Home > Consumer Reviews > Olympus FL-36R Electronic Flash for Olympus Digital SLR Cameras

I purchased the FL-36R to use with my E510. Olympus only makes two flashes worth considering for general use with their E(volt) line of DSLRs, the FL-36R and the FL-50R. The FL-50R is significantly more powerful than the FL-36R (guide number of 50 vs. 36), but it is also substantially bigger, heavier and twice the cost. For me, the FL-36R was the obvious choice. There are also non-Olympus flashes that are cheaper and claim to work in the TTL (though the lens) mode, but many reviews cast doubt on this claim.

There are a couple of reasons to buy an external flash as opposed to just using the built-in flash.
1. Focusing at low light levels is much improved because the red focusing light emitted by the external flash does a much better job than the white light given off by the built-in flash. Unlike the built-in flash which could take 4 or 5 flashes to focus, the FL-36R usually managed much more quickly.
2. The built-in flash has only about 1/3 the power of the FL-36R. Having said that, the built-in flash is certainly adequate for many situations. However, if you are constantly trying to fill a mid-sized room with light, either of the external flashes will be a big improvement.
3. The FL-36R has a flash head that can be swiveled and tilted. This allows the flash to be bounced off ceilings and walls, in many cases providing a softer and more pleasing light.
4. Because the FL-36R is raised over the lens, red-eye is not nearly as big a problem as with the built-in flash. Also, tilting the flash head just a little virtually does away with red-eye.
5. The external flash has the ability to synchronize with the camera at much high shutter speeds (Super FP mode) allowing fill light for action shots.
6. The external flash can be set off to the side and, in the manual mode, be triggered by the camera's built-in flash. Having multiple light sources can add interesting effects to pictures.
7. The flash gun seems to be sturdy, well built, and of reasonable quality.

There are a few minor negatives to this flash.
1. Using bounce flash sometimes resulted in underexposed photos even with the TTL mode and a white ceiling.
2. Although this is a small and compact flash, it is still a lot of extra weight to drag around.
3. The manual, although generally clear, is short on details and examples.
4. Initial start up time is slow, about 30 - 40 seconds even with freshly recharged batteries. I consider this to be minor. Some reviews complain about a slow recharge time or 5 or 6 seconds. For me this recharge time has been plenty fast.
5. Finally, two hundred dollars for a flash is a lot compared to the cost of the camera. I'd be tempted to really learn the built-in flash first before spending the money on an external flash.

This flash unit is very well built and practical. The head tilts 90° and swivels 180°, it is light, compact and very well built. You can get CV-R3 lithium ion batteries for it, which being a single unit is more practical than two AA batteries.

It does not charge as fast as bigger, meaner models such as the Metz Mecablitz 48 AF-1, and it lacks the 58 AF-1 secondary fill-in flash lamp. But because of its compactness it is a good fit for compact cameras without remote flash capability as the E-510; for the E-420, get the wireless version FL-36R.

Lacking the secondary lamp, it is a good fit for cameras that have a built-in flash at a offset from the hot shoe so as to be useful as a secondary fill-in flash lamp, such as the E-330, Panasonic L1 or Leica Digilux 3 -- but these cameras being bigger perhaps the Metz Mecablitz 58 AF-1 might be a nice fit too.

For the E-1, E-3 or Panasonic L10, get the Metz Mecablitz 58 AF-1, or the FL-50R if you can live without the secondary lamp or if you need the wireless capabilities now -- the Metz is awaiting a firmware option to interoperate wirelessly with the Four Thirds cameras.

I just purchased the Olympus E510 digital camera with this flash for my work - and I love it! Aside from the Olympus digital SLR camera being pretty amazing, the flash is outstanding. You can twist it a million different directions and give it different lighting situations. You'll want to read the manual to learn all about it. The best feature is the slave. So handy and it works like a dream. I couldn't ask for a better flash for any of my cameras. My only complaint is that the charge time is SLOW!!!! I'm looking for an AA battery alternative, but the only one I can find is $400! If you don't mind waiting for the charge, this flash is amazing.

I've been using this flash for over a year now with my E-510. It has been good, but I'm just not happy with the refresh rate on it. I just bought the FL-50R, and it is so much better. I know it's a lot more money, but when you miss an opportunity because you're waiting for the flash to charge can be really aggravating! Save your money and get the FL-50R. I'm passing this one down to the wife to use on her OLY 570-UZ (great camera).

I bought the Olympus FL-36R flash for my Olympus SP-570UZ.It was a little more than the FL-36 but it is worth the few dollars more. It takes 2 AA batteries which i like and is gives out a decent output. You can adjust the flash head to different angles for bounce light. It communicates with the camera and adjust the zoom flash head according to the zoom position that you use on the camera.It will do all sorts of TTL features that you need for a nice flash. Excellent quality and reliable performance.
RobertLZ on flickr