Sorry, someone else linked it so I just repeated it, but I use this:Originally Posted by kevs-2323668
http://www.viewcamerastore.com/servl...2C-Dark/Detail
I had the "horse blanket" type and this is a huge improvement. I tried the black tee shirt so many recommend and, while workable, I find the BTZS hood far better. It's expensive, but worth it.
When it comes to dark cloths, there is a lot about using them that is personal. It depends, for example, on the photographer's hair, and even more on his eyesight. I have rejected dark cloths that would give me "bed hair" in 5 seconds, and those that prevented or impeded the bird-like bobbing of my head required by trifocals. Bald guys with good eyesight would have different requirements.Some that I have rejected are of the type favored by many. I want my focus cloth to roll up very compactly so that it fits in the case with my other stuff. I want it to be reflective on the outside to prevent suffocating under the thing, but that comes from having done lots of outdoor photography in Texas heat. I want it to close at the bottom to prevent light from the ground reflecting up and making it more difficult to see a dim image, particularly when checking focus with the lens at taking aperture, which might be f/32.
Also, the bigger the dark cloth, the better the dark. But big dark cloths can become downright dangerous in a breeze. Some people weight the corners to prevent that, but then a sudden gust can turn those weights into missiles. That is not a concern for your indoor project, and you can also arrange your lighting to point away from the camera.
You should be getting the sense at this point that the parts of the large-format process that we physically touch become even more important and spark even more passion than questions about the cameras and lenses. I spent as much on my focus screen as I spent buying any of the lenses I've bought in the last five years--a direct result of using very short lenses and having poor eyesight. I spent a bucket on my dark cloth, but not before I'd tried all the cheaper alternatives over many years.
I think you should start with a blanket or a beach towel until you have enough experience to understand your requirements and evaluate the choices based on what will work for you.
Rick "who has a Maxwell screen and a Blackjacket focusing hood, if it matters" Denney
I bought a "Rainbow" water filtering vac at a yard sale for $65.00 .... they sell new for about $2,000.... This one is fine but old. They were used in the 60's for people with allergies... totally removes all dust, mold spores and even the thought of pollen. It's my dedicated dark room vac .... have an electrolux w/ 1 micron bags for gen house cleaning which seems to work almost as well on holders in a pinch.
thanks. don't know what gg protector or lens shade clip is. or cold shoe. Ebony hood is how much? Other photos or ideas appreciated.
gg protector: Ground glass protector--a panel that fits over the focus screen to protect it. You don't need it if you are even reasonably careful. 8x10 camera owners have a greater need. I've never used one, except for the folding hood on the back of a Speed Graphic.
lens-shade clip: Sinar makes a little plastic clip that snaps to the corner of one of their standard bellows. You use two, one for each end of a standard bellows. They slide onto a hexagonal rod that itself slides into the hexagonal hole at the bottom of the lens standard. This allows you to use a spare bellows as a compendium shade for cheap. Very handy. You don't need it at first. Shade the lens with something else until you can find these bits. Don't buy any other lens shade arrangement--this is cheaper than any alternative and one of the real advantages of owning a Sinar. But you can get it in due time.
cold-shoe: Just a standard accessory flash shoe like what is on top of your current camera, but without any electronic contacts. You need a cable from the shutter to the flash to fire the flash. It clips into the slots on the sides and tops of the carrier standards on the Sinar camera. You will be using studio lights; you don't need it.
Ebony hood: This. There are alternatives. This one won't fit on a Sinar in any case. Most people prefer a cloth and hand-held loupe. This one is expensive.
Rick "next question?" Denney
Good points.When it comes to dark cloths, there is a lot about using them that is personal. It depends, for example, on the photographer's hair, and even more on his eyesight. I have rejected dark cloths that would give me "bed hair" in 5 seconds, and those that prevented or impeded the bird-like bobbing of my head required by trifocals. Bald guys with good eyesight would have different requirements.
...
Rick "who has a Maxwell screen and a Blackjacket focusing hood, if it matters" Denney
I'm almost totally bald and keep the ring around the sides pretty short now, so that's not a consideration, and I've been this way since long before I got into LF (most of my hair fell out between ages 23 and 25) so I never even thought of that. I wear progressives, but the fact is the closest focus area at the bottom is annoyingly small and I still can't see quite as well out of it as I can by simply taking my glasses off as I am very nearsighted, so sometimes I work without them, but then if I get more than 6" away I can't see well, so most often I just wear my dedicated reading glasses under the cloth. It's a PITA switching back and forth but we do what we must.
The Zone VI "horse blanket" I had really wasn't easy to attach to the camera in any significant way and I just ended up draping it over. It was large enough to do that, but unwieldy, plus it was big and heavy and took up a lot of room in my bag. The BTZS hood is better for me in all ways and has velcro around the camera and at the bottom. As Rick says, it's a very personal thing and I think his suggestion to start with something basic until you have an idea what you want makes sense.
Cleaning holders: I use a one-inch paintbrush to clean holders. It stays in a plastic baggie in my camera bag when I'm not using it. In 30 years in large format, I've never once vacuumed a holder.
Make sure your loading space is free of dust.
Keep your holders in a plastic bag whether they are loaded or unloaded. Get them out only to shoot, load, or unload.
great info Rick! William, good point about not having dust where you load. I was doing some silkscreen emulsion printing in my bathroom and just having bathroom carpets in there created dust havoc.
Kevs,
It can be confusing so see attached jpegs...
"Cold Shoe" is a cold shoe. It's what a flash unit mounts on except it isn't "hot"; no electricity, it's just a bracket.
"Lens Shade Clip" is just that. It attaches to the cold shoe and holds either a GG protector to "flag" (cast a shadow on) the lens, or to attach to the Ebony all weather hood.
"Clip on CS" is the lens shade clip mounted on the cold shoe on the camera.
"In use" is the whole thing as you would use it, except I have it opened up more so you can hopefully see what's going on. Excuse the pictures, there are better ones on the site link mentioned above.
For the record, I was incorrect in that you do not need the GG protector to use this, just the clip and hood, provided you have a cold shoe on the camera.
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Steve
Steve, no offense, but I defined your terms in ways compatible with the Sinar camera that the OP has just purchased.
Rick "figuring Ebony goodies wouldn't be relevant to his Sinar F, and trying to avoid confusion" Denney
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