Hi - -new here to my Olympus e500 after several years with a point and shoot :)

I got some advise on the Sports forum to use an external flash to beef up my indoor basketball game shots as my kit lens only start at f3.5

Can anyone advise which external lens might be useful for a novice - on that will correct the problem below I am experiencing with dark indoor shots (the after is a corrected image in Phoshop - adds more noise on top of the hi ISO I had to use to even get the original shot...) :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, we currently have no reviews for Olympus flashes. I'll see if I can lean on some Olympus owners to post reviews for their flashes. But here's a link to all the available Olympus flashes. I updated them after reading your post: http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/flash-and-lighting/flashes/PLS_3121_790crx.aspx

For indoor sports you're going to need power. So I'd go with the FL-50 or the FL-36. The more power the better. Manual flash control is good, too. I almost never shoot a flash photo without making some adjustment to the flash output. I've actually used the FL-50, with the E-1 and the TTL exposure is excellent. It's a very sophisticated and impressive flash.

Thanks
Off to the hunt

Tho new to the Digital Age I am not new to photography however I am having a little trouble in low light situations. I have the TL-36 with the E-500 and I do love the camera great images but the low light seems to give it a little problem. I am thinking of trying the manual setting on the camera with my old Vivitar Flash. To me the cost of the FL50 was too far out there to justify so I went with the 36 and with fill flash and not a big room works great but when you get into the room with hi ceiling I seem to be having some problems. I will try some soon with the Vivitar and let you know the results.

I'v used both the FL-36 and the Vivitar 285HV shooting b-ball and both will do the job. I always shoot manually and prefocus and let the action come to me, well within the effective flash range. Gotta be patient and plan the shot, let it come to you, rather than forcing it and trying to follow the game through a camera's viewfinder.

Would bouncing the flash off the floor be an effective technique when shooting in agym? The floors are highly polished for the most part and it might make up for the high ceilings too high to bounce off. Just a thought.

A friend of mine has the FL-50 on his E1 and it is a really nice piece of equipment however I agree with GCovington that the cost makes it a lot harder to justify the purchase.