Field camera users, help please

[Dave Saunders]

I've been out today for the first time with my field camera, and was having trouble seeing the image clearly even with a f4.5 lens (75mm) I was just using the focusing hood, should I use a focusing cloth as well?

[lenser]

Hi, Dave.

Unless I am shooting in a studio or other darkened room with bright lighting on the subject, I wind a focusing cloth or one of the elastic cloth focusing hoods indispensable.

Out doors, even near sunset, I'm lost without one for focusing.

Tim

[John Kasaian]

Dave,
What's nice about hoods is that they cut out a lot of light coming in from the bottom and sides, but that still leaves a lot of light coming on around your noggin (especially if you're a baldy---but that is a whole different subject :( )

Get yourself a black t-shirt, stick your head through it but not your arms and fold it up over the hood. Or grow a 'fro big enough to fill the hood ! :) Either one should do the trick!

[Nick_3536]

Wider lenses tend to be tougher. That isn't helping.

[Joanna Carter]

Dave, at that focal length, unless you are using a wide angle fresnel fitted to the focusing screen, things can get pretty dark. On my Ebony, I replaced the standard Ebony freesnel with the Maxwell one. It gives me a brighter image from at least 72mm right up to 400mm. If your camera already has a fresnel (like the Ebony has) then you may find that it is optimised for longer lengths i.e. 120mm or longer.

[Ron Marshall]

With a 75mm on 4x5, even at f4.5, I find it difficult to focus without a cloth.

[Steven Barall]

You should use a dark cloth. I am a man of the cloth, dark cloth that is. I love using a dark cloth. I love the isolation under there and the connection I get to the ground glass. Also, you have to move your head around to see the image on the glass properly.

Good luck!

[gregstidham]

Dave,
Did you open up the lens to F4.5 while you were composing or focusing and then stop down for the exposure? I've had students do this on their first time out, so I thought I'd ask. You would need a dark cloth to see a stopped down lens during the day even with a hood.

[Ernest Purdum]

Give your eyes plenty of time to accommodate, particularly if there is no haze or clouds.

[Daniel_Buck]

a cloth really does help! I don't have a focusing hood, but I imagine that it's not even 1/2 as good as a cloth. As soon as I throw the cloth over my head, the glass lights up like a TV. It's not as bright in dim situations, (like when it gets dark outside!)

When I first started shooting large format (8 months ago or so?) I would always try and get away with using my hat, or my hands to look at the glass before I would 'last resort' to the cloth. But always when I break out the cloth, it's so much easier. Now, I grab the cloth every time, as soon as I'm set up, even if I can already see the image on the glass.

[Jim MacKenzie]

I'm still a large format newbie, really, but I agree. A dark cloth really does make a huge difference.

I was out shooting last weekend on a bright, sunny day and the cloth made the image stand out enough that focusing was really easy (although I do use a loupe for accuracy).

Large format photography is slow. The cloth makes it slower, but who cares? Do it right. :)

[Dave Saunders]

I had a play around today just using a bit of black velvet, It did make a big difference!

I think i might take a look at the elasticated ones, especially as I like to shoot on windy days.

Thanks folks

[timparkin]

I had a play around today just using a bit of black velvet, It did make a big difference!

I think i might take a look at the elasticated ones, especially as I like to shoot on windy days.

Thanks folks

I would agree that a dark cloth is a necessity for most use and especially for wide lenses. I use an schneider 80XL with which I still can't see all of the dark cloth at once.

I have come to the conclusion that a custom fresnel is needed to get an overall view of the scene with lenses wide than 90mm.

As for dark cloths, I'm particularly happy with my BlackJacket (which I've modified a little - see http://blog.timparkin.co.uk/2007/10/blackjacket-mods.html)

[BarryS]

Tim-- Thanks for sharing your BlackJacket mods--they look like good ideas. I like the BlackJacket, but have a few mod ideas of my own. I was planning on making a "shortie" version to better match my Chamonix (and personal preferences), but I recently got an 8x10, so I'm rethinking a few mods that would both lighten the BlackJacket and make it more adaptable between 4x5 and 8x10.