I started with blue flash-bulbs in 1967. They had a long burn time (1/40 to
1/60 second)
with a rapid climb to full output, then an even peak output followed by rapid
drop-off at
the end of the burn. The 'M' setting on the camera I was using at the time (a
Voigtlander
Vito CD) was what you used for these bulbs, although the camera also had an 'X'
setting
for them new-fangled electronic flashes.
The settings ensured that the shutter opened first, then the flash fired. The
shutter
speed had to be set at 1/30 or slower, so that the flash output occurred while
the shutter
was fully open, otherwise you'd get a black bar at one side or the other, where
the film
was unexposed. Aperture was calculated from the guide number of the flash and
the speed
of the film, and I found I could seldom close down beyond f8, even at 400 ASA.
The bulbs
were coated with a blue substance to match the colour temperature of noon
daylight, so
fill-in flash was possible.
There was a third shutter setting option, FP ('flash-peak'), which would allow
the use of
bulbs designed for focal-plane shutters, and these you could use at speeds from
1/30th
upwards to 1/1000th, although I never had a camera with that facility until I
got a
Rolleicord, where you could use the 'V' setting to fire the flash at any speed
- basically
because the shutter was a between-lens type.
Open to correction on some of the technicalities, it's been a long time since
I had to
think about such matters!
John Coyle
Brisbane, Australia
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steven
Desjardins
Sent: Wednesday, 14 March 2012 3:32 AM
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List
Subject: Re: 4x% Kodachromes from WWII
That's interesting, John. By the time I started doing serious photography,
electronic
flashes had taken over. I really don't know the characteristics of flashbulbs.
On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 1:06 PM, John Sessoms <[email protected]> wrote:
> Flashbulbs
>
> From: Bob Sullivan
>
>> Cool photos!
>> 4x5 Kodachromes from the WWII era.
>> I wonder about the lighting set-up.
>> They are all well lit.
>> Wasn't it Kodachrome 14 or slower in those days?
>> The lighting is striking.
>> Regards, Bob S.
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 8:22 AM, Bong Manayon <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Wow. ?I showed them to my students who thought they were cos-players.
>>>
>>> Bong
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 10:04 AM, Steven Desjardins
>>> <[email protected]>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> A site I got form another forum:
>>>>
>>>> http://pavel-kosenko.livejournal.com/303194.html?thread=22669914
>>>>
>>>> Give them a minute to load. ?Well worth the look.
>
>
>
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