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

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Oct 2008
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    General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

    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.

  2. #2
    Dave Karp
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    Dec 2001
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    Los Angeles, CA
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    Re: General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

    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.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    1,794

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

    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?

  4. #4

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    Oct 2008
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    Re: General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

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

  5. #5

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

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

  6. #6
    kev curry's Avatar
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    Re: General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

    Quote Originally Posted by AutumnJazz View Post
    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
    Last edited by kev curry; 27-Dec-2008 at 06:04.

  7. #7
    Virtually Grey Steve Gledhill's Avatar
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    Re: General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

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

  8. #8

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

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

  9. #9
    kev curry's Avatar
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    Re: General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

    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

  10. #10
    Louie Powell's Avatar
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    Sep 2003
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    Saratoga Springs, NY
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    Re: General LF Accessories...Focusing cloth, loupe, etc.

    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.

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