Thoughts on Olympus FL-LM3 Flash

[retiredfromlife]

I am thinking of getting one of these for my EM1.3 since they did not include it. I want something very small for fill in only and possibly macro in an emergency.
These are fairly expensive on their own, $94.35 where I am. Although expensive compared to Godox if they are reliable the small size and weather resistance will be worth it for me.

If anyone has used on a lot I would be interested in how reliable they are, and do they work well. I doubt these would be repairable so I would hope it would last a few years with a bit of use.

 

[John King]

Mine works fine. I use it a fair bit.

A lot of the time, I just leave it on the E-M1 MkII.

If its not powerful enough, I just ramp the iso a bit.

I also have an FL-36R, but rarely use it.

 

[Steveee]

There is a thread from a couple of weeks ago here: Why no integrated flash? that has some comments from users on the LM3, it might be of interest.

I got one just recently but haven’t used it in anger as yet.

 

[Stanga]

If anyone has used on a lot I would be interested in how reliable they are, and do they work well. I doubt these would be repairable so I would hope it would last a few years with a bit of use.

I am on my third copy of the LM3, after having used the previous two so much with instant shots after shots that the flash overheated and failed. But when I put one of them as faulty on eBay it sold! I then discovered that the LM3 can be fixed if it stops working. The internal capacitor can be replaced.

 

[Shortsonfire79]

I have an extra you can buy. One from my Em5ii and another from the em1ii. I like it enough, served me well on my intro to 60mm macro. I still have to use it to flash sync to my external dive strobes.

I upgraded to the Godox V860ii and holy moly was that a mistake. The strobe is bigger and heavier than my bodies. Going camping, will reply if you're interested in the lm3 on Monday!

 

[macabee]

I am thinking of getting one of these for my EM1.3 since they did not include it. I want something very small for fill in only and possibly macro in an emergency.
These are fairly expensive on their own, $94.35 where I am. Although expensive compared to Godox if they are reliable the small size and weather resistance will be worth it for me.

If anyone has used on a lot I would be interested in how reliable they are, and do they work well. I doubt these would be repairable so I would hope it would last a few years with a bit of use.

I have one that came with the OMDii, works well on my OMDiii. It is quite a good flash as it bounces and tilts, excellent for fill in, with the added advantage that it does not require batteries but runs of the camera battery. As it takes up so little space it is worth carrying in your bag or pocket, I could never understand why it did not come with the OMDiii.

 

[DefectiveMonk]

I'm a HUGE fan of the FL-LM3 and you can see my comments in the thread mentioned by @Steveee above. If you were in the US I'd offer you one of mine cheap as I bought one to use with my EM10ii and my EM5iii came with one and I don't need both.

 

[PakkyT]

Another option is to look for the MK-320 which is sold under a number of brand names such as Meike. It is sold in different versions including a TTL compatible one for m43. I don't have one (have thought about it) but it seems to get good reviews. It is about as small as you can get with a battery operated model, but probably bigger than the FL-LM3.

CONS of the MK-320 is it needs two AA batteries so no running it off the camera battery, isn't weather proof, and bigger size & weight than the FL-LM3.
PROS is it doesn't run off the camera battery (if maximizing your camera batteries life is more important to you), works on any camera (unlike the FL-LM3), more powerful, and a bit cheaper.

 

[Holoholo55]

Robin Wong dishes on the LM3.

Too bad that Olympus charges so much for it, or I would have bought one for my EM1 III. I have one that came with my EM5 III, so that will do for now. Olympus had an FL300R that could also bounce, but I think it's discontinued. Otherwise, I might suggest looking at the Godox TT350o.

 

[retiredfromlife]

Another option is to look for the MK-320 which is sold under a number of brand names such as Meike. It is sold in different versions including a TTL compatible one for m43. I don't have one (have thought about it) but it seems to get good reviews. It is about as small as you can get with a battery operated model, but probably bigger than the FL-LM3.

CONS of the MK-320 is it needs two AA batteries so no running it off the camera battery, isn't weather proof, and bigger size & weight than the FL-LM3.
PROS is it doesn't run off the camera battery (if maximizing your camera batteries life is more important to you), works on any camera (unlike the FL-LM3), more powerful, and a bit cheaper.

These are also under consideration as they sit nice and low which would be good for my macro when I have to shoot through leaves in vines etc. Even the Godox 350 is too high and often I just throw leaf shadows with it.

But I seem to remember reading reviews about the MK-320 where one variant had a better battery compartment, or iy may have been the Neewer version. Will have to look into it again. But the MK-320 does look good also.

 

[retiredfromlife]

Robin Wong dishes on the LM3.

Too bad that Olympus charges so much for it, or I would have bought one for my EM1 III. I have one that came with my EM5 III, so that will do for now. Olympus had an FL300R that could also bounce, but I think it's discontinued. Otherwise, I might suggest looking at the Godox TT350o.

I already have the Godox 350o looking for something smaller and lower. also this will not be for regular use, mainly a just in case I need it.
Godox for Mu-43 are getting a bit harder to get in Australia now, the importer is always out of stock on the 350o.

 

[djtaylor7]

There is one closing in a few hours on ebay.com.au for $65. NSW as well so shipping should not be too bad. Olympus FL-LM3 Flash. Olympus/OM-D TTL systems compatible | eBay

 

[fortwodriver]

I recommend getting a used FL-36r instead. They can be had for as little as $30US. Small flash units don't seem to be subject to the same kind of abuse as old cameras do. I've purchased two in the past 5 years and both of them look like they sat in a camera bag for most of their life.

They're much better, do wireless TTL command/slave, and are light. The only downside to them is that they run on two AA batteries, so if you are using manual flash, they are slow to recycle from a 100% pop. If you just use TTL, auto, or fractional output, recharge time is negligible. As a bonus, they don't rely on the camera battery to operate. I also got the old E-Series TTL Remote cord which is hard to find now, but one of the Vello cords will work fine.

I did get mine to use for macro. The larger FL-50r I have is just a bit too large and powerful for really close-up shots.

 

[retiredfromlife]

I have an extra you can buy.

Thanks for the offer but I think postage would be a killer to Australia for such a small item.

 

[Stanga]

Another option is to look for the MK-320 which is sold under a number of brand names such as Meike. It is sold in different versions including a TTL compatible one for m43. I don't have one (have thought about it) but it seems to get good reviews. It is about as small as you can get with a battery operated model, but probably bigger than the FL-LM3.

CONS of the MK-320 is it needs two AA batteries so no running it off the camera battery, isn't weather proof, and bigger size & weight than the FL-LM3.
PROS is it doesn't run off the camera battery (if maximizing your camera batteries life is more important to you), works on any camera (unlike the FL-LM3), more powerful, and a bit cheaper.

I have the Meike MK-320 as well, and find it to be quite a lot of flash for the money. It recycles very fast, can use rechargeable batteries and be charged from a USB power bank. It is also infrared wireless.

 

[retiredfromlife]

Now have one on order from DigiDirect, just waiting for it to arrive at my local store.

 

[PakkyT]

Now have one on order from DigiDirect, just waiting for it to arrive at my local store.

Which one, the LM3 or the MK-320?

 

[davidzvi]

I have both the FL-LM3 and a Godox TT350. I use the LM3 more often. I've even gone so far as to buy one for every Panasonic body that supported it and one of the reasons I didn't buy a G85 was because Panasonic removed support for it.

I bought one for each GM5 and LX100 I've owned, 2 of each. And for the GX85 I had.

Here's a quick little shoot I did years ago to show how well it works for a little bit of quick added light. And it also shows why I preferred the LM3 over the Panasonic DMW-FL70 included with the GM5 and LX100.

https://www.myrandomeye.com/Public-Galleries/Sample-Images/Oly-FL-LM3-flash/

 

[retiredfromlife]

Which one, the LM3 or the MK-320?

LM3, I need to look into the reviews of the Meike & Neewer versions of the 320, to check on the battery compartments.
I remember one had problems, but my memory may be wrong it have been the previous model that has that problem.

The 320 will be my next flash purchase

 

[WaltP]

I use it quite a bit. Very capable if you know how to use flash. Extremely portable. Buy 2, you'll want a backup.