The Photography Show - is it worth it?

Irishman

Irishman

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I see The Photography Show is on in the Excel, London from 8-11th March, is has been a long time since I was last at one, maybe 10 years, just wondering is it worth it, any bargains to be had and how busy does it get ( thinking of the Sunday 9th )?
 
Ive never been before to be honest as ive never really wanted to travel too far for it. Now that its at the Excel this year I will be going (Saturday the 8th), and im hoping there might be some bargains to be had. Im expecting it to be very busy though.
 
Bargains aren't normally aplenty, but there is usually some to be had. If you want to try out some of the newly released gear on the market it's great as all the major players are normally there, but don't go if you are just hoping to get stuff heavily reduced as you will be disappointed. That being said, don't be afraid to talk to the vendors too, some of them are happy to put bundles together on the day if you are buying multiple items, and will also often price match against others there. I went last year and essential photo priced up a bundle on studio flash gear. I didn't buy on the day but when i contacted them a couple of days after the show to order they honoured the price they gave me. Whether I would have gotten the same prices/service had I not met them at the show I have no idea.
 
Well, if you want to poke about and handle some new gear, maybe. I think the bargains are thin on the ground though. I'm not a high roller, so I tend to regard it as more of a social event and a bit of fun. It always amazes me that people take it so seriously. And you will see plenty of photographers on a mission. :D
 
Would've gone if it wasn't for the fact we were already away that weekend. OH has set her sights on an R5ii and would've been interesting to see whether there would be some deals....
 
I've been several years running and enjoyed it just for being steeped in photography and GAS. However City/Excel doesn't work very well for me, as the flights are more expensive and there isn't a convenient and reasonably priced hotel. When next year it goes back to the NEC, I'll almost certainly go as I can fly there and back from Belfast City Airport in the day, or stay locally at a modest charge to spend a weekend without the fear of buying too much due to air travel luggage constraints!
It's not a place for bargains really, and the food providers are terribly overpriced usually, but I like the thing.
 
£19 to get in , That's the easy bit , 2 1/2 hour drive each way , Plus 2 London charges , plus parking = no thanks not for me :(
 
We decided against it this year. A day trip to the NEC for us but Excel, either horribly long or pay all the charges Allen outlined plus staying over... hopefully it will come back toBirmingham but it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't - I assume the motivation was to make more money in London and if it does, well, that might be the end of it.
 
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Looking forward to it, much easier for us than Birmngham.
Central Line to Stratford then jump on the DLR to Custom House.
Bought the tickets early with 40% off, so pretty good value for a day out.
Need some inkjet paper and usually get a book or two from Rocky Nook.
Also got a couple of bits for the Disabled Photographers stand.
 
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Chipper said:
We decided against it this year. A day trip to the NEC for us but Excel, either horribly long or pay all the charges Allen outlined plus staying over... hopefully it will come back toBirmingham but it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't - I assume the motivation was to make more money in London and if it does, well, that might be the end of it.
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It's planned to alternate between London and Birmingham.
Probably means it will be every other year for me, Excel is so much more convenient.
 
F1.2 said:
£19 to get in , That's the easy bit , 2 1/2 hour drive each way , Plus 2 London charges , plus parking = no thanks not for me :(
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For me London is preferable to the NEC, but still not worth the effort of getting there (even given free entry)

NEC is ~4hrs each way, Driving to Epping then catching the tube I think I can do Excel in 2 hours (without any congestion/parking charges)
 
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It very much depends on what you want. Lots on manufacturers of cameras Lenses and other equipment all in one place with their entire line ups of kit so you can flit from one to another to compare and get your hands on stuff if you're in the market for new kit. Some good speakers, again if they're talking on the subject that you want to hear and are interested in, and with lots of experts in once place there is the opportunity to ask questions face to face.

However every year its pretty much the same thing so maybe alternating it between venues is a good thing as it allows more access to more parts of the country albeit on a 2 year alternating cycle.

Of course everyone will have their own view of their experiences of the actual event once in side as well as the bit issue of venue accessibility, but a a mix of views is always a good thing
 
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Irishman said:
Why's that?
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I just didn't find I got much out of it.
On a couple of the stands I tried to buy a product, a ballhead and something else I can't remember and got the response "You can't buy them here, you have to order from the website" - I thought what's the point? :ROFLMAO:
 
Be nice if sometimes the show was in the North or Scotland. Used to go quite a bit when I could get in free, but not been for nearly 10 years. OK, but a bit of a scrum. A few bargains, but a cheap market it isn't.
 
Hanley said:
I just didn't find I got much out of it.
On a couple of the stands I tried to buy a product, a ballhead and something else I can't remember and got the response "You can't buy them here, you have to order from the website" - I thought what's the point? :ROFLMAO:
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sounds like a very bad marketing team to pay for a stand at the show to show case their products then put barriers up to people who want to buy. People will just go to other manufacturers even if those others are slightly more expensive.

Stephen L said:
Be nice if sometimes the show was in the North or Scotland. Used to go quite a bit when I could get in free, but not been for nearly 10 years. OK, but a bit of a scrum. A few bargains, but a cheap market it isn't.
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I guess it comes down to potential attendees for 4 days. It wouldn't be worth stands buying for just a single day but then you have to fill the minimum ticket allocation for 4 days.

Thats more likely with either a central location or high concentration of people ie London
 
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I am going to pop along on the Monday, ( even if it is just a good excuse for a day of work ) about a 45 minute drive for me.
 
Last year there was a batch of clearance R6 at just over £1000. Or was it £1100. Basically that means there is a chance of clearance R5. Just a chance - just that. And also the usual minor discounts on this and that, some lighting modifiers clearance, etc.

Other than the chance of MEGA deal R5 there is almost no way to justify the hassle and expense of getting there whether I drive or take the trainS (4 hours door to door / 70 miles). £1500 deal would likely make it just worthwhile. Last day (tuesday) was always best day for discounts presuming there is stock remaining.
 
For me at a 1h15 drive to the NEC it was a good day out with some interesting talks, fun sets & models to shoot, and some bargains to sneak past the partner(even better when it coincides with the craft shows which my wife and MIL enjoy).

At a 2.5 hour drive or public transport each way to the excel I cannot be bothered.

The ironic thing about the distances is that as the crow flies there is about a mile difference from home to either venue but the excel means a slog round the m25.
 
its free to get in if you're a professional photographer, you just need to apply for the tickets on the website.

I dont think it's a place for bargains. But good if theres talks that would interest you or people you would like to meet
 
We seem to get this thread every year. It depends what you want and expect. I don't know why people think they will get a bargain at events like this, you might, but the traders have to pay for the stand, pay for extra staff, etc.

I wouldn't go every year but when I do go there are a few things I get from it. There are some good and inspiring talks, most of which are in the ticket price. There is the chance to see what's new, and that's not just the big brand bodies and lenses, its lighting, bags, accessories, gadgets etc. - you might just find the perfect bag or a gizmo that you really can't live without ;)
If you are in the market for a body you can get your hands on all of them and see what feels right.

It does what it says, it's a show, a festival, an exhibition. If you enjoy all aspects of photography there is something there for you.
 
Hanley said:
I just didn't find I got much out of it.
On a couple of the stands I tried to buy a product, a ballhead and something else I can't remember and got the response "You can't buy them here, you have to order from the website" - I thought what's the point? :ROFLMAO:
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When I worked with Lencarta we used to sell off demo stock late on the last day, 20% discount and a genuine bargain. It suited us because the goods had been handled and displayed and so longer new.

Other than that, genuine bargains are rare, the costs of stand space, stand building, electrics, carpets, staff, hotel, food, transport costs, theft etc are horrific, people just don't understand how expensive it is.
 
There are definitely some good deals to be had. On one end of scale you get paper packs with slight discount and more importantly zero postage, or some clearance lighting modifiers like umbrellas, reflectors, etc from the likes of godox proper. On the other end discounts of 5-20% are quite normal, which can bring many items to close within HK pricing, while saving on hassle of ordering from there. There are one or two genuine amazing deals, like the R6 deal last year. These are typically over stock clearance, perhaps older model etc. It just depends what you need and how much you order from China. I also had a major bargain on pre-used gear way way back ages ago.

NEC cost me about £10 to drive to and I'm good at avoiding parking. As mentioned above, any professionals can get in free as long as you fill in the form the show's website. So it is very easy to get this back after even a very minor discounted purchase. London flips the math completely and I would need a major catch to off-set travel costs let alone time.
 
re any talks and demos - yes they can be useful particuarly if you don't know the names in the game. You can however just watch the lot and lots more on YT for free at your own convenience from respective channels
 
photographer100 said:
its free to get in if you're a professional photographer, you just need to apply for the tickets on the website.

I dont think it's a place for bargains. But good if theres talks that would interest you or people you would like to meet
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it would be interesting to know what the show actually offers professionals as it seems to be geared towards consumerism rather than services. Unless its more the talks that draw the Pros

sirch said:
We seem to get this thread every year. It depends what you want and expect. I don't know why people think they will get a bargain at events like this, you might, but the traders have to pay for the stand, pay for extra staff, etc.

I wouldn't go every year but when I do go there are a few things I get from it. There are some good and inspiring talks, most of which are in the ticket price. There is the chance to see what's new, and that's not just the big brand bodies and lenses, its lighting, bags, accessories, gadgets etc. - you might just find the perfect bag or a gizmo that you really can't live without ;)
If you are in the market for a body you can get your hands on all of them and see what feels right.

It does what it says, it's a show, a festival, an exhibition. If you enjoy all aspects of photography there is something there for you.
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And how many new products are marketed as "game changers"
 
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I've never been and wouldn't go now, wherever it was.
In a past life I've been to similar (not photographic) and find all are of the same sort of format, me pay to meet people who want to sell me something!
Add to that travel costs, parking, nowhere to sit and outrageous prices for food and drink and it's all a complete turn off - but whatever floats your boat
 
benc98 said:
I'm more interested in talks, but once I worked out the bulk of the talks repeated each year then it wasn't worth it.
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It's reasonable to assume that all of the speakers actually know their subject, but in my experience that isn't the case.
I once had to listen to loads of talks involving lighting, and found that the majority of the "experts" were in fact lost sheep masquerading as sheepdogs . . . :(
 
Garry Edwards said:
It's reasonable to assume that all of the speakers actually know their subject, but in my experience that isn't the case.
I once had to listen to loads of talks involving lighting, and found that the majority of the "experts" were in fact lost sheep masquerading as sheepdogs . . . :(
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thats the modern media effect. Many who outwardly portray confidence by telling you what constitutes great because thats what they're selling, when really its mediocre and they rely on you not knowing the difference.
 
Had an outstanding customer service response from Vanguard at the previous show
Bought a travel tripod that had a few issues and chatted in passing about it on their stand.
Manager remembered my emails and gave me a brand new updated CF model there and then.
Didn't expect that especially as I only originally had the Alu version.
 
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I've been to the NEC a few times but travel to London From Chester by train is way overpriced, As of today, return tickets from Chester started at £90 or £80 from Wrexham. The prices were not much better when first released. I certainly wouldn't want to drive some 500 miles return either with Parking and London car charges in place. I will have to wait until it goes back to the NEC.
 
I don't feel these large shows are worth attending. Too far - too expensive.

Local Calumet - now Wex run open days - I'll make the effort to visit these. And they do influence my views of the products. One of the reasons I now use Fuji goes back to one of those open days.
 
Now Photokina has ended I wonder how many people from the near continent will pop over for the London show.
Booked in advance its quick and cheap on Eurostar, flights into nearby London City are also very convenient.
I know of one person coming from Germany and combining it with some sightseeing.
Also Excel makes it a much easier/cheaper journey than the NEC for those from East Anglia and the South Coast.
 
Like all shows, if you think you'll get the cost of the trip out of it in some way (discounts, enjoyment, education etc.) then it's worth attending. Have fun if you decide to go.
 
I went a few years back when it was still at the NEC, and tbh the best thing about it was that Comic Con was running in one of the other halls and all the people dressed were in the lobby and outside wanting their photos taken.

The best bit was when all the Star Wars folk paraded through the Photography event, there were hundreds of them and they looked so authentic. Unfortunately at this same time my camera was set up on a tripod with hooked up with triggers as I was in the middle of a demonstration by Gavin Hoey so I didn't get any photos of the Star Wars characeters :(

The show itself was OK, you could sit a listen to a few speakers but to be honest most of the stuff I knew already, however there were a couple of interesting bits on the different lighting tools.

I didn't see any particular bargains. I wasn't looking to buy anything anyway but I did have a quick look around out of curiosty but nothing appeared any cheaper than online or with a bit of haggling in store.
 
snerkler said:
I went a few years back when it was still at the NEC, and tbh the best thing about it was that Comic Con was running in one of the other halls and all the people dressed were in the lobby and outside wanting their photos taken.

The best bit was when all the Star Wars folk paraded through the Photography event, there were hundreds of them and they looked so authentic. Unfortunately at this same time my camera was set up on a tripod with hooked up with triggers as I was in the middle of a demonstration by Gavin Hoey so I didn't get any photos of the Star Wars characeters :(

The show itself was OK, you could sit a listen to a few speakers but to be honest most of the stuff I knew already, however there were a couple of interesting bits on the different lighting tools.

I didn't see any particular bargains. I wasn't looking to buy anything anyway but I did have a quick look around out of curiosty but nothing appeared any cheaper than online or with a bit of haggling in store.
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Similar story when I went to the NEC, only it was a Sports & FItness Expor next door and so outside was full of women in tight lycra :ROFLMAO:
 
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