Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/08/10

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Curved edges
From: "Mary and Stan Kephart" <kephartol@att.net>
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 21:19:45 -0400

> Hi Jim,
> 
> Thanks for responding. 
> 
>> Which lines are not straight? Lines IN the print (telephone poles, building
>> sides, windows, etc.) or the edge of the print where there is a white
>> border crreated by the easel blades or easel border that holds the paper
>> down during exposure?
>
> The borders come to a strange little point at the corners and are slightly
> bowed in toward the middle.
>
>> What kind of easel are you using?
>
> Saunders 11 X 14
>
>> I cannot believe it would be IN the print as that would not have changed
>> and would actually be flatter/straighter in the glass carrier.
>
> True!
>
>> If it is the edge of your print, your glassLESS neg carrier is not full
>> frame and you are probably using the easel to create a border on your
>> prints. Easels make straight lines. If you are printing inside the easel
>> with the glassLESS carrier, the carrier edges are machined straight and you
>> will get straight border lines.
>
>
> That's right.
>
>> With your new glassless carrier, you are probably printing the entire
>> negative including the space around the film, giving you a black line
>> around your print followed by the white border from the easel. Is this
>> correct? If so, it is your negative edges that are causing the non straight
>> lines since you are printing the edges as well as the image itself.
>
> The new carrier is ff with double glass.  I'm printing inside the easel.  I
> checked the
> neg frame lines and they are perfectly square.
>
>> Bottom line, going from a glassless to a glass carrier will have no effect
>> on the image lines except that the glass carrier will give a flatter
>> straighter representation of the image (but watch out for newton rings and
>> dust.) The edge of your print is controlled by the edge of the neg carrier
>> and the easel blades or edges (depending upon easel type.) And should be
>> straight.
>
> I agree.  But that's not what happens.  There is a distortion at the
> corners--enough so that
> if I wanted to mat a print with the border inside the mat, the distortion
would be
> quite obvious.
>
>> So look at the edges of your negative which you are now printing but were
>> not printing before. And how they lines up with the blades of your easel.
>
> Actually, I printed the neg with both carriers, all other conditions and
> settings being the same.
> The glassLESS one, out-performed the double glass.  My glassLESS, by the
> way, is on that originally had glass on one side, which broke.  I've taped
> half of a slide mount to hold the neg.  It works very well, tho not
> perfect.  I don't get the exaggerated curves I'm getting with the new one.
> The funny thing, tho, is that the double glass
> is not CONSISTENTLY bad.  Sometimes there's more distortion than others.
>
>> I hope I read your question correctly...  :)
>
> You did!  I'm wondering if there's some kind of optical problem here--the
> combination of the 45mm Focotar
> with the glass they are using in the film holder.  Rings are not a problem.
>  Dust--that's another story.
>
>
> MJK
>
>
> At 07:09 PM 8/10/01 -0400, Mary and Stan Kephart wrote:
>>Knowledgeable Ones,
>>
>>I purchased a ff (25X37mm) film holder from Leica NJ, with double glass.
>>It's BEAUTIFUL!  However, the lines on my prints are not straight.  They
>>seem to curve.  This doesn't happen with my (defective) glassless one!
>>
>>Any insights?
>>
>>Leica has generously allowed my to sample  three or four of these and they
>>all do the same thing to a greater or less degree.
>>
>>Thanks in advance.
>>
>>MJK
>