How is darkroom doing in your area?

Melvin J Bramley · Nov 30, 2022

I have the opportunity to obtain, for free a Beseler 23c and Beseler 23dichro plus a Beseler 67 and an Omega D2.
The Beselers have some carriers the D2 none.
I already have too many enlargers but the opportunity seems too good to be passed.
How is the darkroom participation in your area?

TB

ic-racer · Nov 30, 2022

No more free stuff here for the last ten years or so.

Paul Howell · Nov 30, 2022

Nothing free, now and again I see an enlarger at reasonable price, most time old, missing parts, or way too expensive.

Sirius Glass · Nov 30, 2022

I passed up several great free enlargers from an APUGger moving from Los Angeles to Florida a decade ago because I did not have the room even to store them for a while.

AnselMortensen · Nov 30, 2022

Near me, Craigslist has people wanting crazy money for enlargers, etc.
At the local camera swaps, people can't give them away...boxes of typical 'vintage' darkroom accessories get dumped.

mshchem · Nov 30, 2022

I have a house full of darkroom stuff. I love it. Seems like anything Jobo is gone through the roof.

Melvin J Bramley · Nov 30, 2022

Paul Howell said:
Nothing free, now and again I see an enlarger at reasonable price, most time old, missing parts, or way too expensive.

Enlargers with missing parts is alas all too common.
I have seen many desirable LPL 4500's for decent prices minus power supplies and negative carriers.
I have often purchased a job lot at discount pricing to secure one or two special items.
You win some and you lose some.

Sirius Glass · Nov 30, 2022

Melvin J Bramley said:
Enlargers with missing parts is alas all too common.
I have seen many desirable LPL 4500's for decent prices minus power supplies and negative carriers.
I have often purchased a job lot at discount pricing to secure one or two special items.
You win some and you lose some.

Probably because the sellers did not know anything about the equipment and parts would be left out of the sale.

redbandit · Nov 30, 2022

the participation is dead over all. In the last 2 years i have seen exactly 1 enlarger go on craigslist in my state.
I did not purchase it because the seller kept getting rather hinky about letting me see it. He would send me tons of photos of damaged beakers, trays, etc. but only one generic photo of an enlarger. And anytime i tried to arrange a time to travel to see it, it was a 23cIII for 200$, he would change his mind on where we could meet, once at his house, then at a gas station, then at a walmart parking lot, and so on.

But alot of people on ebay seem to be selling the same enlarger in multiple concurrent ads.

mshchem · Nov 30, 2022

I think the desirable small bits get stripped and offered on Ebay. People look on Ebay and see people asking $150 for a negative carrier and think they can get rich. I'm set, but I always will look. Sometimes you hit gold!

gone · Dec 1, 2022

This is how it goes in my area.

Someone asked me today if I was the photographer in my building. I've learned to hedge my bets on this kind of question, so I replied, maybe. They wanted me to take a picture and photoshop it. I said I don't do photoshop, I work in a darkroom. They said, I have to sit in a dark room for you to take my picture? I said no, no, we will take the picture in the light, but I need to print it in a darkroom. This was met by a look of total-not-understanding. So I finally said, of course, I can take a picture of you (in the light), develop it, scan it, and make it like you want in photoshop. Then I can send you the file, and you can print it at Walgreens on a jump drive.

Ah, now they were happy. That's the state of affairs where I am. That's the state of affairs everywhere I've been the last 20-30 years.

redbandit · Dec 1, 2022

momus said:
This is how it goes in my area.

Someone asked me today if I was the photographer in my building? I've learned to hedge my bets on this kind of question, so I replied, maybe. They wanted me to take a picture and photoshop it. I said I don't do photoshop, I work in a darkroom. They said, I have to sit in a dark room for you to take my picture? I said no, no, we will take the picture in the light, but I need to print it in a darkroom. This was met by a look of total-not-understanding. So I finally said, of course, I can take a picture of you (in the light), develop it, scan it, and make it like you want in photoshop. Then I can send you the file, and you can print it at Walgreens.

Ah, now they were happy. That's the state of affairs where I am. That's the state of affairs everywhere I've been the last 20-30 years.

When people start talking about photo shop i just say

"the judge says im not supposed to chop cars anymore"

Sirius Glass · Dec 1, 2022

redbandit said:
When people start talking about photo shop i just say

"the judge says im not supposed to chop cars anymore"

meowdameow · Dec 2, 2022

Consumer products are still easy to find in the market, but high-end models are very difficult to source one nowadays, often missing parts / accessories

MattKing · Dec 2, 2022

There is a good selection of enlargers offered for free on Saltsping Island right now, if you agree to take everything:
https://victoria.craigslist.org/pho/d/saltspring-island-free-free-enlargers/7562732926.html

Melvin J Bramley · Dec 2, 2022

Looking at it. When the snow recedes.

Sirius Glass · Dec 2, 2022

Melvin J Bramley said:
Looking at it. When the snow recedes.

In Canada that depends were you are. There are some places in Canada that the snow never recedes. Are you there?

MattKing · Dec 2, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
In Canada that depends were you are. There are some places in Canada that the snow never recedes. Are you there?

IIRC, Melvin is fairly close to where I live.
We are experiencing a bit of a cold snap right now. Looking toward the roadway nearby, the palm trees in the median don't look happy.
Saltspring Island is even more temperate.

Sirius Glass · Dec 2, 2022

MattKing said:
IIRC, Melvin is fairly close to where I live.
We are experiencing a bit of a cold snap right now. Looking toward the roadway nearby, the palm trees in the median don't look happy.
Saltspring Island is even more temperate.

I have not been there but I here that Edmonton goes below freezing all day starting in the middle of August and does not have its first thaw until late July. Some years the thaw never comes. Much like Rochester New York which has the winter and the fourth of July and sometimes the fourth of July does not come either.

GregY · Dec 2, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
I have not been there but I here that Edmonton goes below freezing all day starting in the middle of August and does not have its first thaw until late July. Some years the thaw never comes. Much like Rochester New York which has the winter and the fourth of July and sometimes the fourth of July does not come either.

Sirius, don't believe everything you read on the internet. Edmonton's average October temperature during the day is in the 50sF.....(11C). Just like Florida swampland.....we'll give you a heck of a real estate deal on some new igloos.

MattKing · Dec 2, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
I have not been there but I here that Edmonton goes below freezing all day starting in the middle of August and does not have its first thaw until late July.

Sounds like you have been talking to someone from Calgary.

GregY · Dec 2, 2022

VinceInMT · Dec 2, 2022

I’m always amused by “experts” on weather, climate, culture, traffic, and economics on places they’ve never lived.

In my area, southeastern Montana, it is very rare to see darkroom equipment for sale. I think that ship sailed a while ago. There is an Omega B22 enlarger for sale in Missoula for $100, a 5-6 hour drive from here but even that is rare. A few years ago a friend had someone give him a 4x5 enlarger so there are those rare encounters.

Melvin J Bramley · Dec 2, 2022

Both Edmonton and Calgary have six months of winter and an additional three months of bad skiing.
It's enough to keep you in the darkroom for many days, or more!

Earlier this year on another of BC gulf islands a Beseler 45mx plus a full darkroom was given away..

GregY · Dec 2, 2022

Lately the Camera Store has gotten a number of LF enlargers with lenses and timers from the relatives of LF photographers who recently passed away. The filmexperiencecamerastore.com in Ian Tyson country (Longview Alberta) has enlargers and several Seal dry mount presses (210 & 160)....always hard to find when you're looking for one.

How is darkroom doing in your area?

Melvin J Bramley

ic-racer

Paul Howell

Sirius Glass

AnselMortensen

mshchem

Melvin J Bramley

Sirius Glass

redbandit

mshchem

gone

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Sirius Glass

meowdameow

MattKing

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Melvin J Bramley

Sirius Glass

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Sirius Glass

GregY

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GregY

VinceInMT

Melvin J Bramley

GregY

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