Making a darkcloth

[Jack Flesher]

Since I carry my gear on my back, I've gone to a lightweight cloth I designed myself (and had my wife sew up for me). It is a rectangle of black cotton twill (gaberdine) about 36"x50" -- just long enough to wrap around my 8x10 camera. I have velcro along the rear that forms a peaked hood for my head and velcro at the front corners so I can stick them together wrapping it around the rear standard of my camera. I have also made weights out of steel bar stock with self-stick velcro I can add to the lower edge if it gets windy. It is more than dark enough, heavy enough to drape nicely over me and the camera, yet weighs less than a pound and takes up hardly any room in the pack. Since it is cotton it breathes well enough that I don't sweat under it in warm weather. All in all, it works great.

I also have an ultralight-weight version for my 4x5 made from the same material. This one is more like a hood of a sweatshirt in the rear, then elongated toward the front with just enough material to velcro around the rear of my 4x5. It weighs less than 1/2 pound and also works very well.

[Michael Daily]

I used a piece of black bellows material. I have replaced it with a piece of black rubberized raincoat material. In a downpour it is waterproof, folds small (6x8x1/2 inch), and is quite dark. I paid about $6/yd for a piece 60 in wide and 1 1/2 yd. long.
Michael

[Capocheny]

Here in Norway a dark cloth isn`t really an option, so I mostly use my Harrison dark cloth as shown when it`s raining. I used it like that last night ,in rain for a 4 minute exposure. I got wet, but the camera was dry, and the photo came out good

Hi Amund,

As long as the camera didn't get wet... that's okay?

LOL... You?... well, YOU can always dry off good as new!

[Just kidding! ]

That's a very nice image!

Cheers

[reellis67]

It's all about style!

- Randy

[raucousimages]

I made my dark cloth from one layer of heavy dark cloth and a layer of the silver cloth used to cover ironing boards, available at any good fabric store. It reflects heat and is waterproof. total cost was about $12.00.

[Tony Ilardi]

I also picked a white light proof drapery liner (the same as we use in our bedroom curtains) and lined the other side with black broadcoth, with a drapery weight chain in between the layers and along the edges of all four sides. Then I cheated -- my wife sewed it for me.

[Paul Coppin]

Marked the edge centres of my commercial white/black on the white side for centering over the camera, so that I can position it quickly so that it doesn't slide off halfway through the shot setup. With my Cambos, I made up wire frames to fit the existing mount holes - they really work well if you're not having to slug the camera (and with the 4x5, I can usually wiggle it into the pack if I'm out with that camera).

If you're making your own, and doubling it up, I would recommend the one side black, one side white - the white side out is definitely cooler in the sun.

For my minimalist field kit, my DC is a length of 54" black poly gabardine from Wally-world, with a 1 foot piece of elastic puckered and zig-zag sewn along the centre of one long edge, and a couple of longish velcro tabs sewn on far enough apart that the elastic + velcro holds it nicely around the camera. Another pair of velcro tabs placed to hold it tucked up around the tripod head to keep the glare out from that light leak. Works good, cheap.

[Rafael Garcia]

Mine my wife made for me. It's 3'x6', one side black taffetta, the other side 18% (or VERY close when compared to my card) grey cotton, so I can use it for metering zone V. The taffetta is very tight and almost waterproof. The cotton clings so, with the cotton in, the cloth does not slip off. In the sun, however, I turn the grey side out and it is a lot cooler underneath.

[riooso]

I made a dark cloth from Brown Gortex which I bought on line. The inside is also a breathable material which is black. It is light and will not fog stuff up like some others that I have tried. Just got back from the tropics and it worked great. I also used it to cover my camera during water spray next to the ocean and during rain showers. This is really a good cloth. Do some research and consider it, Gortex is good stuff. I love mine.

Richard Adams

[C. D. Keth]

I see myself making myself a new dark cloth in the near future. Last winter I made one out of a white layer and a black layer of heavy cotton duck. It is waterproof and absolutely, completely light tight but it is also very heavy and takes up as much volume as the camera when it's rolled up. I suppose it'll be nice for studio stuff or for car shots, but walking far with it is not pleasant.