Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

I need a flash to take photos during my two grandsons' indoor crowded social events: birthdays, holydays,etc. Tons of guests, kids and their parents. Usually I take up to 200 shots in a row. The other day FL-300R arrived from B&H Photo. On page 17 of the manual I found the following warning: "The flash may become hot when fired many times in succession, resulting in damage or malfunction. The flash should be fired no more than 10 times in succession at intervals of 6 seconds, after which should be left unused for at least 10 minutes." Neither the product descriptions nor specs or customers' reviews I found online
NEVER mentioned the feature which came to me
as an unpleasant surprise. In all other respects it is an excellent product.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

This is a surprisingly effective small flash. My first uses of it have been during a trip in Spain and I have found it very useful as a supplement to the basic high ISO capabilities of my new Olympus E-M5 camera. Its small size and slave off-camera features are quite useful and it recycles much quicker than I expected--when shooting a flamenco performance tonight in Seville.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

I got this because it was free with rebate with the purchase of my EM-5. The flash unit that was included does not tilt and I wanted something a little more versatile without adding significant bulk. You can tilt it face down while on the camera body which helps. I did a quick comparison and this flash does provide a more evenly diffused light, slightly, but it's biggest benefit is being able to bounce it off the ceiling and the wireless functionality. I don't know if it's worth [$] but I'm coming from a P&S so keep that in mind.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

As it was free via rebate with the purchase of an OM-D E-M5, the decision to buy this was a no-brainer. I purchased it for a basic lighweight carry-around flash when needed. The fact it is wireless capable is a big plus to interface with the included E-M5 FL-LM2 flash and my FL-36R. One group and 2 channels is not exactly overwhelming, but sufficient.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

It is so compact, great for traveling with my kit which includes the Pen E-PM-1. Use primarily as a remote but it is compact enough that it fits well on the little Pen. Nice that it has diffuser built in.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

I bought this flash for my E-PL3. It offers a much better guide number (than the built-in or supplied flash) while keeping a reasonably small size. The combo of a m4/3 body with a flash like FL-36R would look somewhat hilarious, but with this FL-300R it looks well suited.
With its GN and the ability to tilt head, one can use bounce flash and will no longer be hesitant to use flash. I'm very happy with the results from indoor bounce flash.
It can also serve as a wireless slave unit if you are using an Olympus camera body. With this ability, you can do even more creative shooting. It's also useful when you need to bounce to a wall or are shooting in portrait, as it cannot turn its head to left or right.
A minor downside is that this flash does not support high-speed sync, which one could occasionally need when shooting outdoors.
The biggest issue for me using flash is, its transformer produces an audible high-pitch sound when charging. It makes my ears uncomfortable and is the reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5. The sound is not loud though, so you may not notice it at outdoors or when people are around and talking. Also, not all people are sensitive to high-pitch sound. Some people may not even hear it.
Although I'm not very happy with the sound it produces, given its size, GN, and tilting/wireless ability, its still the first choice if you have a m4/3 and are looking for better lighting. I highly recommend it.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

I shoot an EP-2 so the RC feature doesn't work on my camera, but I have used it on and EPL-1 and it's very handy to have a light source that you can place anywhere you like. it tilts back so you can do a bit of a bounce if you like - and folds foreward for compact storage. Simple - and that's a good thing. I find it more versatile than the FL-14.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

The FL-300R is an extremely compact unit with surprising power for such a small flash. I have been using the it for a few days with an e-P1, mostly indoors at night. It performs well in standard home environments, including bouncing the flash from the ceiling. I have also tried it tipped forward for close up shooting outdoors and off camera with a E-620. It has worked very well in all cases.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

This a great little flash gun for micro 4/3rd cameras. It does not look too big on an Olympus Pen camera and provides significantly more power than any built-in flash. The finish is just okay and comes in a dull silver/gray (at least at the time of this review) which does not really match the Pen series. Fortunately, Olympus focused on function rather than form, unlike the poorly designed, under-performing, and over-priced Olympus FL-14. The FL-300R is a flash that you can slip into any pocket and thanks to a clever design you can even leave it on the camera (see below).
Power comes from two AAA batteries, I use the highest capacity NiMH batteries, which is in keeping with its compact size but does not make the charging time too long (about 4 seconds). Flash exposure, at least in aperture priority & manual modes was good but not as consistent as the built-in but weaker flash of my E-PL1. Extreme close-ups required use of the wide-angle setting, a simple sliding switch on the flash head. After each exposure you get a flashing light on the back confirming correct exposure but surely irrelevant as you are going to check exposure by looking at the results on the camera's LCD screen. Light fall off was disappointing as I needed to use the wide-angle setting for even illumination with the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens. I did not see any additional delay between pushing shutter button and the actual exposure when using the flash. The red-eye feature seems to impart a very long delay between the initial flash and the final exposure but is something I rarely use.
Interestingly if you switch the camera off with the flash attached it also switches off the flash. That is a nice touch except it does not work the other way, switching on the camera does not activate the flash. Another clever and possibly unique feature is you can tilt the flash so far forward so it almost lies on top of the lens. There is a small rubber ridge on the front of the flash which may be there to stop it touching the lens. This makes the whole assembly more compact and easier to slide into a camera bag.
If you want to use bounce flash, pretty much the whole flash, rather than just the head, tilts backwards. The setting works nicely as long as you remember this is not a very powerful flash. Tilting the flash the other way for close-up photography is too extreme for my taste. Instead of rotating forwards by a few degrees, the flash tilts too much causing the flash to illuminate an area that is closer than you can focus with either the original 14-42mm or 40-150mm Olympus lenses. Maybe this is designed to work with the Olympus Macro adapter? However I found that you really don't need this setting to provide even illumination for close-up work. For example, I use the Canon 250D close-up lens on the 40-150mm and get great results using the flash in the normal position.
The FL-300R is supplied with a huge stand and largish bag which look they were taken from the Olympus spare parts bin rather than custom designed for this flash gun. I have not used tried the wireless functions.
Overall this is an excellent flash when traveling light, it extolls the m4/3 virtue of compactness without sacrificing function. Certainly on the expensive side but there are no real alternatives.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

I am using this flash with my Olympus XZ-1 which is my travel camera. It works fairly well, but I am disappointed that it does not have a full 90º of travel like the Quantaray bounce flash I use with my D90. I still get shadows and reflections with this unit, and I have yet to be able to remotely trigger it. That said, it is better than the built-in, and I love its size, but I don't think it's worth the price.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

I use this with a Lumix LX3. Excellent choice for a small/easy to tote but powerful flash that blows away the performance of the built-in flash, yet is smallish and unobtrusive like the camera itself. Tilt feature for bounce effect is the main draw, price the only drawback.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

small carry when extra flash power is needed. wireless feature nice bonus

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

I am using this flash on a Panasonic G3. It is in fact compatible as far as the TTL functionality of it. It obviously does NOT do the remote flash functions which Olympus DOES perform. What it brings to the table is a extremely lightweight and versatile design allowing it to tilt back on a good angle for bounce, or forward for macro use. It weighs next to nothing so does NOT add any bulk to the camera shooting experience. It is plenty powerful enough for a large room use and uses only the 2 AAA batteries. The time between shots is about 4 seconds by my account. Having the built in screen for close up work with diffusion is a real plus also. There are cheaper flashes out there but also large and heavier and less flexible. This flash is ideal for the format cameras sizes.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

As my E-P2 doesn't have a pop-up flash I need to keep one in my bag for flash fill-in situations. This is not much bigger than the FL-14 so handy to carry,and has half again the power output, plus bonus that it can be used to bounce the light beam.
Downside is that it can't trigger other Olympus wireless flashes but can only act as a slave.

Comments about Olympus FL-300R Wireless Flash for PEN Cameras:

Works great for me with my E-PL2 as well as a Panasonic LX3. If there was an option for Black I would have ordered that, but the Silver turned out to be an appealing contrast to my black cameras.

Pros:
- Compact size, 2xAAA NiMH; very convenient!
- Decent power for it's size & quick recycling (I've been using for mild Fill, and the Charge light seems always instantly ready after firing)
- Can fold completely over, easing storage in its included pouch while it's mounted to the included RC stand, or while keeping it on camera
- Works perfectly with my E-PL2 in TTL on either the shoe or in RC mode
- Works perfectly with my *Panasonic* LX3 on the shoe, in TTL (as confirmed by icon), respecting all the camera's exposure controls/compensation. Really ideal! (Although the shoe fit is a bit tight!?)

Cons:
- There's no swivel-head, something to keep in mind in RC mode as there's little flexibility to keep the (in front) sensor independently pointed at the master signal. The sensor may also be less directly aligned since the entire unit bends back for bounce angles. However, at close enough distances or when pointing toward a reflective surface, it seems to work fine. I had no trouble in RC even when tilting it backward pointing toward a wall away from camera.
- Possibly the silver finish may show wear a bit more readily than black, it *looks* like it can be easily scratched.

- RC restrictions:
- Group A or B only
- Channel 1 only
- Not "Super FP" capable

- E-PL2 restrictions:
- Can't specify Manual flash settings when it's mounted to the shoe, although the RC Manual settings, if chosen, seem to work properly
- The E-PL2 built-in flash can't be used as a separate light source in RC mode (nor w/any other RC flash)
- For a Pen system feature-compatibility chart with this flash, see Olympus online support