Durst L1200 / CLS 500 or Beseler 45MX / Dichro 45S ?

[frobozz]

Oh! This page is confusing, but are they saying when you buy a new Femobox they also include a special diffuser to match your exact lens? Includes a much better picture of the setup:

http://www.durst-pro-usa.com/femobox_new.htm

So presumably with my "naked" Femobox, I'll simply suffer whatever falloff characteristics there are for each lens used. They don't mention there how to buy additional/replacement diffusers for existing Femoboxes. That website is not the best designed one I've ever seen...

Duncan

 

[resummerfield]

It’s not that uncommon to find a diffuser with a thicker center, to compensate for light falloff. I have a Beseler slide duplicator that has a “machined” diffuser almost identical to the one in your link.

My Femobox 4x5 has a flat diffuser, and I’ve never noticed any darkening in the corners. But I tend to use a slightly longer lens for the format.

When you get your system setup, you could test for light fall off—with an empty negative carrier, just expose a sheet of paper for high contrast and develop. If there is significant light fall off, you could make a custom graduated filter for the Femobox.

 

[frobozz]

OK, I'm leaning even more heavily towards the Durst now that I stumbled across more stuff while unpacking my treasure boxes. TWO complete sets of glass - clear bottom and anti-newton coated top. And a Femomask 66 set, and a Femotub.

Here's a question about the masks. The durst-pro-usa website says the masks (at least the ones they're making now) are cut a shade big, to allow black borders around a full frame image. On both the mask sets I have, that is only true of one of the masks. One mask has squared off edges at the mask hole and the hole is bigger than the negative image. The other mask has highly beveled edges at the mask hole, and the hole is just the size of the negative image. What gives there? And is there an officially correct way to insert these? I assume the one with pins goes on the bottom side, to help aligning the neg? Does it matter pins to back or front?

Duncan