UK: good London camera shops

In article , says...

On 30/03/2012 18:34, David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Joe writes:

(...)
Do you really think that the Sony/Minolta system is lacking in
completeness to the extent that you would discourage people from
buying it?

I think it's ruled out of initial consideration by most serious
photographers for that reason.

A *few* people who know their needs very well, and are confident they're
stable, are very happy with it. And a lot of new people who haven't
gone through multiple system transitions to really understand what a
pain it is are buying it.

My needs are fairly specific and stable. I will be using the camera for
location scouting.

I've been using a variety of compacts for the last 10 years or so, and
I'm getting really tired with them. I'm looking forward to a proper
viewfinder and a body that's more comfortable to hold than my current G11.

I don't need much, a 24mm-70mm equivalent zoom, a 50mm equivalent prime,
great low light performance, a body that's big enough to hold firmly and
comfortably (bigger than a 600D body anyway). I almost never use a
flash. I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

May be more than you want to spend but look at a Nikon D3S. Add the GP-
1 GPS that fits in the hot shoe, and a couple of lenses, and every one
of your points is hit. It's a large body, I don't think anything on the
market has beaten the low light performance yet, has the GPS, if not in-
camera then on-camera, and the lenses you ask for are readily available
from Nikon and from several third-parties.

On 2012-03-30 16:49:48 -0700, "J. Clarke" said:

In article , says...

On 30/03/2012 18:34, David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Joe writes:

(...)
Do you really think that the Sony/Minolta system is lacking in
completeness to the extent that you would discourage people from
buying it?

I think it's ruled out of initial consideration by most serious
photographers for that reason.

A *few* people who know their needs very well, and are confident they're
stable, are very happy with it. And a lot of new people who haven't
gone through multiple system transitions to really understand what a
pain it is are buying it.

My needs are fairly specific and stable. I will be using the camera for
location scouting.

I've been using a variety of compacts for the last 10 years or so, and
I'm getting really tired with them. I'm looking forward to a proper
viewfinder and a body that's more comfortable to hold than my current G11.

I don't need much, a 24mm-70mm equivalent zoom, a 50mm equivalent prime,
great low light performance, a body that's big enough to hold firmly and
comfortably (bigger than a 600D body anyway). I almost never use a
flash. I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

May be more than you want to spend but look at a Nikon D3S. Add the GP-
1 GPS that fits in the hot shoe, and a couple of lenses, and every one
of your points is hit. It's a large body, I don't think anything on the
market has beaten the low light performance yet, has the GPS, if not in-
camera then on-camera, and the lenses you ask for are readily available
from Nikon and from several third-parties.

I use the GP-1 with my D300S and it does a pretty good job. It will
also work on all Nikon DSLRs from the D90 on up. In terms of
performance vs cost the D7000 is probably the choice for APS-C Nikons,
and the D700 & D3S for full frame.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

"Joe Kotroczo" wrote in message
...
[]
Prices for the 60D seem to be the same everywhere...

So it's really a question of establishing a relationship with a shop
that has good service.

May I ask - what particular service do you need? As you are thinking of a
mainstream camera and lens, many shops should be able to get you a repair
or replacement in the case of problems. Are you anticipating it going
wrong often? Or are you thinking buying "service" - advice on brands or
lenses? Trying the kit in your own hands and checking the menus and
function buttons and wheels is important, I think.

I used to have a good relationship when I was buying my Nikon SLRs back in
Cambridge, but these days advice is so widely available from many places
on the Internet that I've not felt the need to have a relationship with a
shop in Edinburgh (the independents have mostly gone in any case). Of
course, I'm just buying one camera and one lens every few years....

Cheers,
David

On 31/03/2012 06:51, David J Taylor wrote:
"Joe wrote in message
...
[]
Prices for the 60D seem to be the same everywhere...

So it's really a question of establishing a relationship with a shop
that has good service.

May I ask - what particular service do you need? As you are thinking of a
mainstream camera and lens, many shops should be able to get you a repair
or replacement in the case of problems. Are you anticipating it going
wrong often? Or are you thinking buying "service" - advice on brands or
lenses? Trying the kit in your own hands and checking the menus and
function buttons and wheels is important, I think.

It's just a way of choosing who to buy from. If the price is the same
everywhere, the only thing left as far is I can tell is to go for a
friendly and helpful shop.


--
Illegitimi non carborundum

On 31/03/2012 00:49, J. Clarke wrote:

(...)

I don't need much, a 24mm-70mm equivalent zoom, a 50mm equivalent prime,
great low light performance, a body that's big enough to hold firmly and
comfortably (bigger than a 600D body anyway). I almost never use a
flash. I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

May be more than you want to spend but look at a Nikon D3S.

You're right, that's way way more than I want to spend. :-)


--
Illegitimi non carborundum

On 31/03/2012 01:13, Savageduck wrote:

(...)
I don't need much, a 24mm-70mm equivalent zoom, a 50mm equivalent prime,
great low light performance, a body that's big enough to hold firmly and
comfortably (bigger than a 600D body anyway). I almost never use a
flash. I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

May be more than you want to spend but look at a Nikon D3S. Add the GP-
1 GPS that fits in the hot shoe, and a couple of lenses, and every one
of your points is hit. It's a large body, I don't think anything on the
market has beaten the low light performance yet, has the GPS, if not in-
camera then on-camera, and the lenses you ask for are readily available
from Nikon and from several third-parties.

I use the GP-1 with my D300S and it does a pretty good job. It will
also work on all Nikon DSLRs from the D90 on up. In terms of
performance vs cost the D7000 is probably the choice for APS-C Nikons,
and the D700& D3S for full frame.

To be honest, I've pretty much ruled out Nikon purely on the grounds
that their system is too confusing. As far as I can tell, some lenses
work with some bodies but not with others, some bodies have an autofocus
motor, some haven't, and so on.



--
Illegitimi non carborundum

"Joe Kotroczo" wrote in message
...
[]
To be honest, I've pretty much ruled out Nikon purely on the grounds
that their system is too confusing. As far as I can tell, some lenses
work with some bodies but not with others, some bodies have an autofocus
motor, some haven't, and so on.

Canon have similar issues with their full-frame and APS-C lenses.

With Nikon, all modern lenses have auto-focus built into the lens, so
there's no need for an auto-focus motor in the body, and the entry-level
DSLRs omit the motor, saving weight and money.

Unless you already have lenses (which you don't), and unless you are
buying the entry level models (which I don't think you are), it's a
non-issue. When I was considering which DSLR to get, I tried models from
both Canon and Nikon in the shop, and preferred the handling of the Nikon,
and as it's a tool you will use a lot, I think that handling is quite
important.

Cheers,
David

"Joe Kotroczo" wrote in message
...
[]
It's just a way of choosing who to buy from. If the price is the same
everywhere, the only thing left as far is I can tell is to go for a
friendly and helpful shop.

If the price is the same, I would be more inclined to try for a shop which
will be there in a few years time. I would also consider online
retailers, perhaps not Pixmania, but even John Lewis as they have their
"never knowingly undersold" price guarantee. For batteries I have bought
3rd-party, but not the cheapest and for memory cards, SanDisk. I've found
7-day-shop fair price and service. Be aware of prices of accessories
before buying from a shop - the markup of some is unbelievable!

Cheers,
David

"Joe Kotroczo" wrote in message
...
On 31/03/2012 01:13, Savageduck wrote:

(...)
To be honest, I've pretty much ruled out Nikon purely on the grounds that
their system is too confusing. As far as I can tell, some lenses work with
some bodies but not with others, some bodies have an autofocus motor, some
haven't, and so on.

Hello.

The confusion with Nikon only occurs when you try to use old lenses on
modern bodies. If you're buying a new Nikon body and a new Nikon lens then
there's no problem.

For example: a friend used an elderly Nikon lens on a modern Nikon DSLR and
some shooting modes wouldn't work. Something similar occurs with some old
Sigma lenses and modern Canon bodies [Sigma do their own thing with their
lens software, instead of being licensed by Canon, so old Sigma lenses may
not be compatible with more recent Canon bodies. Sigma may be able to modify
the lens if they have the relevant chip].

Canon have two lens mounts:
- Lenses with the EF mount will fit on all Canon DSLRs;
- Lenses with the EF-S mount only fit on Canon DSLRs that use an APS-C
sensor (which is probably most of their DSLRs).

Personally, if a GPS facility would be helpful to me then I'd go for Nikon.

Shops? I'm happy to buy second-hand and I've done several good deals with
London Camera Exchange in Nottingham and in Derby.
I also used to buy from an independent shop where the staff were
photographers ... but it has now closed.

Regards, Ian.

Joe Kotroczo wrote in
:

On 29/03/2012 18:47, Bruce wrote:
Joe wrote:
On 29/03/2012 15:48, Bruce wrote:
Joe wrote:
Hello all,
Quick question: can anyone recommend a good camera shop in Central
or North London?


Quick answer: There are a great many good camera shops in Central
and North London and some are truly excellent.

Recommending one (or several) would be made much easier if one knew
what sort of equipment you were intending to buy. New, used,
collectable, digital, film, what format, what brand(s)?

New digital, probably an EOS 60D with an 15-85mm. (Although someone
mentioned I should also look at the Sony A77 with the 16-50mm.
Hmm...)

I do own some ancient analogue (Canon A1) which now and then gets an
airing, but I need the digital for work and I'm keen to upgrade from
my G11.


I don't know where you are from, but if you are from North America
you are likely to get much better deals at home.

Erm, I'm from London? Well, not originally, but I've been here for
nearly 4 years now. Never been to the US of A, and I intend to keep it
that way.


Good.