Printing full 4x5 fram on beseler 45mx

[monkeymon]

Is there a simple way to print full 4x5 negative with condenser light head on beseler 45mcrx?

[Jon Shiu]

You can use a sheet of glass to hold the neg. Can use black tape and paper to mask the clear area around the film area.

Jon

[monkeymon]

i have tried clear glass, it still crops corners to a round shape.. but i'll try it again, to see if if was only the negative border that was cropped, that i could just burn in afterwards

[Ari]

I think the MCRX is a great 3x4 enlarger, because it barely does 4x5.
What you want is nearly impossible with the condenser; I replaced the condenser with a cold light head that sits 1,5 inches above the negative (I kept the filter drawer in its spot), and I still get a slight rounding of one or two corners.
I replaced the neg holder with two pieces of glass, and once in a while, if I place the neg exactly in the center and the stars align, I get all four corners.
I'm also in the process of modifying my Beseler 4x5 glass carrier so that it doesn't crop any part of the negative; maybe that will work better.
Last resort? I got an old 5x7 enlarger. It might do the trick, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.
Let me know if you prove me wrong!

[Mike1234]

Look for a Negaflat film holder in good condition. They are the best!! Oh... and a cold light head.

[k_redder]

I've been looking into doing the very same thing with my 45MXT. The short answer is that there is no "simple" way. Even if you machine out your carrier opening and modify it to accept bigger glass (or just using a sheet of glass as has been suggested), you will then be up against the (too small) diameter of the light source (I can only speak to trying this with a cold light since I don't own a condenser head) since the adaptor that holds the cold light housing has an opening that is only 6.25 inches which is pretty much exactly the corner to corner on the film. The problem is that even under the best of circumstances (cold light resting on carrier), the actual light source (the surface of the diffusing glass) is still going to be about .25 inch from the film (top glass + top half of carrier + thickness of adaptor that holds the diffusing glass) which is enough to start eating into the corners. As far as I can tell, you need a modified carrier, a bigger light source, and some modifications to the enlarger itself to accomodate the larger light source. I'm currently in the process of doing all of the above, and should be far enough along to post some pics sometime soon. It seems crazy to go through all this to print a part of the negative that was never intended to get printed, but so be it.

[Jim Noel]

I have used a 45 MXT with both condenser and VC heads for many years. Using a glass carrier with the upper bellows completely compressed I have never had a problem with round corners. The same was true when I used a Negaflat. If it is raised the least amount, rounded corners will result.
I stopped using the Negaflat because of the occasional tearing of the edges of the film.

[ic-racer]

Full frame printing without using an enlarger one-size-bigger can be difficult no matter what the size. Even my 10x10 enlarger requires millimeter-precise placement of the negative in the glass holder to be able to do full frame. Even then there is very little 'black' outside the negative area; thus requiring tedious placement of the easel and precise setting of the magnification and easel blades.

[CG]

Are you using a slightly short lens for the 4x5 printing, like a 135mm? I haven't tested this idea, but I think a slightly longer lens gets a better "view" of the light source. The concept is that a short focal length with wider angle of projection below the lens is accompanied by a wider cone of "view" above the lens, and that that angle is more demanding of the breadth of the light source.

I wonder if anyone has tested this idea? I have not the stable of enlarging lenses to do so.

By the way, very interesting photographs in your very clean web site too....

[Wade D]

For 4x5 negs I use a 210mm Schneider lens on my 45MCRX. I can't get as big of an enlargement on the baseboard but have not seen light falloff at the corners. With a 150mm lens there is slight falloff. Condenser at 4x5 setting.