So Flash Bulbs are BRIGHT?! Anyone still using them?

BrianShaw · Nov 29, 2017

bvy said:
I was aware that shutter speed enters back into the picture with bulbs. I'm still floored by the amount of light that is.

So now I'm shopping for a flash gun. The one I got is a little Polaroid jobbie with a funny plug. Recommendations?

There are many sources that describe and depict shutter speed effect on flash bulb light getting to the film. I think “shutter efficiency “ is an operative search term. The graphs really depict the story.

Get a 3-bulb Graflite. The 7-inch reflector is for bigger bulbs. The 5-inch reflector is for 5/25 bulbs. Shop carefully and don’t be in a big rush to find a good one at s good price.

GRHazelton · Nov 29, 2017

I recall back when I was shooting for my high school newspaper using a Kodak BC flash unit which loaded 5 M 2 bulbs in a plastic disk into a reflector unit. After each shot you pulled the back of the unit and rotated it to bring up the next bulb. Much better than juggling spent and fresh bulbs. The only drawback was the size of the unit!

Sirius Glass · Nov 29, 2017

BrianShaw said:
There are many sources that describe and depict shutter speed effect on flash bulb light getting to the film. I think “shutter efficiency “ is an operative search term. The graphs really depict the story.

Get a 3-bulb Graflite. The 7-inch reflector is for bigger bulbs. The 5-inch reflector is for 5/25 bulbs. Shop carefully and don’t be in a big rush to find a good one at s good price.

Did you mean three battery not three bulb?

Truzi · Nov 29, 2017

I'd used flash cubes when I was a kid - around 7 or 8 years old before I got a camera with electronic flash.

Recently I got a View Master Personal camera and flash, so finally got to experience flashbulbs - M2, M3, and #5. Much brighter than anything I'd used before. I'm glad I'm the one taking the pictures.

AgX · Nov 29, 2017

We should not overlook that even small bulbs as AG3 are more volume-effective if only few exposures are needed than even a modern electronic GNm 40 flash.

pathdoc · Nov 29, 2017

mjork said:
One important difference to electronic flash is that the duration of flashbulb output is much longer. So instead of freezing motion you can get some blur. See this picture I took with a flashcube and Polaroid Land camera. In addition to the panning used, you also get a sense of movement due to the spinning wheels:

Flyby by Markus Jork, on Flickr

Against this, isn't the long burst duration supposed to allow you to use much higher shutter speeds, at least with SLRs?

Sirius Glass · Nov 29, 2017

pathdoc said:
Against this, isn't the long burst duration supposed to allow you to use much higher shutter speeds, at least with SLRs?

Yes and it works with rangefinders and TLRs too.

mjork · Nov 29, 2017

pathdoc said:
Against this, isn't the long burst duration supposed to allow you to use much higher shutter speeds, at least with SLRs?

With shutter speeds longer than 1/50 or 1/30, you pretty much capture the full burst of the flashbulb (assuming your typical class M bulb). At faster shutter speeds, the duration of the flash burst is longer than the shutter opening, so some of the flashbulb output is wasted. Consequently, the guide number goes down as the shutter speeds get faster.
This assumes leaf shutters. With focal plane shutters and fast shutter speeds, you run into the problem with the moving curtain opening that only exposes some area of the film at any one time. That means the flash burst must be long enough to produce light as long as the curtain is open anywhere over the film. There are FP class bulbs that have an extra long flash burst to help with this. But depending on the camera, a class M bulb might be good enough.

bsdunek · Nov 29, 2017

I'm a little suprised how many are using flashbulbs. I use AG1 & AG1B bulbs with my Minox flash gun. Work great. People look at me and wonder "what was that?". I've got a pretty good supply buying off eBay.

alanrockwood · Nov 29, 2017

I have some old cameras, and sometimes I use flashbulbs. I bought them at ebay. You can find flash guns on ebay that have a foldable reflector and take AG1 flash bulbs. Some (probably most) of them will also take certain other flash bulbs that use a different base.

One challenge with using flash bulbs will be to find a camera that will synchronize them properly. Old cameras generally have a setting or connector for the right sort of flash synchronization. Modern cameras probably do not. I think most modern cameras only have X synchronization, i.e. for electronic flash.

mjork · Nov 29, 2017

BrianShaw said:
There are many sources that describe and depict shutter speed effect on flash bulb light getting to the film. I think “shutter efficiency “ is an operative search term. The graphs really depict the story.

Get a 3-bulb Graflite. The 7-inch reflector is for bigger bulbs. The 5-inch reflector is for 5/25 bulbs. Shop carefully and don’t be in a big rush to find a good one at s good price.

Yes, the 3-cell Graflite with 5" reflector is a good choice. I have multiple of those and made my own extension cables to fire more than one simultaneously. Below is an example with two flashguns, one directly aimed at the subject and the other one bounced off the wall/ceiling. Because of the large light output, I could use an f/22 aperture.

Cholentpot · Nov 29, 2017

I got a bag of bulbs but no gun. Always wanted to blind some poor relatives with them. Maybe show up to a wedding and spit some bulbs out on the floor to remind the old folks of the bad 'ol days.

Patrick Robert James · Nov 29, 2017

bvy said:
Maybe I'm fantasizing but that seems to have a very different look than what I would expect from a modern flash.

I've noticed the same. The color seems to be so pure.

Kinda wish I wouldn't have converted that Graflex flash into a lamp.... it is a cool lamp though. Lol.

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

pathdoc said:
Against this, isn't the long burst duration supposed to allow you to use much higher shutter speeds, at least with SLRs?

With focal plane shutters only if the flash duration is as long as the shutter travel time. There have been indeed long burning bulbs.

Paul Howell · Nov 30, 2017

When shooting Nikon F I usually carried a small electronic flash and a GE flash gun with tilt and a few M3 and 5, when I needed a lot of light. I still a few dozen M3, and couple of M5 clear. Thinking about shooting the desert at night, Mamyia Press 100MM and bulbs.

GRHazelton · Nov 30, 2017

Older cameras with focal plane shutters, like my Pentax Spotmatic F, usually had a PC socket marked FP in addition to one marked X. These were for, of course, Focal Plane flashbulbs, which burned long enough to cover the shutter travel of most focal plane shutters. I don't know about big shutters, like on a Speed Graphic. These bulbs allowed using all of the available shutter speeds. IIRC they were more expensive than the usual M sync bulbs.

benveniste · Nov 30, 2017

bvy said:
Maybe I'm fantasizing but that seems to have a very different look than what I would expect from a modern flash.

I don't know how much it would have mattered on this particular shot, but because of the BC-7's reflector the light is a bit "softer" than from an electronic flash without some sort of softbox modifier. It might be worth experimenting once we set up the tree again this year.

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

To evalute the "softness" of a flash due to its reflector, the size and distance of the object is to be taken into account.

rjbuzzclick · Nov 30, 2017

Cholentpot said:
...Maybe show up to a wedding and spit some bulbs out on the floor to remind the old folks of the bad 'ol days.

...or temporarily blind a couch-full of kids at Christmas time!

bvy · Nov 30, 2017

Wet food and blind children. I love where this is going...

Will probably post a WTB for a flash gun soon.

baachitraka · Nov 30, 2017

Are there any manufactures of bulbs in Germany? or in Europe?

AgX · Nov 30, 2017

Yes, there is. Actually the only worldwide: Meggaflash
But they meanwhile only offer 3 (uncommon) types. And only on request. No shop.

To feed our flashes we have to buy old stock.

Punker · Nov 30, 2017

Funny this topic should come up. In the last few months I've become obsessed with flashbulbs. Bought a couple folding reflector guns and some various bulbs on eBay. Looking forward to taking them out and about. I've even gone so far as to look at what sort of pouch I would need to carry with me to pop spent bulbs into.

Right now I've been using my Yashica Mat 124 with a bay 1 Rolleiflash and Number 5/25B bulbs.

Indoors they are crazy bright. This is using Ektar 100 @ f/22 for 1/500s (Guide Number 100):

But they make a great fill flash. Reminds me of the look of the carbon arc lights they used in movies in the 70s and 80s. I didn't do any GN calculations. Just Sunny 16. Also Ektar. (Unfortunately the blink)

Sirius Glass · Nov 30, 2017

GRHazelton said:
Older cameras with focal plane shutters, like my Pentax Spotmatic F, usually had a PC socket marked FP in addition to one marked X. These were for, of course, Focal Plane flashbulbs, which burned long enough to cover the shutter travel of most focal plane shutters. I don't know about big shutters, like on a Speed Graphic. These bulbs allowed using all of the available shutter speeds. IIRC they were more expensive than the usual M sync bulbs.

For focal plane shutters like the Speed Graphic one uses FP bulbs.

Jayd · Nov 30, 2017

With very few exceptions you can only use 1/30 & 1/60 with focal plane shutters, with leaf shutters as stated speed is not much of a consideration.
Jay
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So Flash Bulbs are BRIGHT?! Anyone still using them?

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