Difference between revisions of "Strobonar"

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'''Strobonar''' was the brand used by [[Honeywell]] for a long-lasting series of electronic flash units.
 
'''Strobonar''' was the brand used by [[Honeywell]] for a long-lasting series of electronic flash units.
  
In 1958, the Heiland division of Honeywell, based in Denver, Colorado, introduced one of the earliest self-contained [[flash|electronic flashes]] which did not require a separate power pack to operate, the '''Futuramic Strobonar'''. (It could also use AC household power.) This was still an imposingly-large "potato masher" design, and the original list price of USD $59.95 would equate to roughly $470 current (2011) dollars<REF>[http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm Inflation calculator] from the US Department of Labor [http://www.bls.gov/home.htm Bureau of Labor Statistics].</REF>. Many of the bracket-mount Strobonar models had a recognizable oval shape to their reflector.
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The Heiland Research Corp., based in Denver, Colorado, originally used the Strobonar brand in 1950<REF>The 1950 origin date is cited in a May, 1965 ''Popular Photography'' advertisement (Vol. 56, No. 5; page 46).</REF> on electronic flash units powered by a separate battery pack.  (These could also use AC household power.) Several years after Heiland's acquisition by Honeywell, they introduced one of the earliest self-contained [[flash|electronic flashes]], the 1958 '''Futuramic Strobonar'''. This was still an imposingly-large "potato masher" design, and the original list price of USD $59.95 would equate to roughly $470 current (2011) dollars<REF>[http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm Inflation calculator] from the US Department of Labor [http://www.bls.gov/home.htm Bureau of Labor Statistics].</REF>. Starting with the 1961 '''Futuramic II''', all the large Strobonar models had a distinctive oval lens over their flash-tube reflector.
  
The Strobonar name was reused over the following decades for successive models, eventually shrinking to more compact shoe-mount flash units. Honewell was a pioneer in flashes which used a photocell measuring light reflected back from the subject to control the duration of the flash pulse, thus offering autoexposure for flash shots—these models carried the '''Auto Strobonar''' name. Later versions of the "potato masher" models, such as the Strobonar 882, could use a separate '''Strobo-Eye''' mounted in the camera's accessory shoe to achieve this control even with off-camera flash (and the [[Pentax_Spotmatic#The_Spotmatic_SP_IIa|Pentax Spotmatic SP IIa]] included this sensor in the camera body, just below the rewind crank).
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The Strobonar name was reused over the following decades for successive models, from more compact shoe-mount flashes to stand-mounted studio units with [[flash trigger|slave triggers]]. Honewell was a pioneer in flashes which used a photocell measuring light reflected back from the subject to control the duration of the flash pulse, thus offering autoexposure for flash shots—these models carried the '''Auto/Strobonar''' name. Later versions of the "potato masher" models, such as the Strobonar 882, could use a separate '''Strobo-Eye''' mounted in the camera's accessory shoe to achieve this control even with off-camera flash (and the [[Pentax_Spotmatic#The_Spotmatic_SP_IIa|Pentax Spotmatic SP IIa]] included this sensor in the camera body, just below the rewind crank).
  
 
As electronic flash units increasingly became a built-in feature of many cameras, and with inexpensive Asian imports undercutting the remaining marketplace, Honeywell ultimately retired the Strobonar line.
 
As electronic flash units increasingly became a built-in feature of many cameras, and with inexpensive Asian imports undercutting the remaining marketplace, Honeywell ultimately retired the Strobonar line.
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[[Category:Honeywell]]
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[[Category:Electronic flash]]

Latest revision as of 03:40, 5 May 2015

Strobonar was the brand used by Honeywell for a long-lasting series of electronic flash units.

The Heiland Research Corp., based in Denver, Colorado, originally used the Strobonar brand in 1950[1] on electronic flash units powered by a separate battery pack. (These could also use AC household power.) Several years after Heiland's acquisition by Honeywell, they introduced one of the earliest self-contained electronic flashes, the 1958 Futuramic Strobonar. This was still an imposingly-large "potato masher" design, and the original list price of USD $59.95 would equate to roughly $470 current (2011) dollars[2]. Starting with the 1961 Futuramic II, all the large Strobonar models had a distinctive oval lens over their flash-tube reflector.

The Strobonar name was reused over the following decades for successive models, from more compact shoe-mount flashes to stand-mounted studio units with slave triggers. Honewell was a pioneer in flashes which used a photocell measuring light reflected back from the subject to control the duration of the flash pulse, thus offering autoexposure for flash shots—these models carried the Auto/Strobonar name. Later versions of the "potato masher" models, such as the Strobonar 882, could use a separate Strobo-Eye mounted in the camera's accessory shoe to achieve this control even with off-camera flash (and the Pentax Spotmatic SP IIa included this sensor in the camera body, just below the rewind crank).

As electronic flash units increasingly became a built-in feature of many cameras, and with inexpensive Asian imports undercutting the remaining marketplace, Honeywell ultimately retired the Strobonar line.

Notes

  1. The 1950 origin date is cited in a May, 1965 Popular Photography advertisement (Vol. 56, No. 5; page 46).
  2. Inflation calculator from the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Links