How about flash bulbs?

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CajunCC

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I've got a Nikon BC-4 flash gun that fits my Nikon SP. It has a fresh battery, a fresh capacitor, and four old but unused GE #5 flash bulbs.

Anyone have experience shooting with old-school flash? I'd love to fire a few frames with it, but I'm not really sure what to expect. I can use the dial on the back of the flash to figure out exposure, so I'm not worried about that. I guess I just don't want to waste the bulbs since I've only got four of them.

So what are these things like, as far as power and quality of light are concerned? The bulbs are clear, not blue, which seems to be more for black and white shots (the blue being corrected for color). I assume the clear bulbs will give me a light similar to a bright incandescent bulb then?\

I'd love to see some shots made with flash bulbs too, so have at it if you've got 'em! When I finally muster up the cajones to use some of these bulbs, I'll definitely post mine.

And of course, a picture of the goods:
nikon-sp-flash.jpg
 
Probably the best source on info and product is this site:

http://www.flashbulbs.com/index.shtml

But be aware although not nude the site has a number of well endowed females in bikinis that have apparently been purchased a couple of sizes small.
But I don't know of another site selling flash powder and suppling the major Hollywood studios.
 
Flashbulbs come up on Ebay. And don't burn yourself handling hot bulbs. The mark of a pro photog used to be blistered fingers and burn marks on jacket pockets.
 
mrb said:
Flashbulbs come up on Ebay. And don't burn yourself handling hot bulbs. The mark of a pro photog used to be blistered fingers and burn marks on jacket pockets.
Click to expand...

Wow. I figured they got hot, but i wouldn't have guessed they got THAT hot. Glad I didn't find that out the hard way. 😀
 
hepcat said:
You can expect the glass bulb to warp and melt some. They get that hot.
Click to expand...

Hepcat,

Did you ever see this in the Photographer's Mate 3&2 RTM? "Picture an individual walking across the flight deck with a pocket full of loose flash bulbs. Imagine his surprise and discomfort when he walks into a radar beam." 😱 I may not have quoted it exactly, but I'm pretty sure I'm close. This was from Photographer's Mate 3&2 1966 edition.
 
Flashbulbs are FUN.

Flashbulbs are FUN.

Here is my original Minolta Electroflash Bulb Gun, mounted on my SRT101 Minolta.

Good for annoying my kids at XMAS😱
 

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Here's one I fired off years ago...just wanted to check out the flash bracket I've had for a while...

DSCF8951.jpg
Sylvania P25 bulb

DSCF8958.jpg
Heiland Research Flash

And Yes it was hot...
Don't forget to set your Flash Sync to "B"
 
I covered highschool basketball and wrestling with these and a Yashicamat. They put out an INCREDIBLE amount of light, as some wrestlers from the opposing team can verify...a blinding amount of light. They are also quite hot when you pop them out of the flashgun. In the 70s they were coated with plastic so as not to shatter, and that is the melted, bubbly surface. I'm not sure the glass itself ever melted. But they can burn you. I've seen bulbs for sale on the site listed above. I believe that new production of flashbulbs ceased in the early 80s, if not earlier.
 
ChipMcD said:
I covered highschool basketball and wrestling with these and a Yashicamat. They put out an INCREDIBLE amount of light, as some wrestlers from the opposing team can verify...a blinding amount of light. They are also quite hot when you pop them out of the flashgun. In the 70s they were coated with plastic so as not to shatter, and that is the melted, bubbly surface. I'm not sure the glass itself ever melted. But they can burn you. I've seen bulbs for sale on the site listed above. I believe that new production of flashbulbs ceased in the early 80s, if not earlier.
Click to expand...
Highlight: I've never seen that happen, certainly.

Bulbs are still being made by Meggaflash ( http://www.meggaflash.com/ ) but these are proper big bulbs, not peanuts, which I believe have been gone as long as you say.

I still have a few dozen big ones...

Cheers,

R.
 
ChrisLivsey said:
Probably the best source on info and product is this site:

http://www.flashbulbs.com/index.shtml...
Click to expand...

Good info there...

... but note that FP shuttered cameras don't have a true M-sync at any shutter above there max X-sync speed (1/60th on the OP's SP). The OP's existing #5 bulbs are pure M-sync so they have to be used at 1/60 or slower and, of course, with the bodies sync control set properly when used on bodies with FP shutters. The OP's SP, like the subsequent versions and the F, will sync the #5 bulbs up to 1/125th. The info on the site is referring to leaf shutters when it says you can sync up to a 1/500th with M-sync class bulbs. Check out the sync settings in the instruction manual at: http://www.cameramanuals.org/nikon_pdf/nikon_sp_color.pdf

With #6 bulbs (aka Press 26) and adapted M-3 bulbs you can use the bodies FP sync setting at speeds up to 1/1000th. The M-3s are not true FP-class bulbs but do have enough extended burn time to work with 35mm FP shutters that have a max X-sync speed of at least 1/45th.

I used a lot of bulbs back in the day. Most of my experience with bulbs was in High School when I used them with the school's Pentax H-1a, Kodak Retina Reflex III, and Rolleiflex-T. With only one electronic flash (an old Honeywell) it was a while before I build up the seniority to get first dibs on it leaving me with the bulb flash guns for most of my freshman year. I still used the bulbs for a number of things, particularly basketball. The high X-sync speeds on the leaf shuttered Retina Reflex and Rollei worked well with the electronic flash in the bright gym, but the Pentax's 1/45 X-sync speed left ghosting making the bulbs the better choice.
 
Zathros said:
Hepcat,

Did you ever see this in the Photographer's Mate 3&2 RTM? "Picture and individual walking across the flight deck with a pocket full of loose flash bulbs. Imagine his surprise and discomfort when he walks into a radar beam." 😱 I may not have quoted it exactly, but I'm pretty sure I'm close. This was from Photographer's Mate 3&2 1966 edition.
Click to expand...

ROTFLMAO!!! No, I don't remember that... I just went looking for my PH 3&2 and I have no idea what ever happened to it. I found my Bluejacket's Manual after all these years, but no PH 3&2.

Imagine his discomfort indeed! <grin>
 
About the time I first started taking pictures, late 60's, small electronic flash was being introduced. Especially by Vivitar. I did use the peanut sized AG-1 and AG-1b bulbs but never the bigger bulbs after I bought a early Honeywell Strobonar, don't remember the model.
 
hepcat said:
ROTFLMAO!!! No, I don't remember that... I just went looking for my PH 3&2 and I have no idea what ever happened to it. I found my Bluejacket's Manual after all these years, but no PH 3&2.

Imagine his discomfort indeed! <grin>
Click to expand...

This was in a copy i bought on Amazon because it covered the 4x5 Graphic View II. When I get home, I'll see what page it's on. I also remember seeing this in a copy of Photographer's Mate 3, 1953 Edition, along with a warning that the Graflex Series D cameras were not a good choice for photographing carrier landings!

I went to Building 1500 in the late 70's. What year did you go through?
 
Hi,

I might as well add my 2d worth, as I find that flash bulbs accumulate over the years. They arrive in ones and twos and sometimes in boxes. here's a selection.

Flash%20Bulbs-XL.jpg


The real problem is getting the batteries for the old flash guns; one I had took two 90v HT batteries, then there's the 15v ones and so on.

Regards, David
 
Gumby said:
page 52. 🙂

... but anyone that close to a radiating antenna shouldn't be there anyway.
Click to expand...

Good point, why would there be a radiating antenna at flight deck level anyway?

I remember one night in the Med, when we were about to launch an EA-6B and the cat it was on lost steam just as it was fired. The pilot told the crew to eject on Three, but he was able to stop the plane just before it reached the bow. Voice records showed that he got to Two and then said ABORT, ABORT, ABORT, but the guy in the back jumped the gun and punched out on Two. The ejector seat launched him toward the Island and the antennas and they had to de-energize the radars REAL fast! They must have shut them down before the plane stopped, because the guy flew past the Island and didn't get fried by the radars.
 
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