Light Weight Darkcloth

[James Rose]

Looking for a Light Weight darkcloth for 4x5. Using a Zone VI now. Jim

[ki6mf]

I got a smaller nylon dark cloth from B&H made by Kalt. as I recall it was around $25 US and was about 3 feet square! It blew away in the wind and I now use an double thick black nylon changing bag which is still light weight and folds up nicely.

[Michael Gordon]

Try Blackjacket (http://www.quietworks.com)or BTZS (http://www.viewcamerastore.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_53&products_id=32).

[Steve Gledhill]

Try this earlier thread ... http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=441144&postcount=29

[davemiller]

I can recommend the BTZS (http://www.viewcamerastore.com/product_info.php?cPath=27_53&products_id=32) too. I have a 5x4 and a 10x8 version, both good to use.

[Steve Hamley]

The lightest one you'll likely ever find is the smaller Ebony "cloth". You can fold it up and put it in your pants pocket like a handkerchief.

Cheers, Steve

[Jacques-Mtl]

I use an extra large t-shirt that cost almost nothing and it is very light.

[rknewcomb]

I looked in my closet and found an older black large T-shirt. It has a few buttons part way down the front. Just undo a few buttons to make the neck the right size for the rear of your camera and you're good. Almost free!

[Bruce Barlow]

I use an extra large t-shirt that cost almost nothing and it is very light.

Agree! Mine's an XXL (so am I), black, $3 at Wally World. Packs small, works fine. Doesn't want to blow away as easily.

[Drew Wiley]

Lightweight, weather-resistant, tough with no lint: there's a type of tyvek truckers use to weatherproof load which is black one side and white on the other. When they're
done with it, it either gets thrown away or recycled. Check with a local lumberyard.
Just a tiny bit of a crinkly sound. Cuts with scissors.

[jeroldharter]

I have used several darkcloths. My favorite is the Blackjacket but it is not lightweight. It is the bulkiest I have used, but it can suffice as some padding as well.

For lightweight, the BTZS is good. Another which I have not used but looks very good as an ultralight option is the Paramo dark cloth:

http://www.lightandland.co.uk/article.aspx?articleId=326&typeId=2&conId=8

[r.e.]

Jerold, you said in an earlier thread that the BTZS is not a good choice for certain cameras, e.g. Arca-Swiss. Is that still your view?

Can you comment on the Blackjacket for Arca-Swiss cameras?

Am I correct that the Paramo is not designed for 8x10?

[Dirk Rösler]

"it will snugly fit all view cameras from medium format through to 5X7"

[Matus Kalisky]

BTZS does the job for me, although mine (ca 1 year old) does have quite an aggressive version of velcro (scratchy to my skin) - I may modify mine slightly. Still - very light and good material.

[jeroldharter]

Jerold, you said in an earlier thread that the BTZS is not a good choice for certain cameras, e.g. Arca-Swiss. Is that still your view?

Can you comment on the Blackjacket for Arca-Swiss cameras?

Am I correct that the Paramo is not designed for 8x10?

The BTZS has an elastic perimeter that stretches around the cabinet of the camera. Because the Arca is a monorail design, the diameter of the cabinet is larger and really stretches the BTZS and lets light in around the monorail. If you try to place the darkcloth opening around the camera back only, it is not very secure. Also, I don't want to glue some crummy velcro tabs on an expensive gem like the Arca. Also, I don't really like BTZS because they are like fancy plastic bags and do not breathe at all so humidity builds up rapidly.

The Blackjacket is much more versatile. I think I have the "hybrid" version which is reasonably breathable. It has an elastic draw cord opening plus some velcro tabs so you could potentially use an 8x10 darkcloth on a 4x5 as well if you wanted to economize. I have not used it on the Arca because I have been focusing on my 8x10 Wehman lately and it works great. If it is windy, wet, dirty, etc. I just wear it like a shirt when I am setting up between shots and then extend it over the camera opening. You can cinch it down or drape it more like a blanket style dark cloth. The owner of Blackjacket is very responsive and will adjust the opening size to fit your specific camera. Mine is actually a bit large but I prefer it that way. I don't use the arms that much yet but they come in handy sometimes. I use the Blackjacket as padding for my camera in the backpack or as a wrap for a reducing back in my Pelican case where it fits directly beneath the camera.

I have only seen the Paramo listed for 4x5 but I suppose they could make it any size.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Go online to Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. The have a waterproof fabric that is silver on one side and black on the other. $9.00/yd. It is just like the Ebony cloth but without all the bells and whistles. You can add those if you sew. I got rid of all of my standard darkcloths and with 12 yds of this stuff I made 4 darkcloths. By far the best, lightest and cheapest out there. Joe Smiegel from APUG turned me on to it. Look for his post in the archives for pictures.

Jim

[Jim Noel]

A black T-shirt.cheap and it does the job well.

[Brian Sims]

I got a smaller nylon dark cloth from B&H made by Kalt. as I recall it was around $25 US and was about 3 feet square! It blew away in the wind and I now use an double thick black nylon changing bag which is still light weight and folds up nicely.

Wally,

Where did you get this...or did you make it? I am looking for a combo changing tent darkcloth. I plan on chanign film in my tent (the one I sleep in) at night so it doesn't have to be as light tight as would be required for daytime use.

[mandoman7]

Go online to Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. The have a waterproof fabric that is silver on one side and black on the other. $9.00/yd. It is just like the Ebony cloth but without all the bells and whistles. You can add those if you sew. I got rid of all of my standard darkcloths and with 12 yds of this stuff I made 4 darkcloths. By far the best, lightest and cheapest out there. Joe Smiegel from APUG turned me on to it. Look for his post in the archives for pictures.

Jim

That's a great tip, but which fabric? Smiegel is not listed as apug member from my search..

[Milton Tierney]

I too use a Zone VI, I made my own darkcloth. One side white the other black. Check out a fabric store for different weight materials. Use a heavy alligator clip on the cloth ends to keep it on the camera.

[Steve Hamley]

Try Smieglitz.

Cheers, Steve

[shinjin]

That's a great tip, but which fabric?

http://www.owfinc.com/Fabrics/NylonWoven/taffeta.asp

Black/Silver metalic Nylon Taffeta: PU Coated. $9.89/yd x 60"

Is that the right stuff?

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Thanks for posting the link. This is the stuff. I showed it to a friend of mine who has the Ebony Darkcloth and he said it is the same stuff. I was searching the site looking for it and I could not find my receipt, so thanks for this. I made darkcloths for my 4x5,8x10,11x14 and 8x20 from this stuff. It is light and waterproof. In bright sun it is maybe not as dark as some of the others but certainly dark enough. The great thing is the weight. I just clip it to my front standard and cover the whole bellows and I still have room even at full extension. You can clip it to the back standard or use velcro or put some elastic around one end but this material is well worth the price.

Jim

[Mark Tweed]

Jim has the right idea, and making your own darkcloth is simple, even simpler if your wife or good friend knows how to sew. I made my own from two fabrics sewn together along the edges. One is a lightweight black nylon with a cotton fabric feel, this is the side that rests on my shoulders. The texture to the fabric 'grips' me better so a light wind is less likely to pull it away. The outer fabric is weightless light grey waterproof/breathable nylon I purchased from a local backpacking/tent repair shop here in Boulder. It works because the light color keeps me cooler and having a second slightly opaque cloth working in conjunction with the black fabric makes the darkcloth that much more lightproof. To make it more functional, I added a 2"X6" strip of velcro at the very front of the underside of the darkcloth that attaches to a smaller strip of velcro that encircles the leather handle on my field camera. That secures the cloth to the top of the camera. I then sewed in thin strips of velcro on the leading edge of the darkcloth which allows me to seal it beneath the camera creating a better light trap. To make it easy to orient and attach to the camera quickly (when time is of the essence) I stitched in a small 2"X2" length of bright yellow webbing (on the grey side above the wide 2"X6" velcro) so I know instantly the front side that attaches to the camera's 'velcroed' handle.

The finished cloth is very light and compressible but is still 'grippy' like a traditional cotton darkcloth. A friend of mine for a time used a black and silver satin-like all nylon darkcloth, but any wind would quickly sling it off his shoulders. Frustrating indeed.

The waterproof grey side is nice in that if it starts to sprinkle or rain, you can quickly wrap the camera with the darkcloth (and if it's windy, secure it with the leading front edge that has the velcro). With the camera under the waterproof cloth, you can leisurely disassemble the camera (filters, lens, shutter release) keeping them dry as you pack them away in your camera case.

The materials cost so little and you can create a better darkcloth than anything available on the market. It also allows you to custom size it to your own requirements (so many darkcloths are way too large for my small field camera and my own modest build).


Mark