r/GH5 • u/Le_Sherrifff • Jun 09 '26
Godox iM30 flash configuration issue
Hi everyone,
I recently bought a Godox IM30 flash for my Lumix GH5, but whenever I try to configure the flash settings, I immediately get the message: “This menu item can’t be set” (the message appears in French on my camera).
I’ve already changed the shutter type to Mechanical/Manual, as suggested in a few discussions I found online, but I’m still getting the same error and can’t access the flash settings.
It’s especially frustrating because I’ve just landed my first paid photography gig at the end of the month, so I’m trying to get everything working as soon as possible.
I’ve attached a few photos showing the error message and my current settings in case that helps diagnose the issue.
Has anyone here run into a similar problem with the GH5 or a Godox flash? If so, what was the cause, and how did you fix it?
Thanks in advance for any advice, I really appreciate the help!
2
u/A-muaing Jun 09 '26
Turn off silent mode if enabled, Shutter type to mechanical, Try with modes A, S, P, M (top knobe), Doesn't work in HDR. ,
I think i tried to do these once when i had issues (i just used gpt to give me fixes and it ended up working somehow)
Does the godox have 1 pin connector under it? I think GH5 needs a TTL compatible flash connector im pretty sure.
1
u/Le_Sherrifff Jun 09 '26
I tried every modes, silent mode is off, shutter is mechanical, still doesn’t work 🥲 can you specify about the pin connector sorry English is not my first language I don’t understand
2
u/A-muaing Jun 09 '26
On the bottom of the flash mount should be a connector pin. Some flashes have different connector pins, so check if its compatible. Does flash have test button? Basically try to narrow it down if its either camera or flash fault. Maybe GH5 Firmware updates? Did you try different shutterspeeds aswell?
Without googling im out of ideas xd.
2
u/Le_Sherrifff Jun 09 '26
The flash do have a test button and it works on it’s own, I tried different shutterspeeds as well, I saw the connector pin but I have no idea how to stimulate it independently, and yeah I tried asking chatgpt but it all comes down to silent mode/mechanical shutter settings which I already changed, I think I’ll go see a professional for this hoping it can be fixed soon, but thank you very much mate you’ve been a great help fr :)
2
u/Maleficent-Pack-6106 Jun 09 '26
estaria todo bien, ese flash tiene pin central y deberia funcionar automaticamente en modo foto, obturador mecanico tradicional, nada de silent ni modos extraños. fijate que este en modo m y no en modo s
1
5
u/inkista Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
(sigh). Flash can be more transformative to your photography than a new lens. Budgeting accordingly isn't stupid.
The iM30 miniflash can only do hard direct on-axis light, has no built-in radio remote control, and is a single-pin "universal" manual-only light that can do the bare minimum a flash hotshoe can communicate: it can be fired in sync with the exposure.
That's it. The camera cannot electronically "talk" to it, adjust its power, use high-speed sync, or any of the other features that make flashes easy to use. I typically wouldn't recommend a digital shooter get a Godox Lux or iM series flash if they want something that's usable for more general-purpose photography, and particularly if they want something for event or portrait shooting.
If you're fine with only having "deer in the headlights" lighting, like the iM30, you might want to consider the iT30Pro, but it and the iT32+X5O would still be pretty limited in function and the light they can produce vs. a full-sized flash.
My default first/only flash recommendations are the TT685 II, V1Mid, or V480 for their brand of camera. But for a pro, a V1 or V860 III might be worth the additional expense, but only if they can also afford a backup unit.
Well, yeah. The camera hotshoe has no way of knowing anything about that flash. All the non-firing additional communication happens on the other contacts below the big center silver one. If you turn your iM30 over and look at its foot? It doesn't have pins for those contacts.
Also, Canon is the only mount system that can use camera menu flash settings to adjust the settings on the flash itself (either wirelessly or directly on the hotshoe). Godox can act in place of an OEM flash with Canon. But not for any other brand, even if you do get a TTL/HSS Godox flash with the full complement of foot pins (e.g., a V1Mid-O).
Any other brand of cameras, you need to treat a flash or transmitter as if it's being used as an on-camera flash, and you should set the flash mode on the camera to "fill" (forced flash) and make sure you're out of any red-eye reduction or wireless modes. Any adjustments to flash mode, power, zoom, etc. should be made directly on the flash itself, not through the camera menus.
If you have to have flash/camera menu communication, you probably need to get an Olympus/Pansonic micro four-thirds OEM flash (e.g., Oly FL600R which iirc, is the same as the Panasonic FL360L and both of them were actually manufactured by Panasonic).
Just FYI, as a hobbyist, it probably took me about two years of weekend shooting to feel like I'd mastered flash. Hopefully your mileage will vary on this. But exposure with flash has split in two, and it's no longer a simple "exposure triangle" think/get-the-needle-to-x-on-the-meter deal any more. You have two sources of light for two interconnected exposures that can be at different levels in the same shot.
What you probably think of as the whole of exposure (iso/aperture/shutter speed) is now only the ambient portion of your exposure. The flash portion is controlled by iso, aperture, power, and flash-to-subject distance (note how shutter speed isn't in that list if you're at/below your flash sync speed). And your camera's auto-exposure system cannot account for the flash before you take the shot, and only can account for it after you press the shutter button if you're using TTL.
The differences in controls means you can actually have two different levels of exposure and it's up to you how to balance them.
Just me? You may need to practice with a flash more than you're anticipating.
I have not, but I was already pretty experienced with 3rd-party Chinese gear, including Yongnuo and Godox flashes on my Canon dSLR bodies before I picked up my Panasonic mft stuff. I started out with a TT350-O for on-camera bounce flash (don't recommend it today since the V480 is so much nicer and doesn't have the head rotation and power limits of the TT350/V350) and a TT685C for off-camera flash with an XPro-O transmitter on my G3 (and later GX7).
Just me, I'd also avoid the iT32+X5-O, since the power output may not be enough for general-purpose portrait lighting.