About dark cloth

[Songyun]

What is your ideal dark cloth?
What is the best size for 4X5 and for 8X10?

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello,, I just went to a fabric store and bought 3 yards of black velvet cloth ,,, I use it for a background, darkcloth, holy bellows cover, shoulder cussion, etc. I paid $20.00 for it in 1983 and still use it today

[Andrew O'Neill]

BTZS hoods...except in freezing cold weather as they get really stiff. Mine is starting to flake it's rubberized coating after 8 years of use. Nice and dark inside.

[Steve M Hostetter]

PS... I might add I like it most for it's clinging ability

[Bill_1856]

BTZS hoods...except in freezing cold weather as they get really stiff. Mine is starting to flake it's rubberized coating after 8 years of use. Nice and dark inside.

I agree.

[vinny]

I had my mom sew a black t-shirt inside a white t-shirt at the neck, sleeves and a couple stitches at the waist. There's also some stretch cord with a cord lock sewn into the neck to allow for tightening around my 4x5. I put the neck over my neck when using my 8x10. Everybody pokes fun about it but it, keeps more light out than a cloth just over the top of the camera, works well in the wind, doesn't get stiff unless wet and frozen, and costs almost nothing if you have extra shirts lying around.

[Songyun]

BTZS hoods...except in freezing cold weather as they get really stiff. Mine is starting to flake it's rubberized coating after 8 years of use. Nice and dark inside.

I don't like BTZS hoods, I found difficult to block all the lights. I got a Harrison large size dark cloth, I found it very efficient blocking all the lights, but it seems that the size is a bit bigger for 8X10. I don't know if 54X58 will work for 8X10 or 4X5.

[Gem Singer]

The large Harrison dark cloth will work for 4X5, but it is large and unwieldly.

There is a smaller Harrison cloth for 4X5. I purchased mine at Quality Camera in Atlanta, GA.

I find the Harrison dark cloths hard to beat for price and quality. I've used mine in 25 mph wind gusts They are well made of lightweight material. The silver material on the outside and the black material on the inside makes it nice and cool to work with under the blazing Texas sun in the summertime, and it doesn't get stiff in cold temperatures.

[jvuokko]

I had my mom sew a black t-shirt inside a white t-shirt at the neck, sleeves and a couple stitches at the waist. There's also some stretch cord with a cord lock sewn into the neck to allow for tightening around my 4x5. I put the neck over my neck when using my 8x10. Everybody pokes fun about it but it, keeps more light out than a cloth just over the top of the camera, works well in the wind, doesn't get stiff unless wet and frozen, and costs almost nothing if you have extra shirts lying around.

T-Shirt really is the best. Two t-shirts, black shirt inside, white outside. Works like a charm.

You already said all the advantages. Perhaps the look is bit DIY, but who cares

[Gordon Moat]

I got a tube style 4x5 dark cloth off EBAY. It has elastic at one end to fit snug around the back of the camera. There is a Velcro splitter along the length to more easily adapt it to you. Outside is silver and inside black, all synthetic material. Nice aspects are that it packs thinly, and is easy to keep clean.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography