Dark Cloth or Folding Viewer

[dengfang314]

Hi there,

Anyone knows how is the scene in folding viewer compare to a traditional dark cloth?

Thanks,

Fang

[diversey]

The same?

[dengfang314]

The same?

I mean things like viewability, brightness and so on, especially in the middle of the day.

[Jim C.]

If you mean a folding viewer like a pop up shade versus a dark cloth, the dark cloth will win
with pop up shades and even monocular viewers there will always be extraneous light leaking in.

[dengfang314]

If you mean a folding viewer like a pop up shade versus a dark cloth, the dark cloth will win
with pop up shades and even monocular viewers there will always be extraneous light leaking in.

Is the light leak acceptable? I really want to find something instead of the dark cloth.

[bobwysiwyg]

There aren't many options. Sounds like you've already made up your mind.

[Jac@stafford.net]

If you mean a folding viewer like a pop up shade versus a dark cloth, the dark cloth will win
with pop up shades and even monocular viewers there will always be extraneous light leaking in.

What Jim said. If you can reach the controls with a dark cloth you are good to go. I suppose using BOTH would be cool, but I'm too lazy and broke to try.

[Bruce Barlow]

I use a black t-shirt, the neck stretched around the back of my 4x5. My nice sister sewed up the sleeves, but they can be useful to put your hands in to get to the rear tilt knobs.

The t-shirt lets no light in the bottom, so the GG is unimpaired, and really bright. If you get a XXL from Wally World, it's long enough, cheap and effective. I have no experience with a viewer, but I'll take my solution, even in bright sun, anytime.

If the shirt lets in too much light for your taste, put the black one inside a white one, and you have the equivalent of the fancier dark cloths, only cheaper and better.

[Greg Y]

I don't think there's a viewer out there that matches a dark cloth. I wrap my camera in the dark cloth to protect it in my backpack. The dark cloth shields the edge of the film holder when the light is on an angle. When the light is strong i cover my bellows. If the light falls a certain way, I cover the bellows with the dark cloth and then slide the darkslide in betwen to make a lens shade.

[Jim C.]

Is the light leak acceptable? I really want to find something instead of the dark cloth.

That depends on your personal preference, and what you deem acceptable
if you want to keep the ground glass image bright a dark cloth has no equal
with the bottom opening clothes pinned together, Bruce Barlows T shirt method
works very well too and there are dark cloths fashioned after that idea.
The only other way is to use monocular or binocular viewer with some sort of cushion ring that
you can push into to block out light.