Changing bags - avoiding dust?

[Christopher Perez]

Prolific Prognosticators of Proper Photographic Punditry,

What approaches are you successfully deploying when changing film in the field?

Bag (known to deposit dust to film with ease)?

Tent (though I've heard they can have dust too)?

Technique that somehow ensures dust-free images?

[Ron Marshall]

I use a Photoflex changing tent. I periodically wipe the inside with a damp cloth to remove dust. I wipe my filmholders with an Ilford antistatic cloth just before loading. Only on two sheets have I ever noticed any dust specs.

[Walter Calahan]

I use a tent instead of a bag. Vacuum the inside of the tent from time to time. Also wipe it down from time to time. Use an anti-static cloth on the holders before loading.

[Lazybones]

Another vote for the vacuum. Works wonders wherever dust might want to live and breed. Just make sure that brush thingy is clean first.

[snuck]

I'm going to go against the grain and propose that the changing bag that I have is somewhat better than a tent. How? Well it's ultra cheap. So much so that the inner bag is actually somewhat porous. Wah? you ask? What does that have to do with anything? Well, dust that gets in gets stuck to the inner bag, then eventually gets pushed to the other side of the inner bag. In essence it gets trapped between the inner and outer bag.

Cheers

[OldBikerPete]

I use a tent at home, a bag in the field. I vacuum these at home and may use a damp cloth in the field.
Holders are individually washed and dried thoroughly, then vacuumed after use then stored individually in a (vacuumed) ziplock bag until I'm ready to load. After loading they are returned to the ziplock bag until exposure, after which they are returned to the ziplock bag until unloaded. Then around we go again.

[Bruce Barlow]

Try putting your film holders and film in a kitchen garbage bag, put that bag inside the changing bag. Change the film inside the garbage bag. I've had good dust luck with this method.

[Christopher Perez]

That's the one! That's what I was looking for.

Thanks!!!

Try putting your film holders and film in a kitchen garbage bag, put that bag inside the changing bag. Change the film inside the garbage bag. I've had good dust luck with this method.

[Alan Rabe]

I use a tent but I also load the holders facing down. This places the film with the emulsion side down, since dust doesn't fall up it is very hard to get dust on the film. Now remembering to dust the lens, thats another story.

[Frank Petronio]

umm, keep the changing tent or bag inside a plastic bag and never, ever let it get dirty in the first place (like your holders).