Today’s London Photographica photo fair at the Royal Horticultural Halls was even busier than last year and it was mad scrum from the off at ten o’clock. Most of the real bargains had gone by then because “serious buyers” (among whom I am not numbered) were given a head start. Although determined not to buy anything, I ended up with some film, an old Olympus OM-10 in reasonable nick, a cheap Leicameter to match my M3 and a few old reference books from the 1950s. I regard historic books as an exception to my now-firm rule of digital only. It is incredibly difficult not to buy anything.
Buying vintage cameras and accessories is a serious business. Appraising the bargains but most had already flown into dealers’ bagsChris from the Real Camera Co in Manchester’s Dale Street managed to flog me a vintage Leicameter for my M3.
For photo enthusiasts the annual Photo Fair is a major opportunity to buy and sell gear, with the emphasis on film cameras of all ages. While the classics can cost into the thousands, a respectable film camera of humble origin can be had for as little as £10—in full working condition. Leica fans were again well catered for and several well-known dealers, including Red Dot Cameras and Aperture from London and StephensPremier of Manchester, were there with their back-shelf stuff. Leicas were to the fore on many independent stands, including Real Camera Co from Manchester, and there were temptations by the dozen. I managed to resist buying a Leica CL with a good-condition 40mm lens, marked up at £450, on the basis that the light meter wasn’t working (most of them aren’t) and they are now very difficult to repair.
It just gets curiouser and curiouser―is there is no limit to the appeal of old photographic gear? The eponymous Mr. Rock (right) of RockyCameras.comVintage moustache to match the vintage camera. Join the Photographic Collectors’ Club with Jonathan Hill, South-West chairman ( www.pccgb.com ). The PCCGB is the organiser of the annual Photographica photo fair at the Royal Horticultural Halls in VictoriaThe owner of this near-mint 1939 Leica IIIc, bought it in a village jumble sale for just £15, It’s a tough old world. He has since tricked it out with variable viewfinder and bottom-mounted rapid a lever wind. He much prefers vintage film to modern digitalThe nifty, decidedly non-vintage Olympus OM-D M10, is a real miniature DSLR lookalike. Its Japanese owner, studying design in London, had bought himself a large wooden vintage tripod and plans to turn it into a piece of furniture. Lots of tasteful stuff at the Photo Fair, including this delightful camera clutch bag which Ivor Cooper of London’s Red Dot Cameras bought for his wife as a joke (at least he said it was a joke). Elaine is so embarrassed she has dissolved into the bokeh. The bag will not be on parade at their daughter’s wedding in September, that’s for sureVintage camera fairs tend to attract vintage buyers, but there is huge interest among younger enthusiasts, especially from Asia where film cameras are enjoying a tremendous revival as an antidote to digital excess
All indoor shots in this feature taken with a Leica M and 50mm Summilux, ISO between 800-1600
