Buy used for almost everything and learn to bulk load film.
I usually recommend a
Durst m600 as an inexpensive first enlarger, it can do 6x6 cm as well as smaller formats and sets-up and packs away quickly. If you do go to medium format, you'll want a second enlarging lens and I recommend the 80mm Nikor for medium format, the 2.8 Nikor is a great lens.
That said, I've been enjoying my
Leitz Valoy II for 35mm, it to is very simple, gives great enlargements, though I generally keep them small, 8x10 in. for 35mm format. This enlarger does not have a bellows, using a helical arrangement instead, and the condenser sits atop the negative. The Valoy IIc has a filter drawer but you can trim to round and set filters inside the housing above the condenser on earlier models. They are easy to replace while working.
If you do buy a Valoy, a ratty power cord is VERY easy to replace and you should (read must!) get the negitive carrier with the enlarger.
Whatever enlarger you buy, if it has a condenser, check it for chips and scratches.
I like these enlargers for the
mono-column construction and ease of use. My Valoy came without a baseboard and you might save bucks looking for the same, though a good one should not be expensive with some looking about. I had a 3cm granite slab tapped for the Valoy column mount and it is a very solid, stable tool.
You will want a good
polycontrast filter set. Many of the enlarging papers are VC, even the fiber based and this is a necessity, unless you have a lot of Kodak CC filters available. You can use under the lens mounts for PC filters but above the negative is better, IMO.
Canned air can be important and there are good reusable handhelds available from Microtools which use disposable co2 and nitrogen cartridges.
A good
camel hair brush for negatives only and negative cleaner and scratch 'remover', like the Edwal products are well liked and useful.
A
grain focus tool is very handy if not a necessity but if you wear glasses, be prepared try out several to see what works for you.
You'll want to decide which type of
tanks to develop film in, metal or plastic. Since you are talking 35mm, I suggest metal tanks, no smaller than two reels, either Hewes or Nikor.
If you go plastic, Paterson all the way. They will also do 127 and 120 if you do move into medium format.
Don't use stop bath with films and don't use shorter developing times than 5 minutes.
If you use HC-110 or Rodinal,
use syringes to measure concentrate amounts. D-76 is excellent as well and you can mix your own, as well as Parodinal
Use Photoflo or similar for film development final wash, period.
I suggest you find an old
Gralab swept hand timer for the wet area to time with, you'll want something easy to see and set.
You will also want a safelight to keep track of what's happing in the developer tray.
Don't use your hands to move prints from one chemistry to another, some people develop bad contact reactions to chemistry and it's not good to be going from sink to paper safe/negatives with iffy hands.
Buy
new bamboo tongs and first thing drill a small hole in the rubber/plastic tips and pin them to the tong with bits of bamboo skewers or toothpicks; loose ones falling off while working are a pain.
You can use
new dishpan basins for water and holding baths. Use a HCL after fixing, with a 5 minute low flow wash or large tray holding bath between chemistries and consider adding Selenium toning to your line if doing fiber-based prints.
You need a good
chemistry thermometer, buy a good glass one (or two) with a holding clips for bottles. I have several good metal probe type tools but for mixing I prefer kodak glass, they are more accurate. If you do buy the metal type, consider spending extra for a colour chemistry one. The build quality is better and the greater range is handy.
Pyrex mixing cups, in all sizes from Walmart, are very useful and half and gallon size pickle jars are handy for mixing chemistry and can do storage as well but always use some Saran Wrap between the lid and contents.
Melamine kitchen spoons will do for mixing tools and buy both plastic and steel measuring spoons as well. The oblong metal spoons are handy for getting into small jars of chemicals.
You should seriously consider mixing your own chemistries. It's easy enough to do and there's tons of info in print and online. APUG is a great place to start online and "The Darkroom Cookbook" will be a good first darkroom book, even if you only
mix your own D-76 and paper developers.
A small
Harbor Freight digital scale is available that measures in grams, ounces, grains, etc for about $10 and if you measure in grains, it can be good enough. For really fine measurements in small amounts, a
gunpowder scale is accurate to .10 of a grain; there are 7000 grains to the U.S. pound.
Ansco 130 is a wonderful paper developer and it gives blacks that easily rival Amidol developers. It stores a year or more in solution, I've used it two years old before and will last weeks in an open tray, even if it goes black as coffee.
Ansco 130 can also be considered a 'universal' developer as it will do film too.
Chemicals can be had at several places and though it might cost more to do this initially, most of them, if stored properly, will last forever. Even Glycin, needed for Ansco 130, bought fresh from
Photographers' Formulary, will store well in the freezer in it's Nalgene bottle and I've been working from a bottle three years old that shows no sign of weakening.
The Chemistry Store is also very good to deal with, in my experience and their pricing on
Sodium Sulfite in bulk is very good, a bit over a dollar a pound, before shipping.
http://www.photoformulary.com/
http://www.chemistrystore.com/
Wine bottles with plastic corks are good for storage of solutions and if you mix your own, you can adjust the amount of solution to the size storage you use.
Use d
istilled water from Walmart for mixing chemistries and inline water baths. At about .53 a gallon, it's ideal and the amounts needed won't brake the bank.
Stuff you can make
A
plastic hanging wardrobe is useful for a film drying cabinet and you can modify it with AC filters, a PC fan wired to an old cell phone charger and duck-tape to circulate air.
You can also use a PC fan, cell phone charger and some magnets to make a good
magnetic mixer, with a simple wood frame and acrylic top. You'll might use a light dimmer to control the speed, I haven't tried that as I had another device for control. You can get the
proper lab 'stirs' from eBay in several sizes and the pickle jars I mentioned earlier are excellent for mixing duties.
PS. You don't need running water in your darkroom. Use the Ilford method for film and deep water baths for prints.
