I would encourage you to reproduce your old setup (or something close to
it) with OM flash gear but forget the automation. It's not necessary.
I would also encourage you to fix your tripod or buy another. It
doesn't need to be expensive or heavy duty to support an E-500. It
could be as simple and inexpensive as this. Note that the things I'm
about to show you on ebay are not my recommendations for sellers but
just to illustrate what's available. Here's a tripod.
<http://cgi.ebay.com/New-50-Inch-Professional-Tripod-Camera-Camcorder-/170544429024?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b53d77e0>
Whatever setup you had to trigger the T20 and two T32s should be
perfectly usable on the E-500. I assume you must also have a T20
auto-connector to mount the T20 on a tripod or light stand. I suggest
leaving the FL-50R out of the mix as unnecessary and incompatible with
OM TTL sync cables.
With 3 flashes firing I expect the TTL auto exposure was very, very
short (fractions of a millisecond). Your problem in manual mode with
flashes that have no manual power control (the T20) or little manual
control (the T32s) will be to cut the amount of light. First, set the
T32s to low power. Next, set the camera to max sync speed. That's to
help exclude any possibility of ambient light contributing to the
exposure. Not likely given the high flash power used but exclude it any
way. Then control the exposure with aperture and low ISO. If that's
not enough to keep the large amount of light under control you'll have
to move the flashes away from the subject and/or use some sort of filter
over the flashes or the lens. Your T32 ND filters may be useful but
could cause some imbalance since you can't apply equal filtration to all
flash units. But that too may be solved by the simple expedient of
moving the flash units closer or farther away. However it's done the
point is that there is a simple method of using your OM flash gear but
in manual mode rather than TTL auto.
As to setting exposure you have a very fine exposure evaluator on the
back of the camera in the form of the histogram and, of course, loading
the JPEGs at various apertures into the camera and evaluating them for
what looks pleasing to the eye.
Some sort of light stands, umbrellas and umbrella adapters will increase
your cost if you don't already have them. But maybe you don't really
need them. For example, maybe a simple $2 plastic flash stand like this
will work if set on some other support like a table or simple wooden
stand made from a few pieces of light lumber. You can't stick an
umbrella in front of the flash with this method but maybe your walls and
ceiling will make better diffusers anyhow. If the walls produce too
much of a color cast perhaps you can cover them with bed sheets or large
pieces of white paper. Tape them to the walls if necessary using the
type of painters masking tape that won't damage the paint when removed.
This may also help to reduce the intensity of the manual flash
exposure as well as serving as even larger diffusers. Ignore Nikon in
the link below. Any flash foot except flashes for later, AF Minoltas
and Sonys will fit.
<http://cgi.ebay.com/Flash-Light-Stand-Mount-NIKON-SB900-SB800-SB26-SB28-/220665386411?pt=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item3360ae95ab>
If you do decide to go with light stands, umbrellas and umbrella
adapters you can get inexpensive stuff there too. This looks like a
serviceable adapter for less than $6.
<http://cgi.ebay.com/Flash-Shoe-Umbrella-Holder-Swivel-Light-Stand-Bracket-B-/330359029161?pt=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item4ceaeebda9>
Here's the same umbrella adapter complete with an umbrella and light
stand for GBP 11.
<http://cgi.ebay.com/Swivel-Flash-Shoe-Light-Stand-Mount-Holder-Umbrella-/330477335487?pt=UK_Photography_DigitalCamAccess_RL&hash=item4cf1fbf3bf>
If you'd like to reduce the cable connections (and, in particular, the
need for the T20 auto-connector) you can use an optical slave trigger on
two of the flashes
<http://cgi.ebay.com/Slave-Trigger-Hot-Shoe-Flash-Optical-New-/310086097467?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4832925a3b>
Also a couple of my own shown here. Note that the flash head can be
installed such that the trigger's window is facing forward or back.
<http://www.chucknorcutt.com/gear/Homemade%20bracket%20&%20various%20hotshoe%20adapters.jpg>
About umbrellas: They are available as totally reflective or as
semi-transparent referred to as "shoot through" which is what I use.
The type is dependent on the circumstances. If you use umbrellas, shoot
through on pass some of the light and may help in reducing the light
level. But in a small room the reflected light can still bounce off the
far walls and come back but with reduced intensity.
I'm not why you said you'd choose to use a white background. OK if
that's what you want but don't confuse the background required with
setting the white balance. Set the white balance on the camera
independently of the subject exposure and use any color background you
want.
If anything is unclear just ask away.
Chuck Norcutt
On 9/28/2010 3:45 AM, Olaf Greve wrote:
>
>
> Firstly regarding the light sources: I hear you. Back in the good 'ole
> film days, I had a very nice set-up using two T32s and one T20, all
> off-camera, firing into small white painted umbrellas, throwing highly
> diffuse (bunced) light from all angles on the subject. The camera
> would then also work nicely in with auto-aperture (when focusing wide
> open) and my tripod was still in full working order. Now, all of these
> things are crippled: flash-wise, I have the FL-50R (one of them),
> which is a good thing, but I don't have any cables/shoes to set it up
> off camera. Possibly a set-up could be made using the T32s and T20
> again? It would have to be in some manual mode, I guess...
> Then, I don't think I still have the small white painted umbrellas,
> though I might. My tripod is broken anyway, and the 50/3.5 can only be
> used with small apertures when directly closing the diaphragm; makes
> for harder focusing, and without a solid tripod this is a nightmare...
>
> So much for the set-up limitations.
>
> I shall try indoor shooting, and seeing if I can find a workable way
> of having the single FL-50R fire into a white umbrella, from right
> above the subject. Any suggestions as to how to get additional flashes
> helping out would be very welcome. I have lots of OM gear for this (1
> F280, 2 T32s, 2 T20s, 1 T28 twin flash, 3-cable divider block, 3 long
> Oly cables 2m/5m, one set of Oly flash filters ND 2, ND 4 and
> polarising (I think?))...
> Anything that I can make work (easily) with the E-500 body with that
> gear?
--
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