Flashbulbs a good alternative

M. Axel Wikstrom · Jan 30, 2019

Just got back from a trip to Europe where, instead of bringing a speedlight, to save space and weight I used an old Honeywell Tilt-a-Mite with my M3. Worked great! More versatile and easier on batteries than a speedlight; even with the smallest AG1 bulbs it had tons more power than a similar size electronic flash. Using an ultra wide lens in a small space, by not using the reflector and opening the aperture a couple additional stops the flashbulb was able to illuminate the entire field of view. Another advantage was that I could use faster shutter speeds with my focal plane shutter than would be possible with an electronic flash.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with them for other applications such as night landscapes with a view camera using very large flashbulbs.

AgX · Jan 31, 2019

Cameras can be miniaturized more than electronic flashes, though these flashes shrunk substantially since the 40s. But if you want something in the range of GNm of 40 for let's say a Minox , then carrying an electronic flash is absurd, as long as you need only few flash exposures.

But whereas AG1B bulbs are still easy and cheap to get, acquiring super-bulbs for stationary LF photography with cheap electronic flashes readily available seems to me contraproductive aside for nostalgia, what of course is a main cause for what we are doing...

BrianShaw · Jan 31, 2019

Yup... there’s a lotta light in those bulbs!

Nokton48 · Jan 31, 2019

They smell good too after they pop.

M. Axel Wikstrom · Jan 31, 2019

AgX said:
But whereas AG1B bulbs are still easy and cheap to get, acquiring super-bulbs for stationary LF photography with cheap electronic flashes readily available seems to me contraproductive aside for nostalgia, what of course is a main cause for what we are doing...

To equal the power of one or two very large flashbulbs used to light up a relatively large outdoor landscape, electronic flash would be both cost-prohibitive and require several assistants to carry the strobes and batteries! A couple large flashbulbs with hardware store reflectors and sockets, and a 9-volt battery to trigger them would be a small fraction of the cost and weight.

Of course in my studio I always use strobes.

AgX · Jan 31, 2019

Used portable electronic flashes are dirt cheap today. Thus I would say the turning point for the use of electronic flashes would be where you use more than one super-bulb.

Another aspect would be that the majority of portable electronic flashes without modification only yield directed lighting. Thus if omnidirectional lighting is needed, a bulb got benefits.

But of course a super-bulb could be easily substituted by several common miniature flash bulbs, with as disadvantage only a little more hassle.

M. Axel Wikstrom · Jan 31, 2019

AgX said:
Used portable electronic flashes are dirt cheap today. Thus I would say the turning point for the use of electronic flashes would be where you use more than one super-bulb.

Another aspect would be that the majority of portable electronic flashes without modification only yield directed lighting. Thus if omnidirectional lighting is needed, a bulb got benefits.

But of course a super-bulb could be easily substituted by several common miniature flash bulbs, with as disadvantage only a little more hassle.

That's right. And the more complicated and heavy things get, the less photogenic subjects tend to become the further from the car one has to walk!

I have a portable monolight that gets used quite often, but it's still too bulky and heavy for me to carry very far - even with its lightweight lithium battery pack.

OptiKen · Jan 31, 2019

I love using traditional flash bulbs. Watching your subject try to focus after a shot is hilarious.

M. Axel Wikstrom · Jan 31, 2019

OptiKen said:
I love using traditional flash bulbs. Watching your subject try to focus after a shot is hilarious.

They are bright!

I also like blowing the smoke away that they sometimes produce - like -007 blowing the smoke away from the muzzle of his gun after a shootout.

M. Axel Wikstrom · Jan 31, 2019

AgX · Jan 31, 2019

Another issue is the light fall-off, of whatever light source. Thus when lighting landscapes it can be benefitial to use several light sources staggered than one powerfull single one.

OptiKen · Jan 31, 2019

Axel: What flash unit is that?

AgX · Jan 31, 2019

Honeywell Tilt-A-Mite

OptiKen · Jan 31, 2019

AgX said:
Honeywell Tilt-A-Mite

Thank you

AgX · Jan 31, 2019

OptiKen said:
I love using traditional flash bulbs. Watching your subject try to focus after a shot is hilarious.

What bulbs are you using?

The bulbs common over here have the same output (as integral) as the current seperate electronic flashes. However the electronic flashes have shorter duration even unswitched and typically are switched off prematurely. The same time their luminosity peak is higher than that of the bulbs.

jim10219 · Jan 31, 2019

Flash bulbs are the tool of choice among serious spelunking photographers due to their output and portability, or so I've read.

wiltw · Jan 31, 2019

Got these for sale...the most expsensive part is the shipping cost you need to cover!

DWThomas · Jan 31, 2019

I was thinking folks in historic buildings might panic over possible fire hazard -- but then with more thought, such bulbs have been used so little in the last few decades many folks won't even realize what they are!

In late 2017 I visited the O. Winston Link museum in Roanoke, Virginia. He was famous for night shots of the last of steam powered railroading on the Norfolk & Western. They had a video showing some of the preparation he did with as many as fifty or sixty reflectors, some using multiples of the big bulbs, and a mile or more of cable. Serious projects!

M. Axel Wikstrom · Jan 31, 2019

AgX said:
Another issue is the light fall-off, of whatever light source. Thus when lighting landscapes it can be benefitial to use several light sources staggered than one powerfull single one.

I'd treat it the same as any lighting challenge. Only the size/scope would change.

PCGraflex · Feb 14, 2019

Nokton48 said:
They smell good too after they pop.

+1

Flashbulbs a good alternative

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