Early camera flash

The one that smokes is the flash. The old-fashioned flash used magnesium as the filament. After electricity is applied, the magnesium oxidizes and burns violently in the air to produce strong light. The smoke you see is produced by the oxidation of magnesium, so Also called a spotlight, the bulb of this kind of lamp is disposable. After flashing once, the bulb must be replaced and flashed again.

Modern flash lamps use

high-voltage discharge

light-emitting principle, which can be used repeatedly and will not produce smoke when flashing.

The filament may be tungsten filament or carbon filament.

In the earliest days, flash lamps used bulk magnesium powder (a mixture of magnesium and oxidant). The intensity of the light was determined by the amount of light placed. The magnesium powder was ignited by flint used in lighters and ground flints. There is a clockwork on the wheel. Flash synchronization means people wind up the spring, pour magnesium powder, press the shutter with one hand, and operate the trigger of the flint wheel with the other hand, all at the same time, it is synchronization.

Later, magnesium was made into filaments and sealed in a light bulb. There were two electrodes inside like a light bulb. When a tungsten filament (or carbon filament) was connected to electricity, the tungsten filament heated up and burned, thus igniting the magnesium. Silk glows. This is called a single flash bulb. Use it once, throw one, and the flash can be synchronized through the camera's sync switch.