How to attach a dark cloth?

[Ralph Upchurch]

I have been reluctant to mar the finish on my rosewood Wista with velcro tape, so I have always just draped my dark cloth over the camera body. This is not ideal. I'm wondering how others fix their dark cloth to the camera?

[Bob Salomon]

Wista makes a darkcloth with Velcro and elastic. No need to add Velcro to your camera.

[David A. Goldfarb]

There is no need to attach it to the camera. I fold it in half over my shoulders and flip it over my head and the camera when I need to check the groundglass. The cloth has velcro strips on the edges, so that I can wrap it around the camera and attach it to itself when I need two hands free.

[naturephoto1]

Hi Ralph,

I presently use a BlackJacket Dark Cloth (which I like very much- I use the hybrid for humid conditions; weighs 17 oz) which has a tightenable elastic cord to seal the cloth. I also have a BTZS (Beyond the Zone System) dark cloth that has elastic built into the cloth to hold the cloth in place. The original BlackJacket and the BTZS are lighter but, will not breath as well in humid conditions. I would use my BTZS Dark Cloth or possibly get the original BlackJacket for ultra low weight (about 8oz).

Here is the link for the BlackJacket:

http://www.quietworks.com/FRAMES_FILES/WELCOME_BJ_FOCUSINGCLOTH.html

Rich

[Walter Calahan]

I don't recommend attaching your darkcloth to the camera. If a sudden wind where to gab the darkcloth it will sail. If the darkcloth is attached to itself or to you, the camera is fine. If attached to the camera, you camera will go sailing.

[Jim Jones]

I use Acco binder clips from office supply stores. They come in a variety of sizes. To prevent metal to wood contact, you can glue felt to one of the jaws. You could also use velcro to attach the clips to the darkcloth so they don't get lost. Binder clips are also handy for other photographic applications, often much better than clothes pins.

[John Kasaian]

I don't attach my dark cloth to my camera either---there's just too much of a chance that I'll unintentionally prove some aerodynamical theory if the wind kicks up.

[Frank Petronio]

Black t-shirts in the summer, heavy jackets in the winter. I also have some darkcloths kicking around but when the wind comes up I use my clothing. The weight of a jacket can be helpful.

If it is too nice to leave your head under the dark cloth you'll end up spending too long in the dark and probably overthink the shot. Seriously, I think this way.

Those tight elastic camera hugging BTZS and Blackjackets seem nice but don't ever buy one used on eBay. The one I got smelled like the previous owner's Brycreem. At least I hope it was only hair gel. Sweaty, nasty things they can be, and hard to deal with when you just want to pop open to check focus in a few seconds...

[Alan Davenport]

I made my own darkcloth, and added Velcro tape to both close it around the camera AND to close the edges together for several inches back from the camera. It essentially creates a short tube back from the GG to where I'm viewing.

I used some weird Velcro (or Velcro-like) stuff that has both parts -- the hooks and the loops -- in the same piece. Any part will stick to any other, since both pieces have both hooks and loops. It doesn't hold nearly as well (as the separate hooks and loops) but adequately, and since the hooks are recessed under the loop portion it doesn't snag on clothing and such.

[Capocheny]

I don't recommend attaching your darkcloth to the camera. If a sudden wind where to gab the darkcloth it will sail. If the darkcloth is attached to itself or to you, the camera is fine. If attached to the camera, you camera will go sailing.

Fully agree with Walter and John... I sure wouldn't attach it to my camera either. It's not worth the risk of seeing your camera "fly" off with the dark cloth. :)

Cheers

[Louie Powell]

I generally don't attach my darkcloth to my camera. It just gets in the way, and it becomes a sail that can lead to camera shake.

However, if I am out in the bright sun, I do worry about light sneaking under the back of the camera or through the darkslide slot. In those cases, I wrap the darkcloth around the camera and clip the ends together under the base using a plastic A-clamp.

[photographs42]

Wista makes a darkcloth with Velcro and elastic. No need to add Velcro to your camera.

I’ve never seen the Wista dark cloth, but about 20 years ago I sewed elastic into a hem on one side of my dark cloth and attached Velcro about 4” long at the proper place to form a lightly stretched loop over the camera back. After 20+ years, the edge is a little frayed and I need to do some repair work but I wouldn’t do it any different if I were making a new one.

I’ve never worried about the wind. It’s easy to put on and take off so I don’t leave it on when I’m not making camera adjustments. My camera is heavy (5x7 Technika) but if you use common sense when it’s windy it shouldn’t be a problem, even with a lighter camera.

So, I guess my advice is to add elastic and Velcro to the one you have before spending money on something else.
Jerome

[Brian Ellis]

It took me about ten years to realize that I didn't need to be under the dark cloth to focus, that I could do that using a loupe without a dark cloth because the loupe with an opaque base blocked the light in the area on which I was focusing.. And then I got a Maxwell viewing screen and realized I didn't need to be under the dark cloth to make a rough composition except in dim light. I own the BTZS hood and still use it but almost never to focus and usually only for a few seconds to double-check and make minor adjustments to the rough composition. I'd guess that on average I'm under it for only about 15% of the time I used to be.

[Rakesh Malik]

I use Ebony's all-weather darkcloth. It has three metal places on one end, hinged so that they can flex, which you can attach a clamp to. Ebony also has a lens shade clip that has a clamp on one end, which I attach the darkcloth to. Their darkcloth is so light that you have to do SOMETHING to hold it down, or else even a slight breeze will carry it off. :)

[Eric Woodbury]

I'm the odd one out here. I have attached a darkcloth to my 57 Deardorff. It has been on there 15 years and I wish my other view cameras had the same thing. On the Deardorff back, around the GG, I put self stick velcro. Then I made a darkcloth that attaches --- it is a tube with a velcroed flap to reach my hand it. I can remove the cloth easily by virtue of the velcro, but don't very often. The darkcloth is not nearly as large as a conventional darkcloth, so the wind doesn't catch it. It doesn't need to be large because it doesn't have to stretch over the camera or my shoulders and no overlapping. The great thing is that it is really dark in there and it makes focusing with wide angles quite easy. It protects the ground glass, too.

I have a Black Jacket for the 45 and it is well made, but I don't like having to have my hands inside or under the darkcloth. It also allows more light to come in under the camera (between the bed and the rear standard).

I will say that the velcro glue is hard to remove. I had velcro on my Canham aluminum camera and it was a real bugger to get that stuff off. I tried everything -- alcohol, laquer thinner, paint thinner, citrus cleaners, ammonia -- and it was still lots of work. I'd do it again, though. When it is done right, it works very well.

Maybe make a frame with velcro on it and attach that to the camera with screws or magnets.

Good luck.

[Turner Reich]

I have an older Calumet dark cloth with lead in the corners. It's large and stays put very well. Before that I used clips but they can scratch and I don't recommend them. Velcro is probably the best one.

[Ed Richards]

I got a View Camera store tube with the elastic, then it cut to about 14 inches long, sort of a shortie nightie for the camera. All you really need, does not catch the wind, and you do not die when it is 95F and 100% humidity.

[Paul Coppin]

I do most of the above in some variation or another - I carry two or three plastic clothes pins in my kit for pinching the cloth around the camera if the velcro doesn't do what I want, or I'm working with my Cambo weighted DC. For my 4x5 and 8x10 cambos (yes, they both go in the field ;) ) I use the wire frame idea that's available from Cambo as an option (self-made from some 5/32 music wire from a local hobby shop for $$$ less), and use the clothespins to clip the DC to the frame if its a bit breezy or wants to slide. This is nice in the summer as it lets some air in, and the reflective white side of the DC helps keep the heat down. Troublesome if very windy tho. The DC for my little Tachi is a piece of black gabardine from Wal-Mart with a bit of elastic sewn to one side and some velcro straps sewn on strategically to tie it down.

[Colin Graham]

i use a couple of snap fasteners from a fabric store, attaching one half to the top of the rear standard with a small screw and the other half to the cloth. stays put, can even leave it on and fold it over the bellows when inserting holders. -sorry about the lowercase, spilled coffee on the keyboard and the shift key just froze up.