios, such as creating fill light or in creating realistic shadows while still illuminating your subject.
There are other benefits to having an off-camera flash. In addition to mobility and auto-focus accuracy, the strength of your on-camera flash is nothing compared to that of your off-camera flash. Using your FL-50 allows you to light up the entire room, without sacrificing shutter speed (and thus obtaining blurry pictures). Image a whole world opening where you can freeze the image you want and still be able to light up the entire background!
Bluntly stated, if you are looking to improve your photography, and are someone who has an Olympus digital SLR, then you will need to give the Olympus FL-50 a try. And, if you want to experiment with a cheaper flash first, you can always test the Olympus FL-36R. The limitations with this flash are that the light is not as strong as the Olympus FL-50, and that the flash recycle time is much slower.
Good luck and, most importantly, have fun!
