Flash: A Great Tool that I Wasn't Using Enough

But I will now...

OM System OM-3 with the Godox iT30 Pro flash.

As an event photographer and photojournalist, I’ve used electronic flash on the job for years. Most of us know the type. It’s bulky, pulls the camera forward, has a tilt and swivel head, and lots of power. Great for work. Not as much fun for everyday use. Especially on a compact camera, such as my OM-3 (shown above).

Nissin hot shoe flash on an Olympus OM-D.

The sleek OM System OM-3 is the everyday camera that’s always with me in my backpack. I love it. But it doesn’t have a built-in flash, and I’m loath to lug around a unit that’s as big as the camera, so I’ve gone without.

And that’s too bad. Because many everyday situations could benefit from a little fill light coming from the front.

Anthurium captured with an OM-3, 14-42mm Olympus EZ zoom, and a Godox iT 30 Pro in TTL mode.

These Anthurium are a perfect example. I wanted to capture a nice shot of them, but the ambient lighting was all wrong. And after a few failed tries, I decided to attach my new Godox iT30 Pro Flash and see what it could do. Bingo! Great color and detail recorded nicely in TTL mode. It couldn’t have been easier to use.

More About the Godox iT30 Pro

Weighing in at 4.2 ounces and a mere 2” high, the Godox iT30 Pro Flash is available for OM System, Panasonic, Fujifilm, Leica, Sony, Nikon, and Canon. It includes pro features, a gorgeous LCD screen, and a $75 price tag.

The basic specs are impressive.

• 1.5 sec Recycling Time

• Guide number of 49.2’ at ISO 100

• HSS Support

• Built-In USB-C Rechargeable Battery

• Up to 560 Full-Power Flashes

• 2.4 GHz X Wireless Radio System

• Works with the Optional Godox Transmitter

• Touchscreen Interface

The touchscreen interface for the Godox iT30 Pro.

• High-speed sync up to 1/8000 sec

• S1 and S2 settings

• First and second curtain sync

• +/- 3-step of flash exposure compensation in 1/3 increments

• Multi-stroboscopic flash mode up to 100 times, 100 Hz

• TCM converter capability

• Standby and screen lock

• Hot shoe connection with a quick-release foot design

• Includes USB-C Charging Cable and Storage Bag

Things I noted during testing

• The TTL mode works great on my OM-3.

• The built-in Lithium battery seems to last forever.

• I set up a two-flash system with my Godox TT350, and it worked great even though it’s Fujifilm-compatible. The iT 30 also played nicely with my bare bulb Godox unit.

The Godox TT350 works great in slave mode with the iT30 Pro.

• The TCM Converter function on the iT30 makes manual flash photography a snap. Take a picture in TTL mode, switch to manual mode, and your settings are transferred. It’s like having a flash meter, but easier.

• The Wide Angle Converter is not a diffuser, but it is good for wider coverage. If you want a diffuser, you’ll need a separate accessory.

• The flash does lean to the left side of the camera, hanging over the ON/OFF switch on the OM-3. I have to slide my finger through the opening to power up the camera.

I think the Godox iT30 Pro Flash is a marvelous lighting accessory for compact cameras such as the OM System OM-3 and Panasonic Lumix L10 (which I have on order). It looks great, performs flawlessly, and is quite affordable at $75.

And the best part is… It’s so compact and easy to use, I have it with me all the time in my backpack. Supplemental flash is a handy photography tool that I wasn’t using enough.

That’s no longer the case.

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Motorcycle Sidecar Adventure in the Canadian Rockies

Wildlife and wild life

Rob, my guide for the day (left), and I covered in leather at Medicine Lake. Photo by Theresa Story.

When I met Rob of Jasper Motorcycle Tours, the first thing he said to me is, “I think I have a set of leathers that will fit you.” I knew that I would be spending the afternoon riding alongside his Harley-Davidson, but I didn’t realize that I would get to dress the part. I loved it. Once we were geared up, we roared out of downtown Jasper and set off to explore the surrounding terrain.

Even though the area is healing from a devastating fire two years ago, it’s a magnificent countryside, especially from the perspective of a sidecar just above street level.

Rob and I, on the road. Photo by Theresa Story.

Rob had been out riding earlier in the day, and he had a good idea where the wildlife was hanging out. He asked me about my Nikon Zf with Nikkor 28-400mm lens. I told him it’s perfect for shoots like this because I don’t have to change optics. (This seemed especially important when cruising 60 mph in a sidecar.) We continued talking about photography for a bit while working our way out of town.

Bighorn ram. Nikon Zf, NIKKOR Z 28-400mm ƒ4-8 VR at 600mm in DX mode, 1/60th, f/8, -1/3 ev, ISO 100. Photo by Derrick Story.

Our first encounter was with two hefty bighorn rams near a small lake. They had stopped by for a drink, but then they cut us off from the road as they sauntered back to the hillside. We just had to wait, which wasn’t a problem for me with the camera firing away.

Bighorn rams. Nikon Zf, NIKKOR Z 28-400mm ƒ4-8 VR at 600mm in DX mode, 1/200th, f/8, ISO 100. Photo by Derrick Story.

After we were allowed to pass, we headed up the mountain to Medicine Lake. Right away, Rob spotted a marmot sunning itself on a rock. I didn’t see it at first until he pointed it out. It blended into the environment so well that I’m sure dozens of people could walk by and never notice it.

Marmot at Medicine Lake. Nikon Zf, NIKKOR Z 28-400mm ƒ4-8 VR at 600mm in DX mode, 1/400th, f/8, +0.3 ev, ISO 100. Photo by Derrick Story.

He also pointed out a bald eagle sitting high above us and at a distance in its nest. It was great to see its home, but the reach was too far for a decent photo, even at 600mms.

Bald eagle in its nest. Far too distant even at 600mms. Photo by Derrick Story.

Medicine Lake itself is fascinating. Sometimes called “disappearing lake,” it’s 7-km-long, glacial-fed, and renowned for its dramatic water-level changes and, in indigenous folklore, for being “magic” because of its disappearing water. It’s actually part of a complex karst system, draining through sinkholes in the lake bed into the Maligne River and resurfacing downstream. It’s also stunning to view.

Medicine Lake. Nikon Zf, NIKKOR Z 28-400mm ƒ4-8 VR at 52mm, 1/320th, f/9, +0.3 ev, ISO 100. Photo by Derrick Story.

We saw it at a relatively low level. But as the spring thaw continues, the waterline will rise… until it sinks once again.

We went back down the mountain and continued to explore the countryside. We spotted some movement in a dense thicket of trees and brush, and to my delight, I saw my first moose of the trip.

Moose. Nikon Zf, NIKKOR Z 28-400mm ƒ4-8 VR at 600mm in DX mode, 1/50th, f/8, +0.3 ev, ISO 100. Photo by Derrick Story.

It heard us and turned to see what the commotion was all about. Fortunately, that provided my only opportunity to photograph his face. And even luckier, I got the shot. The moose is the tallest and the second-largest land animal in North America, falling short only to the American bison in body mass.

Following that, we had a long stretch of road with no animal sightings. That wasn’t a problem for me since I already had dozens of pictures that I couldn’t wait to review that night on my laptop. So I enjoyed the fresh mountain air blowing in my face and the way that Rob skillfully navigated the twists and turns of the highway.

But we had one last treat before returning to town, a pair of bighorn rams resting by the roadside.

Photo by Derrick Story.

A beautiful finish to a great day in Jasper National Park.

If you head up to the Alberta Province, I recommend visiting Jasper Motorcycle Tours. It’s a great way to explore and photograph this magnificent territory. Tell Rob I said hi.

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A Walk Around Safari West with a Lumix FZ300

A compact, 10-year-old bridge camera with a 25-600mm Leica zoom

Bridge cameras are dead, right? Who cares if they can pack a 600mm lens into a package that’s smaller than your mirrorless? Their sensors are just too small to produce anything of value.

Or are they?

When Panasonic released the Lumix FZ300 a decade ago, full-frame mirrorless cameras were just hitting the scene. Within a few years, they took over everything and left some pretty great stuff for dead. One of those casualties was the Panasonic bridge camera with a beautiful Leica lens.

Since I have upcoming trips that put me in exciting outdoor environments, including Costa Rica, I decided to get my hands on one of these superzooms for a test. My thinking was that editing software has improved dramatically since the FZ300 was released. And maybe, just maybe, I could squeeze enough quality out of the 12MP RAW files to make this a legitimate travel companion.

I found an FZ300 in great condition on the used market for $450. Once I checked it out at home, I knew that it was time for a stroll around my favorite African wildlife preserve, Safari West, located in the hills behind Santa Rosa, CA.

Safari West did not disappoint, and neither did the camera. I added a PolarPro Shortstache 1/4 Strength Black Mist plus Circular Polarizer filter to help tame the contrasty light. The RAW files were originally processed in Nitro, then sometimes further enhanced in Photomator or Luminar Neo. If you want to read more about my shooting and processing techniques, check out the article, How Bridge Cameras Got Lost in the Shuffle. I have lots of details there.

What I discovered with the FZ300 is that if I keep the ISO to 800 or lower, I can leverage that wonderful 25-600mm Leica zoom and produce very workable files - and from a camera that weighs just a pound and a half and measures only 5” on the longest side. I can take it anywhere!

All of these shots were captured during my stroll around Safari West. Even though I shoot RAW+Jpeg, I chose the RAW versions for my favorite images and spent a few minutes processing each one.

Shooting with a small sensor indeed requires more care than a full-frame counterpart. And there are some situations where the smaller chips don’t make sense, such as interior low-light conditions.

But if you’re out and about in good light, these cameras, combined with modern software, might really surprise you.

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All wildlife photos in this article were captured by Derrick Story with a Panasonic Lumix FZ300 camera and a PolarPro filter.

A Walk Through the Woods with the OM System TG-7

The compact camera you should never leave behind. So why don't we hear more about it?

OM System TG-7 with filter adapter and K&F 40.5mm Black Diffusion 1/8 filter.

Of all the buzz about compact cameras flying around, I’m surprised more outdoor photographers aren’t singing the praises of the OM System TG-7. This $549 workhorse, packed with tech, certainly deserves a mention. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do today.

Before I get to the pictures themselves, here are a few features that I absolutely love about this camera.

• Focus Stacking and Focus Bracketing in Microscope Mode - With Focus Stacking, the TG-7 will process the stack in-camera and provide you with a final result that has an extended depth of field. In the Menu settings, you can choose between 3 and 10 frames for your stack, and set a short delay too. For Focus Bracketing, you can choose more frames, but you have to process them later on the computer.

• Art Filters and Monochrome Mode - The TG-7 includes 16 Art Filters, such as Instant Film, Dramatic Tone, Soft Focus, and Vintage. Plus, it has a full-blown Monochrome mode. All of these options are in the Picture Mode menu.

• Full HD 120 FPS and 4K 30p Movie Recording - Yes, it captures slow-motion video and 4K with just a press of the red button on the back of the camera.

• Mount Filters with the Optional CLA-T01 Adapter - Accepting 40.5mm filters using the handsome CLA-T01 Conversion Adapter ($37) or the affordable JJC Conversion Lens Adapter Ring ($9). I like adding the K&F CONCEPT 40.5mm Black Diffusion 1/8 Cinematic Effect Filter for a more photographic look to my images. But just about every filter is available in this size, including polarizers.

• Infrared 720nm Photography with Stock Camera - Speaking of filters, add a GREEN.L 40.5mm IR 720nm (R72) Filter for $27, adjust your Custom WB settings, and capture impressive color and B&W IR shots at the 25mm focal length.

• One-Touch Digital Compass, Thermometer, and GPS Readout - Press the Info button once when the camera is turned off, and you’ll be greeted with an impressive readout screen that would make a pilot smile. Long-press the Info button and activate the LED for an emergency flashlight.

Fairly impressive for such an affordable device. So why don’t we hear more about it? My guess is that the 1/2.3” 12MP BSI CMOS sensor is perceived as not big enough with not enough resolution. Fair enough. But when you get to know the camera, you may discover that the sensor is perfectly matched to the 4x Optical Zoom f/2-4.9 lens (25mm-100mm equivalent) that produces amazing close-ups in Microscope mode and is versatile for general photography. You can see for yourself via the pictures in this article.

When I do capture shots that I absolutely love, I can run them through Photomator’s Super Resolution for more pixels. If I have to bump the ISO higher than I want, I have a number of noise reduction tools at my disposal. In other words, amazing software these days has easily offset the smaller sensor size.

So, forget about specs for a moment. What about the pictures? Let’s take a look at a few captures from Armstrong Woods in Sonoma County, Northern California. I mounted the K&F CONCEPT 40.5mm Black Diffusion 1/8 Cinematic Effect Filter and took a stroll with camera in hand.

I processed the TG-7 RAW files using Lightroom Mobile on my iPad mini 7. To bump their pixel count, I then opened my favorites in Photomator and used Super Resolution to go from 4,000 x 3,000 pixels to 8,000 x 6000. Again, all on the iPad mini.

This little camera measures 4.5 x 2.6 x 1.3” (113.9 x 65.8 x 32.7 mm) and weighs 8.8 ounces (249 grams). Paired up with an iPad mini, you have a complete capture and processing kit that fits in two jacket pockets. Plus, you can go diving with it to 50 feet, stand in the pouring rain, and bang it around - it will still take great pictures.

By the way, I mentioned earlier that it’s also quite capable of shooting infrared with an IR 720nm filter. Here’s what that looks like.

If you want to read more about how to shoot IR with the TG-7, here’s my article explaining all the ins and outs - How to Create Dramatic B&W Infrared Photos with an Affordable Compact Camera - This is a free link for my Substack readers.

In my opinion, the OM System TG-7, along with a handful of filters, is one of the most versatile compacts available today, and at a great price.

I say, don’t leave home without it!

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Author Notes

Pictures in this article are by Derrick Story. All images are captured with the TG-7 (except for the product shot at the top of the article).

Links to gear have affiliate tags on them. They help support my research and writing, and I appreciate you using them.

I purchased all of the equipment featured in this article at normal retail prices, so I can provide the most honest review possible.

How Good Are Those RAW Files from the iPhone?

Do they have the same editing headroom as your mirrorless camera?

Whenever I’m in challenging light, I prefer to use my mirrorless camera. The Nikon Zf, for example, performs wonderfully in dim conditions. But I don’t always have it with me. And in those instances, I have to depend on the iPhone 17 Pro in RAW mode. Or do I?

I mean, how good are those files? And are they as maliable in editing as from my other cameras?

The short is: the RAW files are decent, but not as good as from a larger sensor mirrorless camera. Surprise, surprise.

Let’s take a look at extreme conditions during twilight.

This is how the iPhone captured a sunset scene without compensation or manipulation. It’s pretty much as you would expect. It exposed for the bright sky and let the foreground shadows fend for themselves. If I didn’t want that pool of water in the composition, I could crop right below the treeline and call it a day (or a night).

But I did want that pool of water, so then the foreground had to be addressed. I used the Photos app and Luminar Neo editing extension to edit the scene.

I was able to enhance the sky and pull out some details in the foreground. But there wasn’t nearly as much headroom for shadow recovery as with my other cameras.

The other downside was in the rendering of foreground detail. It’s far more coarse and chunky-looking than the actual turf. I attribute this to the lack of light-gathering power of the iPhone in low light and its attempt to render the dark areas using its computational tricks.

Those of us who shoot RAW with APS-C and full-frame sensors get spoiled with the ability to recover shadows and highlights in wide dynamic range lighting conditions. It’s just not the same with an iPhone, nor do I expect it to be.

In fact, I was able to get just as good results, if not better, with the stock HEIF captures from the iPhone. And they edited just as well too.

Above is the original capture, not in RAW mode. And below is the edited version using the same tools.

If anything, I feel like the HEIF files responded better in Photos and Luminar Neo.

My bottom line with the iPhone is this: don’t bother with shooting in RAW. Let it do its thing with the High Quality HEIF files. And when possible, have a mirrorless camera on hand for demanding lighting conditions.

RAW just isn’t the same on an iPhone.

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