Need some help? Dad passed have darkroom

<p> Hi,<br>

I hope I can get some input, my dad passed away and I have to take everything out of his studio.<br>

He just moved into his studio a few months before he was stricken with cancer. Most of his stuff from what I am told is brand new, and he has all manuals. <br>

My question how much is this stuff worth and/or a market for it. I am doing this for my mom, since I am the closest to the studio. <br>

Attached are just a few pics. There is a Beseler Dichro 45s on a motorized frame(was told 45mxt, and 23c?)<br>

by a friend of his, but he wasn't a photographer.<br>

Any input even on what some of this stuff is would be great. <br>

Thanks, <br>

Sweetany<br>

Don't know if pics are coming through. Can see at https://aanicofa.wordpress.com/studio/</p>

<p><img src="https://aanicofa.wordpress.com/studio/" alt="" /><img src="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=491788521020358&set=pcb.491789104353633&type=3&theater" alt="" /><img src="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=491788521020358&set=pcb.491789104353633&type=3&theater" alt="" /></p>

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<p>Ann - my sympathies on your father's passing. The best way to ascertain the value of the goods is to look on Ebay at closed/sold auctions for each item. If you decided to sell to a dealer, you would receive 50% or less of the value. Craigslist can also provide some indication of value in your local market.</p>

<p>it would be one thing if you ntended to use the equipment.<br>

but I see no indication of that.<br>

film photography is still do-able. slides and printing slides * i loved them) is really gone.<br>

but color negative ( c-41) and printing negatives is still something many still do.<br>

it is difficult as it seems. a lot slower than digicam to prints.<br>

which must or often are done commercially.<br>

Ink jet printers are usually designed to sell expensive ink and frustrate users.</p>

<p>sadly a fine enlarger has a low resale value;<br>

If your dad was still here he would enjoy real photography. I am 80 and hang on to my old not as good equipment., eventually my son will donate it to a museum.</p>

<p>Unless you are able to sell parts of the enlarger piece-by-piece, you'll likely have difficulty selling the entire unit as is to an Ebay customer....I'm guessing it's 60-80lbs....and transport for such will be rather costly. The head alone seem to be going on Ebay (depending on condition) 200 to over $300. You can try putting an ad on CL at several places (major city) within few hundred miles and see what sort of response you'll get. Good luck. </p>

<p>Les</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Yes, sympathies for your loss. One is never truly ready for the finality. The values are all over the map on this sort of gear. Some enlarging lenses can be worth more than the enlarger for instance and you haven't mentioned what the optics are. I have the same enlarger and as mentioned, the shipping can erode its value for what a buyer can pay. It's an excellent workhorse unit used by many schools and labs over the years, partly because they were rugged and stayed in alignment quite well. A craigslist ad might reach the best potential buyers within reasonable travel distance. Sadly, there are many more sellers than buyers for analog gear these days. Let us know what lenses and other gear is there as you may have a pleasant surprise for the worth of good optics, timers and printwashers, etc.</p>

<p>The dichro 45 might have some value, but it will be a lot less than new. </p>

<p>I have a Chromega B, which someone was giving away. They might have tried to sell it, and in the end just wanted it gone. I haven't tried using it yet, though. (The one I have is smaller, but still fine for many uses.)</p>

<p>Often enough, I see enlargers at Goodwill, and usually they don't sell. Well, they might be missing parts by that time, but I have seen them for $30, maybe more for the 4x5. But Goodwill, after a few weeks sells for half price, and then finally $1.29. </p>

<p>Adorama has the Dichro 45 color head (head only) on their web site for $2300. The weight is much less than the rest of the enlarger, though the power supply is heavy. Adorama says $157 for shipping. In almost new condition, you might get something for that, but not close to $2300.</p>

<p>There are other people doing the same thing you are, and very few setting up new color darkrooms. Some people are now starting in black and white darkroom photography, for nostalgia reasons, but they won't want or need a Dichro 45. </p>

<p>Trays and developing tanks are useful for black and white, and you might find someone interested. The original cost is much less, and shipping can be high for big pieces. </p>

<p>But someone with this equipment should also have some good cameras. The top cameras still have some value, and aren't hard to ship. I think that is a better place to look for resale value.</p>

<p>Lens prices are down, too. I bought a 50mm EL Nikkor for $4 at Goodwill. But that wouldn't normally be used with a 45. </p>

<p>Other photographic studio equipment such as lights and reflectors are still useful with digital, and so the prices aren't quite as low. You don't show any of that.</p>

<p>The Vu Lyte III is interesting. That is an opaque projector. We had an older model (that long ago) in elementary school. In a dark enough room, and with a big light bulb, you can project images of a pages of a book, or similar. But now, you use a camera and digital projector instead. <br>

The bulbs are expensive, though.</p>

<p>You might find a local photography club to donate it to. There are places that have a darkroom that members can use, big enough to have a few enlargers and other equipment. There is a good chance that it would get well used, and maybe a tax deduction for the donation.</p>

<p>"There is a Beseler Dichro 45s on a motorized frame(was told 45mxt, and 23c?)"<br /><br />A 45MXT and a 23C are two different enlargers. The 45MXT handles up to 4x5 negatives while the 23C is smaller, handling only up to medium format. This appears to be a 45MXT.<br /><br />The good news is that this is one of the best enlargers ever made and appears to be in excellent condition. Beseler, along with their main competitor Omega, were the two most popular brands of enlargers ever sold in the U.S. and there's a whole cottage industry of every conceivable part and accessory for them.<br /><br />The bad news is that the market dropped out of the enlarger market a long time ago, as others have noted. One this nice you could still get easily $200-300, maybe more, if you had a local buyer. But it could cost $100 or more to ship. It's not just the weight but it needs to be very carefully packed to avoid being knocked out of alignment or even getting the frame or the glass damaged.<br /><br />If there is a local camera club or a photography program at a local college I would see if there's someway you could offer it for sale before I would donate it. If you have an actual camera store you could try there, but more likely they might let you put a note on a bulletin board if they have one rather than being interested in buying it.<br /><br />You could try selling the lens and other pieces separately but even if you succeed that leaves you with the main piece of the enlarger that would then be harder to sell with key pieces missing.</p>

<p>Sorry about your Father Anne.<br>

Sadly though it is all not worth very much now. Film sure does get used and I am a film user my self with a fully operational darkroom, I have seen enlargers like that on eBay for less than $500 and still not sell, my enlarger is 4x5 Omega D and only paid $150 for it a five years ago. While it is all great gear there is just not enough demand for it now and because of its size that makes shipping difficult and expensive. I would think there are a few reading this thread that would love it and be more than willing to buy it from you but your location would make that impractical for many, not to sure where you are but I will assume you're in the US where as I am in Australia so shipping is just not practical for me. <br>

You could list it in eBay, you may get a few hundred for it.<br>

Depending on what lenses there are they can be ok to sell as well as any other item that is practical to post. You may even have something I can use. </p>