Flash Compatibility Lumix and Olympus Camera

I have a Vivitar DF383 flash thats dedicated to Olympus cameras, and I would like to know if this flash would work TTL on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7, as I have heard there is sometimes Flash compatibility between these two camera manfacturers.

It should work if the flash is directly connected to the camera via the hot-shoe or via an appropriate off camera cable.

I believe the flash is old enough that it was made for the Olympus DSLRs and not the micro 4/3rds cameras. The one incompatibility is those flashes had a red focus assist light that the cameras could control. The micro 4/3rds cameras do not use this light.

FWIW, the newest micro 4/3rds bodies and flashes now support a white focus assist light that can double as a video light, but this flash doesn't have it.

The flash supports being a flash slave. Depending on the Panasonic camera (I don't know the Panasonic line like I do the Olympus line), it may be useful if you are going to do manual flash shots. The problem is the older Panasonic bodies did not support a manual flash mode for the pop-up flash. The flashes that support being a slave typically needs the camera to have a manual flash, because the flash fires on the first pulse. If the camera does not have a manual flash mode, the camera will fire a test pulse to figure out how much lighting is needed, and the slave flash will trigger on that. Newer Panasonic bodies now support a manual flash mode (my G85 has it).

I believe the flash does not support the remote flash protocol that Olympus cameras use (and recent Panasonic cameras) that allows the camera to do TTL control of the flash remotely. This means you are limited to using the flash in manual flash setting.

Just a final note about Olympus flash compatibility. Olympus has gone through 4 major flash iterations. The original flashes were for the film cameras and are only useful on micro 4/3rds cameras as a strictly manual flash. Usually the flash name started with G-*. And really old film flashes can be camera killers, sending hundreds of volts through the hot-shoe.

The second generation was the early digital cameras (E-10, E-20, C-* cameras). This flash was the FL-40, and it is not compatible with the current cameras.

There was an intermediate flash (FL-20) that was paired with the SP-350. It wasn't compatible with the FL-40. Olympus cameras keep compatibility with the FL-20, but Panasonic cameras don't.

Then the modern generation (FL-36, FL-50). All Panasonic micro 4/3rds cameras should be able to use these flashes with the flash in the hot-shoe.

After a bit, Olympus introduced the R flashes (FL-36R, FL-50R, FL-300R, FL-600R, FL-900R) that can do off camera TTL, using the camera's built-in or clip-on flash to act as a flash master, sending out coded signals to control the flashes. Panasonic only started supporting the R flashes in the last few years.

I think the answer to your question depends on what you mean by "dedicated to Olympus cameras". If it is dedicated to m4/3's Olympus cameras, then there should be no compatibility problem. However, if it is dedicated to older Olympus 4/3's DSLR's then there might be a compatibility problem.

I know that is true of an older, third party flash I have that is Olympus 4/3's DSLR dedicated -- it works fine on my old E-300, but will not function in TTL on my E-M1.

--
God Bless,
Greg
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daddyo said:

I think the answer to your question depends on what you mean by "dedicated to Olympus cameras". If it is dedicated to m4/3's Olympus cameras, then there should be no compatibility problem. However, if it is dedicated to older Olympus 4/3's DSLR's then there might be a compatibility problem.

I know that is true of an older, third party flash I have that is Olympus 4/3's DSLR dedicated -- it works fine on my old E-300, but will not function in TTL on my E-M1.

Click to expand...

The flash is probably emulating the FL-40 flash (from the C-* and E-10/E-20 cameras). I thought the E-1 was the last camera to support the FL-40, but perhaps the E-300 was. I had a Promaster flash that you could keep the flash head, and change the adapter the flash head used for different bodies. The original Promaster Olympus adapter indeed only supported the FL-40, but there was a later adapter that supported the DSLRs and micro 4/3r.ds

The Camera I originally purchased the VIVITAR DF383 for, was a C8080WZ Olympus. So I guess from whats been said here, it will probably not work TTL on the Lumix or on the newer OMD Olympus cameras either.

OnTheCoast said:

The Camera I originally purchased the VIVITAR DF383 for, was a C8080WZ Olympus. So I guess from whats been said here, it will probably not work TTL on the Lumix or on the newer OMD Olympus cameras either.

Click to expand...

The C-8080WZ was one of the last C-* cameras, and it was introduced around the time the E-1 and the new FL-36/50 flashes were introduced. I had the C-8080WZ briefly, and with the 78 firmware installed, my FL-50 flash worked on it. I never had a FL-40, but I can imagine that like the E-1, it may have had support for both flash lines. I was thinking of the older C-* cameras (starting with the C-2500L that I think the FL-40 was originally designed for).

• https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/35926631

I also read some reviews of the flash at B&H, and they talked about it working on the E-5xx cameras. I suspect the flash is compatible with the current generation of flashes when using a hotshoe. Assuming you have the flash, it won't hurt to try, given it was made for digital cameras, and presumably has a safe voltage. I don't recommend putting a random film flash on your camera without measuring the voltage of the flash.

In terms of third party flashes, there were a few third party flashes that only supported the camera TTL mode, and did not provide an auto or manual mode. If that is the case, and the flash is FL-40 compatible instead of FL-36/50, then the flash won't work at all.

Thanks Just this minute while going through some old Emails, I found a reply from Vivitar support thats says, "We would like to inform you that the DF 383 flash will work TTL on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera" and That is a newer four thirds camera, so I am thinking it might also work TTL on the LUMIX DMC-G7 model as well!

It’s my understanding that the flash and the camera must be compatable in the trigger voltage or you will fry the flash portion of your new camera. What this means is this: you need to find out the maximum trigger voltage allowed by your new camera. And the trigger voltage of the old flash. If the trigger voltage of the old flash exceeds your new cameras limit don’t even attach it to your camera. I have an Olympus T-68 flash used on my old om2n. But I can’t find out it’s trigger voltage and the trigger voltage of my new em1 mk2 Is not published.

Even if the trigger voltages do match it dos not mean your flash will work in TTL mode. But you won’t fry your camera when you try it out.

Virtually every flash made for modern digital cameras has a low enough trigger voltage that it should be fine.

yea, but my bank account doesn’t show it...lol. You might be right about digital flashes, however I though I was responding to someone like me who wanted to use a Flash made for the old SLR market. Therefor you do need to check the trigger voltage...the problem is finding this spec...I’ve looked every where for my Olympus T-32 (pre digital days) spec. I’m afraid to try it out I don’t want to fry my flash side of the camera.

jamesB007 said:

yea, but my bank account doesn’t show it...lol. You might be right about digital flashes, however I though I was responding to someone like me who wanted to use a Flash made for the old SLR market. Therefor you do need to check the trigger voltage...the problem is finding this spec...I’ve looked every where for my Olympus T-32 (pre digital days) spec. I’m afraid to try it out I don’t want to fry my flash side of the camera.

Click to expand...

According to the botzilla page, the T-32 has voltages up to 11.3 volts.

• Botzilla site on old flash voltages

A lot of Olympus cameras don't say what their safe voltage is, and you probably should assume 6 volts is the maximum they can take.

You can get a Neewer NW320 TTL flash from ebay for about $60, and it will have roughly the same power as the T-32:

• https://www.ebay.com/itm/Neewer-NW3...780306?hash=item489e145e52:g:PLIAAOSwxg5XziiH

With the cost of a Wein Safe Sync just under $50, you're probably better off funneling that money in to a newer flash, either a Godox, Nissin et. al.

jamesB007 said:

...the problem is finding this spec...I’ve looked every where for my Olympus T-32 (pre digital days) spec. I’m afraid to try it out I don’t want to fry my flash side of the camera.

Click to expand...

Then, look no further than here ;-)

There are two variants of the T-32; one at 11V and the other at 5V. Thus, both are safe, as are all other Olympus T-series flashes. The Olympus F280 is safe too. The older Quick Auto 300 and 310 are not safe, they go over 300V.


Olympus T-32 with 11.15 Volts on the trigger pin.


The lower voltage variant of the Olympus T-32. Slightly below 5V.

I have six T-32s, two of them are the lower voltage variant.

I would hazard to guess that any camera manufactured in the last decade conforms to ISO 10330 , which stipulates that it must tolerate at least 24V.

--
Ragnar

Michael Meissner said:

A lot of Olympus cameras don't say what their safe voltage is, and you probably should assume 6 volts is the maximum they can take.

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Over the years I seem to remember that the Oly and others in 4/3 and M4/3 world specify 24V as the safe maximum voltage at the camera flash trigger point. It would be a bit nuts to make a camera that does not have some sort of electronic bit that safely limits the voltage to ward off random electrostatic discharges. So voltage spikes may be handled but a constant applied voltage needs to have a limit, hence the 24V as the safe limit that I've seen.

Aha! Found the reference that I remembered, page 110 of the E-PL5 manual....



Some earlier and some later body manuals do not mention the safe voltage limit but I would assume there would be common circuitry there.

The voltage measurements will vary depending on what kind of meter is used to measure that voltage on the flash trigger pin, only trust readings made with a modern digital volt meter that has a high input impedance. The old needle based multimeter found in the back corner of the workshop is most times a low input impedance device and loads down the signal to give an incorrect reading.

It has been many years since flashes were made with unsafe trigger voltages, but you never know with unknown cheapie Chinese brands popping up.

Basically Olympus, Panasonic and Leica all use the same flash TTL logic and have pins in the right places for that so if anything was labelled as compatible with those brands or "Four Thirds" or "Micro Four Thirds" then the TTL operation will work fine, just some other features like that focus assist light on older flashes may not work.

Regards.... Guy

OnTheCoast said:

I have a Vivitar DF383 flash thats dedicated to Olympus cameras, and I would like to know if this flash would work TTL on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7, as I have heard there is sometimes Flash compatibility between these two camera manfacturers.

Click to expand...

I had the Bower versions of this flash...same flash. Worked fine on my m4/3 bodies (G5, E-M5), although I haven't had it for years. So it should work on your G7. Try it.

I got rid of the flash because I do a lot of off-camera multiple flash setups. The DF383 would go to sleep when in slave mode; no way to turn sleep mode off. No problem when mounted on a camera.

Dear All,

I am new to this site, I would like to find out if I can use an old Olympus F-280 on an OMD EM5 model safely and if I can set up for remote flash trigger?

I have two of these old type F-280 flush units and I am hoping to used with the DSLR.

Thanks in Advance,

Joseph

OM4 said:

Dear All,

I am new to this site, I would like to find out if I can use an old Olympus F-280 on an OMD EM5 model safely and if I can set up for remote flash trigger?

I have two of these old type F-280 flush units and I am hoping to used with the DSLR.

Thanks in Advance,

Joseph

Click to expand...

The page that listed the voltage of various film flashes (http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html) does not list the F-280. And the E-m5 mark I documentation does not list what voltage is safe for the camera. Note, that old flashes used to send hundreds of volts through the hot-shoe, because the old cameras had no electronics to damage.

So, the question is, do you feel lucky?

Now if you were setting it up to be used as slave flashes and using the FL-LM2 to fire on the camera, then it would work if your flash is safe for the slave flash sensor. I've seen some that specifically had warnings about high voltage flashes.

Using the FL-LM2, you would put the camera into either manual or aperture priority mode with fixed ISO, and set the flash mode to manual (page 65). For slave flashes, you would typically set the power level of the clip-on flash to be low.

The Olympus F280's trigger voltage is a safe 3 Volts, but despite that it would not be my first choice for use with a modern digital camera.

It is designed to be fully controlled by an OM film camera. It has no provisions for manually controlling the power. If it is triggered by anything other than a classic OM camera, it can only do full power. It doesn't have the old-style thyristor auto mode.