O, How Flash Photography Has Changed

There's an old advert from 1965 that's getting shared on social channels and not only does it bring a little bit of nostalgia for those who remember the sixties, but it also reminds us of just how quickly technology has evolved in the photography sector over the last 50 years or so.

The commercial is for the 'Flashcube' which allowed the user to capture...wait for it.... 4 flash photos with a Kodak Instamatic camera before you had to change the single-use flash bulb (can you imagine the selfie, smartphone generation only capturing 4 photos nowadays?). 

According to the speel found under the video (I'm too young to remember the single-use flash bulb), Kodak replaced the individual flashbulb technology (used on early Instamatics) with the Flashcube which was a single-use module with four flashbulbs mounted at 90° from the others in its own reflector. It was mounted on a swivel mechanism on top of the camera and after each exposure was captured, the film advance mechanism also rotated the flashcube 90° to a fresh bulb.

The Instamatic range of cameras were actually really popular pieces of kit as they were easy to use and inexpensive, which meant photography became a less expensive pastime. The term 'Insta' is still widely used today, although the cameras and film they refer to aren't quite as affordable with a pack of 20 Instax Mini film costing around £15 and the cameras themselves start at around £65. 

If you'd like to take a longer trip down memory lane, have a look at this discussion about the future of photography that took place in 1990 and for film fans, you'll probably be happy to read the news that Kodak is bringing back EKTACHROME film and that KODACHROME might also be making a revival.