flashgun

IPA/ˈflæʃɡʌn/
KK[flˈæʃɡən]IPA/ˈflæʃɡʌn/

flashgun — noun

  • flashgunsingular
  • flashgunsplural

1. a small piece of camera equipment that gives off a sudden burst of bright light,

1.nounC1
Definition

a small piece of camera equipment that gives off a sudden burst of bright light, helping you take photos when the room is dark or the subject is in shadow.

Example

Hassan attached a flashgun to the top of his old film camera before the wedding.

attach + flashgun + to (mounting on a camera)

The portrait photographer set up two flashguns on tall stands behind the bride.

plural flashguns on stands (studio setup)

Common collocations
  • attach a flashgun
  • mount a flashgun
  • fire a flashgun
  • external flashgun
  • wireless flashgun
Synonyms
  • flash

    more general; can mean either the built-in camera light or a separate unit

  • strobe

    studio-style flash that can fire repeatedly; favored in fashion and product shoots

  • speedlight

    trade name now used generically for a small portable flashgun that mounts on a camera

Usage Note

Refers specifically to a separate or detachable flash unit, not the small built-in flash on a phone or compact camera. Often used in studio and event photography where the photographer wants more control over the direction and strength of the light.

Common Mistakes

I turned on the flashgun on my phone before the selfie.
I turned on the flash on my phone before the selfie.
'flashgun' is a separate piece of equipment, not the built-in light on a phone.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all name a device that fires a quick burst of light for photography, but they sit at different points on a spectrum from general to specialist. 'Flash' is the widest term and can mean anything from the tiny LED on a phone to a large studio unit. 'Flashgun' specifically refers to a separate or detachable unit, often gun-shaped with a handle, used by photojournalists and event photographers. 'Strobe' is the studio-photography word — a powerful, mains-powered flash that sits on a stand and can repeat-fire for sequence shots. 'Speedlight' began as a Nikon trade name but is now used generically for a small portable flashgun that slots onto the camera's hot shoe. So a photographer might say: 'I'll bring a speedlight for the ceremony and set up two strobes for the formal portraits afterwards.'

flashgun ↗flash ↗strobespeedlight

Common collocations

Nouns

  • flashgun unit
  • flashgun bracket
  • flashgun trigger

Phrases

  • external flashgun
  • wireless flashgun
  • fire the flashgun

Prepositions

  • on (the camera)
  • to (the hot shoe)

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

A compound of 'flash' (a sudden burst of light, from Middle English) and 'gun' (a device that fires something, from Middle English). The word entered photographic English in the early twentieth century, when the first detachable flash units had a pistol-style grip and a trigger that the photographer pressed to fire the magnesium powder or, later, the bulb. The shape and trigger action made the comparison to a gun feel natural, and the name stuck even after the equipment grew smaller and lost the obvious pistol shape.