Dark Cloth 4x5

[Alan Klein]

What Bob said - but you can get pretty darn close focus with the reflex viewer in normal light. In dim light it is not as useful and with the freznel lens its requries a bit of moving around the eye piece. A large loupe with the sides blacked out is possible too if you also can use your hands to block the light on the ground glass.
Or there's this method from my friend Corran:

I think he's looking for the loupe he dropped in the stream.

[Alan Klein]

Any device that lets you view the entire gg is a viewing aid, not a focusing aid. It will not have enough magnification to focus critically.

The Chamonix reflex viewer views the whole Fresnel with 3x magnification. However, you can;t use a loupe with it.

They have other viewers that just cover the GG without magnification. You need a loupe with those.
Here's the link.

Any comments on these viewers? I like the idea of a reflex viewer.
http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/ac...es/viewfinders

[Bob Salomon]

The Chamonix reflex viewer views the whole Fresnel with 3x magnification. However, you can;t use a loupe with it.

They have other viewers that just cover the GG without magnification. You need a loupe with those.
Here's the link.

Any comments on these viewers? I like the idea of a reflex viewer.
http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/ac...es/viewfinders

I don’t know theirs. But I do know Linhofs and Wista’s and all of those stay attached to the camera but swing away to use a loupe.

[Vaughn]

I prefer my old Calumet darkcloth. White on one side, black on the other, not too light, not too heavy. Simple 3'x4'. I've worn it over my shoulder when got out at night.

[jeroldharter]

You might try some 10X reading glasses in place of (or in addition to) a loupe. I tried a number of focusing cloths. In the end, simple and light is best.

[mitch.goddard]

Both my Sinar F1 and Horseman VH came with their respective reflex viewers when I bought them as kits and I probably used them once or twice before putting them aside for a while and ultimately selling them. They're nice in theory, probably work well if you're in the studio a lot and the camera is in a fixed position or something, but I found they get in the way more often than not. With the Sinar viewer at least the camera needed to be low enough that you're at the right height to look down into the viewer (or high enough that you can look up into it, which doesn't sound like it'd be very comfortable or convenient), and I'm sure it's the same with the Chamonix viewer. Sure, having the image right side up is nice, but honestly I think you should just give the classic dark cloth / focusing loupe combo a try. You'll get used to it sooner than you think.

[John Layton]

More and more these days...I've been using a black t-shirt - with the large end being placed over the camera back. Wearing closeup glasses (I like the two-eyed viewing!) and placing the head-hole over just the top of my head and my eyes - I can move about the screen nicely while keeping my nose and mouth out of the "bag," which mitigates that real PIA problem of focus screen fogging.

My next steps are to sew a white t-shirt to the outside (to reflect heat), sew the head-hole a bit smaller so the remaining opening is just large enough for the glasses, and sew an elastic head-strap over this hole to keep it affixed to my head. Oh...and I'll sew a drawstring into the large end to keep it more secure over the camera, also allowing for a quick removal from the camera prior to film insertion and exposure. Meanwhile, the bag will stay on my head - gathered around my neck to stay out of the way until the next setup, at which point the large, drawstring end gets pulled back over the camera, while the rest stays attached to my head. Should work (I think)! I'll post a pic when its done.

[Corran]

I think he's looking for the loupe he dropped in the stream.

lol Eric, wasn't expecting to see that photo again.

Yes I often bend over the camera kinda sideways when shooting mid-stream like that. A long dark cloth hanging off the camera will just get wet, or worse. My body blocks some light, enough to focus and compose roughly anyway, then I refine it under my "darkcloth" carefully.

Generally I have a light windbreaker jacket I clip onto my bag. It's much lighter than a true "darkcloth." I find no reason to use anything else on 4x5. For larger cameras I do generally use a basic white/black darkcloth due to the size needed to cover the GG.

PS: the photo I was making IIRC

[David Schaller]

A Gore-Tex jacket works well too.

[Tin Can]

This is a good plan!

More and more these days...I've been using a black t-shirt - with the large end being placed over the camera back. Wearing closeup glasses (I like the two-eyed viewing!) and placing the head-hole over just the top of my head and my eyes - I can move about the screen nicely while keeping my nose and mouth out of the "bag," which mitigates that real PIA problem of focus screen fogging.

My next steps are to sew a white t-shirt to the outside (to reflect heat), sew the head-hole a bit smaller so the remaining opening is just large enough for the glasses, and sew an elastic head-strap over this hole to keep it affixed to my head. Oh...and I'll sew a drawstring into the large end to keep it more secure over the camera, also allowing for a quick removal from the camera prior to film insertion and exposure. Meanwhile, the bag will stay on my head - gathered around my neck to stay out of the way until the next setup, at which point the large, drawstring end gets pulled back over the camera, while the rest stays attached to my head. Should work (I think)! I'll post a pic when its done.