Into the Darkroom! Or “Budget Darkrooms can be Better than most Expensive Darkrooms!”

I noticed that I haven’t really gotten into explaining some of my darkroom equipment. I don’t know if you know this, but that’s a pretty important aspect of making prints (I’m so funny). I bought my Omega B600 enlarger for 49$ on ebay. It came in pieces in the original box with instructions and, once all pieces were accounted for, it was incredibly simple to put together. I recently realigned the lamphouse with the baseboard and that actually is also another incredibly simple thing to do. With the Omega B600, it’s a matter of tightening and loosening screws. The B600 is probably the poor man’s C700, but they’re nearly identical and it really is a nice little enlarger. It’s a condenser enlarger, meaning it uses 2 thick condenser lenses under the lamp, but above the lens. This makes black and white prints easy. “But what if you ever want to get into color prints?” you ask (or imagine you asking to push this post along). Easy. I can buy the Omega Chromega B Dichroic Color head to replace the condenser head. It might take some internet searching and a few saved bucks, but if I ever choose that road (and based on my excitement for film and printing, I’d assume that day will come) it’s an easy adjustment.

Overall, an enlarger is an enlarger. If you’re searching for one to start up your own darkroom, see what brands are prominent in your area and easy to fix. For the US it was Omega and Beseler. Those two brands have parts galore available on refurbished sites, auction sites, and at junk/antique stores. Also, make sure it’s the type of enlarger you want. Do research and read about condenser heads vs. color heads and weigh the differences. It’ll be a decision based on primarily what you shoot as a photographer and what you, as a human, can afford. I do mostly black and white, so for now, the condenser head is perfect.

What I really paid attention to was the type of lenses to buy. When I bought my enlarger, I went crazy and made sure I had every little thing to start printing immediately. I found an El Nikkor 50mm lens that was in my price range, good condition, and well-known brand. If there is no budget (which is rarely the case for me) 6 element lenses by brands El Nikkor (Nikon), Rodenstock, or Schneider are the best lenses out there. Unfortunately for me, I can’t afford a lot of those lenses whether they’re on Ebay or refurbished on the Adorama or BandH websites. So, I did the best I could and made sure they were in good condition.

Arista 75mm (left) and El Nikkor 50mm (right)

 

The El Nikkor lens is 50mm f/4 and was about 30$. The 50mm lenses are great for 35mm film. For anything medium or large format, longer focal distance lenses are needed to cover the entire film frame. The only other film I shoot is 120mm, so I needed either a 75mm or 80mm lens and a negative holder for 6×6 to start printing. I don’t have the negative carrier yet (and might just McGyver it and make one, probably with gum and paperclips) but I did find a nice lens in great condition for 30$. It’s the Arista 75mm f3.5, normally sold by Freestyle, but I bought mine elsewhere and got a deal. It’s very clean and the aperture blades work smoothly, so I just assume it’s as good a lens as I can afford.

Lenses hard at work in the darkroom!

 

Overall, my darkroom isn’t something I splurged on and doesn’t have world class equipment, but a lot of photography is simply how it’s used. Owning a 4000$ Canon with 36 megapixels doesn’t mean the owner can take better photos than someone with a 100$ point and shoot. I bought all my equipment on the cheap, but read through manuals, roamed through message boards, and practiced enough that I know how all of it works and I can make as good of a print as someone with a brand new, expensive enlarger.

So, my point, if you’re building your darkroom on a budget, there’s plenty of equipment out there that anyone can master and make amazing prints with, yet still have money in the bank to pay bills. Just do some research and consider the elements of your own photography techniques and skills.

Feel free to ask a question about building your own darkroom. I read a lot before I made any purchases, so hopefully I can help!

Happy Shooting (and printing!)