 London Camera Shops and weekly flea-markets, looking for Exaktas by Maurizio Frizziero A different way to give to the readers information about the location of the London camera shops
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I am fifty six, I live in a house on the sea. Every day, during the summer, I have under my windows a lot of people searching a brown skin. While this happens outside, I watch TV or I write something at one of my two home computers, a Tandy 286 notebook (I use it in front of TV) or a Compaq Presario in another room. Holidays? Last year Corfu, a very cheap way to spend your holidays: six-seven dollars to eat on the beach, ten dollars in the evening for a greek salad and a generous plate of roasted lamb and half bottle of good wine, two dollars for a glass of whisky, less than one dollar and half for a double German beer! Hundreds of fine bays (you can reach them renting a car for 20 dollars a day). No fleamarkets, no collectible cameras, but the isle is wonderful! Two years ago I went on Elba Isle, in front of Corse. Very good choice. No cameras but a good week! I went in Sardinia, where the sea has the best colours and incredible transparencies, and in many other places but every year I spend some days in London, if possible during two different seasons. I love London. I stayed there many times. Usually I arrive at Gatwick airport, I take the Gatwick Express (£8.90) and after half an hour I am at Victoria Station (if you fly with British Airways when you are leaving you can make your check-in here, so you can reach the airport without baggages!) During April (I went there for Photographica '96) I stayed at Mount Royal Hotel, a four stars hotel, with less than one star rooms. It happens often in London to find bad location at high prices, so during August I reserved an one bedroom apartment at Ashburn Gardens Apartments in South Kensington, close to Gloucester Road Underground Station, where you can find a very kind person, Dem Aresti, the manager, who gives you the right information to survive there a week without any problem. If you wish to thank him, he likes Islay whiskies, like Bowmore, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabaim, Caol Ila, Laphrohaig, the best eight whiskies I know. If you wish to find another one of the past, the name is Port Ellen; if you wish to find a new one the name is Bell's Islander (eigth years). I know everyone of them, my preferred one is the Caol Ila full proof 15 years old (more than an Exakta VX for a bottle), the second one is he 15 years Bruichladdich. If you wish to taste them, have before some drops of very cold water, then some drops of whisky, then some drops of iced water. A wonderful way of drinking... and Islay is a great isle! I think it is my mistake to speak about whiskies, I was here to speak about London camera shops, my apologies! ...but if you like whiskies, please follow my advices! The London Camera Shops. You are in London. You start your first day. No I start my first day. I take the tube till Tottenham Court Road, I follow the British Museum direction, I reach it and, in front of it, I am in Pied Bull Yard. I went there many times and I drunk some wine in a good wine bar. But that's not all. In the little square there are three shops, Classic Collection, Jessop Photographica, Rare Cameras. Let's begin from the first one Classic Collection. I enter, I look around, David Woodford  is talking with a client, I look at the Exakta glass showcases. I look at the prices then I look at David. David looks at me, he smiles and he says something nice. We talk about me, about him, about some new items I bought, he never asks if I wish to buy something, we have good moments. He goes back to his computer job, I look at other rare items, I say something, he replies and we spend some minutes. During August I bought a Varex IIa, version 3. I took some pictures, Mahendra Modi enters, I talk with him, I take a picture with an Exakta in his hands... Everything goes like in an ancient English shop. It is nice to find such a situation. I think that here a camera has a good price even with some pounds more, like in Cipiere's Paris shop. Rare Cameras is near, so I enter. The Exaktas usually are on the right showcase. If there is a rare piece it is on the owner's table or in the central showcase. They are kind persons, but I had no occasion to talk with them so, if I do not find anything of my interest, I go to Jessop Photographica, my first love. The Exaktas are on the underground floor so you reach their showcase to look at them. Kind persons as over, but no chats. It is my first day so, if I do not find something exciting, I do not buy. A few minutes walk and I am in High Holborn. Two shops, used cameras at City Camera Exchange, collectibles at Lewis, but no Exakta, never!   So I go back to Tottenham Court Road, I take Charing Cross Road, I look at the many incredible bookshops, like Foiley's with its four-five floors of shelves even on beekeeping. I reach Trafalgar Square and the Strand.   Here there is Fox Talbot (too many Nikons, no Exakta) and, going East, two hundred meters on the right, another City Camera Exchange. Seldom I find something of my interest, not these two last times. There are other shops but I decide that's all for the first day. The following day I go to Christie's South Kensington, in Old Brompton Road. Tomorrow there is an auction so I wish to look at a Kine Exacta,  version 5, with an Angenieux. The estimated price is low, but the camera is not fine so I wait some minutes to meet Michael Pritchard but he is very busy so I decide to go at The Science Museum, where, in the showcase  you can see in the photo, I find a Kine Exakta, not for sale, of course. I take two pictures (you can see the second one at the bottom of this article) and I wait for Saturday going, during Friday, to the Royal Airforce Museum and to Caledonian Market where the only camera I find is a £3 Kodak box in fair condition. You can use Friday morning differently!
The Flea-Markets Sunday. Sunday means Portobello and Camden Passage. Portobello firstly. As usually I visit some kind persons, Lionel Hughes at the first corner on the right. I talk some minutes about Internet and about its prices in England. No Exaktas, he sells ancient wooden cameras. A Japanese collector asks for some details, Lionel replies, I give him some pictures I made during April and we say: "Ciao !". In front of his table there is, at N. 77, Brian Burford. I talk with him about his photo on a 15 years old Italian book   (Camera Antiquarius) telling him that he was young (me too, I said), but no Exaktas! A few meters down on the rigth I visit the Toby Withfield shop.   When he sees me, he says immediately: " Apologies, no Exaktas!" Now, if you wish to look at his new list, you can click here. I talk with an old man, telling him that I saw him many times, I show him a picture taken during June 95, he smiles telling: "It's me!". If you look at the photo on the top right, over Lara, you can see a man with a cap and if you look at the article on flea-markets you can find the same man (June 1995). In front there is a little market, with many little tables. I know that Lara sometimes has some Exakta, but now she says "Sorry, no Exaktas!". During April she bought me a VX 500 I had not yet. I take a picture, she takes a David Bayley's single use Olympus and she take a picture of me. We smile and we say "Ciao!". Unuseful to look for Exaktas. Tube to Angel, and a visit to Camden Passage: the only shop I visit is Jubilee Photographica (images, ancient photos, photobooks, magazines, postcards, sometimes stereoviewers...) Beryl Vosbrug is a very kind lady. You can stay in her shop all the time you want, she talks gently... Where are the Exaktas? On Sunday I take the train at Charing Cross Station with my nephew Claudio,  who is so patient to follow me in my camera huntings, and I go to Dartford. I know that, even I do not find Exaktas, I meet Peter Longden, Mike Rees, Dave and Julie Todd, Ivor Matanle, Peter Archer, so I go there. Dave tells me he has a black 35mm Flektogon for sale and I buy it, Mr Rock, a nice person who last year sold me a chrome VP Exakta A, has a black 135mm Sonnar and some adapter rings...   Some other chats with Peter and Mike, showing my Kine Exakta badge, the hologram made by Gary Cullen... I call for a taxi, I take the train and I go to Greenwich. No cameras at the fleamarket.
During Monday I go back to Classic Collection and Dave Woodford tells me I need to buy Amateur Photographer where a dealer has a large Exakta collection for sale. I buy the magazine and I take a look of the prices. Some examples: VP A, Version 1, Exc++, £1750, 1934 VP B, body only not working, £399, ...Ihagee microscope adapter, £149. I am not rich so I cannot buy such a jewels... I give the last look to the Jubilee Market at Covent Garden.Mala tempora currunt! No cameras, no Exaktas, as usually, so I go back to Tottenham Court Road, with my last hope: Morgan. Morgan is still there, but now he sells computers! Mala tempora currunt! (Bad days are running!)  When you walk in London, you can find a building restoration, covered with wooden panels. This one was in front of the Camden Town tube station.
Christie's South Kensington '98 Auction Results Back to the homepage The Tourtuos Path Towards a Camera Collection Exa, from 1950 to Exa 500 The Dresden Museum's Rare Cameras Click here to reach Classic Collection |
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