semck83
19-Jul-2009, 20:26
Hi,
This is the second D2 negative carrier question in a day, I see!
OK, so I printed my first 4x5 photos last night (I've done 35mm before), and I experienced two distinct problems. The other will have to wait for me to get my scanner working, but if anybody can advise on this one, I'd be very grateful.
I have an Omega D2 or DII enlarger (the provenance of my enlarger is murky -- it's basically a DII that's labeled as D2, ie., a D2 with no gears to raise it. Gem Singer has kindly given me most of a D2 which I will soon start using, but I digress). I bought the 4x5 negative carrier separately, but it does fit the enlarger. I found last night that it was one of the more frustrating devices to use that it has been my displeasure to encounter. Essentially, I found it impossible to use without buckling the negative at least a millimeter or two -- so obviously my focus was severely compromised, and it's hard for me to evaluate the resulting prints.
I'm going to describe the carrier to see if it sounds like other people's D-two negative carriers, and if I'm doing something wrong. The main body of the thing is essentially roundish, with a big handle and with some big 2d "spikes" going back to engage the enlarger / snap in place. There is a white half and a black half, and they fold apart (like with most negative carriers). The hole in the black half is too large for a 4x5 negative -- if I set it there, the negative would just fall through. The white half is just the right size. Now, the white piece, along each 4" edge, has a kind of clasp. Think of a razor blade but not sharp. The negative slides under these. No problem there, it fits great.
However, on each long edge there is a round, flat stud, in the center of the 5" edge, and sticking maybe 1-1.5mm off the surface. Suppose I slide the negative through the above-mentioned clasps, so that the bottom 5" edge is resting on the side of one of these studs on the carrier. Then the other edge is resting (barely) on the TOP of the opposite stud. In other words, the inner edges of these studs are not quite 4" apart! I can bend the negative slightly so that it does lie between the two studs, and then it buckles, with an amplitude of buckle approaching 2mm. Or I can leave it resting on the stud, so that the whole upper side is 1mm farther from the surface than the other. Either is, of course, totally unacceptable, and I can't believe that Omega would make such an awful design. On the other hand, the studs are clearly totally immovable, and were never meant to be adjusted.
Another possibility. I practiced some with an undeveloped piece of film, and could _just_ fit it in. Did I do something, perhaps, that made my other film stretch in development? Is there any way to avoid this?
As you can imagine, I am thinking of switching to glass carriers, but I don't really want to, and was wondering if I am doing something badly wrong. I'd appreciate any advice.
Thank you,
Stephen
This is the second D2 negative carrier question in a day, I see!
OK, so I printed my first 4x5 photos last night (I've done 35mm before), and I experienced two distinct problems. The other will have to wait for me to get my scanner working, but if anybody can advise on this one, I'd be very grateful.
I have an Omega D2 or DII enlarger (the provenance of my enlarger is murky -- it's basically a DII that's labeled as D2, ie., a D2 with no gears to raise it. Gem Singer has kindly given me most of a D2 which I will soon start using, but I digress). I bought the 4x5 negative carrier separately, but it does fit the enlarger. I found last night that it was one of the more frustrating devices to use that it has been my displeasure to encounter. Essentially, I found it impossible to use without buckling the negative at least a millimeter or two -- so obviously my focus was severely compromised, and it's hard for me to evaluate the resulting prints.
I'm going to describe the carrier to see if it sounds like other people's D-two negative carriers, and if I'm doing something wrong. The main body of the thing is essentially roundish, with a big handle and with some big 2d "spikes" going back to engage the enlarger / snap in place. There is a white half and a black half, and they fold apart (like with most negative carriers). The hole in the black half is too large for a 4x5 negative -- if I set it there, the negative would just fall through. The white half is just the right size. Now, the white piece, along each 4" edge, has a kind of clasp. Think of a razor blade but not sharp. The negative slides under these. No problem there, it fits great.
However, on each long edge there is a round, flat stud, in the center of the 5" edge, and sticking maybe 1-1.5mm off the surface. Suppose I slide the negative through the above-mentioned clasps, so that the bottom 5" edge is resting on the side of one of these studs on the carrier. Then the other edge is resting (barely) on the TOP of the opposite stud. In other words, the inner edges of these studs are not quite 4" apart! I can bend the negative slightly so that it does lie between the two studs, and then it buckles, with an amplitude of buckle approaching 2mm. Or I can leave it resting on the stud, so that the whole upper side is 1mm farther from the surface than the other. Either is, of course, totally unacceptable, and I can't believe that Omega would make such an awful design. On the other hand, the studs are clearly totally immovable, and were never meant to be adjusted.
Another possibility. I practiced some with an undeveloped piece of film, and could _just_ fit it in. Did I do something, perhaps, that made my other film stretch in development? Is there any way to avoid this?
As you can imagine, I am thinking of switching to glass carriers, but I don't really want to, and was wondering if I am doing something badly wrong. I'd appreciate any advice.
Thank you,
Stephen