Meanwhile, I got the basic Negative Supply holder 120 Model 2. While it works to expectations, it has a few flaws that are both technical and administrative
- The holder sits in a trough that makes it difficult to insert the film because the top frame of the trough is too close and blocks reaching the end of the film, which is not a problem with uncut film but with cut strips.
- There is a gap between the film holder and its trough and film often gets in there. This gets annoying after a few attempts.
- The slots that take up the film and format masks are close together and at the same side of the holder. This often results in film getting inserted in the mask slot rather than in the film slot.
- Format masks tend to break easily because the strips connecting the left and right part are too narrow and cut sharply, which promotes stress fractures. It’s best to “fix” the long edges by taping them before they break.
Considering the things mentioned above, the film holder is best used without the trough, but then it gets close to the backlight which needs to be cleaned regularly to prevent dust spots.
Negative supply offered to send a replacement for the broken mask. It never arrived though and mails I sent later were never answered.
I know that designing a good holder for 120 is less simple, and therefore, the proven book design used in enlargers (for many decades) is currently one’s best bet. And a design that allows use with and without glass is even more useful. BUT: Watch for dust and Newton rings!