Dark room ? (2 Viewers)

[Jaws]

Is there anyone still using a dark room ?

I sold off the last two enlargers and other kit about two years ago when it got too difficult to buy chemicals and paper locally..

 

[Jim]

Much to the annoyance of Sian I always nicked a room in the house for a darkroom. I junked all my kit a couple of years ago. I remember putting a £500 multi grade head enlarger on eBay starting at £1. And it didn't sell.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I've got the kit but it's not permanently set up and I don't use it much.

I do enjoy it though.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Still got all the gear but stopped using it about 10 years ago. Reluctant to throw hundreds of pounds worth of equipment in the skip.

 

[Jaws]

I actually sold all my stuff for a reasonable amount.. Advertised it in the local library and it went within a week

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[hilldweller]

I sold off the last two enlargers

You were lucky, mine went to the tip, apart from bit of metal and wood I kept as "useful".

Sad innit !

But I would not want to go back.

 

[Badknee]

Is there anyone still using a dark room ?

To be honest, yes I am. Just not got round to putting a new bulb in yet that's all.

 

[9526]

Sold all my stuff a cpl of years ago, once I'd got a dslr that gave results comparable/better than my old film slr's.

I'm on my third digital upgrade at the moment with a "full frame" sensor which blows away the quality I ever got (even with my old mamiya medium format)

Learning photoshop (properly) is my next goal, and I'd never go back to chemicals. Being able to improve and manipulate images (even in the van following a days shooting) is just brilliant.

 

[Lenny HB]

I've got 2 enlargers in the loft must be over 25 years since I last used them.

 

[pappajohn]

I use a darkroom to transfer all my digital camera shots to computer.

You can never be too careful ya know

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[DBK]

Here's someone who probably hasn't :
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/27/don-mccullin-war-photographer-digital-images

There's an exhibition of his work on at the moment which includes some Somerset landscapes. It's at Bruton. http://www.hauserwirthsomerset.com/visit

 

[magicsurfbus]

Selling vintage cameras as I do, I find a lot of gentlemen of a certain age waxing lyrical about their film cameras and darkroom days.

I have to confess to never having developed a film or printed a photo myself, despite starting SLR photography in 1977 and being descended from earlier generations of professional photographers. Terrible isn't it?

If any of you ex-darkroom types discover any old film stock you may be pleasantly surprised at what it would fetch online. Obsolete Polaroid stock (although not strictly darkroom gear) attracts very favourable sums.

 

[Abacist]

This time last year I sold all my Bronica 645 medium format cameras and lenses and ancillary gear and other old film cameras and old Canon FD and compatible lenses, unused films, assorted multigrade print paper etc. Made about £2,000 on Ebay with which I was delighted.

I still have all the film developing drums, developing trays, heated chemical bottles bath and a Fuji Pressman portable enlarger, in its beautiful aluminium flight case and enlarging lenses which is the next project to sell. I'm under some pressure now as its all down from the roof now in my office/fourth bedroom but preventing the cot for the newly arrived grandson to be deployed!

 

[pappajohn]

I'm under some pressure now as its all down from the roof now in my office/fourth bedroom but preventing the cot for the newly arrived grandson to be deployed!

No no no !!!

You have it all wrong.
Camera equipment doesnt wake during the night and need feeding every couple of hours.
Keep the camera stuff and put the baby on eBay.

 

[Abacist]

I like it Pappajohn!

However SWMBO will no doubt keep pushing for it to be cleared out!

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[vin0114]

Still use the broom cupboard for developing new negs but once developed I'm in the'lightroom' scanning into jpegs. 4x5inch negs from my crown graphic are amazing but humping it up hill and down dale is bloody hard work, very expensive and time consuming to take and develop but end of the day very satisfying and great fun.