Off-Camera Flash Trick for Your Mirrorless Camera February 17, 2015 – Posted in: Photography – Tags: , , ,

If you’ve switched from a Canon DSLR to a mirrorless camera made by Fujifilm, Panasonic, or Olympus, chances are good that you have a terrific photo accessory waiting for you in your old camera bag: an off-camera shoe cord. Let me explain.

 

I was reading Rico Pfirstinger’s excellent guide, The Fujifilm X-T1 111 X-Pert Tips and was intrigued by this passage:

…a simple solution is using a Canon OC-E3 extension cable, because it’s pin-compatible with Fuji’s own flash contacts. With such a cable (or a compatible third-party product), it is possible to use an EF-20, EF-X20, or EF-42 off-camera in TTL mode. Please note that Canon OC-E3 cables are only compatible with Fuji’s TTL flash connectors, not with Fuji’s TTL flash protocol. This means that it isn’t possible to use Canon TTL flash units with an X-T1 in TTL mode. The protocols won’t match. You can still use them in manual mode, though.

How cool is that? I have a Canon Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2 that I paid $55 for years ago, and I’m not using it for anything right now. I wonder if it will work with my Olympus OM-D?

I found the cord and inserted it into the hot shoe of an OM-D E-M10. I then connected my Olympus FL-300R flash to the other end of the cord. I fired everything up and took a picture. It worked! Not only did the flash fire, but the TTL and flash exposure compensation was active too.

The Canon cable is awesome. It’s quite robust and has solid construction that’s lasted for all these years. And it looks like this cord is going to have an encore career with my OM-D.

fujifilm-xt1I then got greedy and wondered if the same connectors would work with a Panasonic GM5 and the little clip-on accessory flash that comes with it. Yes indeed. I struck gold again.

This is why I love Rocky Nook camera guides. These authors work hard to discover as many tricks and tips as possible. These are things that you would never read in an official manual that comes in the box.

If you’re shooting with a Fujifilm X-T1, I think you’ll love Rico’s book. And along the way, you’ll probably learn a clever tip or two.

Derrick Story is the photography evangelist for Rocky Nook Publishing.