Panasonic DMW-FL360L Wireless External Flash

[Angelo Ucciferri]

Hello,

I purchased the Panasonic DMW-FL360L Wireless External Flash to pair with my GH3. I know this is primarily a video forum, but I thought I'd start a thread on this flash to share questions and experiences with the unit. I am sure some of you use the GH3 for photos as well as video - and it's worth noting that the flash also has an LED video light.

My first question is regarding the unit's wireless functionality. I am curious how and why you have to use the pop up flash to trigger the external DMW-FL360L flash. At first I assumed it was an optical sensor on the DMW-FL360L - firing the off-camera flash when it optically detects the burst of the pop up flash. But then I see that flashes from other cameras don't trigger it, so there must be some sort of proprietary radio signal being transmitted by the GH3 pop up flash. There are, after all, 4 channels of control from the GH3 for controlling up to 4 DMW-FL360L flashes.

But then I run in to the issue that I don't want to have the light on camera flash affecting the photo. I read the manual and see that there is a way to turn off the pop up flash and only have it trigger a control signal for the external wireless DMW-FL360L. So I turn off the pop up flash in the FLASH menu - but it does not actually work - and the pop up flash still goes off. It successfully triggers the DMW-FL360L, but light from the pop up flash is still affecting my image.

I'm very confused! Does anyone have experience with the GH3 and the DMW-FL360L? Is there a way to trigger the DMW-FL360L wirelessly without light emitting from the pop up flash?

Overall, besides this issue, I am very happy with the unit. It pairs wonderfully with the GH3 and it's cool to see/hear the flash lens zoom in tandem with my 12-35 zoom lens. The photos I get are very nice, and it has some great bounce / diffusion abilities.

Thanks for your time,
Angelo

[Frank Grygier]

This flash is basically an Olympus design. I have three FL50-R's. These flashes work with the GH3 in the same way.The pop up flash sends the exposure settings optically in either case. If you turn off the pop up flash with the off setting the flash will occur beforethe actual exposure is made. You may see a small catch light in your subjects eye but the pop up will not add to the flash exposure. You can use Pocket Wizards or equal to trigger the flash. This would be for manual exposure only. The Panny/Oly optical TTL system is very similar to Nikon. Very handy and it works very well for me.

[Angelo Ucciferri]

Originally Posted by Frank Grygier

..... If you turn off the pop up flash with the off setting the flash will occur before the actual exposure is made.....

Thanks Frank. I think that bit of info just cleared things up for me. I was seeing the pop up flash fire, but based on what you are saying it fires before the actual exposure is made.

I'm looking forward to using this flash off-camera. I think for $250 - a well integrated off camera flash is a great deal.

I also wanted to share an experience I had with it last night. I was shooting some family video in a dim living room - and the LED video light on the flash worked great! The footage would otherwise have been unusable without the LED light. So it's a great bonus! I also took some photos with the LED video light on and it really helped and looked great.

Thanks again!
Angelo