finding a darkcloth (sinar)

resummerfield · Nov 5, 2006

game said:
.....can anyone bring in some good arguments for using a sleeve design?

When it is very bright outside, as when standing on snow or a sandy beach, or when the wind is more than a gentle breeze, then the BTZS "tube" or the BlackJacket "sleeve" is a much better choice. To be prepared for all conditions, you may find you need both the BTZS/BlackJacket design AND the horse blanket design.

Aggie · Nov 5, 2006

IT"S Black Jacket not Dark Jacket how many times do you need to have it corrected? I'm not the first to say this in this thread.

naturephoto1 · Nov 5, 2006

Aggie said:
IT"S Black Jacket not Dark Jacket how many times do you need to have it corrected? I'm not the first to say this in this thread.

Sorry Aggie, I just responded to Peter's original posting as he had stated it. Didn't even register that it was incorrect at the time. Now I can't edit my posting so that is the way it will have to stay. Regardless of the name, I do like mine very much.

Rich

Shmoo · Nov 5, 2006

I've only ever used a darkcloth with my Sinar F2...it has velcro strips that allow it to be snugly placed around the back standard. I think that the reason I haven't switched to the jacket is that I also use the darkcloth to pack around the F2 when it's folded up as extra padding...a "two-fer"!

S

Kilgallb · Nov 5, 2006

The best dark cloth I have is my Winter parka. I tie the arms around the tripod legas to keep it in place. Of course I do get a little cold sometimes.

Tom Hoskinson · Nov 5, 2006

Another vote for the BLACKJACKET. I love mine. I have one for my 8x10 and another one for my 5x7.

game · Nov 6, 2006

Seems very true to me...
What darkcloth do you use?

I Will ask some guys at my photography school what they like...
Thanks again

Kind regards game

Ryan McIntosh said:
This past summer I spend two months camping out and photographing in Iceland. We were faced with rain almost every other day, if not a slight rain EVERY day! Because I was there to photograph, the light rain was not going to stop me from making images.

Before going on the trip I waterproofed my darkcloth with two coats of ScotchGuard waterproofing spray, both the inside and out. With having the darkcloth, I was able to keep the WHOLE camera covered from the lens back, and still have it long enough to focus and compose the image. My bellows were often out to 24" or more, and they were protected completely by the large darkcloth drapped over. Clearly you could not do this with that little jacket. It would be impossible.

When I was using the darkjacket in cold weather, I often had the problem of my hot breath being trapped inside and fogging up my ground glass. If your ever photographing in cold weather, this is something you will want to think about. The problem still happens with a normal darkcloth, but not nearly as bad.

User Removed · Nov 7, 2006

game said:
Seems very true to me...
What darkcloth do you use?

I Will ask some guys at my photography school what they like...
Thanks again

Kind regards game

I use Kevin Saittas darkcloths. Here is a link...

http://www.kjsphotography.com/products/product.php?id=26

coriana6jp · Nov 7, 2006

Take a serious look at the Blackjackets. I have two of them one for 4x5 and another for 8x10. They are great products, and Keith is a fantastic person to do business with.

Hope it helps.

Gary

Keith Pitman · Nov 9, 2006

I tried a BTZS hood and didn't like it. A friend recommended the Gnassgear dark cloth. I've been using it for about a year now and find it the best I've used. It's compact and doesn't take as much room in my pack as a horseblanket, and it's much more light weight. In addition, it has velchro, elastic, and snap fasteners that let it attach to the camera end. Take a look; a great product.

rossb · Nov 9, 2006

Another vote for the Gnassgear darkcloth. I also
changed after using a BTZS for a while.

game · Nov 10, 2006

hi there,
thanks for the Gnassgear photo products suggestion!
I looked at there website, and i guess it's what they call, 'the focussing cloth'
it looks nice!, and cheap as well.
One major question::: is it waterproof???
thanks for letting me know! thanks Game

naturephoto1 · Nov 10, 2006

game said:
hi there,
thanks for the Gnassgear photo products suggestion!
I looked at there website, and i guess it's what they call, 'the focussing cloth'
it looks nice!, and cheap as well.
One major question::: is it waterproof???
thanks for letting me know! thanks Game

Justin and his staff make some very nice equipment. I am very happy with his 4 x 5 Field Camera Case, short 4 X 5 Multiple lens case, and 3 Pouch Rapid Load File.

Rich

game · Nov 10, 2006

ok, good to hear
but someone on the waterproof part?
game

naturephoto1 · Nov 10, 2006

I very much doubt if the Gnass Dark Cloth is waterproof. Additionally few are totally waterproofed. Even if the material itself is, to totally be waterproofed the seams would have to be seam sealed.

Rich

game · Nov 10, 2006

well, i sent an email to justin to ask,
but I do think the saitta is wateproof for instance.
You know, I don;t need to wrap it around me jump in the sea and comout dry, but I do want it to keep my camera dry for at least half an hour of medium rainfall.
kind regards game

naturephoto1 · Nov 10, 2006

game said:
well, i sent an email to justin to ask,
but I do think the saitta is wateproof for instance.
You know, I don;t need to wrap it around me jump in the sea and comout dry, but I do want it to keep my camera dry for at least half an hour of medium rainfall.
kind regards game

Consider using a heavy mil plastic bag if you want to keep the camera dry for at least 30 minutes of medium rain. The dark cloths are not normally large or long enough by themselves especially with over 300mm of extension to cover the bellows, film/holder/ground glass, lens with/without shade, and you under the cloth.

Also, I know and like Kevin very much. He makes very very fine products. But and check with him, he indicates that the white fabric is water resistant. He does not imply that the fabric is waterproof.

Rich

User Removed · Nov 10, 2006

I use one of Kevin's darkcloths and can tell you that they are not waterPROOF, but rather waterRESISTANT. When I use the darkcloth in the rain and it gets wet, the water just beads up on the surface and rolls off. I usally shake it off before putting it away.

You will not find a 100% waterproof darkcloth, unless it's just a huge sheet of black plastic.

Christopher D. Keth · Dec 3, 2006

Ryan McIntosh said:
You will not find a 100% waterproof darkcloth, unless it's just a huge sheet of black plastic.

On the contrary. I made my cloth out of goretex. It attaches around the camera back with velcro, is weighted on the corners, and folds up small enough to stuff into a jacket pocket. As a bonus, it only cost me $12 or so for material and an hour or so to put together.

naturephoto1 · Dec 4, 2006

Christopher D. Keth said:
On the contrary. I made my cloth out of goretex. It attaches around the camera back with velcro, is weighted on the corners, and folds up small enough to stuff into a jacket pocket. As a bonus, it only cost me $12 or so for material and an hour or so to put together.

Hi Christopher,

Hope you remembered to seam seal the seams. Otherwise the seams will leak in rain. Also, be prepared for the Gore-tex not breathing that well when underneath when humidity is high and at high temperatures unless you used Gore-tex Paclite (it is lighter and breathes better, but does not stand up as well). eVENT fabric at least as far as I know is still the best breathing "waterproof" fabric used for hiking and backpacking. It breathes better that Gore-tex. Also, you will need to launder the dark cloth to keep the fabric clean and reapply the DWR reasonably frequently to maintain the outer fabric water repellancy (otherwise the outer fabric will absorb the rain water, will get very heavy and take a long time to dry).

Rich

RobertP · Dec 4, 2006

My ULF darkcloth is made from a lightweight 3 ply gortex. White on one side and black on the other. I lined it with black silk and folded the gortex to the inside so there are no outer seams. I added velcro closures and two small pockets on the rear corners to add weights when desired. It will completely cover the camera in case of rain. It is breathable and there is no need to apply any sealant. I've used the old horse blankets and this is half the weight and ten times cooler in hot conditions. I also added a small section of elastic at mid- point to allow for a tighter fit around the camera. Also as the old duck hunters will tell you silk is also a very breathable material and it makes for a nice working enviroment when your under the cloth. The gortex fabric is available through a place in Loveland, Colorado called "Rockywoods Fabrics. LLC" Ph# (970) 663-6163. 2.5 yards cost me 37.00. If anyone is interested, you may want to also buy the polyester metrosene thread that they recommend for sewing gortex. I guess it is a waterproof thread. Bottom line : It works better than anything I have ever used before.

RobertP · Dec 4, 2006

RobertP said:
My ULF darkcloth is made from a lightweight 3 ply gortex. White on one side and black on the other. I lined it with black silk and folded the gortex to the inside so there are no outer seams. I added velcro closures and two small pockets on the rear corners to add weights when desired. It will completely cover the camera in case of rain. It is breathable and there is no need to apply any sealant. I've used the old horse blankets and this is half the weight and ten times cooler in hot conditions. I also added a small section of elastic at mid- point to allow for a tighter fit around the camera. Also as the old duck hunters will tell you silk is also a very breathable material and it makes for a nice working enviroment when your under the cloth. The gortex fabric is available through a place in Loveland, Colorado called "Rockywoods Fabrics. LLC" Ph# (970) 663-6163. 2.5 yards cost me 37.00. If anyone is interested, you may want to also buy the polyester metrosene thread that they recommend for sewing gortex. I guess it is a waterproof thread. Bottom line : It works better than anything I have ever used before.

Disclaimer: The wife did the sewing. I know I made it sound like I did. It cost me a very expensive dinner

Curt · Dec 4, 2006

Calument has a really nice one with lead weights in the corners. At first I didn't like using one but now I am used to it and we get along just fine. It is dark blue on one side and white on the other. It's thick enough to wrap my 8x10 camera in also.

andyvan · Jun 23, 2023

game said:
hi everyone,
I have a sinar f2 at this moment, and for easier focussing and framing, it features a binaloup which is some kind of box with view holes you can attach to the back, and it mirrors the images and blocks out some light.
Problem is that it's bulky.
So I figured I wanna go for a darkcloth. I don;t even know if that's the word.
But where to find it? what to pay attention to?
thanks A lot, Greetz game

Hi, My name is andrew, I have autism and have been researching sinar's in my local camera shop, what you might not know is that the wide angle bellows CAN be added to the rear (if your set has two plastic angle brackets and hexagonal rods)- the fitting below the standard frame is exactly for this purpose, the "welders goggles" which go onto the binocular viewer, add to a "lens board", if you can term it that, which adds to the wide bellows, you then have your 'dark cloth', but much easier to swing to look at the corners of the frame ( the rods and plastic are to cradle the bellows to stop sagging, primarily for lens hood "ad-hocking" and for extension standard use, for macro shooting ), hope this helps, these are modular cameras for a reason, you don't have to $$$ every time, just add a part, not a whole system!, eg the standards can be "upgraded' ad-hoc to morph your camera between a 'basic' f model through c2 to a P2 if your work, or desires allow.

finding a darkcloth (sinar)

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