On Review: Harrison Tents

PHOTO Techniques Mar/Apr 2002
by Carl Weese

Every now and then, it's a delight to discover that you've overlooked something. In the Jan/Feb issue, I wrote that film changing bags just don't exist for ultra-large format cameras. I quickly received an e-mail from Dan Smith saying that there was, in fact, a changing bag - changing tent, 
really - big enough for 12 x 20 film holders. He'd seen Tillman Crane using it at the Mammoth Camera Workshop last year in Utah. A few e-mails later, I was in contact with Patti Harrison, product designer for Camera Essentials, manufacturer of Harrison Film Changing Tents.

This California company makes specialty products for the movie industry, including a light-tight tents used for reloading giant movie camera film magazines. The largest of these tents is four feet wide, but they also offer a special custom version that features 20x24 inch pockets that extend from each side of the tent. Indeed, this is ample room to reload 12x20 holders, and probably even larger ones. The tent materials are first-rate: the exterior is a reflective (and waterproof) silver, high-tech fabric with a smooth slippery surface. The inside layer is black fabric with a bit of texture, also waterproof and easily cleaned. A pair of external aluminum shock-cord support poles hold the center dome of the tent almost 24 inches above its floor. A double zipper front flap opens for loading, and has two double-sealed sleeves for your arms. All materials seem rugged and are extremely well-finished.

In practice, the basic jumbo tent should allow easy reloading of 8x10 and 11x14 holders, but the side pockets of the custom model are a perfect solution for longer films. The best approach seems to be using the pockets for a staging area and the main chamber for manipulating the film. First, place the holders into the left pocket and the film box in the center of the tent. Close the tent and get your arms through the sleeves (this takes some practice). Then, open the three-sided film box; with the film oriented with the notches in the lower right corner and a protector board on top of the stack, slide the box into the right side pocket. Move the holders into the main compartment. Slip a sheet of film from the box in the right-side pocket and move it to the left into the open end of a holder. Close the slide, flip the holder and load the other side. When the stack of holders is loaded, slip them back into the left pocket, move the film box into the center of the tent and close the box. This routine eliminates the need to lift films, holders, or darkslides over each other, lessening the chance of scattering dust. The 12x20 holders need to be in the center of the tent to have enough clearance to flip them over cleanly; this is where the side pockets are invaluable for moving the film away from the flipping operation.

With a bit of practice, the changing tent is quite easy to use. Because it's so large, the main problem is finding a really big, flat surface to set up on. The ideal is a nice roadside picnic table. A big flat car hood is also workable. If you are limber enough, you can set up on the ground. (Just be careful not to set up in a dusty environment.)

The custom jumbo tent cost $350 ($100 less if you can live without the side pockets). If that sounds like a lot, consider that it's about the price of a single ultra-large format film holder. However, once you own the changing tent, you can shoot an unlimited amount in the field with only a couple film holders simply by taking a few minutes to reload. This is almost as good as printing money in the basement. This advantage affects more than raw output volume. Many pictures beg for a backup negative: a long expanse of empty sky over a western desert or a giant sweep of smooth New England winter snow seem able to attract dust out of thin air, even if you've loaded your holders in a NASA clean room. If you only have a couple film holders, a backup negative of one scene means losing another potential picture later in the day. A workable loading tent is worth its weight in gold just for solving this problem, even if it's used only occasionally. At 3.5 pounds, the tent only weighs about as much as a big holder, too.

Old-fashioned fabric changing bags were dust nightmares. When the first small changing tents made of slick high-tech fabrics came out a dozen or so years ago, I got one to reload 4x5 chrome film on architectural assignments, and found very little more dust trouble than with holders loaded back at my studio. After using the Harrison tent on a half a dozen field trips, I find no less dust with giant negatives than I'd normally encounter in a makeshift "darkroom" jerry-rigged on field trips. One tip: Clean exposed holders and download boxes scrupulously before putting them into the tent for unloading. Then clean again, outside the tent, before loading with fresh film. Of course, you should clean the tent frequently by wiping with a damp sponge. Don't use anything that might leave lint behind!

Using the tent involves a few more steps than loading in a darkroom. Still, I find that it only takes about 45 minutes to reload my travel set of holders (three 12x20, three 7x17, and nine 8x10) even though that means six cycles of opening and closing the tent. One possible improvement: I'd like to have longer arm sleeves to reach further into the recesses of the large tent. I'd also like the dome to be higher to have more room for turning over 12x20 holders.

Camera Essentials offers smaller tents that serve well for more standard film sizes. They also make a large (55x55) focusing cloth of the same silver/black double layer constructions. It has elastic and Velcro closure at one end, which makes it something of a cross between old-fashioned flat focusing cloths and focusing hoods like the BTZS series. The Velcro lets the cloth adapt for a snug fit on any camera size from 11x14 on down. The focusing cloth also can serve as a waterproof wrap to protect the camera in nasty weather, or as extra light protection for inserting/removing darkslides in extremely bright situations. Harrison also has a line of padded ditty bags designed for use by film assistants. These could prove just as useful for carrying still photography accessories.
My verdict about the product I thought didn't exist? I've already brought one.