Why, oh why, isn't there a good matching flash for LX3?

[fta]

 

[efreire]

It's easier than you think.

If your flash has an AUTO mode, flash take control of exposure using own sensors. You do not need to adjust ANYTHING in your camera. You can shot in iA, Scene Modes, P, A, S, M or whatever you like. The flash could supply the extra light you need for that shot. But if you want to be creative, put your camera in "M" mode and try to balance natural light with flash light.

Again ... flashes with AUTO mode supply extra light needed AUTOMATICALLY. They have their own sensors to make your scene well exposed, and with most of them you can adjust + - exposure as you want. You do not need to make any adjust in your camera (could use AUTO mode), but if want to be creative you get lots of possibilities.

Best regards,

Enrique

Hiya all

efraire, as far as I am concerned, you just don’t get it. Going back to manual or adding more gear is not worth discussing.

--
Enrique Freire
***********

'It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye'

 

[LarryPhoto]

Does anyone make a flash like one of these two for the LX3/LX5, I have the LX5 on order and would love to get a small flash like my 270 for this camera.

 

[Hen3ry]

Those are exactly the kind of flashes I was looking for, Larry. Seems there is no Panasonic dedicated or other Four Thirds flash in that small, pocketable size that has a tilt head. Damn!!!

The Olympus FL36, Panasonic FL360 or Metz 45 seem to be the smallest, and they are around twice the weight of the two you mention plus being bigger in size.

Very frustrating.

 

[ipribadi]

I second that.

I have my LX5 in transit and I'm looking for an external flash which can tilt and is still a decent size & weight compared to the LX5.

How depressing ... I have found none so far with this combo.

I would even settle for something with a GN25 though bounce starts to become ineffective.

What ever happened to Panny's DMW-FL28 ?

 

[snap]

Hi

I've been using an old Sunpak 144 with LX-3. I checked the volt trigger with multimeter and its quite safe at only 1.8 volts. It's got thyristor circuitry so the cycling time is very quick and has two auto positions. It takes 4 AA batteries so quite robust but compact. Its got guide number of 66 in feet at ISO 100. Has a tilt so could bouce off ceiting but not swivel sideways. I just use it in manual - set shutter to 160 and adjust aperture for distance. I hardly use the Olympus FL20 - nice and tiny but can't bounce.









These were taken using the Sunpak with E-P1 not LX-3 but works the same way.









Rick

 

[Hen3ry]

I reckon the Kodak P20 beats the Nikon, it has a GUN of 40 in metres, and it is slim build, not chunky, so you can pocket it when you take it off. But like the Nikon, it is totally dedicated to one camera.

But actually, when considering power, we shouldn't forget that using the LX3/5, we don't need as much power as some other folks do. We have that f2 lens ...

 

[Greg Gebhardt]

The SB400 has over twice the power of the Kodak. Power is required for bounce.
--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida

 

[ulfsch]

You can use the internal flash to trigger an external flash. A lot of flashes can be trigger by light rather than radio. I'm using Nissin Di866 as an external bouncing flash. The internal flash works both as a trigger and as a fill-in flash.

 

[graybalanced]

All the external flashes for this camera & others are too large.

I'd like to get a low-profile wireless (RF) radio commander that will attach to the LX3 hotshoe & trigger one of my Nikon Speedlights (SB800 and SB900). That would be ideal.

I'm very happy doing exactly that triggering my existing Canon Speedlites that I have for my SLR bodies from my LX3 using a $17 (free shipping) trigger. I got mine here:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13089
I guess you'll have to look around a little for the Nikon compatible version.

They're so incredibly cheap I bought 3 sets to drive multiple flashes, and for backup in case something breaks. Nothing's broken so far...but you'll probably want to reinforce some of the attachments because they're kinda flimsy.

The transmitter is extremely light, they have great range, and being radio, they do not need line of sight. I heard about them from David Ziser's blog.

 

[Hen3ry]

Hiya GG

Actually, I think they're about the same now I look at it more closely. The Kodak GN is quoted for ISO 100; Nikon quotes GN for ISO 200. But I was in error in quoting the telephoto GN vs the w/a GN for the Nikon.

Is it powerful enough to bounce? Yes it is in a wide range of situations. I do it all the time with the f2.8 lens on the Kodak P880.

Would I get more reach with a flash of the same power on the LX3/5? Yes I would if I used f2 which has twice the light transmission capability of an f2.8 lens.

 

[bg2b]

I've had a Targus DL-20 (Olympus/Panasonic version) for about 1.5 years now. Despite the build quality not being very inspiring, it's held up fine. TTL works fine on my LX-3 (and there are no manual controls on the flash itself). It bounces, but there's no swivel. It's very similar in spirit and power to the Nikon SB400 which I used to have, though the Nikon would recycle a bit faster. But both work(ed) fine bouncing off a standard-height white ceiling around ISO 400 and f/5.6. The Targus is more upright while the Nikon sticks forward, but the overall sizes and weights are similar. (By comparison, the Targus is half the weight of the Olympus FL-36.) I think the Targus was also marketed under some other brand names.

 

[Cyril Catt]

From memory (my P20 and P880 are now with a grandson) the Kodak P20 has a zoom function, so it can confine its light output to a narrower angle for more distant subjects, or spread it out to match the P880's 24 mm wide angle. That means its GN varies lens angle.
--
Cyril

 

[Cyril Catt]

Whoops! Should have typed "That means its GN varies WITH lens angle."
--
Cyril

 

[Hen3ry]

I'd just about settle for that. The killer, of course, is that in addition to bounce, we want direct flash coverage of the 24mm w/a field of view. Does the Targus provide that? The Yinyan CY20 (with a GN of 20 in metres) currently offered by HongKong traders on eBay in Australia for around AU$35, covers only 60 degrees horizontally, while the FL36 covers 78 degrees -- the coverage of the 24mm (equiv.) of the LX3/5's lens at full wide angle.

Still and all, I would prefer something just a bit more powerful. For a Panasonic, one of the world's premier electronics firms, not to offer a small, bounce-capable flash to go with its line of small, prosumer and professional cameras is really weird.

 

[BigBarney]

where can we find more information on these wireless triggers?

Here is a website with more information:

http://photonotes.org/reviews/radio-flash-trigger/

 

[BigBarney]

Following advice on this forum, I've just bought (on eBay) an Olympus FL36 flash to work with my LX3 which is a fairly new acquisition.

The FL36 works fine, but the silly thing is that it is so big!

Speaking as a big person, let me say that not all big things are silly!

If you want the power output from a flash it has to have a certain size to accommodate its batteries and electronics.

I use an Olympus FL36-R on the hotshoes of both my LX3 and G1. Yes the flash is better balanced on the G1, but it is by no means impossible to hold and use effectively on the LX3.

The only criticism I can make of the LX3's internal flash design is that when almost any external flash is mounted on the hot shoe, the external flash blocks the pop-up action of the internal flash.

Or at least it does if you attach the external flash first. If you pop up the internal flash then it is possible to fit the FL36-R, but only if you force the internal flash slightly sideways. I don't like forcing things in ways they were not designed to go... :-(

Maybe it is just because I have big hands so can hold the combination easily, but I find the combination of the LX3, FL36-R and a Stofen Omnibounce diffuser is ideal for a lot of flash photography.

 

[ipribadi]

The Targus DL-20 seems to be the nearest contender here!
Being less than $40 sounds pretty good too!

I think I'll go with this until a better flash (with zoom capability, red eye reduction) shows up.

Any known diffuser / bounce cards that will work with the Targus DL-20 ?

 

[bg2b]

I don't think the Yinyan is the same thing. It looks somewhat similar to the Targus, though not identical (it has a sync jack for instance, and the shoe locking mechanism is different). In any case, the eBay ads I looked at for the Yinyan didn't say anything about TTL. The Targus had different versions for TTL with Olympus/Panasonic, Nikon, Canon, etc.

I never tried the Targus as a direct flash, so I don't know if it fully covers the 24mm frame.

 

[ipribadi]

Bummer .. can't find the Targus DL-20P anywhere in stock.