Loupes and dark cloth

[Ed Richards]

I find the Silvestri 6x on the tilt base great if you use wide angle lenses with shift. Otherwise, that cheap Peak 4x is a good starting point.

[Roger Thoms]

I use a BTZS darkcloth and am quite happy with it. The Blackjacket looks nice too, arm holes might be helpful. I have actually been thinking of getting a Blackjacket for my Seneca WP.

As far a loupe, with my eye sight, it is important the the loupe can focused. I have Sima Focus 6x that works nicely. Wish I could find another one.

Roger

[drew.saunders]

I'm also a fan of the BTZS "tube" after using a standard cheap large cloth before that, and I really like the smaller size and ease of use.

For a loupe, I bit the bullet and got the Ebony handheld loupe (http://www.ebonycamera.com/acc.html#Handheld%20loupe), and it works better for me than the types that you press up against the GG. I have the Peak 10X "Sucking Lupe" and will occasionally use that, without the suction cup, for testing lenses or the like, but rarely in regular use.

[tgtaylor]

I have a Toyo darkcloth and loup that I bought new with my first LF camera - the Toyo 45CF. However the darkcloth is weighty and bulky for backpacking so instead of packing it for long trips, I'll use the Toyo Folding hood in conjunction with a Domkey wrap that I wrap the camera in to protect from scratches.

[Thebes]

I'm using a black t-shirt. It says "Land of the Free, some restrictions apply, void where prohibited by law" on it and I think I will keep using it but might line it with a second black t.

I like the arm holes. Years ago, I used weighted rectangles I'd made myself but the weights would sometimes fly around in the wind. I find even the single layer old t-shirt to work as well because it blocks light from below even though it lets in more through the fabric. The only other tube I'd tried, years ago, was a pita because it had no arm holes. Also, it is very light and packs down well, kind of small but I don't feel that it needs to be any larger.

My current loupe is an Adorama cheapo. I forget which one but a user review of it said it could be used it on a view camera and mine does indeed focus just enough to allow focus on the ground glass. Cheap cheap cheap, but I am amazed at the value, its not a great loupe but sure is better than cheap loupes were 10 years ago.

[Eric Constantineau]

For loupe, I use a cheap one from dealextreme :
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14893

For under 3$, it's even ok if I loose it !

It's good for what I do, a 210mm lens on a 4x5, I clearly see where the focus is. But for my 8x10 with a wide schneider 121mm, it's another thing, I think I'll tri other loupes on that website !


For dark cloth, I use black muslin, it's easy for me as I just bring some backdrops from my studio. But I would be willing to try something better, because when it winds, the cloth just wants to go away :-( perhaps some with weights would be better for me.

[krzys]

Thanks for the link to that loupe Eric

[gregvds]

I went for the Paramo DarkCloth. Very well made and conveniently thought by large format photographers on the move. the fabric used is breathable, lightweight, and the entire product is really refined. Made in England by Paramo, high quality stuff.

http://www.lightandland.co.uk/articl...peId=2&conId=8

Easy communication and transaction with LightandLand

As a loupe, I got a B.I.G. 5x loupe, not bad, totally unknown, from my usual photo shop here in Brussels. The loupe is very well built, and has lower ring coming in glass and aluminium, for negs and prints inspection aswell. I would go for the small rodenstock 4x if I had to again for the eye relief and image quality is perfect.

[Brian Ellis]

BTZS hood/dark cloth (www.theviewcamerastore.com)

Peak 4x loupe with a square base to let you get into the edges and corners (if the corners aren't cut out) of your ground glass.

[jeroldharter]

I have used various models of each over the years. I used to prefer the BTZS focusing cloth until I used it in very warm and very cold weather. It does not breath at all so condensation is a big problem. Also, the elastic is not very adjustable so using it on multiple cameras of the same format can be problematic. Old fashioned focusing blankets are OK but they flop around too much and I don't like having to use weights in them to hold them down and I don't want to glue velcro to my camera.

In the end, I bought a Blackjacket hybrid model which is by far the best, though a bit bulky. I don't use the arm holes very often but they are handy in dim light when you really want the darkest view of the groundglass possible. Otherwise I just leave the bottom of the tube mostly open and put my hands in there. Its perimeter is very adjustable allowing use on multiple cameras and even multiple formats, e.g. using an 8x10 cloth on a 4x5 camera.

I have read about the Paramo cloth which is hard to find in the US. I think you have to buy it from England. As I recall it is a lightweight Gore-tex focusing cloth that is relatively expensive but very ultralight.

For loupes, I have tried several. The Toyo 3.6 loupe is nice but has no diopter adjustment for you vision. The Wista loupe is economical, still available new, and has diopter adjustment so I use that now. However, I have recently taken up 8x10 and I find that my near-sightedness is more effective than a loupe which seems more like a microscope applied to the ground glass. So I have been using a loupe sparingly. I have a lot of film to process so I hope I am right on that one.