photography show lens purchase

keeweeman

keeweeman

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Col
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I am considering a jaunt to the photography show again this year and the thing that will make or break the decision is what sort of discount lenses are sold at there (if any). I never really paid attention to the prices of bodies/lenses when i went last year as i was there just to mooch around and play with the nikon mirrorless cameras and bags mostly. The lens i am looking at is the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 Sport, i am just wondering what the odds of picking it up at a discounted rate at the show would be/whether lenses tend to be significantly reduced over the weekend?

Col
 
There are usually some good deals, but no way of knowing whether the specific item which is of interest to you will be discounted.

At the SWPP show last month, Camera World had special deals on (some) kit from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, and Sigma. The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 Sport was advertised as £211 off, from £1350 down to £1139, but I think £1350 is likely to be the RRP rather than the usual street price. It's currently £1199 at most major retailers, so £1139 was a decent price but not an outstanding one.

Will there be similar deals at the Photography Show? Quite possibly, but there's no way of knowing.
 
StewartR said:
There are usually some good deals, but no way of knowing whether the specific item which is of interest to you will be discounted.

At the SWPP show last month, Camera World had special deals on (some) kit from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, and Sigma. The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 Sport was advertised as £211 off, from £1350 down to £1139, but I think £1350 is likely to be the RRP rather than the usual street price. It's currently £1199 at most major retailers, so £1139 was a decent price but not an outstanding one.

Will there be similar deals at the Photography Show? Quite possibly, but there's no way of knowing.
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That's perfect thanks Stewart, i shall consider my options then because by the time i pay for the ticket, fuel and parking i'd probably be only breaking even anyways and at that stage it is only whether it is worth the trip to play with a couple of the new cameras that have been released etc
 
keeweeman said:
That's perfect thanks Stewart, i shall consider my options then because by the time i pay for the ticket, fuel and parking i'd probably be only breaking even anyways and at that stage it is only whether it is worth the trip to play with a couple of the new cameras that have been released etc
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Ive been twice, several years ago when it was still a smallish show. You couldn’t get near any of the new gear as it was swamped by slightly overweight, clammy beardies wearing tan shorts, pocket vests and 5 cameras with 600mm lenses over their shoulders.

I did manage to lay a tip of a finger on a D3 (that’s how long ago!), only to be promptly barged out of the way by what could only be described as a sideways man, who’s width was far greater than his height.

I gave up and went home.
 
@TCR4x4 i've been for the last two years and quite enjoyed it. I wouldn't say i would go every year but for me it is just a bit of a fun day out. I didn't have much problem getting near the kit i wanted to try although i did just keep a bit of an eye on the nikon stage through the day and then went over to it when it was a little quieter. First year i went was just to see what it was like after hearing a lot about it, didn't really look at anything specifically, last year was about the nikon mirrorless stuff and trying the sigma lens i mentioned here so again not really looking to buy stuff. This year it would be more geared around me buying that lens so it's whether it's worth the effort. That said nikon have just released the d780 and the d6 will be there too so its not like i would have nothing else to look at there
 
Well, there are still a few men who wear a long lens - sad but true - but not so many [possibly because there very few models for them to pursue these days] or maybe they have read about how they are perceived - who knows? . Queues for kit don't take long and manners seem to have improved since your 'sideways man' barged you off the Nikon that you were interested in. We go every year - to pick up kit, get a few bits and bobs and maybe see a speaker. For the first time in a while, we haven't bought a ticket for a speaker this year - nobody that interests me this time.
 
@TonyT cheers for that, ended up getting a ticket yesterday with the valentines code which brought it down to 10.46, a mate of mine changed his mind and decided he wants to go so if nothing else it will be a day out now.

@Chipper i recall seeing plenty of the long lens crew both of the years i attended, i've done the taking photos of the models thing too but only really with the kit on the stands they are on (which i assume is the point of them being there etc to show off the kit being sold as well as draw the punters in). Never went about it in a creepy manner though but i did see a few doing so :shifty:. Definitely agree on the queues though, really not too bad and if you go to the big stands around lunchtime its a natural easement in the crowds anyways i find.

Anyways, fingers crossed there's a decent deal to be had on this lens!
 
I"m hoping for some kind of deal on the Fuji X100V, even if it's just throwing in the weather sealing adapter for free.
 
I think the technical term is "bin bag over it"... ;)

Though to be honest one of my better buys was a 100 disposable shower caps from china off evilbay for a couple of quid, worked out at around 2p each, have used them stretched over camera bodies to keep the rain off, as lens caps when needed and if muddy as emergency overshoes... they take up no room and weigh nothing.
 
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keeweeman said:
i haven't seen that before (admittedly not massively familiar with fuji's), how does it work?
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The soon to be released X100V is weather sealed, with one caveat in that you have to buy the filter and filter adapter for the lens, which currently costs circa £99, although I think if you buy it at the same time as the X100V you get it for fifty quid.
 
keeweeman said:
haven't seen that sort of system before, usually its just done at the lens fitting isn't it?
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Normally yeah. None of the X100's have been weather sealed before, and no-one really knows why Fuji have made the body weather sealed but the lens not (without the filter and adapter). It's a bit strange, but at least the option's there to have it fully weather sealed (y)
 
Some of canons L lenses are not considered sealed without a filter on it, I can't remember which ones, but the 70-200 2.8 and 100-400 ring a bell somewhere in my brain cells.
 
Is it worth taking say, £1500 in cash as it might be more attractive than using contactless for good discounts ?
 
Graham00 said:
Is it worth taking say, £1500 in cash as it might be more attractive than using contactless for good discounts ?
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There ain't no dodgy looking geezers knocking out bent gear with someone keeping dog in case old bill turn up.

Slightly more serious now, cash is no longer king and deals are the same if paying by card.
It's a rather professional turn out, not a stall down the Roman :)
 
Graham00 said:
Is it worth taking say, £1500 in cash as it might be more attractive than using contactless for good discounts ?
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Large amounts of cash is probably more of a pain for camera and lens sellers to deal with at the NEC. Can you imagine the security they would need if payments for all high end cameras/lenses were taken in cash? Just checking the notes aren’t counterfeit would take far too long and extend queues. Card payment is far far easier for them and there isn’t really much benefit taking payment in cash (everything will be going through the books). Anyway if you’re thinking of spending thousands at the show a credit card would offer much better buyer protection.
 
A thought occurred to me the other day that the show might be quiet due to the coronavirus and therefore there might be better deals. Is this likely, or are prices 'set' before the show?
 
rob-nikon said:
Large amounts of cash is probably more of a pain for camera and lens sellers to deal with at the NEC. Can you imagine the security they would need if payments for all high end cameras/lenses were taken in cash? Just checking the notes aren’t counterfeit would take far too long and extend queues. Card payment is far far easier for them and there isn’t really much benefit taking payment in cash (everything will be going through the books). Anyway if you’re thinking of spending thousands at the show a credit card would offer much better buyer protection.
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I haven't used cash for anything for at least two years.
If they don't take a card then they don't get my business.
 
rob-nikon said:
I’ve paid for small stuff up to £20 in cash before but now with contactless cash has become defunct at events like this.
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I rarely carry cash these days.
Certainly none of that "spare change" that beggars keep asking for.
 
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