Here is a list of accessories for the E-10 and E-20 cameras, some made by Olympus, and some by third parties. I have them all, and I can recommend most, if not all, of them. Both cameras accept exactly the same accessories, without exceptions.

Some of the items on this list have their separate reviews, sometimes very brief, sometimes (lenses!) more detailed. In such cases, the section header links to the appropriate page.

Olympus accessories

This is a dedicated unit, taking advantage of the camera's TTL metering via the hot shoe connection. The integration is very smooth in program, aperture and shutter priority modes; a real no-brainer.

The flash head zooms when the lens focal length changes (two positions only, somewhat wasteful). At "Wide" the (metric) guide number is 24, at "Tele" — 36, both numbers at ISO 80. This translates into maximum shooting range of 12 and 15 meters, respectively (accounting for a 1/2 EV difference in maximum aperture). The coverage is sufficient for a 28 mm lens angle.

The flash head tilts and swivels, providing bounced light capability. In such cases the built-in flash can also be used, providing a fill light.

You may use the flash mounted on the camera, or on a FL-BK01 flash bracket available as a separate accessory from Olympus. In the latter case you will also need the FL-CB02 cable, to transfer information between the camera's hot shoe and, via the bracket, to the flash. You may also go for almost any third-party bracket with use of another cable, designated as FL-CB05, plugging into the camera's hot shoe and providing another one at the other end (see David Weikel's article on the subject for more).

Both these (and some other) cables are listed at the Olympus USA site. You may also buy them there, if you are willing to pay 50% more than at most independent retailers.

In 2003 Olympus introduced a smaller flash unit, the FL-20, fully compatible with the E-10 and E-20. While it seems too limited in capabilities for these cameras (no bounce/tilt, 1.7x times less power), it costs about 40% of its big brother price, and it is really tiny, the size of a pack of cigarettes. I'm using it quite a lot with the C-5050Z and C-5060WZ cameras, having it always in my bag for occasions when I'm unwilling to take a "real" flash along.

Note of 2004: The FL-40 is out of production, replaced with the FL-50, introduced specifically for the E-1. The new flash (in addition to being about 30% more expensive) has one new feature: the multi-strobe mode, allowing it to synch with shorter times of the E-1's focal place shutter. As the E-10 and E-20 have in-lens shutters, which by definition provide flash synchronization at any speed, this new feature remains unused on these cameras. Draw your own conclusions.

Note of 2005: I have verified that the smaller, less expensive, but quite capable Olympus FL-36 unit works perfectly well with the E-10 and E-20, providing all integration with the camera, plus bounce and swivel. Highly recommended. (This also means that the FL-50 must be fully compatible with the E-10/E-20, as both use the same interface standard.)

Among third-party flashes, I was able to verify that the Promaster 5750 DX, providing all dedicated functionality of the FL-40 at 2/3 of the price, works just fine with the E-10 and E-20; check a separate article on this.

I've got mine for $90 at B&H Photo: it is nicely made and feels surprisingly heavy. I'm using it for flower pictures, and I'm happy with it. See some examples and focusing distance data in the full review.

The best price I could find (as of April, 2001) was $500 at Norman Camera; that's where I've bought it.

I am quite impressed with the quality of pictures taken with this lens; see my full review.

200/2.4 is not too shabby, and the optical quality of the combo, according to my test shots, is just outstanding (see the full review). This is my favorite lens attachment for the E-10 and E-20.

Using a 49-62 step-up ring, you may combine the TCON-14B with TCON-300 for the effective focal length of 600 mm at F/2.8 (wow!). I was nicely surprised with the image quality from this combo (see a separate article on the subject, with image samples).

I would much prefer to see a 28-105 mm lens built into the camera. Moreover, this piece of glass is huge: it takes 105 mm filters!

This is a five-megapixel model, with very good controls and excellent image quality, with a sturdy magnesium alloy body, and it weights, with batteries, less than the TCON-14B auxiliary lens. It will fit into your E-10/E-20 accessory bag, if you do some reshuffling and/or decide not to carry all lens attachments at one time. Well, even the finish of the C-5050Z matches that of the E-20, and the camera can use the FL-40 flash.

This adapter works with other Olympus Camedia cameras (those which take four AA batteries), but accepts only 110V AC. A separate 220V version is available as C7-AE. This means that you may have to have two of these, or carry a voltage adapter when traveling abroad. Too bad.

It is too expensive ($60), too large, the cable is too long, and the connection to the camera, let's face it, is quite badly designed.

If you want to see the rationale behind this statement, have a look at my mini-review with more gripes.

This is an expensive item ($400), and my review is still in progress, waiting for a better weather to take some test pictures.

Besides, a replacement lens cap from Olympus costs $15. Excuse me?

With some juggling of the internal dividers, the P506 will nicely hold the camera, FL-40, WCON-08B and TCON-14B converters (yes, both at the same time!), the MCON-35 attachment, extra batteries and the LumiQuest system, with the front pocket still not being used at all. Removing the flash will allow you to store the big TCON-300, with the support arm fitting into the side pocket.

If this is not enough, consider the P508, two inches longer, with other dimensions the same. I, however, prefer as small a bag as I can get away with. Actually, I also have the P508, and wasn't able to utilize it much better than the P506.

You may need a few extra Velcro-secured dividers. I contacted Tenba by email, and they quickly shipped me what I needed, at a reasonable price of $5 or so each.

When I originally posted this article (December, 2000), the capacity of 1400-1600 mAh was the norm; as of this update (June, 2004), you can go as high as 2200-2300 mAh, a 50% increase. Another advantage of sticking to standard power sources!

Thomas Distributing is a reliable Web source of batteries and chargers; they also provide quite a lot of useful technical information on the subject.

Note of May, 2003: There is a newer Maha charger on the market, MH-401FS. It offers a choice between fast or gentle charge modes (2 or 6 hrs, respectively), and handles each of the four batteries independently. That should provide better results, as differences between individual specimens may be increasing with time. See my C-5050Z accessory page for more.