film scanning.

I agree with maris, if you have 450.00 to spend not a bad deal. I would get the specs on the lenses and do a little research, those alone may worth a couple of hundred.
 
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Check with local photo businesses. They may have darkroom items just taking up space as production now requires digital techniques. I bought a bunch of stuff from a place that was closing out wet lab operations for cheap. It was a couple years ago but it might be worth your time to check out. Most pros are delighted to help someone starting in film photography. It's like this forum, only face to face.


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Again....to bad people looking for complete darkrooms don't live here in St. Louis, MO. I've seen entire outfits go for $100, in some cases free.
 
Yes i plan on printing as well. Glad you mentioned chemicals and paper cause the poster told me the same thing. Apart from everything else what do you think of the omega? I've researched it and it seems pretty rugged. I may start the offer at $450.. Thank you.
Looks like you are located somewhere around Toronto, ON. I see this add from Thornhill. I don't know, what is called a coldhead, but on the pictures is a regular light bulb head and is not cold. I have exactly same machine, "v" stands probably for variable condenser, which is very good and the condenser housing serves as a filter holder. Coldhead maybe cause there is a way to force cool air around the bulb housing (?). There is also odd collection of carriers, there is 6X7 but no 90mm lens, I am not sure if 80mm can cover. The most popular 6X6 carrier is missing. I may buy from you glass 4x5 to offset your costs. (If you don't plan to go into 4x5 off course.)
Yes, start bidding for $450, if everything is in good condition maybe worth it. Don't get influenced by the old price sticker. The real question is, if you have a space for this kind of machine, this thing stands 4 feet toll and weights about 30 pounds. It is not for a portable darkroom set time to time in the washroom.
Look the costs of lenses:
Large Lot of Enlarger Lenses
Check with this guy:
Nikon El-Nikkor 105mm f/5.6 Enlarger Lens Medium Format 6x6 6x7 6x9
This is interesting offer:
Omega BXL Dichroic Enlarger
Than we have in Toronto two photo-fairs:
One March 30th and one (big one) on May 25th.
 
I bought an entire darkroom for 100.00 from a guy. Black and white enlarger [besler] with 3 condensors, a color enlarger... can't remember the name, tongs, 3 different size trays, easels, plastic 20' x 3 sink, (2) timers, (2) safe lights, etc....

Before the darkroom, I was developing in the bathroom, and doing contact prints from 5x4 film. Now I can print up to 16x20's if I care too. Very seldom do I though. Mainly 8x10's and down.

You can't beat the darkroom ;) if film is your thing.
 
Patterson tank w/ reels = $30
Mixing jug = $10
Containers to hold chemicals = cheap

The chemicals can develop a large number of rolls
Ilford Ilfosol3 = $10
Ilford Stop Bath = $8
Ilford Rapid Fixer = $8
If you're even cheaper than that...

D76 and whatever the accompanying powdered fixer is called are even more affordable, at like $5 for a gallon of working strength of either.
(ilfosol dilutes to about a gallon as well at 1:9 but coming in a 1/8th gallon container)
And I usually dilute 1:3 and do stand development, which worked better with the d76 for some reason for me, making it about 8x cheaper, not 2x.

And grocery store vinegar diluted 1:3 makes a fine stop bath for about $0.25 a gallon of working strength solution using costco vinegar.




If you do a TON of developing and like the look of "staining developers," look up "obsidian aqua" or other catechol-based homemade developers, which represent about a $50 initial investment for probably more working strength developer than you could possibly use in years (makes about 1/2 gallon for that much, and working strength is 1:500, so 250 gallons of working strength solution! Plus you still have a ton of leftover chemicals for some of the ingredients, so the next batch is only like $20). And as far as anybody knows, they'll last for years too in storage, if you use marbles to keep out air from your container as you use it up (good idea for any liquid developer that's not mixed each time).




My cost for developing 4x5 sheet film = about $0.05 a shot total. For the same amount of chemicals I can develop half a roll of 35mm film (it has 1/13th the surface area), making each 35mm frame = about half a penny of chemicals.
 
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