Hard to say, most folks buy used enlargers, Ebay, Shopgoodwill, C list, word of mouth, no one is tracking sales, eventually sales will show up in paper and chemistry.
“They’re giving them away,” I was assured. “I found mine lying in a trash pile,” another averred. Instead I scoured ebay and craigslist for about a half year looking for something under $300...
The Craigslist “complete darkroom $50” ads are gone. I bought a Beseler 4x5 enlarger some years back through cl and they were begging me to take everything else as well- but it duplicated gear I already had. Little did I know there would be an uptick in interest- I just wanted to get everything I wanted before the stuff went to the landfill.
FWIW, my local Mom&Pop camera store told me they have sold and developed a lot more Film in the last 6 months than usual.
They are actaullay busy, and I buy and have them develop some of my stuff as I appreciate having them around.
I'm on social media and I just noticed a surge in interest in people starting darkrooms. I get a sense that most of are under 30 years old. Prices of darkroom equipment has gone up quite a bit. 10 years ago, people were throwing away enlargers and now more people seem to covet them. I dumpster dove a free 120 color enlarger and 5 years ago, I bought a darkroom set up with a Beseler 45MXT, 16x20 print washer, 16x20 bladed easer and other accessories at my thrift store for $100. Is what's old is new again?
I bought a Beseler 4x5 enlarger some years back through cl and they were begging me to take everything else as well- but it duplicated gear I already had. Little did I know there would be an uptick in interest- I just wanted to get everything I wanted before the stuff went to the landfill.
I can give you an answer which is based on market data, ...
And now some of them who are meanwhile very comfortable with processing films by themselves are discovering that film has even much more to offer concerning final quality and creativity / joy: Making your own enlargements.
That youngest / latest market development has now of course to be further supported and strenghtened. There remains a lot to do in that area. But the latest signs from the market are definitely encouraging, and showing that further success is certainly possible.
Best regards,
Henning
The young film beginners have of course first used film and got it developed and scanned / printed at prof. labs. Then they have discovered that film processing at home is easy, high quality, cheap and fun.
And now some of them who are meanwhile very comfortable with processing films by themselves are discovering that film has even much more to offer concerning final quality and creativity / joy: Making your own enlargements.
I hope you are right.
One thing that I see surprisingly often in Reddit photo forums and other venues than slant young, is people not only jumping right into C41 and E6 developing, sometimes before they've even done B&W, but a fair bit of RA-4 color printmaking, much of which looks pretty good.
Well, to get perfect results is even much easier with C-41 and E6 home processing compared to BW. Especially if you are using high-quality equipment like the JOBO rotation processors.
The reason is quite simple: C-41 and E6 are standardised processes. And if you work according to the standard process and manual, you will get perfect results.
It is more tricky in BW:
To get really perfect results you have to first make tests to standardise and optimise your own process and adjust it to the further imaging chain for the following positive process. Best is to evaluate the characteristic curve of your film-developer combination and adjust exposure, processing time, developer dilution and agitation rhythm to get optimal film speed and tonality fitting the following positive process (enlarger type, scanner type, used paper).
Best regards,
Henning
Though I doubt they have JOBOs (many are repurposing sous vide temperature controllers)
what amazes me more than the C-41/E6 is the color printing in RA-4; I was always under the impression that that involved a lengthy process of fidgeting with color balance in addition to the usual darkroom variables, plus the added fun of working in total darkness. But if I'm wrong, perhaps I'll give it a try myself.
Well, a significant number is using used JOBO processors.
Why _are_ JOBOs so pricey new? There really isn't all that much to them.
Your assessment is wrong. There is quite a lot of technology and production know-how used in them. I am using one by myself, and I have seen the production in the JOBO factory many times and talked to the engineers. A chinese company tried to copy them and totally failed. Because they don't have the needed detail knowledge of designing and producing such a machine.
And I consider them very price-worthy: If you handle them properly and with care, you get a machine running for 30-35 years (maybe even more). So the amount of money per year is very low and negligible.
Best regards,
Henning
I often wonder if people new to this would feel more comfortable with the price of JOBO equipment if they looked more like an iPhone or a Tesla.
I can give you an answer which is based on market data, as one part of my business is market analysis of the photo market, including the traditional film photography market.
The situation is, that
- We've seen a significant increase in film sales in the last years.
- With a little bit delay also photo chemistry and equipment for developing films at home has started a very significant increase; film processing at home is becoming very popular in the group of young(er) photographers (many new products in this area has also helped a lot as sales numbers of these new products demonstrates)
- With optical enlarging / making prints the situation is different: In the last 1-2 years we've seen a process which would be best described as the beginning of a stabilisation process. So now we have in that area a situation similar to film 4-6 years ago. So darkroom printing is what we economists call a "Spätindikator" (late indicator, an indicator which is lagging behind). That is not surprising at all:
The young film beginners have of course first used film and got it developed and scanned / printed at prof. labs. Then they have discovered that film processing at home is easy, high quality, cheap and fun.
And now some of them who are meanwhile very comfortable with processing films by themselves are discovering that film has even much more to offer concerning final quality and creativity / joy: Making your own enlargements.
That youngest / latest market development has now of course to be further supported and strenghtened. There remains a lot to do in that area. But the latest signs from the market are definitely encouraging, and showing that further success is certainly possible.
Best regards,
Henning
The folks I'm talking about, late teens to mid 20s, I've never seen mention JOBOs in any way except to lament those prices. I've seen more people in that demographic using motorized LEGOs and Arduino contraptions to process film. Why _are_ JOBOs so pricey new? There really isn't all that much to them.
The Jobos are correctly priced. They are worth the cost because they provide consistent results for black & white as well as color. When I develop 4"x5" negative, they are consistently always great and without scratches nor streaks. Some things are worth the price.
Get rid of your phone and you will easily be able to afford a Jobo, tanks, reels, and drums.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?