This is a list that I want to build up over time and I am going to limit it to the U.K. for now. As should be apparent from any commentary that I have included, I have dealt with a few of the retailers that are listed below so I hope that it comes in useful.
My biggest purchase from this Guernsey-based lot was a Canon EOS 10D body that heralded the start of my journey into the world of digital photography. There was a time when I was wont to buy film from them too along with other bits and pieces but I now source film from Mailshots in Stoke-on-Trent for not a lot more and with quicker delivery too (it can take weeks for things to arrive from Guernsey after purchase).
Prior to my entry into the world of digital photography, this lot became a port of call for several pre-owned film cameras. A Minolta X-700 came from there as did compatible Sigma lenses and a flash gun. I traded in my Canon EOS 300 for an EOS 30 that they had on sail and an EOS 50E was acquired as a second body. A piece of fooling resulting from a lapse of concentration while on a visit to Harris in August has meant that the 50E has been pressed into service as my main film camera on any outings; it’s always good to have a spare and prices these days are more tenting than when I was buying second-hand equipment.
A visit to their branch in London saw me emerge with a wide angle lens but I cannot recall buying much more from them. They’re no way as big as Jessops but have an extensive branch network nonetheless.
In the U.K., it’s very hard to avoid this lot. They might have their troubles these days after a period of rapid expansion fueled by the growth of digital photography but they remain pervasive. I bought my first ever SLR, a Canon EOS 300 film camera, at one of their Stockport branches and I grew my lens collection at other branches such as Manchester. I must admit that I don’t deal with them much these days but my Pentax K10D was purchased from their website; a Manfrotto tripod was acquired in the same manner a few years before.
I may have had to wait for it but they sold me the Sigma 18-125 mm zoom lens that now remains attached to my Pentax K10D. The lens in question is seeing a good deal of use and I have no complaints with their service apart perhaps from showing product availability on their website.
A card reader and SD cards have been what makes up the custom that I given this bunch. Delivery from the Isle of Man is quicker than from Jersey but you do incur additional charges but you get that for which you are paying.
The only acquisition from these people that has come my way is a Canon PowerShot G11 digital compact camera and the experience was a smooth one. All that needs to be seen is how the camera itself performs.
One way around a certain large retailer’s non-stocking of your products to sell them to the public and that’s what Pentax is doing here. Mind you, everything is at the recommended retail price level so you may find thing cost less at a reseller. Well, I suppose that undercutting those who continue to sell on your behalf wouldn’t be the best either.
Formerly known as Warehouse Express and still retaining that website address, this operation have always tempted me with promising goods at appealing price but I cannot remember buying anything more than a Sekonic light meter from them. These days, they have a single showroom but I would see myself working online if I ever made another purchase from them; I am tempted by the prospect of a Pentax K5 DSLR body though such an acquisition is well on the long finger.