I also enjoy using the Black Jacket. If it's windy I keep it on the camera but I gather together the loose portion and tuck it on the camera base beneath the bellows. On the few occasions I've photographed in very strong winds I take it off when I'm not composing or focusing.
I carry some clothes pins for that. If the wind was to catch the cloth, I don't think the pins would hold it. They'd probably let it go flying before the camera could tip. I only use a pin or two if the cloth won't stay still while I'm fumbling around.
I normally don't attach my darkcloth. It's a PITA to deal with darkslides with the darkcloth in place, and I do worry about the darkcloth acting as a sail. At best, it can introduce vibration, and at worst - well, I don't even want to think about that.
But if its a sunny day, I may decide that it would be prudent to leave the darkcloth over the camera to prevent inadvertent light leaks. In that case, drape the cloth over the camera, and then pinch the two ends together using an "a clamp" that lives in my backpack.
I just got off the phone with a medium-format photographer friend who used to assist a large-format architectural photographer.
He said his boss didn't allow attaching the dark cloth to the camera.
He said when you walk away from under the dark cloth, your shoulder or some other body part can drag a bit and move the camera.
Older dark cloths were fabricated out of heavy weight cloth, usually two layered. They also had weighted corners that were supposed to hold the cloth in place in windy conditions.
They were heavy weight and bulky to pack into a camera bag.
They were usually draped over the camera like horse blankets. Even the ones with white fabric on the outside were extremely uncomfortable to work under in hot weather.
Newer dark cloths are constructed of lighter weight materials, reflective of light and heat under bright sunny conditions. Much more comfortable to work under.
For example, the top of the line Ebony, Harrison Classic Silver, and the Black Jacket are very light weight and fold into small, easy to carry packages.
These newer dark cloths are held in place by means of elastic, velcro, etc. Easy to fasten and unfasten from the camera. They do not exert as much drag on the camera as did the older type dark cloths.
I like a dark cloth fixed round the camera back, it seems a good way to stop light coming up from the ground and being a bit distracting. It also has to be able to be whipped off quickly and stuffed in the sack!
I have a dark cloth with lead strips sewn into the sides, I don't need anything extra to keep it into place.
Peter
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