General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

[AutumnJazz]

So, I will (hopefully) be getting my first 4x5" camera in a week or so. I just realized now that I've forgotten about some rather critical things...like a focusing cloth, a focusing loupe, and film holders. I figure I will just get some cheap plastic film holders off of ebay for not too much, but I have no idea what to look for in a focusing cloth or loupe. Am I missing anything else? (Yes I will have a lens and lens boards. :P)

Thanks!

Edit: I think that this loupe was recommended to me once.

...I forgot about a cable release, too.

[David Karp]

This will help: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/matos-begin.html

Some people really like that Toyo loupe. I have one that I use with my Crown Graphic, because it works with the groundglass protector (due to its length). In general though, I don't like it much. I prefer a more powerful loupe.

[Nick_3536]

You can make your own darkcloth. Ranging from some light proof cloth to people using sweatshirts.

Loupe? Seems everybody wants something different. For small cameras I think a good one matters more then for 8x10. Is the Toyo 3.6x still sold?

Film?
Cable release?
Something to meter with?

[AutumnJazz]

For a meter I'm probably going to end up with a Sekonic L-508.

[AutumnJazz]

Can I use a Grafmatic sheet film holder in a Gandolfi Variant 4x5?

[kev curry]

I figure I will just get some cheap plastic film holders off of ebay for not too much

You should do as much as you can to insure you buy film holders that are in good order. If your buying on ebay watch out your not buying dusty old light leaking junk, the last thing you need when starting out is holders that have issues

[Steve Gledhill]

Try this thread for dark cloths ...
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...t=40212&page=3

[Jay Wolfe]

Get a good lens shade. One of the easiest things to improve your images.

[kev curry]

There's a good piece on the use of a lens shade here, it even tells you how to make one if you were so inclined

http://web.mac.com/razeichner/iWeb/R...%20pg%201.html

[Louie Powell]

I have a fancy darkcloth now, but I started out using a piece of black denim that I bought at a discount fabric store. I borrowed my wife's sewing machine to put a hem on the edge.

My loupe is a 10x magnifier that I bought at a photo flea market. It has a clear plastic 'apron' that I covered with black masking tape. The neck strap is a piece of elasticized cord - my son found a spool of the stuff in the shop at the Boston Children's Museum where they sell surplus stuff from various industries around Boston.

For a lens shade, I use a square of dark gray plastic foam. This came as packing in some computer equipment, and when it's not being used as a lens shade, it serves to cushion the ground glass back of my camera when it is in its backpack home. I attach it to the camera using one of those articulated double bulldog clips that I also found at a photo flea market.

When traveling, I feel more comfortable with additional ground glass protection. I use a sheet of 1/8" plexiglass that I cut to fit over the back of my camera that attaches using velcro.