I'm going to stop using a 4x5 BTZS focusing "tube" and get a dark cloth. Suggestions?

[nonuniform]

I have my ancient Zone VI cloth, heavy cotton canvas, black on one side, white on the other, weights in the corners. NEVER needed to attach it to the camera in any way. Also, spreading it white side up helps keep the film out of the sun in the desert.

[vinny]

Fwiw, i've seen/used the Ebony darkcloth and it's made from what appears to be Ultrabounce fabric, that I provided a link to.

[EdSawyer]

Blackjacket.

[Oren Grad]

I use larger BTZS hoods, specified for 8x10 or ULF, and put them on the camera the other way around - the cuffed end goes over my head, while the other end drapes over the camera. I know a tight fit on the camera back was supposed to be one of the distinctive benefits of this design, but I found using it that way to be more trouble than it was worth. OTOH, flipping one of the bigger ones around gives me a hood that goes on and off quickly and easily, while still being more secure and providing better shading compared to the proverbial horse blanket.

Using the hood the other way around has the added benefit that one large-sized hood can be used with many different sizes of camera.

[Drew Bedo]

My wife layered together a black velv et material with something white. works as well as any darkcloth I have seen and is special to me when ever I use it with my 8x10.

\For my 4x5 kit I use a BTZS hood: quick to use, folds small and its light.

[Brian Ellis]

OK. Then am I using my BTZS wrong?

Must I remove it each time I want to load a sheet film holder? That is my biggest complaint. I was thinking about this last night. Maybe what I should do is split open the Velcro then flip the tube up over the bellows prior to loading the film holder. Of course that means the bellows has to be pristine inside otherwise I would be stirring up a dust storm.

Yes, you have to remove it to get the holder in the camera after focusing and composing. Putting it on to compose and focus, then removing it to insert the holder, wasn't a problem for me but if it's a problem for you then it's a problem. Of course any system that I know of - t-shirt, blanket, whatever - requires that something be removed to get the holder in the camera and put back on to compose and focus for the next photograph. But you might find another product easier to do that with than the BTZS tube.

[Drew Bedo]

When using mine, I wrap the elastic section onto the rear standard, insert my head and shoulders into the open velcro section and go to work. when getting ready to actually shoot, I pull the elastic off the camera and pull it back over my head like a hood. I don't walk around like that, but it is convenient for inserting the film holder and making adjustments to the lens/shutter. Its right there when its time to drape the bellows, pull the slide and trip the shutter. Works for me.

But that is the whole issue: If it doesn't work comfortably into your creative flow . . .do something else.

[Noah A]

I've used t-shirts and jackets on occasion, but really I prefer the Harrison darkcloth. The small one is great for 4x5.

[Richard Wasserman]

Another nice thing about Harrison darkcloths (of which I'm a big fan) is that they are waterproof, or at least water-resistant, and you can wrap your camera with it and shoot in the rain. With a little creative folding you can even form it into a hood to protect the lens. I've done this a lot—the light can be very beautiful when it's raining.

[dave_whatever]

I had a Harrison cloth briefly that came with a camera I bought. I thought it was bloody awful. Huge, sweaty, bulky to pack and less effective than tube/tshirt type cloths.