Olympus FL-36 Electronic Flash for SP series, C7070, E1, E300 & E500 Cameras

by Olympus

Product Details

Product Manual [1.76mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 3.9 x 2.9 inches ; 9.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006O4VNC
• Item model number: 260113
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 3, 2006

Product Description

Olympus E-1 Digital SLR System This is the world s first 100% interchangeable lens SLR System designed from day one exclusively for digital photography. The new 4/3 type image sensor is designed to achieve the optimal balance between image quality, camera size and system expandability. This state-of-the-art 5.08 megapixel CCD delivers groundbreaking edge-to-ege sharpness. The E-1 is an uncompromising realization of the full benefits of pure digital technology with body and lenses designed to perfectly match the image sensor. Its Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses deliver higher resolutions, faster aperture speeds and focusing and more compact sizes than equivalent 35mm lenses built for digital. The FL-36 Electronic Flash offers the robust and full-featured functionality of the larger FL-50 combined with cost effectiveness. As a result of its completely digital framework, the FL-36 achieves a higher level of exposure accuracy than flash units designed for film based cameras. The FL-36 Electronic Flash is specifically designed for digital with an accurate 1/8 step illumination control to provide the precision required by digital cameras, while minimizing illumination reduction. The built-in wide-angle diffuser panel allows the flash to provide even illumination with wide angle lenses like the Zuiko Digital 14mm-45mm zoom. The inclusion of a lockable bounce and swivel mechanism offers a variety of bounce photography options including left-right, as well as top-bottom in addition to a compact zoom head to accommodate lenses from wide angle to telephoto. The FL-36 also features a newly designed energy circuit that improves recharge rates and enables the flash to operate on just two AA batteries or one CR-3 Volt lithium. In addition, the FL-36 incorporates an ultra-precision mounting technology communicating with the E-1 and new EVOLT E-300 for control.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flash adds creative options, October 7, 2005

By 

J. Mohler "Transit Rider" (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus FL-36 Electronic Flash for SP series, C7070, E1, E300 & E500 Cameras (Electronics)

People who use Pns cameras don't know what they are missing with a flash like this. Bouncing light off of walls and ceilings allows for great flexiblity. I once spent a whole evening pointing this flash in different directions and admiring the the sometimes profound differences it made.

The E-300 Camera already has a popup flash which is good for pointing directly at people. But the thing is, that is all it can do. The FL-36 can light up whole rooms.

The flash has a bunch of modes. The two that I find the most useful are Auto TLL. This is basically fully automatic and as foolproof as you can get. Note: the wheel does not function by default in Auto TTL

Since I like trying different stuff, I find the so-called manual to be the most useful. When you use manual, the flash display indicates the power of the flash (guide number) and the expected useful distance. The wheel on the flash allows you to dial in the amount that you need. Take a picture, see how it comes out, adjust accordingly.

Pros:
* Brings numerous creative options
* Lights up stuff that the built in popup can't

Cons:
* Buttons can be hard to press. Wheel is a bit too stiff
* The manual covers all the modes of all sorts of different cameras. It is easy to get information overload from it.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Flash, November 6, 2006

By 

J. Thorne (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Olympus FL-36 Electronic Flash for SP series, C7070, E1, E300 & E500 Cameras (Electronics)

This is the mid level flash for Olympus SLR's. It does everything you need for a digital flash and more. It can be used with the onboard flash as well. It takes some time getting used to all of the functions so I recommend taking a couple days practicing using it in different levels of light. With any digital product read the manual closely. This baby can do more than you think. Have fun.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but slow, November 26, 2007

By 

Diego Lopez (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus FL-36 Electronic Flash for SP series, C7070, E1, E300 & E500 Cameras (Electronics)

I agree with a lot of people about the "light quality" of this flash. It has a good light range (not long, but it is what I expected from this price). But I must warn you: it is EXTREMELLY SLOW recharging. I really did not know that the flash worked on only 2 AA batteries (this would have been a good hint about the recharging speed); and there was no information about the recharging time nor in Amazon nor in the Olympus site. A fully discharged flash (because of a full flash shoot) charges in about 7 to 10 seconds using 2700 mAh, brand new and fully charged NiMH batteries. It is too slow to get the action from those concerts that my kids use to offer with their school classes.

Since I live in Argentina, it is very difficult for me to return it, so I will live with my mistake. I just want to warn the people looking for advice: if you pretend a "shot-after-shot-after-shot" performance, look for other flash. If you only want the AutoTTL (very nice for my Olympus C-730UZ), fully adjustable flash head (useful in "portrait" photos) and the Olympus Brand, then go for it.