Xref: utzoo sci.electronics:4752 rec.photo:4245
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!watcgl!awpaeth
From: awpaeth@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Alan Wm Paeth)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.photo
Subject: Re: Flashbulbs
Message-ID: <7688@watcgl.waterloo.edu>
Date: 17 Jan 89 19:54:00 GMT
References: <9776@sequent.UUCP>
Reply-To: awpaeth@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Alan Wm Paeth)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 32

In article <9776@sequent.UUCP> brian@crg1.UUCP (Brian Godfrey) writes:
>
>   I just read about an unusual "flashbulb" in the November National
>Geographic Magazine. Some explorers wanted to photograph a shipwreck at
>a depth of 800+ feet. They filled two glass fishing floats with 24 flash
>bulbs each and a remote triggering device. Then they suspended the floats...

I had a chance to consult for the NGS in 1980 and spent not a small amount
of time looking over their color and b/w darkroom facilities, with a lot of
time spent talking with staff photographers (because the contract involved
electronic color printing but also because the facilities and photographic
staff were tremendous to visit).

Their need for high illumination levels at very great depths led them to
designs using spherical glass ampules filled with plastic explosives -- given
the pressures involved (say, 10,000psi) they reasoned that most of the useful
output would be in the form of light. They were essentially giant flashbulbs!

An article on undersea phototography a year or so back led me to believe they'ed
given up on the idea.

Maybe no assistants could be found to hold the remotes :-).

   /Alan Paeth
   Computer Graphics Laboratory
   University of Waterloo

BTW - Brian's interesting description of multiple flash tubes per enclosure
reminded me to ask the net: is anyone else asking local photofinishers to save
the discardable "Fuji Quick-step" flashes? Good either for a fully functional
1.5v flash circuit with tube and ready light, or for one rather large
electrolytic + misc. if salvaged for parts.