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Thread: ULF changing tent or ... what?

  1. #1

    ULF changing tent or ... what?

    All right,

    short of buying a backpacking tent, covering the outside with silver fabric and the inside with pitch black fabric while making sure that all the zippers have no light leaks, so that one can walk inside the tent to change one's 14x17 film (or 12x20, or 8x20, or 7x17, or 16x20 or ...)

    WHAT DO YOU DO TO CHANGE ULF FILM WHILE ON THE ROAD????

    11x14 shooters do not qualify, as Harrison does make a tent for them


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    751

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    You can get a Jumbo Harrison tent made with side pockets, into which you can slide the holder while loading it (film box into the pocket on the other side). I've used it with 12x20 and it works perfectly. Take a look on the Camera Essential website: http://www.cameraessentials.com There's even a review on it somewhere on that site by Carl Weese.

  3. #3

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    Don,
    you're great, tnx, I did not know the existence of this Jumbo tent on steroids. I wonder if having the shortest side being 14" and not 12" may create some problem though. Well, I will ask the good people at Harrison...

    Cheers!

    P.S. Would it be unrealistic to go around with various contraptions to make your motor hotel bathroom become a darkroom? Is any ULF-er (or LF-er) doing that?

  4. #4
    Terence
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    391

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    I find that a few towels around the bottom of the door and having all the room lights off, and curtains pulled is usually dark enough to change film. Give your eyes a couple of minutes to adjust and look for any light leaks. A little bit of gaffers tape takes care of any major holes.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    751

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    That's a good point Terence - in fact, I have never found a bathroom I couldn't lightproof with a roll of aluminium foil and some masking tape (doesn't tear the paint off like gaffers tape can). However, when you're out in the field and you discover that everything is perfect except for the fact that you have already shot all 10 sheets in your outrageously expensive 5 ULF holders, but the best shooting is yet to come, you will appreciate having spent $350 on a special order ULF Jumbo tent - there's pretty much no substitue. I now only take 3 11x14 holders on trips - saves an aweful lot of weight. I always keep the Jumbo tent (just the regular one... it works great on 11x14) in the car just in case I need more film.

  6. #6

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    I carry the extra large Harrison changing tent purely as a last ditch insurance policy and I resist using it in the field every chance I get. Shooting 8-12 sheets of ULF is an enormous undertaking for any full day of shooting and when you manage your holders correctly, you can make use of the exposures and get back to a hotel with a large interior enclosed bathroom to empty and re-load.

    The reason that I hate to use the tent in the field is that it is extremely difficult to find enough work area to get the job done correctly and keep dust and debris from entering your holders. These suckers are HUGE. However, I have no problem using it on a queen sized bed in a hotel room with the lights turned down. That way you can get your exposed film into the correct box and not worry about the many things that can go wrong unnecessarily.

    There is nothing more frustrating than coming home after a long trip and finding dust or light seepage on the negatives that you worked so hard to make. I find hotel rooms a much safer and intelligent place to conduct business in the ULF world.

    For 4x5, 5x7 and even 8x10 tents are a much more viable option because the footprint is far smaller.

    Cheers!

  7. #7
    Terence
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Posts
    391

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    Now if only I had more than one 8x20 holder . . .

  8. #8
    C. D. Keth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    2,089

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    I know someone that changes 16x20 in the back of his jeep cherokee. He bought some duvetyne (the black material that lighting flags are made of) and made a box that he ties up to the back seatbelts and to the top of the back door. It has a 2 layer door that has part that velcros on the inside of the rest of the box and part that velcros about 3 inches outside of that to make a light trap. There are sleeves in the door like are in a tent (I think he took the sleeves from an old tent, actually) It works like a charm and packs to a roll about a foot and a half long and 6 or 8 inches in diameter.

  9. #9

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher D. Keth View Post
    I know someone that changes 16x20 in the back of his jeep cherokee. He bought some duvetyne (the black material that lighting flags are made of) and made a box that he ties up to the back seatbelts and to the top of the back door. It has a 2 layer door that has part that velcros on the inside of the rest of the box and part that velcros about 3 inches outside of that to make a light trap. There are sleeves in the door like are in a tent (I think he took the sleeves from an old tent, actually) It works like a charm and packs to a roll about a foot and a half long and 6 or 8 inches in diameter.
    I am always amazed at the innovation and iterations that people will go through to make things work out. I still contend that it would be far easier to acquire more holders and septums and manage them intelligently. Working with ULF is already exponentially more difficult than conventional LF so why incur any more chances unnecessarily in the field?

    Whatever works baby!

  10. #10

    Re: ULF changing tent or ... what?

    If you can believe it... I actually use the 'standard jumbo tent' from harrison to change 7x17 and 12x20 holders. The tent WITHOUT the extension pockets on the sides. Its tight and a bit of a pain but works for those moments when I need to change holders out (only have one 12x20 holder thus far.

    It works. Takes some care and a bit of contortionous work to keep the dust down... but does work.
    I set the tent up on the tbed of a truck (has a small camper shell) so the tent is in the shade.
    just my take on it.

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