Sad story I heard today

fdonadio · Jan 10, 2017

In my quest to try all the labs I can find in São Paulo (Brazil), today I went to one I had not tried yet.

Talking to the owner (which happens to be the only one man in the operation), I came to know he owned a pretty big lab way back in the 90's and early 00's. When the business got hurt by "that new technology in photography", he downsized to where he works today (his home).

In the process, he had to let go of most of his equipment. He called some universities with courses on photography and offered to donate the equipment to them. They all declined. And five units of Durst L1200 enlargers where trashed.

I almost cried.

Sorry. I just had to get this off of my chest.

Cheers,
Flavio

RalphLambrecht · Jan 10, 2017

fdonadio said:
In my quest to try all the labs I can find in São Paulo (Brazil), today I went to one I had not tried yet.

Talking to the owner (which happens to be the only one man in the operation), I came to know he owned a pretty big lab way back in the 90's and early 00's. When the business got hurt by "that new technology in photography", he downsized to where he works today (his home).

In the process, he had to let go of most of his equipment. He called some universities with courses on photography and offered to donate the equipment to them. They all declined. And five units of Durst L1200 enlargers where trashed.

I almost cried.

Sorry. I just had to get this off of my chest.

Cheers,
Flavio

I 'gave' mine away for $100 and the guy was upset with me because I didn' include all my enlarging lenses

fdonadio · Jan 10, 2017

RalphLambrecht said:
I 'gave' mine away for $100 and the guy was upset with me because I didn' include all my enlarging lenses

I believe the sad part, in your case, was seeing your enlarger going away in the hands of a jackass...

Cheers,
Flavio

P.S.: if you ever have to get rid of another one of those for that cheap, I'll fly to wherever you are and the lunch/dinner/beer will be on me.

flavio81 · Jan 10, 2017

fdonadio said:
And five units of Durst L1200 enlargers where trashed.

This is too much for me. I'm disturbed. Not one, not two... but FIVE of those fine L1200 enlargers i'd die to have.

Michael Guzzi · Jan 10, 2017

fdonadio said:
In my quest to try all the labs I can find in São Paulo (Brazil), today I went to one I had not tried yet.

Talking to the owner (which happens to be the only one man in the operation), I came to know he owned a pretty big lab way back in the 90's and early 00's. When the business got hurt by "that new technology in photography", he downsized to where he works today (his home).

In the process, he had to let go of most of his equipment. He called some universities with courses on photography and offered to donate the equipment to them. They all declined. And five units of Durst L1200 enlargers where trashed.

I almost cried.

Sorry. I just had to get this off of my chest.

Cheers,
Flavio

I'll not lie, I'm teary-eyed right now. I don't think many will feel the same here, this kind of stuff abounds in other countries, notably USA.

Not so in Brazil. Here we pay unreasonable amounts of cash for this stuff today, that people trashed 20 years ago! That is, if you manage to find any of it.

I would not be able to trash an enlarger like that, maybe if it was in pieces, all rusted and missing most of the critical parts. Coup de Grace.

fdonadio said:
I believe the sad part, in your case, was seeing your enlarger going away in the hands of a jackass...

Cheers,
Flavio

P.S.: if you ever have to get rid of another one of those for that cheap, I'll fly to wherever you are and the lunch/dinner/beer will be on me.

Make his words mine.

HiHoSilver · Jan 10, 2017

The guy I bought my 'blad extension tubes from spoke of 3-lens kits w/ multiple backs going for $350. But although the prices have come up on the iconic names, there's great buys on gear that's superb.

paul ron · Jan 11, 2017

more sad was seeing automated comercial processing machines on the curb as labs were going out of business. what cost a business $500,000 were being sold as scrap to junk yards.

a small custom lab i used was begging anyone to take his equipment for free.... it all wound up filling dumpsters.

sad!

etn · Jan 11, 2017

HiHoSilver said:
The guy I bought my 'blad extension tubes from spoke of 3-lens kits w/ multiple backs going for $350. But although the prices have come up on the iconic names, there's great buys on gear that's superb.

True. Thanks to "that alternative technology" many (myself included) can afford stuff, eg. Hasselblad or those Durst enlargers, we could only dream of 10-20 years ago. But with limited supply and increasing demand, we'd better hurry if we want to find good deals. It is also comforting to think that all our film equipment is not losing any value!

railwayman3 · Jan 11, 2017

Very sad. Unfortunately most things are seen to become obsolete and are thrown out, as (supposedly) "new and better" equipment is marketed. Then people realise that, perhaps, the old stuff wasn't total rubbish after all.

I was watching a tv documentary last evening on 1930's Germany....there was a car park with 100's of amazing vehicles...no doubt all routinely "worn out" and scrapped within a few years, yet any one of them would now be worth $$$$ and bring tears of joy to the eyes of enthusiasts. Not to mention the plate cameras and bulb flashguns used by the pressmen !

Hilo · Jan 11, 2017

A hospital in the east of The Netherlands ditched two late grey Focomat 2c's in their garbage container. What is really infuriating is that they never knew what they had in the first place. Leitz reps would just sell them any new model . . .

etn · Jan 11, 2017

When I was in the military I saw some very nice and expensive Nikon lenses being physically destroyed with a hammer after being decommissionned, to avoid anyone "re-purposing" them (so to speak) and make a benefit on government / tax payer's money. Strange that they never considered selling them.

Chrismat · Jan 11, 2017

I used a Durst L1200 in one of the custom labs I used to work in the 90s. I used the Durst and an Omega Super Chromega D (which I use now). The Durst is just a fantastic enlarger. Knowing that they are taking up space in landfills is so depressing.

pbromaghin · Jan 11, 2017

Chrismat said:
I used a Durst L1200 in one of the custom labs I used to work in the 90s. I used the Durst and an Omega Super Chromega D (which I use now). The Durst is just a fantastic enlarger. Knowing that they are taking up space in landfills is so depressing.

Well, I was given a Chromega D5XL that would have gone in the trash, along with a very extensive full darkroom kit. The owner was getting ready for retirement and moving from a big house to a condo. He had tried to donate it to a Jr college program that had Omegas with standard heads, but the instructor didn't want to spend the time to teach his students to use the dichroic head. I had to drive to Chicago and back to pick it up, but it was extremely satisfying.

fdonadio · Jan 11, 2017

pbromaghin said:
it was extremely satisfying.

I can only imagine.

Cheers,
Flavio

Johnkpap · Jan 11, 2017

About 10 years ago at the end of the film Minilab industry, Schools, Gov Departments ect were closing down, there were enlargers ect. They everywhere for almost for free. I bought my L1200 with both the colour head and a B/W Head al full set of condensors ect (still Boxed !!) as well as a Rodagon 150mm lens at auction for $600 it was a bargin then.......Now you won't find one for sale anywhere here in Australia

Now Jobo equipment is getting very high prices !!!!

I bought mine back then for around $50 plus a job lot of tanks and reels for $50.00

Now good Enlarging lenses are starting to go up in price.

Also some other darkroom items are starting to go the same way

Who said film was dead.....

Currently a new 1500 series tank with a magnet sells for over $100 !!!

Johnkpap

mklw1954 · Jan 12, 2017

I have 4 more nice enlargers than I really need and I have to admit that the main reason I picked them up was that I felt an obligation to keep them from going to a landfill. I paid token amounts of money for the equipment, which included lots of other nice stuff (lenses, timers, easels, reels/tanks, trays, etc.), so it was clear people just wanted it taken off their hands.

Ian Grant · Jan 12, 2017

A few years ago I went to my local Pro lab, there was a skip outside and a Durst LF enlarger sticking out of the top, in fact there were more below but all badly damaged by then. I had the head. I offered it free here, Bob Carnie would have liked it but shipping UK/Canada meant it wasn't viable. I came away with two turrets full of Componon lenses for free keeping the few I wanted, I gave the rest away free on this forum I'd add the lab had scrapped all their roll head printers a few years earlier 9around 2000) and were using an optical Fuji mini lab, instead. They'd gone from 6-8 people working with the roll head printers to one woman printing with the mini lab. They specialised in processing mainly for wedding photographers and a few commercial photographers.

Around 12 years ago there were so many LF enlargers and process systems on Ebay. I was looking to upgrade my 5x4 enlarger and there were so many excellent enlargers listed at bargain prices many, at any one time there would be 40-50 De Vere's probably the best LF enlargers made, mostly 504's but usually 2 or 3 5108's (10x8) and the odd 507. Many went unsold and were scrapped.

Ian

Red Tractors · Jan 18, 2017

I got my pair of D5XL's a few years ago for $50 and $75. Gave/sold off my DII's and D2's to friends, hopefully they are still getting used.

Not the free-for all it was a few years ago. I was up to 14 enlargers at one point, just could not stand to see them destroyed.

Chadinko · Jan 18, 2017

When I went looking for a 4x5 enlarger to replace my 23CII, I looked on craig'slist and found my Beseler 45MXII with an Aristo cold light head, timers, a box of Schneider enlarger lenses and a couple of big boxes of other stuff, all for $100. I was all over that. Since then, people have given me four more enlargers, none of which I'm sure I'll ever use because they're not high quality. Maybe I'll make lamps out of them.

fdonadio · Jan 19, 2017

Red Tractors said:
I got my pair of D5XL's a few years ago for $50 and $75.

Chadinko said:
When I went looking for a 4x5 enlarger to replace my 23CII, I looked on craig'slist and found my Beseler 45MXII with an Aristo cold light head, timers, a box of Schneider enlarger lenses and a couple of big boxes of other stuff, all for $100.

Right now, the cheapest offer that I have found is a Durst 138S for $600. There a vacuum easel included, no mention about lenses, holders and other accessories.

There's a crazy guy selling a Super Chromega D for almost $3,400!! It comes with several accessories but, at this price, I'd rather fly to the US, spend a weekend and get an enlarger for much less.

Cheers,
Flavio

GarageBoy · Jul 15, 2017

Ugh, there's so many cheap enlargers on eBay, but shipping is the killer

AgX · Jul 15, 2017

If I would tell what all got trashed (at cost) at the industry instead of being even sold (with respective offers made)...

fdonadio · Jul 15, 2017

AgX said:
If I would tell what all got trashed (at cost) at the industry instead of being even sold (with respective offers made)...

I do believe you. But I am still looking for a good 4x5 enlarger for a decent price.

Sirius Glass · Jul 15, 2017

I bought my Chromega Dichroic II 5D-EL, lenses and Arkay Drum Dryer from a photo finisher owner at a decent price.

Jarin Blaschke · Jul 15, 2017

...and stories abound of Panavision trashing dozens of precision-made Panaflex Gold cameras to make way for new electronic stock... that then goes away too when it is obsoleted in three years.

Sad story I heard today

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