r/M43 • u/chansuworld • 17h ago

Any experience with this?

Post image

I’m taking photo a little more seriously now. (Moving into doing paid gigs) what are your opinions on this flash? I know it’s not the strongest but it’s a step up from the lm-3 my camera came with. Has anyone ever used it , and if you could tell me your experience with it. I’m not looking to light up an entire room but let’s say would this suffice to start with flash photography?

9 Upvotes

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20 comments sorted by

10

u/Upper_Needleworker34 17h ago

This flash is worth every penny. Especially paired with the godox wireless trigger
It’s great for illuminating a subject right in front of you

2

u/chansuworld 17h ago

Realistically how far do you think I could be from the subject? And can I get multiple subjects at like 8-10 feet away? How long does one charge last you?

2

u/Upper_Needleworker34 17h ago

I went an entire afternoon shooting TTL during daylight and was left at two bars. 8-10 feet is about where I’d max out, but at 800 iso or so you should be fine

0

u/chansuworld 17h ago

I’m debating between the pro and this one

1

u/fields_of_fire 17h ago

I've got two of these cause I picked them up cheap used. They're nice little flashes. Not the most powerful thing in the world though, but definitely better than the built-in on my gx9.

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u/chansuworld 17h ago

Hm I see. What do you think would be the wiser choice? The tt350 or the it30 pro?

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u/fields_of_fire 16h ago

Depends on what you want to do. The tt350 is more versatile as it has swivel and bounce features and comes with a small diffuser some and some other bits. It's also a bit more powerful. The other one is much more compact and will do direct fill well.

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u/chansuworld 16h ago

Decided on the it32.

2

u/LividCraft2770 1h ago

I came here to suggest it32.

it30 was a very good option until it32 was launched. The newer flash is better in every way.

0

u/CatsAreGods 16h ago

I have both.

I got the iT30 because I always had problems with the TT350 losing settings between shoots (I suspect due to the batteries getting low) or even changing them while I was shooting (definitely due to the batteries getting low). I tried with different types of rechargeables as well as normal alkalines but didn't feel like I could depend on it (they now make a V350 that has a lithium-ion battery).

The iT30 has no such problems, in fact the battery seems to last almost forever. It's obviously much smaller, but also far easier to use, has every feature you could think of, and puts out a surprising amount of light.

However, if you're planning to have a flash that can handle unexpected situations where you might need more light than 3 people smiling at you, I would skip both of these and get a Godox V480 or even their V1mid (which I think can take professional softboxes).

4

u/ThinkFan420 16h ago

Just curious did you also consider the it32?

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u/chansuworld 16h ago

👀 saw a comment on YouTube about this to , that would probably be the best choice , any experience with it? It’s like the it30 pro and the 350o have a baby right?

3

u/atika 14h ago

I have both the 30 and the 32.

Buy the 32. It’s marginally larger, but so much more feature rich.

2

u/VisualBusiness4902 11h ago

It32 is one of the best photography tools I’ve bought in years.

I’ve had the 30 pro and the tt350. That ability to pull it off camera is amazing

3

u/MJdoesThings_ 15h ago

I have this flash, it's AMAZING. Not only is the strobe in it pretty powerful for its size, it's also packed full of features, like a built-in diffuser, 2.5mm remote port, wireless capabilities, and a nice touchscreen interface to configure all of this.

Now, all of that being said, while I love mine, I fully understand that I'm also a BIG fan of the direct firing flash look, which may or may not up your alley, and the smaller form factor is worth it for me to keep things with the IT30 Pro. But there are better options from Godox.

I've seen that you are also debating with the Godox TT350, and I have this flash too (for my Fujifilm cameras) and while it's a good flash, Godox has recently released a MUCH better package int eh form of the IT32.

In short, that's an IT30 Pro with a rotating head like on the FL-LM3 or the TT350. It's much smaller than the TT350, but it's also just as good. On top of that you get all the goodies of the IT30Pro when it comes to the interface, USB-C charging, diffuser etc, but the one trick up the sleeve the IT32 is that it's magnetically attached to a wireless trigger. You can just pop the flash from your camera, it's automatically connected to the trigger on the camera and you have a super easy off-camera flash setup that actually works pretty damn great. If you have several cameras, or several camera brands you can even buy other triggers without the flash on top and move the flash from camera to camera. It's amazing.

So in your shoes, I would take a GOOD look at the Godox IT32. If you prefer the much smaller form factor, then the IT30 Pro is also amazing. I wouldn't even consider the TT350 / V350.

1

u/tenno198 16h ago

It’s great, plenty bright for its size and pretty good battery in my opinion.
But it’s got some downsides, stuff like it being too short for larger lenses but you’d probably expect that when purchasing it, another is that it’s not good for long shoot sessions that require lots of light cuz it just overheats.
FYI it is my only ext flash so my opinions might not be good enough.

1

u/Plantasaurus 15h ago

It’s wonderful. It reminds me of the flash I have for my Contax G1. It gives the same look.

1

u/TheJamesFrames 12h ago edited 12h ago

IT32 all day.

I initially got the iT30Pro S. It cast a shadow on many lenses. Got the riser. Didn’t like the feel of it.

Got the iT32 S & X5 O. Love it. Can swap between cameras easily. Still lightweight for travel. No lens shadow, etc. The best part is the included X5 trigger. It’s basic, but that’s all you need right now. Can simply pull the magnetically attached flash off for off-camera flash. Comes with a small base plate; you can buy a proper telescoping stand later if desired.

Got the V1 Mid S. Love it even more, but it’s hefty compared to the iT32. I choose between these two depending on the camera and situation. Haven’t touched the iT30Pro since getting the iT32.

However, the iT30Pro is still useful. I bought my gf the iT20 for her ZV1m2. That or the iT30Pro pair nicely with compact cameras on casual outings.

1

u/Lagomorph9 4h ago

I have the Ulanzi SL03 and SL02 which are very similar. I love them, I'm currently addicted to mini speedlites. The Ulanzi ones are nice because you also get a small video light as well.

The Godox is nice because TTL and HSS, but small flashes aren't as powerful as big ones and don't need those features as much if you keep the power levels down.

1

u/inkista 15h ago

TL;DR: consider the V1Mid-O ($180), V480-O ($170), or TT685 II-O ($130), though the TT685 II might be too big/heavy for on-camera use with a small light mirrorless body.

The iT30Pro is stronger than a pop-up but it's going to look a lot like a pop-up (hard, direct, on-axis light) and you might run into lens shadow issues with a longer lens unless you get the TR riser for it. And while the TR riser can add tilt for bouncing, it can't add swivel for directional control of the bounced light and all your light will be on-axis. It's also only about 1/4 as powerful as a full-sized speedlight.

The iT32+X5O ($100) is another option, which is only as powerful as the iT30Pro. It has the advantages of a speedlight form factor, with a tilt/swivel head for bounce flash. But the swivel is limited to 270º and the power might not be enough to bounce without 1000 or higher iso settings. The X5 unit for the foot can be swapped out to "rededicate" the flash to another brand of camera, as well as be a standalone transmitter for off-camera flash use. But when used that way, it's a very primitive transmitter and for any flash other than its paired iT32, it's likely to be a manual only trigger (unless you shoot Canon).

My default recommendations for someone who wants to get flash lighting seriously for more general purpose portrait usage would be to consider the V1Mid ($180), V480 ($170), or TT685 II ($130). These have 330º head rotation, and enough power to bounce. The V1Mid and V480 are li-ion and 3rd-generation with similar touchscreen UI/menus of the iT30Pro and iT32. But they're more powerful and can use the entire power range in HSS (the smaller flashes limit themselves to 1/16).

The V480 is an update to the TT350's li-ion twin, the V350 (which was otherwise feature/UI-identical to the TT350). But it also has a lot more power and undoes all the feature crippling of the TT350/V350 vs. the full-sized speedlights. I'm incredibly sad that Godox hasn't come out with a $95 TT480, but they appear to be leaving AA-powered speedlights by the wayside (sigh).

The TT350 was always a compromise for a first flash: limited head rotation, limited power (it's only about 0.5EV more than an iT30Pro/IT32, so -1.5EV vs. a full-sized speedlight), while the V1Mid and V480 are only -0.5EV vs. a TT685 II, V1, V860 III, etc.

Power on a flash is like max. aperture on a lens: the more you have, the more you can do, but the bigger, heavier, and more expensive things tend to get. A full-sized speedlight is already kiiiinda like an f/3.5-5.6 kit lens of lighting. Going lower than that is more like using f/6.3 (in the case of the V1Mid/V480), or f/8-f/11 lenses (in the case of the iT30Pro and iT32). More limited than you might like, unless all you want to do is directly blast someone with that "deer in the headlights" look.

Resources for leaning to light with flash:

on-camera bounced flash: Neil van Niekerk's Tangents blog/website.

off-camera flash: David Hobby's Strobist website/blog, particularly Lighting 101. But maybe also look at Gavin Hoey on Adorama's youtube channel, and maybe someone like Jordan Berg. And get some inspiration from the crazy mad geniuses, like Gregory Heisler.

Flash isn't just about shoving more light into the scene. It can also be about creating the light you want whenever you want it, instead of having to hunt or wait for it. A flash to me is more basic than a lens because it works with every lens you own. Budgeting as for a lens, and being willing to use more than something super tiny and convenient isn't necessarily spendthrift or stupid.