Combining a nanosecond ruby laser with a detection system (a polychromator, an image intensifier and a linear position-sensitive detector) controlled by a microcomputer, a convenient laser photolysis system has been constructed. Operating the image intensifier in gated or continuous mode, the time-resolved absorption and emission spectra from the nanosecond to millisecond time regime can be recorded very easily by one or two excitation laser shots. The spectral resolution is 2.5 nm, while the shortest temporal resolution is 10 ns. Also, by simply turning a mirror in the polychromator, the multiple-component decays of transient absorptions, fluorescences, and phosphorescences can be analyzed by means of a combination of a photomultiplier with an oscilloscope controlled by a microcomputer.