The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
http://www.searing.photography
Flickr Home Page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums
Alan...I have a 4x diopter set (had to order these from my eyeglass place - cost 12 dollars) - giving me a good view of the entire screen on my 5x7 while generally allowing enough detail for fine focus. There are times when I'd either like to go even closer, or perhaps try to order something like a 4x-7x bifocal arrangement. Probably a bit more expensive!
Flickr Home Page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums
Go to A "joann's' fabric store, buy two yards of blackout fabric, which has a rubberized cloth on one side and the other is white, and if they don't 'ave it there, Ebay for the same amount of black Gortex.
Make a large five by five foot square, of each fabric, rubberized side in, and sew the two pieces together.
Scotchgard the outer white side of the cloth, and add Velcro tabs on the four corner points, both sides, and one additional point on the middle of each side, plus some duel sided Velcro straps for joining/anchoring to each dark cloth point or to tripod legs etc.
The white material is weightier, by far, over the black Gortex, but with it's rubberized fabric, is light proof and will reflect the sunlight when used.
It will also help keep the rain off your kit.
When anchoring the cloth to your tripod, be sure it's no so windy that it'll become a sail and move/carry it off.
You can go smaller, but Five by five feet is what many LF photographers seem to like, and you can always fold it up to fit the bottom of your box/bag, as additional padding for travel.
By the way, I keep a changing bag in the bottom of my small/medium format bag, for the same reason.
IMO.
Currently using a Wanderer darkcloth. Also travel with one of these: Matador pocket blanket. https://matadorup.com/products/pocke...nt=34861130950 great for throwing over camera, or tossing on the ground to make sure nothing gets loss. 3rd choice, too expensive for me but very interesting: Paramo dark cloth from England. https://www.paramo-clothing.com/en-g...8-64193008df0e
Got a ancient waxed cotton darkcloth yesterday, very dirty, well worn and perhaps full of bugs considering the source. The other things are cleanable.
I immediately took it back outside into the bin.
I like waxed cotton jackets, but not strange bugs...
Tin Can
I have a very old, now (very unfortunately) mouse-eaten dark cloth which was extremely lightweight and compactable. Best feature was that its texture and tones (light gray one side, silky black other side) made it my very favorite backdrop for smallish still-life subjects (see photos). Too bad about those mice!
Trip to the local fabric store, suggest using white satin outside (reflective, cooler on HOT days. Aluminized material will drive others near by wild), black cotton (lesser slippage) on the inside. Don't need fabric that is too heavy, just heavy enough to block light and cover your top with camera. Suggest adding weights to the bottom area of the dark cloth to help keep the dark cloth from flopping around too much. Don't make the dark cloth too larger or it will be overly bulky for no good reason.
Apply the fuzzy side of velcro to the camera side of the dark cloth, apply the velcro hook side to the camera. This will keep the dark cloth on the camera and makes it easy attach or remove from the camera as needed.
Nothing fancy, simple and functional is most important.
Bernice
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