# Is there a preferred name for the large format photography 'cloak?'

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 30, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005 "2015-11-30T01:46:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005/1 "2015-11-30T01:46:24Z")

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For viewing the image on the backside, as in [this example](http://walyou.com/large-format-camera/).

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005/2 "2015-11-30T02:04:45Z")

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“Dark Cloth” or “Focusing Cloth."

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005/3 "2015-11-30T02:29:46Z")

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Under the cloth.

We always just called it the cloth.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005/4 "2015-11-30T15:03:53Z")

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Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005/5 "2015-11-30T18:18:25Z")

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Old joke:

Model #1: What’s he doing under that cloth?  
Model #2: He’s getting ready to focus.  
Model #1: What, both us?

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005/6 "2015-11-30T23:09:18Z")

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The ground glass focusing screen is hard to see with ambient light all around. I used to bring a loupe under the cloth to critical check focus.

ETA: Nice joke

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**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-preferred-name-for-the-large-format-photography-cloak/739005/7 "2015-12-01T03:59:12Z")

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::Hole Punches Your Nerd Card::