Alright, I'll be honest – if I'd have given it some thought, I would have realized that was what was happening in the single-use flash, or those quirky cubes that my nanna had with her Kodak camera. But I didn't, because when you're young and the victim of the family photo you just want it to have happened as soon as possible.
On reflection, though, the economics of the family photograph back in the days of film are a real eye-opener, and not just because of the film itself – retro chic has already made this burden more than clear for the adventurous young and nostalgic alike. No, there was also a time when firing the camera flash was also disposable. First there were single-use zirconium bulbs, and then there were cubes – essentially four of the same.
YouTuber Alec Watson on his channel Technology Connections has done a brilliant job of placing the different single-use flash technologies in context – historically and economically – showing how they work and then going above and beyond in explaining exactly how they work. Honestly, I had no idea my nanna's Kodak had so much in common with a weapon.
What really makes this video stand out is the work of Gavin from The Slow Mo Guys. He uses clever gear (which will make a lot of Digital Camera World readers very jealous) to capture the bulbs exploding at such high frame rates that the triggering explosions can be discerned from the chemical reaction providing the flashlight.
As Watson explains how adding a cube with four flash bulbs effectively made a $1.50 photo (in today's money) cost another $1.50 for consumers, we also get to see in incredible detail how the mechanical shutter flicks a spring coil to trigger an explosive that, in turn, triggers the zirconium burning inside the blue-coated bulb (the white balance benefits were understood).
Of course, even further back photographers used to use an even more improvised approach – magnesium ignited on a stick held above the camera while the shutter was open, which (almost) never caused a fire… except in comedy black-and-white movies and cartoons!
The best ring lights seem very modern now, huh? Oh, and to be clear, we have in the past reviewed Lume Cubes, but they use a rather different technology!
These days you can augment your camera with a powerful flash which wich – get this – will work more than once! Check our guide best camera flash guide.
