Good used equipment in UK?

[petemillis]

Anyone know of a good source of used gear over here (or Europe and Russia I

suppose)? I'm after a lens that would fit a Pentacon 6 mount - pref around

50mm. But am strapped for cash. I don't care if something is battered so long

as optics are good. Would appreciate pointers to any second hand on line shops

with stock lists so I can get idea of price I should expect to pay. I'm

keeping an eye on ebay but ain't much there at the moment.

 

Mucho gracias.

Pete

[mike_stemberg]

Try

<b><a href="http://www.nicholascamera.com"> Nicholas </a></b>..but also contact by phone for updates on stock.

[colin carron]

Just a personal experience, maybe I am on my own here but I had a rather off-putting experience with Nicholas.

 

Have a looka lso at Ffordes

 

https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm

 

and for Large and Medium format try MXV

 

http://www.mxv.co.uk/

 

Hoever these days my first choice for second hand gear would be ebay. Of course here there are no guarantees and it is very much 'buyer beware' whereas a shop should give you a three month guararntee. However all the gear I have bought (and sold) on ebay has been as described.

[colin carron]

MrCad at Croydon also have a good second hand range but the prices can be rather on the steep side.

 

http://www.mrcad.co.uk/shop/home.php

[petemillis]

Thank you both. I'll keep an eye on each suggestion. I buy loads on ebay and it's usually my first choice, but I can't seen what I want right now. I'll try and be patient!

[petemillis]

EBAY won! Just managed to pick up a MIR 26 lens 45mm lens for 50 quid that will nicely fit the tilt adapter I've also just gone and bought for 60 quid. Oh dear - this is getting more expensive.....

[steven_moseley1]

Hi,

 

For you own sake, GO NOWHERE NEAR NICHOLAS. I went there once and here is my experience which was posted on the web at the time (about 18 months ago)

 

My experience of Nicholas...

 

I have noticed the ads by Nicholas in AP magazine for ages and noted they seemed to have lots of rare items. The prices though are without any doubt the highest by some margin in the whole of the UK. In fact the prices, frankly are a complete rip off and have no basis in reality.

 

I was in London early this year so went to find the place. I had a shock when I got there. It is a tiny old victorian shop front in Camden town. The front looked like it had not been painted since the last war. I looked in the shop window...no prices on anything and cameras & lenses were haphazardly strewn along old chipboard shelves. More worryingly there was a thick, approx half cm layer of thick black dust over all the gear. I was shocked..it looks like the place NEVER gets cleaned. I looked inside and saw (at 3pm) one assistant with someone and the other standing behind the counter eating a chinese takeout from one of those foil trays...I was wondering if this could get any worse at this point...so I looked through the door..

 

....there was a huge pile of boxes, tripods, other equipment and assorted rubbish heaped up in a 'bonfire' style. it was about 3 feet high and about SIX feet across. I was stunned. It filled the floor of the shop as you went inside. There was only a narrow corridor of free space on the floor about 18 inches wide in front of the counter. The shelves inside and the counter top was covered in cameras and lenses..they were just scattered all over the place and heaped up on top of each other. The storage and safe keeping of all the stock in there was abysmal. I shudder to think what condition items are in after the treatment there.

 

Considering the prices and the impression the ad's give, I was just gobsmacked at what I found. I seriously considered contacting the local health & safety officer as I am convinced several laws were probably being broken ( I have retail management experience)

 

I was later at the camera fair in London..photographica and got talking to an old chap during lunch. I mentioned Nicholas and he said I should steer well clear, that they had an awful reputation in the trade. I have since been told the same thing by about seven others. the AP forum on their website has had several mentions of this shop, all saying the same. Others are taking the shop to court for reasons they would not say.

 

So, be very very wary. No one believes anything the owner says..from my own best guess having been there, I would guess they actually have about a tenth of the items they claim to have..and as to the condition....

 

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

 

cheers Steve.M.