| Author | Thread |
|
|
06/19/2008 10:03:49 PM · #1 |
So, I'm thinking of investing in an external flash unit (finally), but I intend soonish to switch from Olympus to a Nikon body. If I buy an Olympus-branded flash unit, will it work with the new Nikon body (probably D80)? Or if I get a Nikon flash, will it work with my E-300?
-Zack |
|
|
|
06/19/2008 10:36:30 PM · #2 |
|
|
|
06/19/2008 11:09:21 PM · #3 |
The practical answer is, "no, not really." It may be possible to get one brand of camera to fire the other brand of flash, but certainly not in anything but a completely manual mode. You'd be far better off selling the Oly flash and re-buying a Nikon flash.
Another alternative might be to buy a third-party flash that is advertised to work with both systems... I'm not sure if that's even possible, or if it is, how well it would work. Again, a higher-risk path than sticking with the camera manufacturer's flash. |
|
|
|
06/19/2008 11:10:17 PM · #4 |
|
|
|
06/19/2008 11:10:48 PM · #5 |
I shoot Canon, so I don't really know about other brands for sure. But since they are all similar, I would suspect no, and Oly flash will not work on a Nikon camera.
You may be able to trigger Brand A flash on a brand B body in manual mode, but any E-TTL (automatic flash metering) will be disabled. (I know I can put my Nikon flash on my Canon camera, but only in manual mode.)
If, on the other hand, you use the flash off-camera in manual mode with some kind of optical/radio trigger, then you can mix and match brands.
|
|
|
|
06/19/2008 11:38:42 PM · #6 |
Save the cash for the new body and your half way there...or look into a basic but good expandable studio light you will be able to use with any setup.
$150 - $300 can get you a good starter studio light
$200 nikon sb200
$280 nikon sb600
$400 nikon sb800
what do you need the light for?
|
|
|
|
06/19/2008 11:41:40 PM · #7 |
| Small correction SB-800 is $315. |
|
|
|
06/19/2008 11:45:23 PM · #8 |
Where? Who? I just looked that up!
|
|
|
|
06/20/2008 12:17:54 AM · #9 |
|
|
|
06/20/2008 12:22:52 AM · #10 |
| It's kinda a general-purpose thing. I know my work wants me to take pics of people at a gathering, so nothing major (in fact highly un-major) but I worry the on-board flash will give me bad results--I'd prefer something with a diffuser at least. And I also just think I need to start learning how to use a flash. |
|
|
|
06/20/2008 09:49:39 AM · #11 |
One option is a Metz (or similar) 3rd party flash that uses a modular system. In these types of units, the basic flash part is the same for all brands and the consumer simply needs to buy the appropriate module to interface with the camera's TTL system.
I'm not sure that Metz supports Olympus however.
My dad has an Oly 8080 and he uses a Powermaster brand flash that is modular and does support Oly. I think he paid about $180 for the whole thing and, while it does feel kinda cheap, it works well.
Something to think about. |
|
|
|
06/20/2008 02:07:47 PM · #12 |
|
|
|
06/20/2008 02:36:29 PM · #13 |
| So this flash unit, depending on the firmware you install, will work with any system? |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 08/24/2025 06:10:17 PM EDT.
