Additional Thoughts on the OM-D E-M5 Mark ii Flash

I was interested in testing and familiarizing myself with the E-M5 Mark ii included flash, even though I would always use manual off-camera flash for any serious work, which obviously wouldn't be any problem.  Physically, the flash is fantastic due to its tiny size, but most importantly, the tilt/swivel head allows it to be pointed in any direction up or down, left or right, and fully backwards.  Could this little flash actually provide a usable off-access light source like a full-size DSLR flash?

My first obstacle was to get Flash to turn on in other than iAUTO mode.  Even though the flash was recognized, it was disabled in PASM modes and the setting to change flash modes and enable flash could not even be invoked.  I was trying to guess what setting was precluding the use of flash.  HDR?  No.  High res mode?  No.  Finally (and bafflingly) I discovered that you MUST be in single exposure, non-motor drive mode.  This is a really silly restriction and an unfortunate choice.  Olympus could either have slowed down the frame rate or just let flash fail to go off if the capacitor could not recharge in time.  Oh well... Not a showstopper.

I decided to test the Fill Flash setting for a small object, in this case the amazing Olympus 75mm f/1.8 lens amidst the clutter of my desk.  Here is a sequence of images as I progressed through the possible flash usage modes.

All photos are ISO 200, Aperture Priority mode, f/2.5, 45mm f/1.8 Olympus lens.  RAW files imported into Lightroom CC with no adjustments.

No flash; 1/6th second.
Nicely exposed.  Thank you, IBIS.  1/6th second, 90mm equivalent for a closeup, and reasonably sharp without trying.  :)

Direct automatic fill flash; 1/30th second (flash longest shutter limit, which you can adjust in the settings).  Harsh, but pretty effective.  The ambient is quite underexposed because of the 1/30th shutter speed limitation.

Manual flash off a sheet of paper behind and to left, 1/64th power; 1/30th second (flash longest shutter limit, which you can adjust in the settings).  Underexposed because the 1/30th second shutter speed limit didn't provide enough ambient and the flash level was much too low to compensate. 

Manual flash off a sheet of paper behind and to left, 1/16th power; 1/30th second (flash longest shutter limit, which you can adjust in the settings).  Still underexposed because the 1/30th second shutter speed limit didn't provide enough ambient and the flash level was much too low to compensate.  I'm getting tired of chimping the flash with a manual setting, and obviously it works.  :)

Fill flash bounced off a sheet of paper above my left shoulder (automatic); -2 EV Exposure Compensation; 1/80th second (chosen by camera in Aperture Priority Mode).  The entire scene is still being lit by the flash despite the EC, but the light is softer.

Fill flash bounced off a sheet of paper just to the left of the subject like a close-in softbox (automatic); -2 EV exposure compensation to darken the background; 1/100th second (chosen by camera in Aperture Priority Mode).  The entire scene is still being lit, but the light is softer.   This was the desired look.

In summary, Exposure Compensation and Flash Exposure Compensation, as well as auto fill flash exposure control, in general, seem to work in a very similar and predictable way to Nikon's iTTL.  That is a very good thing!  The need to dig into menus to make adjustments is a little annoying, but I imaging that Olympus' full size flashes have more direct control (and reviews of them are quite good, including for off-camera TTL operation.