glass neg carrier

[Chet Wright]

I bought a used Omega D3 enlarger with Dichroic head. It came with assorted carr iers. Will I need a glass carrier for 4 x 5 negs with this head? Are carriers av ailable for the omega available similar to the Negaflat carriers for the beseler ? I have the Schneider 150mm Componon lens, would like to make 16 x 20 enlargeme nts. Thanks Chet

[Charles Matter]

Omega does make an anti-Newton ring glass carrier..but frankly I've always found it to be a pain to use from the standpoint of keeping the neg. and glass static free and clean. I use a standard incandescent head and have no problems with negative buckling even @ long exposures with the standard open neg carrier. My recomendation would be to try several test prints @ longer exposures than you normally use and check for corner to corner sharpness. The Dichroic head is (as I recall) power cooled and should not cause negative buckling. If you find that it does..seriously consider investing in a cold-light head rather than a glass neg carrier. More money initially..but much less hassle over time