TOKYO – Olympus Imaging Corporation announces the arrival of wireless flash technology to its prosumer digital compact cameras, marking it the first time ever for the company and more importantly, signalling a strategic intent and direction.

Utilising the latest firmware update, the company’s prosumer flagship, the Olympus SP-560 Ultrazoom, now enjoys unprecedented flexibility with the ability to tap into the E-3’s wireless RC flash system.

This is not the first time that the company has trickled down SLR-based technological benefits to its compact siblings. In the late 80s, Olympus exploited its Super-FP all-sync flash technology to create the world’s first redeye-reduction flash system and used the AF-1 weatherproof 35mm compact camera to launch it.

With the SP-560 Ultrazoom, wireless flash works with up to three wireless flash units notably any of the two currently available from the E-System – the FL-36R and/or the FL-50R. To operate, the latest firmware update must be loaded from which, the SP-560’s pop-up flash must then be used to communicate with the external flash units.

For the communication to work, all the wireless flash units must be positioned in a way that their remote wireless sensors can interface directly with the SP-560. Actual coverage field will vary depending on the distance of the subject relative to the camera and not the flash unit.

Coverage and operability of the Olympus SP-560 Ultrazoom’s wireless flash system
Image courtesy of Olympus Imaging Corporation, 2008

Unlike the case with the E-3, the SP-560 Ultrazoom uses only a single channel and in wireless flash operation, the camera’s own built-in flash is inoperative, functioning exclusively as a remote wireless sensor.

To download the complete PDF document from Olympus, click here