Half-darkslide test results

For all those who offered suggestions or had questions of their own

regarding half-darkslides when I posted a query recently, here's the

results from my homemade half-darkslide. If you want to make one for

yourself, simply draw diagonal lines from corner to corner on a

darkslide to determine the center. (If you leave the slide a little

fatter than half-sized, you'll end up with a larger seam between

images.) Make sure you leave part of the slide intact up to the

handle, making the missing slide portion only that which enters the

exposed film area. Then score with a sharp knife and go back and

forth until you slice through and put a deep gash in your leg. (Okay,

maybe don't do that last part.) To use it, I always compose on the

bottom half of the ground glass (or left half when doing verticals),

and shoot with the darkslide over the top half. For the second

exposure, I flip/rotate the camera back 180 degrees and do the same

thing, always composing on the bottom or left half and darksliding

the opposite half. It's a lot of fun!<div></div>

Looks good Todd!

 

A fatter division between the two inages will make it easier to cut the two images apart, and maintain an even border around the image area.

Nice job! A great way to bracket those panoramics too.

Have you had problems with light leaks along the center cut line?

 

It does not appear to be so from your slide above.

Of the 145 sheets of film I shot on this trip, I did 4 or 5 of these featuring different scenes, and in each one (discounting the one I double- ...er, ah, TRIPLE... exposed over a sheet of a single image 4x5), they all came out with crisp, clean margins. I thought the edge might come out a little fuzzy, but that was not the case. I'm itchin' to get out and do some more! If anyone wants to see other examples, let me know and I'll make a little time to scan a few more. If not, no worries...

I've done the same with an 8x10" darkslide, and I don't have any leaks along the edge either.

Great job Todd. I do that regularly when I test a new lot of trans film, saves film

and does a super job. I usually make the half slide from a damaged one that

has been accidently cracked at the lab, makes up for having to buy a new

replacement slide. I have one for the 8x10 and for all of the 4x5's.

Paul Moshay

I'm confused - why go through all the hassle of inverting the camera. All I do is use 25mm of rise or fall for each of the two halves to get the centre of the image circle in the centre of the shot and ensure both shots on the tranny are the same way up. OK, so I don't get a pretty border but the final product is going to be a print or scan anyway.

I also make extensive notes on all exposures including identifying the holder used. All my holders are numbered and each half labelled A/B so I always know what has or hasn't been exposed.

Agree - don't cut away all the darkslide, leave the handle end intact. Reduces the chance of a light leak (which I have never had) and helps ensure the darkslide remains square in the holder.

Happy shooting.

No reason to be confused. I don't invert the camera, I just turn the back 180 degrees. That way, I never have to recompose on the GG. I could just use 25mm of rise, if my field camera had rise/fall markings in mm, but alas, my field camera has no such markings. I could mark it myself, but that sounds like more work than necessary.