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Photographica Fair - Sunday 17 May, Westminster


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I popped up in the afternoon. It seemed a bit quiet this year and I heard some of the stallholders moaning about lack of people buying, but the general quality of gear on offer seemed a bit poor to me compared to previous years I've been.

 

What I don't understand is why some would turn up to such an event with a crate load of broken old 35mm compacts of assorted makes and literally dump them on a table in a random pile, and sit there waiting for buyers! If he sold all of them it probably wouldn't cover his costs!

 

There were a couple of Leica dealers present and I spotted a nice Rolleiflex but it had some quite bad lens separation, which the dealer didn't seem to think was any problem.

 

I picked up a few pieces though including a very nice Kodak brownie folder from 1909 for £20, which I'll use for the Veteran car run this year.

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Yes … too much junk on offer … fewer attendees than in previous years … prices of good stuff far too high on some dealers' tables. The organisers should consider asking sellers to be more selective and neat and tidy with their offerings. Some tables were a disgrace and no indication of whether the boxes full of dusty soiled cameras, lenses and binoculars etc were usable or in working order. Visitors do not have time to sort through enormous piles of junk and boxes of God knows what stuffed under tables.  One dealer when asked if he'd "Had a good day?" replied that sales were not as good as in previous years but that what he'd bought himself from other sellers attending would sell on well. One visitor walking around was trying to sell an M4P with 28mm Elmarit to dealers but they wisely steered clear - camera was very soiled and in need of a good dust and clean - seller did not know the first thing about the camera and I thus wondered about its 'provenance' :)    One well known dealer was repeatedly announcing, "Everything with a blue ticket is HALF MARKED PRICE!!" … nearly everything had blue tickets … I said to him, "You say that EVERY year!" His selling philosophy does not instil confidence from potential buyers and the prices were too high. I was looking for accessories but TBH in many cases could buy cheaper elsewhere - some dealers (not all ) were 'chancing'. The better and more professional dealers attending were offering decent usable collectables - but the event was somewhat marred/spoilt by the "pile it high and let 'em suck it and see " brigade. Too many naughty 'art books' on sale on a couple of tables some of which were pornographic/explicit and in no way artistic or which could be termed photographic collectables. 

 

Overall impression: Needs better organisation as regards who and what is allowed to sell and how it is displayed. 

 

dunk

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I was there with my ten-year-old daughter who immediately remarked on the dominant demographic of older gentlemen.  At the Polaroid stall she received a Polaroid of herself, which amazed her and she came home to post on the wall of her room.  We saw a 250 Reporter selling for something upwards of £3k, three uncannily well-preserved Leica I (A)'s, and gawked at two Japanese gentlemen dishing out a stack of fifty-pound notes for several lenses, including two rare v.1 screw mount Summiluxes, at the relative bagain price of £1550 per lens.  I did notice the less well-kept tables, as well as the above-mentioned 'art books'.   We walked out with an early M3 + collapsible Summicron, price concealed from my daughter.  All in all, a fun and interesting time.

Edited by M9reno
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