Today I had a minor revelation.

It's easy to put my E-520 into 2nd curtain sync mode with any flash, even a non-dedicated non-TTL studio strobe (which I have connected to my camera via a hotshoe to PC adapter). I learned this about two weeks ago.

So Evan calls me into the studio to try to help him figure out his problem, because I seem to be the resident technical gearhead. After a little fiddling around, and then a quick Google search, I learned that with the Canon Rebel XSI, it is impossible to use 2nd curtain sync without using a dedicated Canon flashgun (our studio is using a collection of Ellinchrom 600rx monolights, which are AC powered and exclusively go on a light stand--they're in a completely different league from hotshoe-mounted speedlights)

It is possible to put the popup flash of the XSI into 2nd curtain sync mode, however once you plug in that hotshoe adapter, the camera's system blocks you from making any changes to the flash on account that it is "not a recognized flash". Basically, there is a switch that detects whether or not there is something in the hotshoe. If what is in the hotshoe doesn't have the Canon TTL contacts, then there is no hope.

For those who don't know, 2nd curtain sync fires the flash at the end of the exposure rather than at the beginning. This is beneficial for showing motion in long exposures: if you photograph a moving car at night with 2nd curtain sync, then there will be a trail of light behind the strobed car, which shows a more natural sense of motion. Without 2nd curtain sync, the trail of light will be in front of the car.

I also find it useful for doing self-portraits (like the two recent ones I have up), because I find the strobe to be a slightly easier to detect cue than the sound of the shutter close for when I can move (especially when I have a fan in the studio making the place sound like an airstrip).

So at the same (low) price point, Olympus appears to make a superior camera to Canon for studio shooting. At least for this one feature. This is no doubt moot when you move up into higher pricepoints, where cameras have inbuilt PC sync ports.