Speed Grahic flash. Does anyone still use?

sajianphotos · Oct 27, 2005

I found a bunch of 5 and 25 series bulds and been thinking about using them on my Speed Graphic. It's been years (a lot of 'em) since I used bulbs on my Mom's old Kodak. Anyone still use bulbs? Why? Or should I just sell my old three cell holder for to a Star Wars fan for a light laser and use my strobe?

MattCarey · Oct 27, 2005

My brother bought a life-time supply of bulbs about a year ago. You might say, "well, no bulbs is a life-time supply!"

Anyway, they give out a ton of light. Check the guide numbers for them. Ouch!

Also, if you want to sync to the body (curtain) shutter in your speed, you will need the bulbs.

Matt

RichSBV · Oct 27, 2005

Deffinitely try them, especially at a gathering of people. Make sure you have them all look at the camera when you trip the shutter ;-)

Dave Wooten · Oct 27, 2005

John, (J & C) has them in stock...good for street stuff...the vintage Wee Gee look...

MattCarey · Oct 27, 2005

RichSBV said:
Deffinitely try them, especially at a gathering of people. Make sure you have them all look at the camera when you trip the shutter ;-)

I remember as a kid getting family portraits done. We would all say "catch the cookie" as the afterburn image of the flash floated in our eyes.

Matt

127 · Oct 27, 2005

We were after some flashcubes to try out with a Rollei A110, and asked a local photodealer we know if he had any. He said he'd put aside any that turned up. A few months later he gave us a HUGE bag of asorted cubes and bulbs including some BIG ones - No charge We still haven't had a chance to sort them out yet (but if there's a fire in our house that room is TOASTED!).

There are plenty around. Why not try them out? Either for fun, or figure out a way to use them in a way thats different to the shot you'd get with electronic flash - a long(er) exposure perhaps?

Ian

kwmullet · Oct 27, 2005

sajianphotos said:
I found a bunch of 5 and 25 series bulds and been thinking about using them on my Speed Graphic. It's been years (a lot of 'em) since I used bulbs on my Mom's old Kodak. Anyone still use bulbs? Why? Or should I just sell my old three cell holder for to a Star Wars fan for a light laser and use my strobe?

Hell, let the Star Wars fans fabricate their own light sabres, don't give up pieces of history -- useable pieces of history, yet, to those ends.

Aside from the reasons that have already been mentioned to use flash bulbs, you'll know the instant you use one and you here that POP...sizzle that the sound of a flashbulb augments the soul... well, at least comforts it.

-KwM-

bobfowler · Oct 27, 2005

MattCarey said:
I remember as a kid getting family portraits done. We would all say "catch the cookie" as the afterburn image of the flash floated in our eyes.

Matt

Reading this reminded me of something that, as a kid, I loved about flash bulbs... the smell! Yeah, it sounds strange, but I always liked the smell of a just fired Press 25...

OK, I'm weird...

reellis67 · Oct 27, 2005

I use them for cave photography. I have a small stock (~100-125) right now in various strengths, and wouldn't give them up for anything.

- Randy

kwmullet · Oct 27, 2005

it probably bears mentioning that http://flashbulbs.com/ carries an extensive inventory of new stock (not recently manufactured, but bulbs that have never been sold to end-users).

MattCarey · Oct 27, 2005

127 said:
We were after some flashcubes to try out with a Rollei A110

I remember as a kid finding my parents flash cubes and cheap flashcube camera. Being curious, I played with it until I found that the cubes were fired by pressing something against a wire inside the cube....So, I sat there with a flash cube and a butter knife. Of course I had to watch what I was doing....you guessed it--FLASH! while looking directly at the cube.

I'd like to say I only did this once...

Matt

MattCarey · Oct 27, 2005

kwmullet said:
it probably bears mentioning that http://flashbulbs.com/ carries an extensive inventory of new stock (not recently manufactured, but bulbs that have never been sold to end-users).

They guy who sold my brother his stash (a couple of boxes---each box containing dozens and dozens of bulbs) told me this bit--he contacted someone online--I assumed it was flashbulbs.com--and offered to sell him the bulbs. I gather that the demand is not that high, because the offer was refused.

I think my brother got the cubes for <$1 a dozen. Or, he will average that amount if I ever give him the second box!

Matt

sajianphotos · Oct 27, 2005

Thanks ya'll, good advice. For the record I really wouldn't let the beauty go for a toy (light saber). But it's amazing - I saw one on ebay in a fancy case all looking real futuristic at $300 last I saw.
http://www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/accessories.html#Flashes
says this...
"The earlier Graflex series 3-cell flash was used as the handle of the &quit;light saber" in Star Wars. The flash units are disappearing from the used market, bought up by Star Wars enthusiasts who them convert them into light saber props and sell them for hundreds of dollars."
Otta be a law against it!
I cleaned the thing up and got it working the other night and proudly popped of a bulb to impress my wife. Once she gets her sight back I think she'll start talking to me again.
Anyway I appreciate the feed back.

sajianphotos · Oct 27, 2005

MattCarey said:
Also, if you want to sync to the body (curtain) shutter in your speed, you will need the bulbs.

Matt

How is this done?

sajianphotos · Oct 27, 2005

How's this for sacrelage?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-built-li...ryZ99971QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

MattCarey · Oct 27, 2005

sajianphotos said:
How is this done?

I haven't tried it, but I was given this advise here on APUG.
This was discussed in this thread--

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Matt

sajianphotos · Oct 27, 2005

Thanks Matt,
That was an interesting thread.

gordrob · Oct 28, 2005

If you really want to impress someone try using 3 bulb flash heads together with the big #3 bulbs - each with a guide number of 550 for ISO 100. You can light an auditorium with this set up.
Check this link for a good idea of what can be accomplished with bulb flash (43 bulbs) - probably a feat that couldn't be duplicated with electronic flash at the same cost. Page 2 on this site shows some of his flash heads.
http://www.soulcatcherstudio.com/artists/link.html

Gord

Chazzy · Oct 28, 2005

I wish that I could remember the details, but I recall that Edward Steichen took a very impressive picture of an aircraft carrier at night using a large number of flash bulbs. I can't remember whether any planes were landing or taking off at the time, but all those flash bulbs going off would not have improved anyone's night vision! Maybe someone who has that _Steichen at War_ book can provide more details.

kwmullet · Oct 28, 2005

sajianphotos said:
How's this for sacrelage?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-built-lightsaber-original-Graflex-flash-handel_W0QQitemZ6571971422QQcategoryZ99971QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hopefully, a small industry of people un-starwarring Graflex flash units will spring up.

MattCarey · Oct 28, 2005

gordrob said:
If you really want to impress someone try using 3 bulb flash heads together with the big #3 bulbs - each with a guide number of 550 for ISO 100. You can light an auditorium with this set up.
Check this link for a good idea of what can be accomplished with bulb flash (43 bulbs) - probably a feat that couldn't be duplicated with electronic flash at the same cost. Page 2 on this site shows some of his flash heads.
http://www.soulcatcherstudio.com/artists/link.html

Gord

There is a 7 (I think) bulb flash in the old Burke and James catalogue. I posted a picture of it to a thread once--must be blinding! Bulbs weren't exactly cheap either.

Matt

gordrob · Oct 28, 2005

Meggaflash in Ireland http://www.meggaflash.com/ still manufactures some of the larger bulbs. Looks like one of the main users is the cavers because of the light output in the larger caves. There are some interesting cave pictures on their website. Myself I still prefer the open air as opposed to being underground
Gord

reellis67 · Oct 29, 2005

O. Winston Link did a lot of really great work with homebrew flashbulb relflectors. Some of his shots took 40-50 bulbs. And those Megaflash bulbs are amazing. On their site they describe them as 'detonating' How cool is that?! Kind of like the flash on the Coneheads movie where everybody got a sunburn...

- Randy

JHannon · Oct 29, 2005

reellis67 said:
O. Winston Link did a lot of really great work with homebrew flashbulb relflectors. Some of his shots took 40-50 bulbs. And those Megaflash bulbs are amazing. On their site they describe them as 'detonating' How cool is that?! Kind of like the flash on the Coneheads movie where everybody got a sunburn...

- Randy

I love the one he did with the drive in theatre and the train going by. You can see some of the array of flash units if you look closely..

John

gordrob · Oct 29, 2005

There is an exhibition of his work - 100 photographs - at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk Virginia until the end of December
http://www.chrysler.org/press/owinstonlink.asp

Speed Grahic flash. Does anyone still use?

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