Who's still in the dark?

[twopointeight]

I just posted for sale a beautiful Focomat 1C and was surprised see no immediate interest. Does that mean that darkrooms are in dramatic decline? If I weren't wrapped up professionally in digital capture and ink jet printing, I'd still be in the darkroom working with this Focomat. My prints from this enlarger are far better than anything I can make in the digital realm. But then again, I'm not into quadtone or such. Just saying, and asking about darkrooms.

 

[Morca007]

Darkrooms have been in dramatic decline for some time now, with many people simply throwing out enlargers due to lack of interest in them.
Personally, the only reason I don't have a darkroom is lack of a room, I have an enlarger and everything else, even fresh chemicals!

 

[sepiareverb]

I'm in the dark. But my darkroom is equipped in a pretty deluxe manner- mostly due to the lack of darkrooms in general. Stuff I lusted after for years has gotten cheap.

 

[shadowfox]

If I weren't wrapped up professionally in digital capture and ink jet printing, I'd still be in the darkroom working with this Focomat. My prints from this enlarger are far better than anything I can make in the digital realm. But then again, I'm not into quadtone or such.

I think unfortunately you've provided a good answer to your own question.

I'd love a Focomat, but two-enlargers is not going to happen in my tiny darkroom and I do up to 6x7, can't do that with the Leitz.

 

[al1966]

I will finally make a darkroom this summer but have 2 spare enlargers one a 5x4 that no one seems to want, I want the 5x4 to be used as it seems a waste. I may give it away in the hope some one gets use of her, we should have a free section of the ads.

 

[Steve M.]

That's a great enlarger you have, but it's also very expensive. These days you can practically get free enlargers if you'll pay the shipping. So unless someone wants a top flight enlarger that can only do 35mm, it's probably going to be a tough sale.

 

[Vics]

I'm still in the dark. I didn't decide to stay in the dark. I never thought about an alternative. Is there a better way to produce prints from my 120 Tri-X negatives?

 

[maclaine]

I'm still in the dark. I was doing it in my bathroom for a while, and while it was working just fine, the amount of time it took to set up and break down was a real drag. Here in the Seattle area, we're really lucky to have this amazing place called the Photo Center North West. It's a gallery/school/community darkroom, and I spend as many weekends as I can there cranking out prints. There's a great community there, and every time I'm there, I'm pleasantly surprised at how many other folks are developing their own film and making prints. However, I'm aware this is an anomaly compared to most other cities.

 

[nikon_sam]

I have two enlargers...I'll be doing some printing this week...120 and 35mm negs...

 

[Keith]

Someone where I live had a V35 Focomat and offered it to me but not at a price I was prepared to pay ... three to for hundred dollars from memory.

I bumped into him recently and asked him if he managed to get his price for the enlarger ... and he said no, he finished up actually giving it away! :bang:

 

[DNG]

Well, 1/2 in the dark....
I do my own BW film, Use a changing on my kitchen counter to load it up.

I did see the 1c.... I showed my wife, a wished our apt had the room/space to do wet prints. She said it like something out of a science fiction movie..🙂

My only hope is a Daylab of yester year for small prints.

I had 2 in my day (1970/80's), Omega B8xl, and later on an Omega (forget what model) with a new fangled color head.

I'd rather have the Focomat 1c or the Omega B8 personally.
If, I had the room/space.

 

[drewbarb]

I'm definitely still in the dark here too. Printing tomorrow afternoon, in fact.

 

[ChrisN]

That's a great enlarger you have, but it's also very expensive. These days you can practically get free enlargers if you'll pay the shipping. So unless someone wants a top flight enlarger that can only do 35mm, it's probably going to be a tough sale.

Agreed. I have two enlargers, one a Durst Laborator 1200 that covers 35mm to 4x5, very high quality, the other a pretty good LPL 7700. I paid $50 each for those two. With patience, enlargers come very cheap these days. The Focomat V35 still attracts interest in this market, but the earlier models are strictly give-aways.

 

[twopointeight]

Point taken and I'll either lower the price or just keep it and try to use it again. My darkroom is still functioning, but gradually is becoming storage space. Just today two of my photo students at a private high school approached me after class and said, "We want to bulk load tri-x, will you help us"? Sure I said. "And then we want to develop the film and make darkroom prints". (One of them shoots with a black Nikon F and prism finder, the other a Holga with a fisheye). Looks like my darkroom days are not over yet, at least as a teacher.

 

[ChrisN]

Good decision - why burn your bridges until it's absolutely necessary!

 

[Haigh]

I will be back in the dark just as soon as my new timer arrives from B&H NYC, which I hope will be soon.

 

[taskoni]

Unfortunately no room for a dark room 🙁

 

[Chris101]

I spend 4 hours a week in the darkroom. I missed this week because it's communal and I have a cold. After stifling the first sneeze, I realized that some things can be worse to breathe than stop bath vapor.

I also have an enlarger and stuff at home, but at school, they pay for the chemistry.

Enlargers are pretty cheap these days. When they remade the darkroom at school, they outfitted it with 25 brand new LPLs with color heads. The 25 Bessler 45s they replaced went to surplus, and were all bought for a minimum bid of $25. Most of them were in fine shape - I know because I had just rebuilt them myself a year earlier!