Jobo ATL-1500 + Jobo temperature control +++

I have a Jobo ATL-1500 processor, Jobo temperature control panel with pre-filtration, numerous tanks, reels, and other stuff, including some chemistry that I am no longer able to use. I’m wondering if there is any market for this and if there is what is the reasonable value?

Sounds like the whole setup might be the basis for a small home business - riding the wave of current film popularity and dearth of custom processing houses.

However, I suspect it'll be a short-lived wave.

You'd have to do quite a lot of bespoke processing to recoup an outlay of 2000 bucks though.

Tanks and reels are universal for almost any Jobo system. They have some value but the ATL-1500 is so expensive in spare parts that no hobbyist will invest in it. In Europe they have been thrown away the last 10-15 years by many mini-labs.

That's a bit surprising. There is not so much to go bad that can't either be replaced as a stock part, or reproduced by a 3D printer. Perhaps some parts of Europe are a bit different but I have family in the Czech Republic that could do that and a neighbor in California who has just 3D printed a replacement for a door part for his Mercedes Sprinter van.

Sounds like the whole setup might be the basis for a small home business - riding the wave of current film popularity and dearth of custom processing houses.

 

However, I suspect it'll be a short-lived wave.

 

You'd have to do quite a lot of bespoke processing to recoup an outlay of 2000 bucks though.

Given the scarcity of reliable film processing these days you might be surprised at how quickly one could earn back. I know people still very committed to transparencies. I gave that up some time ago and in recent years stuck with B&W shooting on film and then scanning and printing digitally.

Given the scarcity of reliable film processing these days you might be surprised at how quickly one could earn back. I know people still very committed to transparencies. I gave that up some time ago and in recent years stuck with B&W shooting on film and then scanning and printing digitally.

I suspect it would be a struggle to make a decent profit against the current ridiculous cost of buying quality chemicals in small quantities.

I was lucky to have a local supplier of C-41 chemistry at a reasonable cost. His processing chemicals were actually better than all but Kodak's own, and much cheaper. Unfortunately he died and his business died with him - no more quality C-41 at a reasonable cost.

Then there's the cost of advertising, buying mailers, shipping, etc. etc. It all adds up and it's easy to either short-change yourself or price yourself out of business.

So making a quick return? I'm doubtful.

I suspect it would be a struggle to make a decent profit against the current ridiculous cost of buying quality chemicals in small quantities.

 

I was lucky to have a local supplier of C-41 chemistry at a reasonable cost. His processing chemicals were actually better than all but Kodak's own, and much cheaper. Unfortunately he died and his business died with him - no more quality C-41 at a reasonable cost.

 

Then there's the cost of advertising, buying mailers, shipping, etc. etc. It all adds up and it's easy to either short-change yourself or price yourself out of business.

 

So making a quick return? I'm doubtful.

With added details (C-41) I have to agree. And, that's one of the reasons that virtually all professional photographers are now working only in digital. I think that where film and chemical processing comes in is in B&W simply because it is difficult to impossible to get the same quality in digital printing to match good quality, high silver, fiber prints.

.....B&W simply because it is difficult to impossible to get the same quality in digital printing to match good quality, high silver, fiber prints.

Absolutely!

A definite +1 to that.

Although after I stopped darkroom colour printing, the b*st*rds hiked the price of ink cartridges so much that I costed my darkroom prints to have been cheaper to produce.