Dark slide questions

markbau · Sep 1, 2019

Took my recently acquired 8 x 10 field camera for an outdoor shoot yesterday and wanted to ask some old heads about how they use dark slides.

Do you slide the slide in square or start by putting it in at an angle and then straighten it up. On my Fidelity holders, the slide seems hard to go in when sliding it in square but quite a bit easier if I start it on an angle.

If the camera is in full sun, do you shade the film holder while you remove and insert the slide?

I got some light leak when I removed and inserted the dark slide in full sun so I'm guessing I need to shade the film holder.

Just looking for any tips from experienced large format camera users. Thanks.

Bob S · Sep 1, 2019

I don’t remove the slide completely. I first retract it, without loading film, until it just clears the film area. Then I use a permanent fine line marker to make a line where it just clears the holder’s body.
That line indicates how far to pull the slide out.
That way there is no way that light can get in the holder, especially older ones where the felt may not be to factory specs due to age or use.

I put a small piece of tape on the exposed side after the exposure.

Ariston · Sep 1, 2019

Bob S said:
I don’t remove the slide completely. I first retract it, without loading film, until it just clears the film area. Then I use a permanent fine line marker to make a line where it just clears the holder’s body.
That line indicates how far to pull the slide out.
That way there is no way that light can get in the holder, especially older ones where the felt may not be to factory specs due to age or use.

I put a small piece of tape on the exposed side after the exposure.

Thanks, Bob! That marker tip is helpful to me, too.

GregY · Sep 1, 2019

Mark, I cover the camera & holder with my dark cloth. I do withdraw the slide all the way. Sometimes I use it to shade the lens.... & i reverse it to show the black side of the tab = that side of the holder has been exposed.

Doremus Scudder · Sep 1, 2019

Having a dark slide flapping around in the wind while I'm photographing is not my idea of a good time! I remove the dark slide completely. The same applies for the dark cloth; if it's windy, I don't want it wrapped around my camera when photographing. Good holders should be light-tight, but I don't take the chance. I cover the dark-slide opening with something immediately upon pulling the dark slide. Often, it's just my hat, but I have a form-fitting black cardboard cover that I cobbled together from empty film boxes that slides over the end of the film holder. My hat then goes over that if it's not too windy just to shade the whole spring back.

Best,

Doremus

Maris · Sep 1, 2019

If I'm photographing in bright direct sunlight I set the back of the camera so that the darkslide slot is on the side where the sun isn't shining. At high noon it's even safer to pull the darkslide down and out rather than up. In theory the darkslide should be inserted square on. To push a corner in first is supposed to open a thin wedge shaped gap in the light trap that could let a blink of sunlight in. And the focussing cloth goes over the back of the camera as proof against light-strike paranoia.

RalphLambrecht · Sep 1, 2019

markbau said:
Took my recently acquired 8 x 10 field camera for an outdoor shoot yesterday and wanted to ask some old heads about how they use dark slides.

Do you slide the slide in square or start by putting it in at an angle and then straighten it up. On my Fidelity holders, the slide seems hard to go in when sliding it in square but quite a bit easier if I start it on an angle.

If the camera is in full sun, do you shade the film holder while you remove and insert the slide?

I got some light leak when I removed and inserted the dark slide in full sun so I'm guessing I need to shade the film holder.

Just looking for any tips from experienced large format camera users. Thanks.

I try to start them straight and kind a wiggle them into place;do shade them with my body; never had a leak but my holders are numbered,so, I know if a sheet shows leaks what holder it was in.

Arklatexian · Sep 1, 2019

GregY said:
Mark, I cover the camera & holder with my dark cloth. I do withdraw the slide all the way. Sometimes I use it to shade the lens.... & i reverse it to show the black side of the tab = that side of the holder has been exposed.

+1

reddesert · Sep 2, 2019

I believe you should always shade the light trap from the sun, for the same reason that 35mm and 120 rolls tell you not to load in direct sunlight.

markbau · Sep 3, 2019

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I’m going to use the method where the dark slide is only slid out enough to uncover the film area and see how that goes. I’ll try extracting and inserting the dark slide under my focusing cloth but I go like the idea of never taking the dark slide all the way out.

Dark slide questions

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