What do I need to start a darkroom?

I want to try developing my own film and making prints. I want to set up a temporary darkroom in a light tight bathroom. What are the bare essentials that I need? What kind of an enlarger do I need? How much will I have to invest, and where can I get these things online?

Thanks!

There are several books on step by step methods to assembling a

darkroom. There are lots of small items so it is worth getting a

book that describes what you need, and how to arrange or build a

darkroom. The good news is that it is not hard and it is quite a

thrill to develop pictures yourself. The one caveat I would make is

that the bathroom needs to have outside ventilation (active, not

passive).

I solved the problem halfway by setting up a film developing area in

the laundry using large cheap trays as work surfaces to catch spills,

and a changing bag to load film onto the tank reels. I fond a rental

lab in which to do printing. This was most economical, since the

enlarger you use has a larger role in determining the quality of your

prints.

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It was also a wise choice since my developing activity has slowed down

recently, and I don't feel as bad about it than if I had invested

several hundred dollars in an enlarger.

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The Kodak site will tell you all you need to kow, and your local

library should have a few beginner books on the shelves.

If you don't rush into it, you can find what you need relatively

cheaply. When I decided to set up my first darkroom I found

everything I needed at garage sales in about six months. I bought

trays and tongs and mixing containers all together for a song. I

found a cheapo 35mm enlarger for about $35--it served me for a couple

of years, until I was certain I wanted to pursue photography

seriously--then I sold it for $40 (remember, this was over 20 years

ago). I was also able to find easels, developing tanks, film clips,

reels, a timer, a thermometer, etc.--usually at about a tenth their

original cost. Of course, I live in a university town, and a lot of

what I bought came from students whose enthusiasm had waned. You can

find most of what you need on e-Bay, but garage sales will offer the

best bargains. I think you could get it all for less than $200, but

you could easily spend $1000 or more, depending on the quality of the

items you seek. When people find out you are serious, they start

giving you stuff too. A few years after I got serious a friend's

father died, leaving a complete color darkroom. Her mom wanted to

sell the whole lot to one person, and I got it for $200. The enlarger

alone (Beseler 67 with dichroic head) was worth twice that. Over the

years, stuff just sort of accumulates.