A Beginner's Guide to Building a Darkroom

Setting up your own darkroom can be a bit daunting if you don't really know what you need to get started. So rather than bore you with details on how to make a light tight room, I'll give you the following list of stuff you're going to need. So break out the credit card, and order:

  1. An enlarger. Absolutely can't have a darkroom without an enlarger. The more you spend, the better it'll be. I use a Saunders/LPL 670VCCE variable contrast enlarger. If you can afford it, I strongly recommend you get a variable contrast enlarger. Although they're more expensive than a condenser enlarger, you won't have to buy graded paper (more on this later). Also, try to get an enlarger that'll take the largest negatives you ever expect to print. Mine will do up to 6x7 (which is medium format). Since I don't plan on doing large format printing, this is fine for me. But if you want to print 4x5 negs in the future, make sure your enlarger can handle them.

  2. Check to see what the enlarger you decide on comes with. At a minimum, it should have a column, baseboard, head assembly, and lamp. You'll also need a lensboard (probably a 39mm type, which is standard) and possibly a jam nut to hold the lens in place, but this depends on the lensboard.

  3. An enlarging lens. Buy the best you can afford. I use a Schneider Componon-S, which I got used for about $150. It's a top of the line, 6-element lens. I paid about half what I would have paid if I had bought it new. Good camera dealers usually have used top quality lenses in great condition for good prices. But make sure it's in good shape... it's a lifetime investment, so get the best you can afford. Rodenstock also makes great lenses. Oh, and you'll need a 50mm lens if you're going to be enlarging 35mm negs, or an 80mm lens if you're doing medium format.

  4. Darkroom timer. I have a Gralab. It was about the cheapest timer there is out there, but I love it. It controls the enlarger and the safelight, is easy to read and easy to use.

  5. Safelight. I have a small 5x7 safelight. You'll need a safelight with an OC (amber) filter for B&W printing. If you have a big space to illuminate, you'll need something larger.

  6. You need a good easel. Hate to say it, but they're expensive, especially the 4-blade ones. I have a Saunders 4-blade. It takes up to 16x20 paper. It cost an arm and a leg. But again, these are one time purchases, so do the best you can.

  7. A grain focuser. When you put a negative in the enlarger, it gets projected onto the paper. You need the grain focuser to help you accurately focus the image. I use a Peak 10x, but there are others that will work just as well.

  8. Developing trays. Take the cheap road here. Get trays for every size of enlargement you want to make. I have 8x10, 11x14 and 16x20 trays. I bought the cheapest ones I could find. They do the trick.

  9. Paper safes. Once you open the paper as it's shipped from the manufacturer, you need to put it in a paper safe so it doesn't get exposed to light (make sure you put the paper in the safes when it's completely dark by the way). There are adjustable safes that have compartments for different paper sizes, but I found it easier to just order 3 safes, one for each size of paper I use.

That's all I can think of right now. If you've got questions, let me know. I'll add to the list if my memory improves.

Want to read some of my other Technical Articles?