Carmarthen Camera?

[Pgeobc]

Anyone know anything about this business in Wales? I am in the U.S. and trying to buy a czmera from them. Trouble is, that their website http://www.carmarthencameras.co.uk/ does not take U.S. transactions,

Well, neither do they apparently answer their email, as two messages have gone unanswered. I'd call overseas, but do not want to waste the phone call money if they are not interested. Thanks.

 

[pentaxuser]

I had a quick look at their website and it looks as if they do send stuff overseas. When did you send the e-mails? While the shop may be open on a Saturday, the dept answering e-mails may be a Monday to Friday operation only.

Your thread shows up as being today(Sunday) only but I'd swear that a slightly longer version of this thread was on APUG yesterday( Saturday). Was that you or am I imagining things?

I have never dealt with them however.

pentaxuser

 

[Pgeobc]

Many thanks for the reply and yes, that was me on here earlier. However, I reposted here after a time because of no reponses there. In addition, I posted on photo.net to catch a different cross-section of users. It seemed to me that photo.net was more likely to have an abundance of U.K. users. There were several reponses there, including one person who has done business with Carmarthen Cameras.

I have sent these people more than one email. I do not remember what days of the weeks that I sent the emails, but I would expect any business to be able to come in on Monday morning and go through the weekend's mail. At least, I thought that a fair assumption.

Carmarthen Cameras has an item that I want and in a condition for which I have been searching. Our stateside KEH, and others, seem not to have the item for some time. I know that it will be more expensive, but I'm only going to do this once.

 

[Sandeha Lynch]

I've dealt with them locally, though a couple of years back now. They're reputable, whatever their efficiency with email ...

 

[pityacka]

Pgeobc. I have dealt with Carmarthen cameras approximately 2 years back. I found them utterly reliable, and their descriptions of used equipment is spot on and accurate. I bought medium format gear, Mamiya RZ complete, with a lens, and I think I got it at a genuine bargain price. It was so reasonable their asking price, that I did not try and barter for them to lower it. Their website is a virtual Aladdin's cave as regards their used stock. I hope you have success in contacting them, because I would not hesitate to use them again.

 

[Pgeobc]

Case closed, so many thanks to all who replied. From photo.net, another lister called Carmarthen and alerted them to the problem. I got an email this A.M. in reply to an additional one I sent yesterday. Trouble is that the item had already been sold. Drat, it is hard to find an Autocord in mint condition at a reasonable price.

 

[Ian Grant]

Drat, it is hard to find an Autocord in mint condition at a reasonable price.

Try posting a wanted advert here on APUG. It's worked well for me when I've needed certain item and I know others find the same.

Ian

 

[Steve Roberts]

I would expect any business to be able to come in on Monday morning and go through the weekend's mail. At least, I thought that a fair assumption.

Ha! Please remember that this is Britain you're talking about!
This is the place where a canteen where I worked used to close for lunch at lunchtime. This is the place where tea shops close at tea time and where I went last weekend to a major heritage museum to find that I'd just missed the last tour at 2p.m. (in June????). It's also the place where I asked for a quote for piece of equipment costing in the region of £10,000 a week ago and didn't get so much as an acknowledgement until today after two 'chase-up' phone calls.
Yes - the British Empire was built on customer service and enterprise!
Steve

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Steve,

Something else I've noticed is that even during the summer, if one visits a public access place, beach, woods, even a mountain in Scotland, people often seem to leave for their "tea" just as the light is best...

Tom

 

[coigach]

Steve,

Something else I've noticed is that even during the summer, if one visits a public access place, beach, woods, even a mountain in Scotland, people often seem to leave for their "tea" just as the light is best...

Tom

Ha, so true!

I'm often out at low light taking landscape photos, and usually try and eat my main meal in the middle of the day to save the trauma of trying to find somewhere that sells anything edible later. I'm often in remote places in the northwest highlands in Scotland, and often bring my lightweight backpacking gas stove and some grub along.

In the summer, we have little sun here in the north (!) but do have long days - I was taking pictures at the weekend near Loch Torridon after 11pm in beautiful low light. Makes organising eating a bit easier at this time of year...

 

[Martin Aislabie]

Steve,

Something else I've noticed is that even during the summer, if one visits a public access place, beach, woods, even a mountain in Scotland, people often seem to leave for their "tea" just as the light is best...

Tom

I for one am not complaining

In the summer, if most people clear off and leave me with a people-less landscape as the light improves - then great

Gavins 11:00pm is a bit more hard core than I can manage

Winter time is more difficult - the days are so short - so a big breakfast and then a late lunch at about 4~ish - just as everyone else is packing up to go home.

Martin

 

[Diapositivo]

What do you think about this camera at Carmarthen?

http://www.carmarthencameras.co.uk/product.php/2282/307/leicaluftwaffeiiiseriescopy

 

[Adrian Twiss]

What do you think about this camera at Carmarthen?

http://www.carmarthencameras.co.uk/product.php/2282/307/leicaluftwaffeiiiseriescopy

I thought (although I could be wrong) that most copies were Russian. If that is the case £399 is excessively high in my opinion.

 

[Ian Grant]

There's Leica copies and then fakes

The copies are really the Fed, Zorki, Tower, Leonax, Canon, Yashica, Minolta, Reid etc all based around the early II & III series Leica's some more exactly than others..

The Leica fakes are the cleverly re-worked Fed'ss and Zorki's usually to become rarer Military marked WWII Leica's. These themselves are now beginning to be collectible but I don't think I'd pay more for a fake than a genuine Leica if the same vintage. MW Classic usually has a selection of screw thread Leica's at reasonable prices.

Ian

 

[Diapositivo]

That's what I hinted at. Those fakes are not even allowed to be put on the market in some countries. A Fed, a Zorki labelled as Fed, Zorki, would not be termed "Leica copy" by a serious seller. A fake Leica, that is a Zorki with counterfeited Leica marks on it, should never be termed "copy" and sold at those prices with the hint that is a valuable collectable camera, maybe not a real Leica, but not less worth than an original Leica. The price which is asked is more than what would be normal for a proper original Leica III.

It should be labelled as a fake Leica, stressing it is actually a Zorki counterfeited as a Leica. Those cameras change hands for around €100,00 on eBay when they are in very good condition, no more than the Zorki they descend from.

Those "military" Leicas are actually "twice fake" as Leica never produced any special series for any German armed force. Frankly I find this quite unfortunate for a reputable seller, and I think it should be reported to the shop - by some happy customer with a good relation and knowledge of the of the correctness of the shop - the shop might be in good faith in not understanding how mispriced the item is (an inexperienced persons might have priced the item)

Fabrizio

PS Somebody might think that any price might be asked by a seller and whatever price is agreed by seller and buyer is a legitimate price. I would agree in general, but certainly not when there is a counterfeited object on sale. If my father had bought that camera at that price, I would write here to cry scam (they even report the serial number, as if this was not counterfeited as well!).

 

[Ian Grant]

Fabrizio, these fakes/copies are technically counterfeits, the term meaning they were designed to be sold and passed off as as genuine Leica's.

The best of these counterfeit Leica's have become collectible in themselves but it's a very small specialist "niche" market for these cameras. Some are far better modified than others, have been completely rebuilt to feel more like a Leica mechanically, I mean smoothness of action when used. I saw an article a year or two ago where it was mentioned that some are fetching higher prices than the genuine article.

Ian