Flash tubes for photographic use, in particular, a flash tube is adapted to provide a light output adapted to FP-sync, Flat Peak. The flash tube includes a length of glass tubing enclosing a gas for use in the flash tube, a cathode inside a first end part of glass tubing and an anode inside a second end part of glass tubing. The cathode includes an element that helps to ionize the gas that is wound around the cathode, such that a spark stream starts from the upper part of the cathode and is prevented from spreading down wards on the cathode and changing the arc length during the light output adapted to FP-sync.