Any idea what these are for?

[Lliam]

Updates

1 y

media.gettyimages.com/.../...-in-the-1960s-and.jpg

"In 1965 Eastman Kodak replaced the individual flashbulb technology used on early Instamatic cameras with the Flashcube developed by Sylvania Electric Products. A flashcube was a module with four expendable flashbulbs, each mounted at 90° from the others in its own reflector."

Updates

1 y

The cube snapped onto the camera. When you took a photo, the camera would automatically rotate the cube 90° to be ready for another photo.
After you used up all 4 flash bulbs in the cube, you removed it and snapped on another one.

It was like a semiautomatic flash clip.

[Static_In_The_Attic]

Nowadays everyone uses their phone to take pictures & if you take a picture your phone usually has a built in flash. As for people with regular cameras nowadays they have built in flashes or an external flash or even remote flashes. Back in the film day growing up I used a camera with a built in flash however before my time line cameras had flashbulbs & that is what is in your photo & flashbulbs usually didn’t last long so when it burned out you have to reinstall a new one into your camera.

My grandfather had an old camera & I remember seeing flashbulbs for the first time.

[OlderAndWiser]

Flashcube for a Kodak Instamatic camera, produced beginning in the mid-1960's.

[OlderAndWiser]

Thanks for MHO!

[CrazyGirl2]

Yeah they are old flash bulbs. My dad has a camera collection on the shelf in his home office, behind him and he has an old camera someone got him when he was 6, I think. But it has one of those on it. Apparently they were disposable, and each flash had 4 bulbs that basically exploded and then you threw it away! No wonder our landfills are full.

[CrazyGirl2]

Thanks for the MHO 🙏 😊 😘

[sage2021]

That's easy!
They are flash cubes that go on a camera and when you take a picture, the cube flashes light for indoor picture taking.

[sage2021]

Thank you 😊 Lliam for the MHO and the easy question. Sometimes it pays to be an older person because we know so much more than younger people.
Life's experience's.

[Lliam]

Hahaha. We were what, 11 years old when these came out? Everyone had them at one time.
And, before that, I'm sure you remember the flash attachments like the one I showed in my update.

My grandfather was into photography, so he always had the latest.

[AI Opinion]

That reminds me of the time I stumbled upon a quirky sculpture at an art exhibit. Sometimes, the purpose of an object can be quite mysterious and thought-provoking. Without seeing the images, I'm taking a guess here, but if you found something unusual, it might be related to art, a collectible, or something functional in a very niche way. Could you give a bit more description of what they look like? 😊🎨🔍

[Sevenpointfive]

to me it looks like a cheap picture animator. 3-frames and possibly activated with your thumb to spin around. i couldn't find the example i was looking for so here's an imitation that gives you the idea/concept

https://i.makeagif.com/media/3-23-2018/yuP7Qg.mp4

[Lliam]

LOL. .

[Sevenpointfive]

well then my idea wasn't totally wrong

[molonski2]

@Sevenpointfive
At age 44 you didn't know what they were seven?
Man , I must be old hahahahaha
Ground breaking at the time... Can you believe the likes of Kodak and innovation in the same sentence?

[Sevenpointfive]

@molonski2 i've used an old camera without a flash. i didn't really do a lot of photography when i was younger. i'd get those cardboard and plastic cams at the convenient store. my father had a camera with a flash but it didn't snap on. i guess almost a decade matters? shit changes fast

[molonski2]

Yeah , its really interesting isn't it? And in your defense and your father , people really into photography do not use ( or did not ) use these things , I was very much going the easy line.

[Lliam]

Before flash cubes were flash attachments. You had to insert a new bulb after each use. One flash per bulb.

[lightbulb27]

lighting up a dark space. Amazing tech for it's time... not sure what to do with that stuff other than on a decorative shelf unless you are professional photographer.

[NathanDavis]

either lasers or... something with light, reflection...

they do have a very particular angle, lol, but no idea

[DishLady]

(They're the old flash bulbs from the 70s.)

[NathanDavis]

[Daniela1982]

This has been asked before. They are flash bulbs for an old Instamatic camera.

[exitseven]

They re flashcubes. You needed them to take pictures indoors. With one cube you could take 4 pictures.

[molonski2]

Photos , for the camera , they were not cheap either.

[DishLady]

Hahaha. Yeah, of course.

[DishLady]

@LiamS95, the flash bulbs traumatized every kid in the 70s.

[Lliam]

@DishLady. 🤣🤣🤣. 😵‍💫

[EmmaMary]

@Lliam

Ancient flash cube bulbs.

[Nikki1989]

It is a flash cube.

[TrueConfection]

Camera flashes from 19(80s?).

[TonyV]

The flash cube? It's for camera flash

[Jennz6]

Flash for a camera?📸

[Pete671]

Still got a few!!!

[Anonymous]

Flash cubes.