Durst M600/601 Negative Mask Question

According to the Durst M600 instruction manual, there are two 12x17mm sub-miniature negative masks and corresponding Sixnema counter masks. One is Sixma 17N and the other is the Sixma 17R (Rollei). Now one of my burning questions for the past week is... "What exactly is the difference in the negatives requiring two models of negative mask?" Would the Rollei varietal work just fine for a Minolta-16 II negative, which should also be 12x17, but not vice versa?

I'm really hoping that someone has used one or both combinations with the Durst M600 or M601 enlargers. A definitive answer would be much appreciated to keep my brain from further overheating while trying to divine an answer to this small, nearly lost corner of the dark arts!

Thanks,
Tre

This may not be a definitive answer but the earliest Minolta 16 cameras had a slightly smaller aperture (10x14mm) Sixma 14, later models a little bigger (12x17mm) Sixma 16N. The Rollei vs. the Minolta 16 II? Might be about negative handling??

Thanks for the response. Interesting! I knew there was a difference in the Minolta negative sizes between the earlier and later models of the Minolta-16 cameras, but I've never seen the Sixma 14 listed in any Durst reference material that I've found. It's always fun to learn something new.

I went ahead and took a chance by purchasing the Sixma 17R (Rollei) set that I found. It looks like it should work with the Minolta-16II negatives. There may be a slight bit of image cropping, but I can't tell for sure until I shoot some film and check it with the negatives. The set looked practically new with a shelf-worn (well worn) original box.

darkroommike said:

This may not be a definitive answer but the earliest Minolta 16 cameras had a slightly smaller aperture (10x14mm) Sixma 14, later models a little bigger (12x17mm) Sixma 16N. The Rollei vs. the Minolta 16 II? Might be about negative handling??

Click to expand...

And of course I meant 17N vs. 17R. Let me know how it works!