Thinking about buying a used flash (speedlite variety not studio flash) and was wondering if flashbulbs retain their power and color temperature over their lifetime or if this is something i need to consider.
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Thinking about buying a used flash (speedlite variety not studio flash) and was wondering if flashbulbs retain their power and color temperature over their lifetime or if this is something i need to consider.
I doubt you need to worry about it. Amateur units haven't seen enough use over their lifetime to shift color. I doubt if most pro units have either.
Re: color, the plastic lens might shift color.
Power wise, more likely to have some power loss from the characteristics of the Main capacitor to age/degrade. Most likely from lack of use.
good to know. sounds like used might be the way to go for me.
Some cheaper older flashes (where they're using voltage control for power control instead of having a thyristor to cut off the exposure - we're talking several decades old here) have colour temp variations with power, but it's not something that gets worse with age.