Searching in the dark!

[Jeff Buckels]

The BTZS darkcloth, in addition to being expensive, has a major disadvantage when compared to a large darkcloth you make for yourself, i.e., you can't use it in any way as a shade for your lens and/or camera. If you make a big enough dark cloth (follow Hutchings' guidelines), you use it not only to focus but also to wrap your camera when shooting and, if you wish, as a perfectly good lens shade.... As for hand-made darkcloths not being dark enough, it just depends on what you use for material. Browse your friendly neighborhood fabric store. For my 8x10, I used some quite light but tough black broadcloth, doubled it up, added a white side, and I can see the groundglass (in broad daylight) just as well as with the expensive Calumet I got when I started 4x5. This ain't "science" that has to be left to "experts". -jb

[John W.]

One day's worth of film--55 bucks--is how much the "expensive" BTZS cloth will set you back....in exchange for years of service. Probably the best bargain in large format.

P.S. I've been shooting in the desert with the BTZS cloth for three years and have never had a light leak in my camera or my film holders. Anyone who has to drape his entire camera under a huge tarp to prevent light leaks (as Gordon Hutchings advocates) has bigger problems than what kind of focusing cloth to use.

......

[Ken Cravillion]

I use a black t-shirt. I put it on upside down and throw the rest over the camera.