Magnifax Neg masks

[Stephen Weston]

Does anyone know if there was a 645 negative mask for the Magnifax 4. I have done a search but cannot find anything. What I did find was RK Photographic has a 645 mask for the Opemus 7, http://www.thedarkroom.co.uk/traditi...ert-6x4-5.html. Does anyone know if this will fit the Magnifax carrier.

 

[georg16nik]

Year ago I have used the holder built in adjustable blinds and had the clear and AN glass installed.
From half frame all the way to 6X9 I had no issues at all. For optimal film flatness, you can hardly get better than this.

The masks you refer to are, as you noticed, for Opemus 7 and I doubt they will fit in Magnifax 4 and IMHO, you don't need them.

Good luck!

 

[Stephen Weston]

Thanks Georg. I didn't really think about trying that. I have the glasses along with the adjustable blades so I will give them a go.

 

[Jeremy Kime]

Stephen,
Neg masks are mostly 'masks' to some extent, a normal 35mm format neg holder would usually show a 23x35mm aperture, rather than 24x36mm.
Perversely, the early Leica enlargers used a 25x37mm aperture and so created the loved/hated black line surrounding the whole picture area.
That became associated with Magnum photographers (dating back to the 1930s and '40s) as there was the demand (from the photographers) that their photos were used in their entirety, to avoid misinterpretation.
But generally, 99% of negative carriers mask the negative area to some small extent, to prevent black lines appearing at the edges.
Jeremy Kime