A darkcloth works for me too... I use to have one of the Sinar viewers but couldn't get use to it. And, carrying it out into the field was far too much of a hassle.
My favorite darkcloth was one from Calumet but, unfortunately, it was lost on a recent shoot.
Kevin's may be the next one I try!
Cheers
Life in the fast lane!
Dear all,
I use a black laundry bag sewn inside a white laundry bag. Had to cut off one end of the bag though.
I use the BTZS Focus Hood from the View Camera Store and find it very convenient, light-weight, yet stays in place, but a tad pricey. The Wista 45RF has a collapsing GG shield, but even with the loupe more protection's needed.
BTZS hood. Less flapping in the breeze and I like the elastic wrapping the camera back.
Mike
I have a Calumet black/white rectangular for my 8x10. On windy days I use two clothes pins to hold it on...and the clothes pins do not have to be removed to load the holder. I often arrange the darkcloth (it is stiff enough) to act as both a light seal around the back of the camera and as a lens shade.
I've been using a rectangular darkcloth for 30 years, but a friend is sending me a Blackjacket, so we'll see if I can learn a new trick or two...
Vaughn
The clothes pins I use are neat plastic ones that in-laws sent to me from Australia.
Lately I'm thinking a Carthusian Monk's habit would work just great with that big 3' long hood. Large format Yoda style!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
I have tried several dark cloths over the years. Most were thrown in when I sold cameras. My favorite is still the Zone VI cloth I started with in 1981. No velcro, large, and dark. It works simply and well.
Ken
Yes we did a comparison of four of the most popular focus hoods in our third issue, comparing BTZS vs. BlackJacket vs. GnassGear vs. TedsPhotoGear.
Here is an overview photo from one of the pages in the article (all issues are free to registered users to download btw):
I have to say that light weight was of prime importance to me and as such, I definitely had a bias. In the end, I still bring my square darkcloth together with my focus tube (as well as bungies, duct tape, etc) whenever I travel -- the tube-style hoods have just become one more of the standard items in my LF toolkit.
If the light is such that I can see the glass fairly well, then I'll try and get away with using my hands/loupe, but it usually ends up that I have to use the dark cloth. And when I do, I realize how much easier it is just to stick your head under there, the image pops right out at you! Being new to LF shooting, this is just something I have to get used to, covering my head with the cloth.
I work with the traditional rectangular cloth.
With that said, I have just started working with a Black Jacket that was designed for 7 x 17 cameras.
Richard T Ritter
www.lg4mat.net
www.finefocusworkshops.com
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