Lightweight focusing cloth for Chamonix 45

[Neil Grant]

..what can you people suggest? Thanks.

 

[Besk]

I have the Wanderer cloth. Lightweight version. Excellent quality - but not cheap.

 

[Jarno]

I use a microfiber towel from Decathlon, a black one, cheap, works fine. Wildly impractical in the rain or snow (but, dries really quickly when wet)

 

[abruzzi]

I love the ultralight Wanderer. Its not fully dark but its dark enough for everything I need to do, even in the bright sun.

"Ultra Light" Regular - Dark Cloth | wanderer

Custom Dark Cloth "Ultralight"

www.wandererphotogear.com

 

[Steve Goldstein]

I own, but rarely use, an extremely light weight Ebony dark cloth. While I love the weight, I find it difficult to manage in even a slight wind, so it stays at home pretty much all the time.

The moral is that too light and too heavy can both be problematic, but in different ways.

 

[Tel]

I have an old home-made one (two layers of cotton cloth sewn together) that was cumbersome and heavy and frustrating to use. So I bought a new one from Etone on ebay and I like it a lot: lightweight, light-tight and easy to use. Shipped from Texas and $30.

 

[djdister]

I bought one of the BTZS Focusing Hoods from Fred Newman of the View Camera Store - lightweight and it snugs around the rear standard.

BTZS Focus Hoods

Designed by a leading commercial photographer the BTZS Focusing Hood is far more functional than the traditional "horse blanket." Made from a durable but lightweight (less than 1 lb. in 4x5 size) sports cloth it protects the ground glass from reflected light from below and stays firmly attached...

viewcamerastore.com

 

[Alan9940]

I have a not lightweight Wanderer because I heard that the lightweight version allowed a bit of sunlight through the fabric and I wanted something pretty much totally dark. These are absolutely top quality dark cloths, albeit not cheap as already mentioned. Highly recommended, though.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

BTZS

 

[loccdor]

I made a focusing hood and had it printed in CF-PETG. It friction fits into my ground glass holder. If you do it this way you design it in CAD by doing a simple Loft between a circle and a rectangle, it allows you to decide how long you want it - corresponding to the diopter strength you like, then mount the diopter in the viewing hole. I went with a +4 diopter for a 127mm length. The upside to the rigidity is immunity to wind, the downside is it takes up more space when you put it away.

 

[MTGseattle]

I bought an eTone chinese one off of ebay that I've been happy with. It was cheaper at the time than buying a water resistant fabric at a local fabric store.

 

[Kilgallb]

I made a heavy dark cloth then years later bought a light weight one. After being frustrated with the wind blowing it around, I went back to the old hand made heavy cloth.

 

[KinoGrafx]

A black t- shirt. Put the neck over the back of the camera and yer all set!

 

[Franklee]

Black T-shirt worn like a scarf, pull belly opening over camera and pinch closed. Use T-shirt to protect camera in backpack. Not as light tight as commercial dark cloths but you don’t need it.

If you’re not someone who has to spend 15 minutes under the dark cloth. I’ve watched some large format photographers take forever futzing around and for them they need the most expensive dark cloths.

 

[Vaughn]

…

If you’re not someone who has to spend 15 minutes under the dark cloth. I’ve watched some large format photographers take forever futzing around and for them they need the most expensive dark cloths.

Hey! I resemble that remark.

Early on, one time I spent so much time under the dark cloth looking at the upside down image that when I peaked my head out from under the cloth, for a fraction of a second, the world looked upside down.

I have an old Calumet black and white dark cloth I bought new a few decades ago. Small for 11x14 but doable, slightly small for 8 x 10, perfect for 5 x 7, and not bad at all 4 x 5. It has kept me warm, protected packed equipment, provided shade in the desert, and even protected my 8 x 10 when Bridalvail Falls shifted in the wind and came right down on top of me and the camera. (in February, so not a lot of water.)

I contact print in alternative processes and 99.7% of the time I print full frame, so I do spend more than the average time under a dark cloth creating the image. I find working with a quality tool designed for the job makes the job easier and enjoyable… that my dark cloth also serves other uses is a bonus.

 

[hol571]

I've been happy with the etone one (~$30 on ebay). You can also get the same one off amazon for ~$55 if you want an easy return if it doesn't work out for you

 

[Vaidotas]

Another Etone darkcloth user here.
Big enough for 4x5 or 5x7, relativelly compact and lightweight.
Two layers of sinthetic fabric, velcro on one side.I'm fully covering my camera (small pinholes in bellows), no issues so far.

 

[Neil Grant]

thanks all. I have ordered the Etone

 

[StefantheHun]

And another eTone user here. Size M for 4x5, red/black if not afraid of possible bullfights resulting from the chosen colour scheme, otherwise silver/black. Lightweight, but not too light.

 

[John Wiegerink]

I have a Calumet professional stye black side silver-white side focusing cloth and have used it for years. After reading this thread I decided to add an eTone focus cloth for a little lighter weight option. I bought the smaller size and find it a well thought out focusing cloth and much lighter than my Calumet one. Hindsight says I should have opted for the larger one. The smaller one is perfect for my Chamonix 4X5 but won't go around the back on my 8X10 view camera. Has anyone here used the larger one on their 8X10 camera?

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Heavier is better. Take it from those that have been down that road before.

 

[Kino]

I bought an eTone chinese one off of ebay that I've been happy with. It was cheaper at the time than buying a water resistant fabric at a local fabric store.

Same here; gray on the outside, black on the inside. One end has Velcro strips with elastic cord (like a changing bag) and the other end just has the Velcro strips to make it "tubular".
Light weight and weather resistant.

I also have the large focus cloths from Zone VI and Calumet with weighted corners. They would make great emergency sails for a schooner and weigh about as much as the camera. I use the ETone one instead...

 

[MTGseattle]

The other one I own (for 4x5) is the Quiet Works "black jacket" hybrid. I don't mind it, but I don't always use it as intended.

 

[btaylor]

I have a few. But if there is any wind I find the inside out black T shirt works best for me. And as mentioned above it is handy for protecting other gear in your bag. So I bring both.

 

[StefantheHun]

You can easily wrap your camera in the eTone cloth, too. I also own the larger L version for 8x10, and can recommend it - the same fabric and style as the M size, only larger, and a good fit for my Chamonix Alpinist.