Dark room equipment

[x-ray]

I'm one of the few that still wet prints. I've had a darkroom since I was a I'd and just can't stop wet printing. IMO B&W film was designed to wet print and that's how the images look their best. I always dodge and burn my prints which is more difficult with digital plus it just looks different. Also there's a satisfaction in making a beautiful wet print I don't get with digital printing.

A year ago we bought a new house with perfect space for my wife's painting studio, my photographic studio, large darkroom and computer and digital printing room. I had a carpenter build my ideal darkroom. I have a Focomat 1c modified with a color head, Omega D5 with Ilford MG head and a Durst 5x7 Laborator 138. The ceilings are over 10' and plenty of space for mounting and finishing prints.

There may be a time that I'll give up wet printing but I can't see that happening anytime in the forseable future.

 

[megido]

I've just finished a four hour stint in my darkroom. I still enjoy the peace and creativity. For me, looking at a computer screen just doesn't compare.

 

[gns]

I think that there's no doubt about a significant film resurgence but I suspect the lack of people looking to snap up enlargers etc might also be a statement of how many people shooting film nowadays happily use a hybrid process of scanning and inkjet rather than traditional darkroom wet prints maybe?

I have absolutely zero empirical data to back that up of course, just a general hunch.

Probably correct to make that distinction: shooting film vs. printing traditionally.
It seems just about everyone uses some sort of hybrid process these days. If your goal is silver gel. prints, you can get there either from film or digital. Likewise, if you want ink-jet prints or web display, you can also get there from film or digital sources. So many possibilities... Has to be good.

 

[Chromacomaphoto]

This thread has started to tempt me towards setting up a full time dark room at home.Been debating it for years but now I have a very small spare bathroom outside at the front side entrance to my property which has recently become more free, it is tiny and narrow but has air flow and water and no windows so can easily be made totally dark. I dev the films in a more comfortable, larger room in the house anyway so it would purely be for making prints. The mrs is less than happy but not massively against it. I reckon I could get it by her if I tried. The other thing is just having the time I suppose. Still, there would be less time scanning negs maybe. Perhaps next year.

 

[JHutchins]

enlarger and various accessories, maybe around 50-100$, but most likely free.

the CPE2 with lift and various drums, around 300-500$ depending on the accessories that it comes with

Agreed. The Jobo is certainly saleable. It's probably also worth looking at the enlarging lenses. Some go for very little but the finer lenses companons and rodagons, especially the Apo lenses will sell for enough to make it worthwhile.

 

[klunej]

A good friend of mine, a retired diplomat living in Switzerland, would like to sell his dark room equipment -all in mint, as new condition.

What do you think this set is worth?

Saunders/LPL 670 MXL Dual Mode Dichroic Color Photo Enlarger

Saunders/LPL 14" x 17" Four Bladed Enlarging Easel

2nd smaller Four Bladed Enlarging Easel

Large extended stainless steel sink for photo work

JBO Digital timer

9 Patterson trays in large and small sizes

JOBO CPE2 COLORPROCESSOR KIT with lift. Including a wide variety and large number of drums and reels for developing film. Includes orginal bottles, breckers, thermometers, and film clips

Large Kostiner archival Print Washer

Thanks for your feedback,

Peter

Hi Peter,

and hi all! This is my first post in here, although since 7 years I am a regular rangefinderforum reader.

I am based in Switzerland and I am thinking of setting up a small darkroom. If your friend is still interested in selling/giving away the equipment I would be interested. Unfortunatelly, I have no idea how much it is worth either...

cheers!
k

 

[spaceistheplace]

I guess I'm one of the youngest here... I started shooting film when I was 16 and I am 19 now, first I started going to a rental darkroom to see if I enjoyed it and I was absolutely blown away, it's one of the most pleasing activities I've done.
Just two months ago I set up my own darkroom at home to be able to print everyday. NO REGRETS!

 

[x-ray]

I guess I'm one of the youngest here... I started shooting film when I was 16 and I am 19 now, first I started going to a rental darkroom to see if I enjoyed it and I was absolutely blown away, it's one of the most pleasing activities I've done.
Just two months ago I set up my own darkroom at home to be able to print everyday. NO REGRETS!

That's fantastic. I started printing when I was 9 and I'm about to turn 69. I still enjoy printing just as much as the first time I did it. It never lost it's magic.

 

[lcpr]

25 here (shooting film since I was 16), learned to print colour last year and set up my own black and white darkroom last week. I greatly prefer printing in the darkroom over sitting in front of a screen fiddling with sliders in Lightroom. I can get great results from both but the completely analog process is just more satisfying.

Actually, if there's anyone in/near London looking to offload a 4x5 or medium format enlarger I'd be more than willing to pick it up since I can only print 35mm at home right now.