Flash bulbs.

[Mike Kennedy]

Could anyone tell me the correct bulbs to purchase for a Honeywell Tilt-A-Mite flash. I was given 2 different units and would like to have a go at bulb photography.

Thanks

 

[bdial]

AG1 is likely. What does the socket look like?

 

[removed account4]

hi mike

someone on PN suggests M3B bulbs ...
Dead Link Removed

good luck!

john

 

[BrianShaw]

My recollection is M bulbs: M3 or M3B.

 

[dickie vaara]

I have a bulb flash for an old Argus C3 camera...where is a good place to purchase these items?

Richard

 

[Jim Jones]

I have a bulb flash for an old Argus C3 camera...where is a good place to purchase these items?

Richard

Flash bulbs are often available on ebay.

 

[harveyje]

I agree with the M3 bulbs - they did have a base of sorts. The AG1 bulbs came later and were incorporated in the strip of bulbs which fitted some cameras of the era.

 

[Chaska]

definitely M3, that's what i use in my tilt-a-mite. btw make sure you have the battery (photobattery.com) it is a weird 15volt. It works great with my Retina 2a.

 

[3Dfan]

I think bulbs are still made in Ireland, but are very expensive.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

I usually get my M3/M2/M5/P25 bulbs from eBay at reasonable cost. One thing to bear in mind with bulbs, is that even when used with leaf shutters, they don't have a constant guide number between shutter speeds (I think you have a Yashica D, Mike?). That's because they take much longer to burn than an electronic flash, so that their full outputis over a duration much longer than the 1/1000s (1/10,000s?) of the flash. It took me a while to understand that, so I thought I'd pass the knowledge around.

The flipside of it, is that you might be able to use them at a higher sync speed than the recommended 1/30s on a focal plane shutter small format camera. AFAIK, real "focal plane" bulbs were designed for large format shutters like that of the Speed Graphic, which takes much longer to complete its travel than the shutter of a small format camera.

Finally, if you want a classic flashgun for bigger bulbs (like the M5/P25), don't bother for the Graflex star wars one, they're all sold to the nerds. Get a Kalart instead, nobody knows about them, and they look nearly as cool on an old camera. It needs only two "C" batteries, which are much easier to find than the 22v of the tilt-a-mite.

 

[BrianShaw]

I think bulbs are still made in Ireland, but are very expensive.

I believe they are only making the screw-base type bulbs (No 22, and larger). They are hideously expensive - like $6 each.

I once heard a rumor that No 5/25 bulbs were being made in China but that rumor seems to be not true. Drat.

 

[BrianShaw]

One thing to bear in mind with bulbs, is that even when used with leaf shutters, they don't have a constant guide number between shutter speeds.

The best resource I have found to help with this issue is the 1970's-era Kodak Master PhotoGuide (the blue cover book). There is a calculator that helps sort out the myriad of variables - bulb type, reflector type, shutter speed, distance, and aperture. I've found it to be "dead on" 99% of the time.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

The best resource I have found to help with this issue is the 1970's-era Kodak Master PhotoGuide (the blue cover book). There is a calculator that helps sort out the myriad of variables - bulb type, reflector type, shutter speed, distance, and aperture. I've found it to be "dead on" 99% of the time.

Is that a companion book to the Darkroom Dataguides? I have an old Master Darkroom Dataguide which I just love to no end.

I also use the GN charts on bulb boxes when they have the speeds that I use (if I'm lucky they will have ASA 400 !).

 

[fotch]

I have some camera store new old stock from the eighties.
All in original boxes.

GE M3-B (blue) Box/12
Sylvania Magicubes 3 cubes/12 Flashes
Sylvania Flash Bar 10 Flashes for use with Flash Bar Camera
Sylvania Flash 600 10 Flashes for use with Polaroid Amigo 600 cameras

If anyone has an interest, send me an email.
Thanks

 

[Lopaka]

Another possible source:

http://www.flashbulbs.com

I have never done business there, so I don't know how reliable...

Bob

 

[BrianShaw]

Is that a companion book to the Darkroom Dataguides? I have an old Master Darkroom Dataguide which I just love to no end.

The book I refer to is in the same series. I made a mistake, however, on the title -- it should be Kodak Professional Photoguide. Mine is 1st edition, 1977 printing. The preface mentions some overlap with the Darkroom Dataguide and the Color Dataguide.

The Kodak Master Photoguide was a smaller book (the copy I have is silver and printed in 1982). I find the tables in that guide to be less informative than in the Professional PhotoGuide.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Could anyone tell me the correct bulbs to purchase for a Honeywell Tilt-A-Mite flash. I was given 2 different units and would like to have a go at bulb photography.

Thanks

My Tilt-a-mite takes both M3 and AG-1 bulbs. The lamp receptacle has a built-in spring loaded adapter which retracts when an M3 bulb is fitted.

Regarding batteries, you can take out the old B-C unit (if the old wierd 15V battery is still there, and remove the capacitor as well) and rewire it for a 6V 4LR44 alkaline cell. This is what I did with my flash gun. 6V is enough to fire both AG-1 and M3 flashbulbs.

Jay

 

[gordrob]

Here are some of the best sites for flash bulb information. The graflex site has good information and some bulb charts as well as a good link to the O. Winston Link site that shows what could be done with bulbs. Meggaflash has some grest pictures in their gallery as well.

http://graflex.org/flash/
http://www.flashbulbs.com/index.shtml
http://www.meggaflash.com

GE put out a booklet in the early 1950s called "GE Photo-Lamp Data" that provide a lot of information on their bulbs and how to use them. You can still find copies of these booklets in used bookstores.

 

[vanspaendonck]

The book I refer to is in the same series. I made a mistake, however, on the title -- it should be Kodak Professional Photoguide. Mine is 1st edition, 1977 printing. The preface mentions some overlap with the Darkroom Dataguide and the Color Dataguide.

The Kodak Master Photoguide was a smaller book (the copy I have is silver and printed in 1982). I find the tables in that guide to be less informative than in the Professional PhotoGuide.

Haha, after reading your post I bought the Kodak Master Photoguide off eBay using the buy-it-now option. Oh well, $ 9,99 won't break the bank, but now I have to go look for the Professional Photoguide. I have this Crown Graphic with a Graflite flash and a carton with about 80 Westinghouse #11 bulbs you see, and at around $ 2 a piece they are a little too expensive to just guess shutter speed/guide number. (BTW www.flashbulbs.com lists them at $ 6.25 each!)

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

The book I refer to is in the same series. I made a mistake, however, on the title -- it should be Kodak Professional Photoguide. Mine is 1st edition, 1977 printing. The preface mentions some overlap with the Darkroom Dataguide and the Color Dataguide.

The Kodak Master Photoguide was a smaller book (the copy I have is silver and printed in 1982). I find the tables in that guide to be less informative than in the Professional PhotoGuide.

That's OK, I'm just getting both from feeBay...

 

[David H. Bebbington]

Since no one else has mentioned it, I will just say that in Europe most people used the Philips names for bulbs, so instead of M3 they said PF1B (B meaning blue), or PF5B for extra oomph. The Tilt-a-mite certainly looks as if takes M3 (PF1) and AG-1 bulbs.
This guy seems to have a lot of bulbs:
Dead Link Removed
Holland was the right place to get Philips bulbs!

 

[ricardo12458]

Regarding batteries, you can take out the old B-C unit (if the old wierd 15V battery is still there, and remove the capacitor as well) and rewire it for a 6V 4LR44 alkaline cell. This is what I did with my flash gun. 6V is enough to fire both AG-1 and M3 flashbulbs.

Jay

How would I go about rewiring the flashgun?

 

[rainbowstew]

I would not suggest that. Those 15 volt batteries can be gotten pretty easily from electronics stores (Radio Shack, etc.)

 

[rainbowstew]

The Tilt-A-Mite will take bayonet-base bulbs (such as #5 or #25), M-base bulbs, (M2, M3, etc.) and AG-base bulbs (AG1, AG3). Yes, that's right, it will take all 3 types.

 

[brianmquinn]

For flashbulb info try here.
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/flashes_meters.htm
Look for
GE Flashbulb Data 1961
http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/ge_photolamp_1961_data.pdf

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