Beseler 4x5 carriers - Tensaflat? Glass?

[Tim Shoppa]

I see that there are no fewer than 4 different 4x5 carriers
for the Beseler 45 series (in increasing order of price):

1. Plain, with 4 nubs, nothing in particular keeping the negative flat.

2. Glass carrier.

3. Anti-Newton glass carrier.

4. Tensaflat - evidently little grabbers at the edge of the film
pull it flat.

In the past I've used the "plain" carrier with some success.
Negative popping was clearly present, but I felt that I was
able to compensate to some extent by stopping down and "pre-
popping" the negative before exposure. While this is the
solution that I'm most familiar with, I really don't like the
idea of negative popping and center vs edge focusing difficulties,
and would prefer a better carrier.

In the past I've used glass carriers with a Durst MF enlarger,
and wasn't at all happy with the effort it takes to keep them
clean (dirt problems were probably exaggerated by the condenser
light source and the fact that these had been in a shared
darkroom for over a decade, I'll admit.)

I've never used a Tensaflat. It sounds ideal to me - except that
I'm sure that there are some downsides associated with the edge
grabbers. Are they easy to use? If the grabbers get dirty, do
they leave smudges on the negative? If the grabbers get dirty,
can they be cleaned? Are the grabbers hard metal, or are they
rubber and/or felt-like? Does a tensaflat stand up to abuse
well?

Tim.

[Doug Dreger]

I have printed using two of Beseler's 4x5 neg carriers: the "anti-newton"
glass carrier, and another called a "negaflat" (this, i think, is the same
design as the tensaflat you mention . . . mine is quite old, so there may
have been a name change).

My experience has been that the anti-newton holder is not always effective
in suppressing newton rings --- maybe I'm doing something wrong, but
occasionally the rings stubbornly appear in a print no matter what. Add to
this the inconvenience of four additional surfaces that need to be brushed
and blown free of dust! I haven't reached for this carrier in quite a while.

The negaflat is definitely my favorite. The grabbers, made of stainless
steel or aluminum I think, are operated by a simple lever in the handle, and
grab at the long (5") edges of the neg --- the 4" edges are untouched. These
grabbers, at least on my carrier, do leave slight abrasions or scuffs along
these two edges of the negative; but they are small and encroach only about
1/16th inch past the standard border left by my fidelity film holders. This
is a small price to pay for a carrier that stretches the neg flat, and tight
as a drum, so that it will not pop under any temperature shift. As I
mentioned, my negaflat is pretty old, and there may have been some design
changes along with that name change . . . hopefully, you'll get some other
responses from someone using a newer one than I.

While I'm posting a message on this topic, has anyone else had trouble with
Newton's rings appearing while using a Beseler anti-newton glass carrier?

[Ron Landucci]

I use a 4x5 Beseler negative carrier called the "negaflat", which is
probably the same thing as what you're calling the Tensaflat.

It is simple to use and I would judge it to be very durable. It has rows of
little metal "teeth", actually punched holes with rough edges, on the metal
grabbers along the long sides, which grip the edges of the negative and pull
it drum tight. These teeth do cause a little damage to the film; however,
it is confined to the very edges of the image, and hasn't been a problem for
me.

[Sandor Mathe]

Tim Shoppa (sho...@trailing-edge.com) wrote:
: I see that there are no fewer than 4 different 4x5 carriers
: for the Beseler 45 series (in increasing order of price):
:
: 1. Plain, with 4 nubs, nothing in particular keeping the negative flat.
:
: 2. Glass carrier.
:
: 3. Anti-Newton glass carrier.
:
: 4. Tensaflat - evidently little grabbers at the edge of the film
: pull it flat.

<snip>
: Tim.

I've used 1 and 3.

For a poor mans tensaflat (which is what I always do now with 1.),
I put four pieces of low tack masking tape at the corners of the
negative. None of the tape goes into the image area. When I
apply pieces 2 to 4 I first stick it to the film then apply tension
to the negative before sticking it to the carrier.

On my 6x6 Omega carrier I've removed the "nubs" and on my 4x5
(Durst) carrier the metal frame with the "nubs" can be put into
the rest of the carrier upside down so that the nubs are out of
the way. This allows me to position the negative better and
lets polaroid Type 55 negs fit.

--
Sandor Mathe
san...@ca.ibm.com

[I_Swear_I'...@get_the.net]

I've been using the anti-newton glass carrier for years. I love it.

One glass only is anti-newton (slightly non-glared) so the shiny side
of the film MUST be aganst this glass. The emulsion is not shiny and
can lay against the clear glass fine.

I have no dust problems, and I am a slob. I keep a few good camelhair
brushes nearby (and store them in a dustfree container) and I do spend
a few minutes preparing a neg before printing. But glass doesn't
attract dust the way film does (it's a static electricity thing you
know) so once the glass package is closed, it doesn't attract
additional dust the way naked film does.

I print straight condenser. I have a coldlight which I hate. Fine
for contact printing of 8x10 and larger but sucks for 4x5, I feel. I
get gorgeous tones with outrageous crispness from condenser enlarging
of even Polaroid 55 negs, which tend to be higher contrast too.

4x5 films don't just "pop" so you can't just pre-pop them. They keep
wriggling and wrything, so a long exposure (eg a 24x30 print) means
the glassless neg will wiggle like a teenager dancing to that godless
rock&roll stuff.

As a bonus, the 4x5 glass carrier prints my 6x7 full frame beautifully
and also does a great 35mm (6 frames including sprocket holes, makes a
SMASHING 16x20 print). I own 8 neg carriers for my Beseler 4x5 and I
use only the antinewton 4x5 for most everything.

Just my overgrown 2 cents.