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Thread: using strobe

  1. #1

    using strobe

    Haven't bought any gear yet but I want to use strobe. I figure I will need around 4000 watts. I'm looking at old Norman P2000 packs with 2400 heads... my question is, what's the deal with
    UV coated strobe heads? Some listed as UV corrected... UV coated. I'm assuming I need to find heads that are NOT UV corrected or coated ... is that correct? Looking at these Norman packs because
    they are now cheap on Ebay and I've used them way back when Is there a way to un-coat the head ?

  2. #2

    Re: using strobe

    UV coating doesn’t matter. Several folks have done extensive testing. You won’t notice a difference that’s any greater than other plate-to-plate variables.


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  3. #3

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    Re: using strobe

    The UV coating was added, as far as I understand -- Bob Salomon may want to chime in here -- for photographers photographing such products as synthetic fabrics that were more affected by UV, i.e., causing color shifts. Sometimes photographers using strobe for museum paintings and artifacts used UV filters as well. I don't know that it was much of a concern for portraitists or architectural photographers.
    Philip Ulanowsky

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  4. #4

    Re: using strobe

    That's great news... one less thing to deal with Thanks

  5. #5

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    Re: using strobe

    Quote Originally Posted by lightfootwillwalkinthecat View Post
    That's great news... one less thing to deal with Thanks
    UV coated flash tubes are a must if you don’t want things like cloths, underware, etc to change colors. Or glow.

  6. #6

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    Re: using strobe

    Recreating 1850s Vintage Photography..
    http://www.philwarrenphotography.com...graphy-and-ir/

    Spectral power distribution of studio flash light:
    https://www.researchgate.net/figure/...fig1_274676214

    UV coated xeon flash tubes happend when shifty and odd colors were rendered on color films became a very real problem. The photo strobe industry responded by offering UV coated flash tubes to reduce the UV content of strobe light improving color rendition of color films from that era.

    The answer to this question will not be a simple yes/no as there are SO many other factors involved with wet plate image making..

    There are many vintage kilowatt/second studio strobe units on the market today at very low cost. This happened due to the strobe powere needs of current digital being nothing like what it once was for film, specially in studio image making. Be aware the majority of these vintage studio strobe power packs have hidden problems and should not be put back into service before the specific power pack has been checked out very carefully, their capacitors re-formed and verified for proper operation. Risk of catastrophic power pack failure is significant if these percautions are not taken and done properly.
    https://www.largeformatphotography.i...om-404-Rebuild


    Bernice

  7. #7

    Re: using strobe

    My New Broncolor C200 1500WS Pulso Monolight 2 by Nokton48, on Flickr

    This thing is a powerhouse. My new to me Broncolor C200 Monolight. I cobbled together an adapter, to put my olde blue Universal reflectors and attachments, onto this much more modern unit. After another enjoyable conversation with Kevin at KHB (he's the Omega Guy in Canada), I slowly and carefully reformed the caps, and it's fully back to life at this point. WOW this thing moves some air when it fires at 1500 watt seconds. And it's about a stop brighter than my 1500 ws Broncolor packs, due to lack of long connection cords. My main use for this will be with my modern Broncolor Strip Lights, which eat up a lot of light with my other smaller monolights. This will fit the bill very nicely and a welcome addition to my studio. Makes quite a POP when it fires. Hello F64. Additionally, it integrates with my kinda modern Broncolor TTL strobe meters.

    A $2200 strobe new for $229 used. I love it.
    Last edited by Daniel Unkefer; 23-Oct-2022 at 12:06.
    Flikr Photos Here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/

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  8. #8

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    Re: using strobe

    Since the OP has posted this to the Wet Plate forum, its safe to assume he's looking for a strobe kit to make Wet Plate photographs. So its in his best interest to know about the UV filtering coatings that may or may not be present on the equipment he's buying.

    Now, I don't know for sure how you determine which heads are UV coated or not. Its possible that for your needs, it may not be very important. Someone here may be doing the same thing you're considering and can give you a definitive answer. But I do know several Wet Plate photographers who use Speedotron packs delivering 4000 watts of light, and they seem to find that works well. Most old Norman kits go cheap because they are REALLY old and may not be reliable. I'd go with Speedotron or Broncolor myself.

  9. #9

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    Re: using strobe

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Salomon View Post
    UV coated flash tubes are a must if you don’t want things like cloths, underware, etc to change colors. Or glow.
    The OP is looking for equipment to make Wet Plate photographs, so getting as much UV from his lighting is important, color shifts are not.

  10. #10

    Re: using strobe

    Geoff Berliner told me he uses a 4000 watt second Speedotron in his tintype studio at Penumbra. You might want to talk to Geoff about this
    Last edited by Daniel Unkefer; 24-Oct-2022 at 04:23.
    Flikr Photos Here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/

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