Paterson Grain Focuser

[Filmic1]

Been ages since I used one. I can get the grain in the centre of the negative,
but the field grays out as I move the magnifier to the outside of the negative.

Am I doing something wrong?

The neg is not buckled in the negative carrier.

Beseler Neg. 35 mm Carrier. has two pins and I slip the negative edges
Under the pins.

Thanks....

 

[awty]

That's normal. They only work near the centre.

 

[MattKing]

I assume you mean "Paterson".
Most of the moderate price grain focusers only work effectively at the centre of the image, because you would need to tilt them in order to work at the edges.
If you have a reasonably high quality lens in the enlarger, it is designed to give flat field performance across both the negative and the easel.
Assuming of course, the negative is itself flat.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

That's normal. They only work near the centre.

Correct! AFAIK, only the expensive PEAK grain focuser works over the entire negative area, but in practise it's more important to keep the negative flat, as in a glass carrier. anyway.

 

[Filmic1]

Mates,

Many thanks... I'm a senior fellow with cataracts and thought I might be going blind or whatever.
My Beseler Dichro 6x7S has an El Nikkor 50mm.