How about some suggestions for dark cloths?

I'm tired of struggling with an old t-shirt, never did like the compromises made for me by old girlfriends (I mean dark cloth compromises...I did like the others). Once had a fine rubberized dark cloth, but it was heavy and bulky for toting.

What do you use?

Being from the low tech days, a piece of dense black cloth from the fabric store works just fine. My opinion is that a good magnifier is as important as the dark cloth, which I don't always fool with anyway.

Agreed that cloth works "fine" but I'm looking for "superb," particularly in very bright light.

What's your favorite magnifier, btw? What magnification?

I've been using an 8X Gepe (the old Agfalupe) but it's too fat and round for my Century's folding hood and is far too powerful for fresnel (which I'll remove when I get around to it).

Quote:

On 2004-11-30 10:36, djon wrote: Agreed that cloth works "fine" but I'm looking for "superb," particularly in very bright light. What's your favorite magnifier, btw? What magnification? I've been using an 8X Gepe (the old Agfalupe) but it's too fat and round for my Century's folding hood and is far too powerful for fresnel (which I'll remove when I get around to it).

Um, about removing the fresnel, remember that it sits between the ground glass and the focusing panel's frame. If you don't replace the fresnel with shims exactly as thick as the fresnel, the GG will be out of register with the film plane.

Re loupes, I use an Ednalite Magnifinder. Contemporary with my cameras, works, but is round so works badly in the corners.

Cheers,

Dan

I use a variety of magnifiers. Anything from a magnifying glass to a loupe (which I don't like). I think my favorite is one of those linen testers thats used for counting the threads in the weave. It is on a little stand so focus is pre-set but folds flat for storage. the magnification is about right for me, low distortion and really cheap. It works with 2X3. Got it off eBay.
Dark cloth? The neatest thing I've seen was made like a tube so it completely surrounds the head and the back of the camera. I don't know if the thing is available commercially. I believe it was custom made.

The best magnifier I've seen is Toyo's, which is low power, small diameter, long (handy to hold), optically excellent, and is rubber where it contacts the ground glass...but it's $$$$

Yes, shims. Good reminder.

One reason for rubberized cloth was its weight...it hung in place nicely. An alternative is fishing weights in the hem...
I used thick cordouroy (sp?) years ago, but it was no fun in drizzles.

Y'all must realize that when it comes to putting out money, I'm a world class cheapskate. Anyhoo, I think you can get the rubberized cloth from Porter's. (porters.com?)

My photo teacher swears by an old black t-shirt. you put your head through the head-hole, then put the bottom of the shirt over the camera, and just keep it around your neck when not looking through the camera. Pretty convenient, although I always grab the wrong bit of fabric and strangle myself when pulling it up to put over the camera. He said some of his more resourceful students have taken a white shirt and a black shirt and sewn them together with the white one on the outside, for increased light-tightness. Makes it cooler, too, due to the white shirt reflecting the sun rather than absorbing heat.

The darkcloth we had for the communal view camera in the studio at my previous school was very nice. It was some sort of heavy charcoal-gray denim or canvas. It was very light-tight, and draped very nicely, while still being stiff enough to not fall down between face and camera. Go to a fabric store and look around.

I use an old black t-shirt, but usually forget it and end up using the shirt or jacket I'm wearing. (Good thing I usually wear an undershirt!)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Baker on 2004-12-02 23:10 ]</font>

Guess there's not much new "under the sun!"

The hottest thing I have heard about in Dark Cloths as of late has been the Blackjacket, I know a large number of Photographers who swear by this one and won't shoot with anything else.

http://www.quietworks.com/

Dave Parker

Nice idea. $$

Does anybody else use velcro strips to stick the cloth to the camera?

I tried velcro with my homemade darkcloth, and it proved to be a major PITA, and in any case I made the cloth large enough to simply drape over the camera.

It's easy to make a dark cloth if you have a sewing machine and a helpful partner who can show you how to use it. Buy a yard of white fabric, a yard of black fabric, lay them atop each other, and sew around three sides. Turn this "pillow case" inside out, then neatly sew the fourth side shut. Viola! Use it white side up, so the light is reflected off the top side of the cloth; that way it'll be darker down below where the camera and your head are, and what's more it's very cool on a hot summer day.

At the fabric store you can buy little curtain weights to sew inside the corners of your darkcloth. These help the cloth to drape better, obviating the need for velcro, and provide stability in a stiff breeze.

My favorite cloth in light/no wind is one made by Kodak in their "professional" years. It is silver on one side, grey on the other, very light, no weights and has a strip of velcro built in if you want to use it. Just a joy to use.

For more demanding situations, a Zone VI darkcloth is my choice, for the reasons others have given. White/black, heavy w/corner weights.

For a loupe, since I wear glasses, I use a Behr clip-on magnifier.
http://www.behrloupes.com/
Convenient, effective to use, with the only downside that you look like a jeweler using it [that's where the darkcloth comes in handy].

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: alecj on 2005-03-20 18:05 ]</font>

Alecj, that Behr loupe seems like a good idea..and it's not expensive...

Which model do you like?