earleygallery Posted January 20, 2008 Share #41 Posted January 20, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Another vote for Aperture Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 Hi earleygallery, Take a look here MW Classic Cameras london. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 20, 2008 Share #42 Posted January 20, 2008 The Classic Camera in Pied Bull Yard - I went in there when I was last in London hoping to hunt down a 35 Summilux that I'd seen on their website. One guy on the computer, the other on the phone. Neither of them even looked up while I stood for a few minutes beside the counter, patiently waiting. Sometimes it's fun to see how rude people can be - if you enjoy that experience I can recommend The CC. They lost my sale anyway. The Classic Camera staff can be a bit poker faced and don't exactly welcome customers with a smile ... but I imagine they have a lot of time-waster visitors just curious to see the Leicas on display ... I have bought a few items from them and successfully negotiated prices ... and when I bought over the phone they were polite and helpful ... One positve is that they have survived as a camera dealer where several other former dealers in the same location all ceased trading .. Jessops Classic included. I have also bought from Aperture and found them to be helpful and knowledgable ... their cafeteria is a bonus as are the late opening hours ... but the cafeteria washroom facilities could have been better dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted January 21, 2008 Share #43 Posted January 21, 2008 The Classic Camera staff can be a bit poker faced and don't exactly welcome customers with a smile ... but I imagine they have a lot of time-waster visitors just curious to see the Leicas on display ... Someone waiting patiently by the counter should at the very least be asked if they need any help, imho. My guess is that they saw me in my black tee-shirt and jeans, and assumed that I couldn't afford one of their precious lenses. This attitude is very prevalent amongst certain types of dealers (exclusive watch or camera or any other luxury object). Simply making eye contact and raising an apologetic finger while they spoke on the phone would maybe have resulted in a £600-£800 sale. Nevermind, I'm more than happy with the one I bought from my regular dealer here in Sweden. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 21, 2008 Share #44 Posted January 21, 2008 One positve is that they have survived as a camera dealer where several other former dealers in the same location all ceased trading .. Jessops Classic included. Jessops is still there, they just rebadged the shop as a regular Jessops branch as part of their apparent strategy to move away from the enthusiast market and shift cheap digicams. I too received better 'service' when I popped into CC one lunchtime (in my suit). I only wanted a copy of LFI though. One of the salesmen there, I noticed, used to work for Vic Odden which closed down a while ago, and he was always very helpful & knowledgeable, so maybe there's some hope for improvement!! Let's hope there isn't some CC charm school they send new recruits to! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 21, 2008 Share #45 Posted January 21, 2008 "Quite a few" London photographic sales persons in have worked in "quite a few" of the London photographic dealers .. and several of 'em worked in all the former Pied Bull Yard/New Oxford St./ Tott. Ct. Rd. locality dealers ... No doubt they could all tell a few interesting stories about their employers ... especially about the ones which have ceased trading ... dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted January 21, 2008 Share #46 Posted January 21, 2008 Jessops is still there, they just rebadged the shop as a regular Jessops branch as part of their apparent strategy to move away from the enthusiast market and shift cheap digicams. I too received better 'service' when I popped into CC one lunchtime (in my suit). I only wanted a copy of LFI though. One of the salesmen there, I noticed, used to work for Vic Odden which closed down a while ago, and he was always very helpful & knowledgeable, so maybe there's some hope for improvement!! Let's hope there isn't some CC charm school they send new recruits to! Do you recall that Vic Odden's smiling Brylcream type photo was still used in their ads. many years after he died? dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 21, 2008 Share #47 Posted January 21, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Do you recall that Vic Odden's smiling Brylcream type photo was still used in their ads. many years after he died? dunk Oh, just like Colonel Sanders? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted January 21, 2008 Share #48 Posted January 21, 2008 Oh, just like Colonel Sanders? The Colonel's DEAD??!! Bu... But... Just don't tell the Easter Bunny, ok? Regards, Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted January 22, 2008 Share #49 Posted January 22, 2008 Found this. Not the page I would have thought. Aperture closed sunday. Aperture Photographic Tel. 020 7242 8681 I like Aperture and have bought things from them, but last time I went to London, they were closed for the day (a Saturday) with a pretty flimsy excuse on a scruffy note on the window, according to Classic Cameras they had been for several days. They don't open early either, at least 11 am. MW is in an office block in what I think is Islington, I went there once on a Saturday assuming they were open to the public, according to the doorman they normally were there from 10.00 (I think) but hadn't turned up by 10.30 when I lost patience. I have spoken on the phone, and they are not averse to callers, by arrangement, but prefer mail order I think. I am going down again next Saturday, for a periodic trawl through the second hand shops, not that I 'need' anything, but am often tempted! Gerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejd Posted January 22, 2008 Share #50 Posted January 22, 2008 A great thing about MW Classic Cameras is that, though their postal address is on the deceptively uninteresting Essex Rd, N1, they are in fact on the corner of the Balls Pond Road. Few street names can be so evocative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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