What is a Beseler Minolta 45A or its many friends

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I had some old profoto flash units that had impossible-to-find, discontinued flash bulbs. I contacted the folks at https://www.strobelamps.com/ sent them a working flash lamp, they measured and analyzed it, and they custom made me brand new flash bulbs for my strobes. If I ever need any more they have the "recipe" and can make more. It's worth giving them a call. Hope this helps. Let me know if it works out!

[Drew Wiley]

I was an interesting innovation, but too weak a colorhead for many applications, and a bit tricky to consistently dodge and burn with without risk of color fringing. I had a friend who used one for small RA4 prints, but eventually went back to his more conventional Beseler halogen colorhead.

Serious xenon flash enlargement systems existed well before, but involving very powerful SEQUENTIAL RGB exposure for graphics industry applications. Some were so hot they required water jackets to cool them. Big truly expensive things. But these were apparently the inspiration for a baby brother SIMULTANEOUS RGB exposure system flashtube system Beseler came up with.

After its inevitable extinction, Beseler marketed a more serious simultaneous RGB 4x5 additive head based on standard halogen EVW bulbs, which itself suffered from certain design flaws, and which Beseler basically refused to correct even under warranty. Not a good way to make friends. But some of us figured out how to iron out the problems ourselves, and eventually ended up with some pretty deluxe systems. I, at least, ended up with something way better than what Beseler engineered to begin with. But I give them credit for getting the football to the 50 yard line.