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Old 31st May 2011, 08:32 AM
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Trevor Crone Trevor Crone is offline
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Default Leeds Camera Centre

Does anyone know what happened to Leeds Camera Centre? They were near Russel Square, London.

I don't know if they were taken over by Calumet, who I know took over Keith Johnson+Pelling & Cross.

They had a wonderful store, lots of camera and darkroom kit. I purchased my Durst M800 from them, they had great customer service, something the internet seems to lack.

Before acquiring the Durst I purchased an Omega 67 enlarger from them but despite its hansom looks it was crap. For no matter how I tried I could not get the entire negative in focus. So without question they allowed me to exchange it for the reliable Durst M800 which served me faultlessly for many years until I eventually sold it.
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Old 31st May 2011, 08:40 AM
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Try this;

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...=www.google.nl

http://www.theflashcentre.com/index.jsp
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Old 31st May 2011, 09:08 AM
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Thanks Marty - it's worse then I thought - it appears to now be The Flash Centre - oh dear, I've landed on Venus.
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Old 31st May 2011, 09:12 AM
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Leeds were absorbed into the Calumet empire some years ago.
I got my first two serious cameras, and much else, from them in the 1970s. I was an art student in Leeds and they were very helpful.
They were located in The Merrion Centre then and had two shops the upper floor one for professional gear. That is now (or was recently) occupied by Dale Photographic Services, another firm I've had lots from.
I knew someone in the '70s who had a De Vere MF wall mounted enlarger that Leeds installed for him in his home darkroom.
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Old 31st May 2011, 10:11 AM
Dave miller Dave miller is offline
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I remember buying a lens from them (at least I think it was them) in about 1977, when I was on a business trip and staying in the Russel Hotel. The lens was an Olympus fit Tamron 17mm for my OM2.
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Old 31st May 2011, 01:59 PM
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I used to use Leeds when I was at Newport - they were very good to students. Lots of advice and some essential discounts.
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Old 12th August 2011, 01:48 AM
colburnphoto colburnphoto is offline
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Default I Worked At Leeds/London

I have the pleasure to work at the Leeds Camera Centre shop in London from 75 through 77.

i was a student at the Medway College of Art and spent my summers and holidays there, starting out doing the shipping and working my way up to sale.

I still consider it to be the finest professional camera store ever, and we always treated everyone that walked through the door as a pro.
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Old 27th March 2012, 03:39 PM
Colin r Colin r is offline
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Default I too worked for Leeds Cameras in The Brunswick Centre

I too worked for Leeds Cameras in The Brunswick Centre... from 1977 onwards until about 1989.

In the 70's it was a great place to work 99.9% of our customers were Pro Photographer many at the top of their trade. Seeing Bailey, Donovan, Lichfield was not that unusual, what amazed me was they would ask our advice on many of the products they were using.

In those days beign a Pro was being creative, now I feel the iMac is the creativity, or is it I've turned into a grumpy old man!!!!!
It would be great to hear from others who worked or shopped at the Brunswick Centre store.

BTW the Brunswick Centre has had a big make over, not sure what happened to all the vagrants who used to sleep rough in the service road underneath .
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Old 27th March 2012, 10:40 PM
big paul big paul is offline
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oh don't start me of, they were the golden days of buying anything. first I used to look in the photographic shop window at the cameras lenses ect and wish I had the money ,so I would save up, or get a tax rebate or both , not many credit cards around then. Saturday would come and down to the camera shop I would go, there was an excitement just getting to the shop, when you got there you would look at the new cameras and lenses you could not afford and make your way to the second hand window, they all had one and there she was shimmering in the morning sun a thing of beauty the one thing that will make me a top photographer a second hand 135mm 2.8 nikkor lens with skylight filter,( the only thing in the window I could afford ) then I would go into the shop and join a long Que and hope that somebody in front did not have his eye on my prize .
when I got to the counter and told the man behind the counter what I wanted and he brought it out and put it on the counter all the excitement would come flooding back and I would look at this thing of beauty, ask some stupid questions give it the once over pay the money and back home. stick it on my camera and off I would go, with this great lens that would make me a top photographer, before the first roll of film is finished I was thinking only if I had the money to buy that 28mm 3.5 nikkor lens I could become a top photographer .
all the buildup and looking in camera shops daydreaming getting to know the people behind the counter and talking photography with people in the know .what fun is there now look on the web site give card details next day delivery .no eye contact no photography talk and I haven't got a clue what the condition of the item is in until it arrives . I told the owner of my local camera shop digital would be the end of the high street camera shop and he said film photography had slowed down and digital would be the boost the industry needed he had a big shop with long ques then and now he is hanging on with a little shop .oh the good old days
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Old 28th March 2012, 07:37 AM
Paulographic Paulographic is offline
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big paul, there are one or two shops like that still around with second-hand windows. Though new digital is usually their mainstay business there are exceptions such as Real Camera Company in Manchester which I used to visit regularly..
I live near Halifax and I regularly look in Janet Greens S/H window ( part of Bradford Camera Exchange, or was) which has a varied selection of old and sometimes new from which I've many an interesting reasonably priced item, the last in February being an ER case for my Yashica 124 which had a couple of bonus items in it not needed which only yesterday I posted to another FADU member.
The fun is still around just rarer to find.
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