« UK Photographic Dealers »

Caveats

Please note, these are merely links. I am not endorsing any of them, though my 'favourites' at the top have all been around some time and I, personally, have no hesitation using any or all of them myself.

If you are a camera reseller and want listing below, just ask, t'is free. I'm especially interested if you sell Nikon.

Unless otherwise stated, any prices below (some of which are rounded off) are from April 2003 to give a general indication to myself and to you. Out of interest, as at May 2005, the same Nikon D100 can be found around £849 (Park Cameras) or just £750 via B&H below, even allowing for VAT and duty - which is 0% for digital cameras…

If I comment on the site, that's just me, but I work on the principle if that's how they want to show themselves off to the world, they how they are in reality. Did I find the site slapdash, or professional? If I just put " … " it was so-so and I couldn't think of anything to say!

Here are my favourites:

• UK Camera
  Guide to modern & classic cameras and an index of over a 1000 shops searchable by name, town, web site & specialism
  Well, apart from removing dead links, it seems my work on this page is redundant as my namesake running UK Camera has the time to maintain a far more detailed list.
  Despite using frames, and older HTML 4.01 he has a seriously impressive ranking in the search engines.
  [ Link: www.ukcamera.com ] in Google shows 608 results, which helps explain it.
  
  Any comments I have I'll keep to myself as it's a great resource with an awesome search engine ranking. Not that I'm jealous, nope.
  
  
  
• B&H PhotoVideo
  
  Unless I'm desperate, or only want something trivial, these are and will always be my first choice, my second choice and, quite often, my final choice. The only exception is Sigma lenses because, taking into account duty (6.7% on lenses) and carriage costs, Fotosense and others from my 'favourites' can work out a better option.
  
  If you want Nikon lenses, the difference is so vast it's frankly insulting to my intelligence and I am seriously, seriously considering setting up an online camera / computer store and buying most of the camera stock as needed from these!
  
  Examples (from April 2005, $ prices converted):
  Nikon PB6 bellows: £147 - Best UK price: £431.99 (full RRP)
  Nikon 200-400mm f4 VR AF-S (Silent Wave): £3,259 - Best UK price: £4,081.79 (RRP: 5,499.99)
  Nikon 400mm f2.8D ED-IF AF-S II: £4,920 - Best UK price: £5,979 (RRP 7,499.99)
  SanDisk 4Gb Extreme III CF card: £287 - Best UK price: £ 334.99
  
  Note, these are full, internationally warranted products, not grey imports and the prices include vat and duty, collected by the courier. They also offer the import versions, often for substantial savings - up to £1,000 or more in some cases, but they clearly state the implications, including reduced warranty.
  And we don't live in 'Rip off Britain' My ammmmmphhhh…
  
  Incidentally, though, like everyone else, they are struggling for stock, B&H's price for the Nikon D2X works out at just £ 2,995. The closest I could get to it in the UK is Dabs.com, at £3,104. That said, the US dollars gained back 5 points in the last month. Always pays to watch that.
  
  
  
• Warehouse Express Ltd (Mail order only)
  
  Competitive, often great prices, and a truly fantastic range. Highly recommended. They even have a newsdesk!
  
  Even more importantly, I feel, they can supply the SensorSwab Digital SLR CCD Cleaner solution and swabs, as well as Eclipse cleaning fluid and Pec.Pad photowipes for lenses. Beggar sending my cameras to Nikon et al every few months to clean the dust off the CMOS!
  
  
  
• FotoSense
  This a great website, especially if you are looking for Sigma lenses, etc. Not the best prices for Nikon, but still.
  
  
• A.J. Purdy & Co. Ltd
  Nikon Professional Dealer. Unbeatable deals for the D100
  
  
• KP Professional
  Excellent prices, especially Nikon
  
  
• Park Cameras Ltd
  Found a second hand SB80 DX Speedlite for £209. Normally £264.99 here
  They also have a dozen options for the D100 starting with the body at just £1449.99
  
  
• Robert White Photographic Ltd Camera Specialists
  Blimey! And they are. They sell a host of large format, panoramic and underwater cameras.
  
  

0-9 and A to E

• A.J. Purdy & Co. Ltd
  Seem OK. The sell and resell Nikon for a start.
  Also they promise to match of beat any genuine deal, especially where the Nikon D100 is concerned. Can't hurt
  Given that they had the D100 at just £1,469 I'm moving them up to the top.
  Like others, they also have excellent bundle deals with the MB-D100 grip, SB80DX Flash Gun and the IBM 1 GIG Micro-Drive.
  Recommended.
  
  
• Ace Cameras
  D100 at £1,465 with the Speedlight SB-80DX at £275. They sell second user kit too.
  
  
• Andrews Cameras
  Horrible website and the link to the prices page was broken.
  
  
• Anglia Cameras
  Confusing website.
  
  
• Ask Electronics
  Lousy price on the D100 at £1,639
  
  
• Bermingham Cameras Ltd
  Being in Dublin, the prices are in Euro's. The SB-80DX came out at 420 Euro's or £291.94 at the current rate
  
  
• Black & Lizars Ltd
  They offer wholesale which is good, but taken the trouble to prepare the website using frames. There are several good reasons frames are bad, this is one of them. Every single link from the menu is broken.
  
  
• Bob Rigby Photographic
  That's more like it. They even had a second hand Nikon fit bellows set for just £40. Pity the (frame driven) sight was such a pig to navigate. I gave up trying to find the Nikon kit. Seem well stocked mind.
  
  
• Bristol Cameras
  Seems OK, but no real Nikon range.
  
  
• Buyacamera.co.uk
  Reasonably stocked and good links. Nice site too. Searchable with shopping trolley.
  The Nikon D100 came in at just £1,419.99, the best price yet. Poor range of Nikon though.
  
  
• Calument Photographic Ltd
  Call themselves a world leader. They do have stores Stateside I guess and several across the UK, including Liverpool:
  
  After navigating the torturously slow and convoluted website I was reasonable happy. The web designers want to try customer usability trials though, or try them thoroughly.
  Here's a few prices, reasonable, but there are better, some far better:
  
        Kodak DCS Pro 14n Digital SLR Camera £3,595 - £4,224 inc VAT
        Fuji FinePix S2 Pro Body Only £1,435 - £1,686 inc VAT
        Nikon D100 Digital SLR Body £1,277 - £1,500 inc VAT
        SB-80DX Speedlight with Case £250 - £ 294 inc VAT
        Epson Perfection Photo 3200 Scanner is overpriced at £297 - £350 inc VAT
        (Dabs have it for £307)
  
  
• Cambrian Photography
  ...
  
  
• Camera Corner
  ...
  
  
• Campkins Camera Centre Ltd
  Have I mentioned I hate frames! Add to that scanned in price lists. Blah!
  
  
• Campkins Future Vision
  Blah!
  
  
• Castle Cameras
  Fuji FinePix S2 Pro (body only) was a reasonable £1,695 with the Nikon D100 at £1,495
  
  
• Chas Norman Cameras
  Under construction when I looked. Worth a second look at first glance.
  
  
• City Photographic
  What a horrible website. Sheesh!
  
  
• Calumoet Photo
  Seems OK. Several stores around the country, and the world.
  
  
• College Cameras Ltd
  Reasonable: Nikon SB80DX Flash £259.99 with the D100 at £1479.99
  
  
• Dabs
  Dabs are usually awesome for prices, but not it seems for cameras given the ridiculous £1,690.82 they currently have the D100 body at. The other high end cameras I looked at where equally overpriced
  
  
• Dale Photographic
  SB-80DX was £269, the D100 £1,478
  Large range of medium format camera's and a reasonable second user selection too.
  
  
• Dents of Chesterfield
  ...
  
  
• Devon Camera Centre Ltd
  ...
  
  
• Digitalfirst Ltd
  Reasonable.
  
  
• Digital Depot
  Wow. New best price! : Nikon D100 at £1,395.00 inc VAT
  
  
• Dixons
  It's an understatement when I say I don't have the greatest respect for DSG, but you have to give them this, they are good for cameras and related products. OK, not always the best prices, but they will price match locally.
  Actually I needed a 77mm Hoya skylight filter for a new lenses and at something like £23 they beat the local camera stores hands down. The nearest price was £29 if I recall.
  
  
• Edinburgh Cameras
  Scotland's #1 independent photographic retailer since 1952.
  
  

F to J

• Ffordes Photographic
  The best web site so far, I reckon. Kudos to you guys! Reasonable prices too.
  
  Ffordes are one of the largest Nikon dealers in the UK and have very extensive stocks of cameras as well as lenses, digital products, accessories, binoculars, both new and used.
  
  
• Firstcall Photographic Ltd
  Not impressed
  
  
• Fixation Professional Photographic Services
  Camera rental and repairs
  They apparently have extensive stocks of professional models and system accessories, but there are few on-line prices.
  
  
• FotoSense.co.uk
  These get pride of place at the top for a great website and loads of info on Sigma lenses, etc etc.
  
  
• Frank Wilkinson Cameras
  ...
  
  
• Grays of Westminster
  Nikon specialist, with a nice second hand list too
  This is a beautifully designed website is a run by a long established professional.
  
  It has the unique distinction of being the only company ever to have won all three Dealer of the Year awards voted by the readers of Amateur Photographer, Practical Photography and Buying Cameras magazine.
  
  
• Hilton Photographic
  Decent, site, but poor Nikon range.
  
  
• Hiway Hi Fi
  Wot, no Nikon?
  
  
• In Focus
  Binocular and telescope specialists really, but they do sell tripods too
  
  
• Internet Cameras Direct
  Range could be better but a nice site
  
  
• Intro 2020
  Intro 2020 is the UK importer and distributor of 24 different types of photographic & imaging product, ranging from filters to tripods and bags, binoculars, spotting scopes, lenses, telescopes, digital storage media, digital readers, and much more, including Tamron Lenses.
  
  
  
• Island Photo Centre Ltd
  Without the index page specified IPC's site is a directory listing. Shoddy!
  Given that they also sell computers I've upgraded them from shoddy to disgraceful. No prices to be found either. 'Nuff said.
  
  Happily they do have an dictionary, for example:
  

  Trogen
  
  A program that opens a door to your PC alowing others to access your computer wilst you are conected to the internet. Trogen programes are not common but if you suspect that you have one contact your local computer retailer

  
  I believe what they actually mean is :
  

  Trojan
  
  A program that opens a door to your PC allowing others to access your computer whilst you are connected to the Internet. Trojan programmes are not common* but if you suspect that you have one contact your local computer retailer.**

  
  * Not common at all? Darn things are rampant, I can assure you. Get a proper firewall and anti-virus!
  
  ** ... who will charge you upwards and £25 to scan / clear your system, then sell you a firewall and anti-virus.
  
  Suffice to say if these cowboys are still trading I'll be amazed. If they had opened in my town I'd have closed them down!
  I've only left it in as example of how NOT to do it!
  
  
• J & A Cameras Ltd
  Blah! Site needs work!
  
  
• Jacobs-Photo and Digital
  Hey, they have one in Bold Street, Liverpool. (Tel: 0151 709 3733). I know that one!
  (D&D'ers note that there's two RPG's shops close by and a Games Workshops in walking distance.)
  
  Nice prices too. i.e.:
  Nikon 200mm f4 DAF Micro at £1,119.99 (I was quoted £1,239.99 locally)
  The D100 is a reasonable £1,499.99
  
  
• Jessops
  Far as I can tell Jessops are the Fishwicks of today. I wonder whatever happened to them.
  Nice search engine. I quickly found 103 Nikon related products, though they fail to list Epson's 3200 scanner, which I consider a major oversight on their behalf.
  The SB80-DX Speedlight was competitive enough at £289.90
  The D100 was £1499.90, strangely bundled with a MB-D100 Grip is was still £1499.90 ! Thoroughly recommended for a browse.
  
  
• John Lewis PLC
  Can't say I'm impressed, not at all.
  
  

K to 0

• Kingsley Photographic Ltd
  Good start, they are a Nikon Premier site, and in Londons Tottenham court. What a fascinating area that used to be. Still is I suppose. Can't say I was tempted with the prices though. I'd probably drop in again if I was wandering that way I guess.
  
  
• Kamera Photographic
  (March 2005) On and off, as I flick back and forth, I've shopped here for over twenty years, but lately I consider their stock levels are barely adequate and their prices unrealistic for a shop with a web presence.
  
  More to the point they seemed unable or unwilling to match several other online stores prices. Coming from the computer industry I fully understand the concern of margin erosion but to turn away orders worth many thousands… Suffice to say they just lost another big order and will never get business from me again. Worse, for them, I am considering opening a camera and computer shop as a result. Interesting times ahead, I suspect!
  
  
• Keyphoto Ltd
  Good gods, the Nikon D100 is £1,899.99   Wake up you guys!
  A quick glance at 'PC World' showed Nikons Coolpix 4300 at £366.69, whereas Keyphoto have at was £449.95 £399.95 (at the time).
  We are convinced that our prices are the lowest. If you can prove us wrong we will at least match the lower price.
  They are several hundred pound more expensive that almost anywhere else I've looked - and over £1,000 more expensive than I can get it stateside. Price promises are all very well but when the initial price is so high...
  I'll not bother visiting again, ever!
  

  To be fair, I revisited a year or two later (08-April-2005).
  After looking at blatantly obvious mess on the home page, then the glaringly obvious faults on their eCommerce site I'd seen enough. If they care so very little about how they present themselves to the world, well… And it's not just me as a webmaster nitpicking, all the links read like &nbspCameras, or &nbspDigital Photography. ('   ' is HTML for a space if you are wondering).
  
  While I must point out that the site does works fine with Internet Explorer, it fails with every other one I tried, including Opera, Firefox and Mozilla. They appear to pride themselves on customers like the Ministry of Defence, Christies Auctioneers, the British Library and English Heritage, crowing about providing a customer-centric service, yet can't be bothered cross-browser testing?
  OK, as a webmaster I'm biased, but you know what it says to me? It says Well, it look fine on MY computer.
  

  Whilst it applies to Keyphoto 'here' I hope you are hearing my message if you have a website, because not everyone has you same computer as 'you' and it wouldn't be the first time, nor I suspect the last I've taken a Fortune 100 company to task for the same failing.
  
  
  
• Keyfoto Camera & Optical Centre, St Helens
  No relation to Keyphoto Ltd!
  As well as cameras, they specialise in astralscopes, telescopes, microscopes and binoculars. Plus, they are refreshingly real folk. Polite, friendly and helpful rather than the usual run of disinterested, inexperienced salespeople just doing 'a job'.
  
  
• KP Professional
  Some extremely good prices. Second user items too. Great for Nikon gear!
  Certainly one of the better cameras stores.
  The SB80-DX at good at £279 though the D100 was £1,527.50. Hardly the best.
  in the second hand section I found a PB-6 Bellows Unit (boxed) for £194 though
  
  
• Leeds Photovisual Ltd
  Leeds is a UK nation-wide network of professional photographic dealers dedicated to serving the professional imaging specialist.
  Nice second hand list mind.
  
  
• Link Camera's & Video Ltd
  Strangely, the site only lists LowePro camera cases, albeit it detail. Weird.
  
  
• London Camera Exchange
  Pretty much a search engine for second user equipment in the group, lists all the associated stores mind.
  
  
• Mifsud Photographic
  The coding and layout of this place is disgusting.
  Prices aren't great at a glance either. Nikon's D100 comes in at £1,549 with the SB80-DX at a more realistic £257
  Certainly I'd never buy from a company that accepted that slapdash mess as a website. BLAH!
  
  
• Morrison Photo's Ltd
  ...
  
  
• Mr CAD
  The definitive source for everything photographic.   -  "7324 products online"
  And unless you are far more patient than me - *cough* - they are an utter waste of time!
  I did persevere until I found Nikon PB6 Bellows at £186.
  The search engine is near useless, there's absolutely no division or indication whether an item is new or second hard and the images are either missing are "no image available"
  The really strange thing is they advertise prices in US $'s and in £'s. Why? Americans would never pay the outrage prices we suffer in the UK for photographic equipment etc.
  Definitely one to miss, certainly I'd never buy from them.
  
  
• Nikon
  Nikon's own list of recommended online UK dealers
  
  
• Nova The Darkroom & Digital Imaging Supplier
  ...
  
  

P to T

• Park Cameras Ltd
  Found a second hand SB80 DX Speedlite for £209. Normally £264.99 here
  They also have a dozen options for the D100 starting with the body at just £1449.99 to including the SB80, 1Gb microdrive and a spare battery for an extremely competitive £1,929.96.  
  Other options included further savings for bundles with lenses and grips.
  Recommended.
  
  
• PC World UK
  Surprisingly, you can get some good prices for cameras, filters etc from PC World and Dixons.
  
  
• Percival Camera's
  Seems a good place in you want second user "classic's" like Nikon F's.
  
  
• Photo Factory
  ...
  
  
• Photo-Optix PLC
  Goodness! They want £1,799.99 for a D100
  OK They claim it has a "free" MB-D100 Grip worth £249.99 but that's more a bundling discount deal via Nikon. Besides, Jessops have the D100 with the MB-D100 for £1,499.00.
  I don't know about you but I don't reckon adding £300 and bundling a free grip is a bargain.
  Broken links to menu images too. Seriously one to miss, eh.
  
  
• Photosound (Vantage)
  ...
  
  
• Pixmania
  Some good prices - albeit in Euros. You might have to allow for duty. Available in French (default), German, Spanish, Portuguese and English. Just as well I'm not bad with languages though as Pixmania.co.uk was redirecting to the French homepage when I tried it. A friend tried them and was happy with the price, but less happy that the power connections were continental and the manual in French... The solution? Can't help you mate, try downloading the manuals in English from Canon! C'est la vie.
  
  
• R K Photographic
  For all things in the darkroom
  
  
• Richard Frankfurt Photo Ltd
  I hate it when they put "Phone" for prices, Really, I do!
  They had the Kodak DCS Pro 14n for £4,225 though which is OK
  
  
• Robert White Photographic Ltd Camera Specialists
  Blimey! And they are. They sell more large format and underwater kits than I've ever heard off.
  If you are a professional I'd but this guy in your bookmarks right away!
  And good prices too!!! Nikon D100 at £1,457;
  Nikon SB60-DX £265
  
  
• Ron Harrison Ltd
  ...
  
  
• S Skears & K Skears
  Good second user corner. In house repairs too.
  
  
• S.R.S. Micro's Ltd
  I'm impressed, photographers who are true computer dealers (or visa versa) are rarer than rocking horse teeth. If they where local I think I'd go and work for them, or at least consult. Prices are keen too.
  Thumbs up to SRS.
  
  
• The Sangers Group
  From our humble inception in 1809 as a chemist’s shop on London’s Oxford Street, the Sangers Group has grown into an impressive portfolio of businesses that span every distribution level of the UK imaging industry.
  
  Near 200 years history, impressive, eh! Pity the website is just a glorification of the company; I gave up looking for anything useful.
  
  
• Silverprint Ltd
  Silverprint are a London based supplier with massive catalogue of darkroom papers, chemicals and equipment.
  
  
• Simon Photographic (MK) Ltd
  They've gone to the trouble of designing a nice site, even if it does use frames.
  Pity they never bothered putting prices in. Casual shoppers like me just walk away, never to return...
  
  
• Solo Photographic
  ...
  
  
• Speed Graphic Mail Order (Mail order only)
  If I hadn't taken the trouble to look at the pdf's these would have got a terrible write up, as it is, I reckon their website is a real mess. Brochure pdf's as if they are even vaguely an alternative to designing a proper website is really lame.
  And despite trying I couldn't find an camera prices at all. Sheesh!
  
  
• Speedibrews
  Darkroom chemicals
  Interestingly, they also have a section on astronomy covering solar and lunar eclipses
  
  
• T4 Camera's Ltd
  Nikon D100 SLRs are a "A 4m pixel digital camera" Ooops! £1675.00 too
  The second hand Nikon AF Nikkor 200MM f4 Micro at £1100.00 is a bit much too given you can buy a brand new one for only another £20 ! No thanks.
  
  
• That Camera Place
  £1,722.99 for the D100? I don't think so!
  
  
• The Flash Centre
  Apparently they are the UK's No.1 lighting specialists
  Some good prices on second hand Nikon lenses mind
  The downloadable (pdf) newsletters are OK too, a nice feature. Adds "stickability"
  Recommended!
  
  

U to Z

• Vic Odden's Photographic
  ...
  
  
• Walters Photo Video Ltd
  Easy to navigate and competitive prices. I wish half the other sites I've suffered today were this good!
  Not the best prices, but not for from it.
  (Latest visited April 2005)
  
  
• Warehouse Express Ltd (Mail order only)
  An microscope section too. I'm impressed. Pity it's limited to Zenith, but they are OK. Digital Shooting Table for macrography looked useful too at £299.
  Can't grumble at the Nikon D100 with MB-D100 Grip for £1,499 either.
  
  There aren't the best I've seem in my penny pinching hunt for the best Nikon deals but certainly I'll bear them in mind in future. The £329 was reasonable for Epsons 3200 scanner, even if Dabs are doing it for £307
  The A to Z Glossary of Digital Camera Terms was OK too, as is the news desk
  
  
• West Base Electronics
  £1469.95 for the D100 is reasonable, as was £259.65 for the SB-80DX Speedlight
  Not the most enjoyable to navigate, but a very good range.
  
  
• West End Camera's
  ...
  
  
• Wilding Photographic Ltd
  Whatever happened to them???
  
  
• Winchester Photographic
  ...
  
  
• Wokingham Photographic
  ...
  
  
• Youngs of Leicester Ltd
  ...