Black jacket focusing cloth users...

[Meekyman]

Hi Folks,

I am setting myself up some bits and pieces for starting an adventure in LF! I've got a chamonix 045n-2 and the only remaining things I need to get before I can go and play is some film and a dark cloth. I did a one day workshop and there we used a btzs dark cloth. It seemed OK, but there was a definite gap between the bottom of the rear standard and the focusing bed (right term?) and light came in. Also, there seemed a lot of material in it, such that even with a gentle wind I was having to remove material from obscuring my view. I want to make using the LF camera as painless as possible.

I read about black jacket focusing cloths. The design makes sense but I wonder if

1) if you are using your arm to sheild wind and that hand with the loupe, how much of a pain is it to focus with...not sure I am that ambidextrous?

2) Is it generally good quality?
3) How waterproof is it?


Thanks

Graham

[Frank Petronio]

I have one for really bright days when I want a very dark focusing cloth but I rarely use it because it seems so stupidly over complex. It is nice to have something that is absolutely dark but it takes so long to set up and deal with the arm holes and general BS that I only get it out for special occasions. Not saying it isn't nice to have but it is low on my priority list and I think a simple flat cloth would be fine instead. The Black Jacket seems like an invention in need of a problem.

It's a lot more effective to train yourself to use a jacket or your shirt and deal with not having absolute perfect darkness and getting the job done. If you're spending more than a couple of minutes under the cloth then come out and figure out what you're doing wrong - I've seen some newbies spend half and hour underneath and wonder whatever could they be doing?

I'm sure it is waterproof and the workmanship is good.

Also don't share them, I went under one once that used by a hair tonic user and it was gross.

[Meekyman]

Thanks for that Frank!

See your points, but as a beginner on a beginner's course I must say that initially what caught my eye when under the dark cloth (btzs tube) was my own reflection and I guess that was because of the light coming through the gap. So, complete darkness makes sense a bit to me.

I guess if it isn't too windy, you don't have to use the sleeves or does the design mean that to get the focus knob that it is impossible not to use the sleeves?

Cheers

Graham

[Mark Stahlke]

I use a Black Jacket focusing cloth all the time. I love it. I like the sleeves. They provide access to the rear control knobs and they're nice for focusing but I don't use them all the time. I find a regular focusing cloth to be a pain in the wind and not dark enough.

[Andrew O'Neill]

The BTZS hood shouldn't have been mounted around the bed of the camera. Any hood would let in tremendous amount of light if it were mounted that way. It should only wrap around the rear standard. Mine slips nicely around the back of a Canham light weight 8x10. Darker than nun's britches in there.

[vinny]

get a xxl white t shirt and a xxl black t shirt, sew the neck and sleeves together, stretch neck over camera. there's a darkcloth.

[Peter Lewin]

a xxl black t shirt, sew the neck and sleeves together, stretch neck over camera. there's a darkcloth.

That's my solution as well, except that I don't even sew anything, simply use the black t-shirt as it is; works fine.

[mikebarger]

I like my black jacket, but it's all I've ever used. Like anything else it's repetitions that make you good at it.

[ImSoNegative]

i have 2 of them, 1 for the 8x10 and i for my 4x5, they work great

[Andrew O'Neill]

I should add that a good friend of mine (John Fee, mountain climber and shale lover), briefly had a black jacket. Perhaps he could chime in about his experience with it....