Irish Camera Shop Websites.

CabanSail

After having to delete a recent thread

I thought I would start a thread to list the Websites of the various Camera Shops around the country.

Bermingham Cameras

Conn's Cameras

John Gunn's (NEW SITE)

Camera Exchange


Please feel free to add your local ones.

swingking

pixels

Kbeg3

Barker Photographic

Whites Photo Centre

Fionn

i listed most of these in the FAQs sticky entitled "Where should I buy photography equipment?"
I actually did an updated one but held back after i saw the note that it was being re-constructed, but apparently it hasn't been. I can make it available for inclusion anytime, and of course if anyone has other links i could include those too.

Does anyone read the stickys anymore??

Oh! that Whites Photo Centre is a dead link!!!

cheers

BillyGoatGruff

swingking wrote: »

pixels

They have the Panasonic Lumix Tz7 on there for €125 more than pixmania :eek::eek::eek:

tororosso

Pixels on Liffey Street closed recently. I went by last week and a guy there removing stuff from the shop said they had gone bust. I think it is all the Pixels although not sure. The website is still up but I think they have stopped trading...

SeaFields

Can I ask is there value to be had from the Irish photography market?

I ask that with reference to the following situation. A couple of weeks ago I got a gift of a new Sony Lens - 55-200mm for my Sony a200. (please don't bash me new lens - I'm a newbie! ). This was purchased off amazon through a German supplier for €184 including postage. Looking around at many sites in Ireland this lens is typically in the region of €260 (e.g. on pixmania.ie this lens is listed at €259.63 and that's with 13% off at present).

I'm all for being economically patriotic but with that much of a difference why anyone would purchase anything here is beyond me at the mo.

Any ideas?

ozymandius

MacSweeney's - Dublin and Cork.

Any experiences dealing with them? Not a name that pops up much here.

ThOnda

DML.ie - importer of Lastolite, they lend gear and have lot's of professional stuff (lights, backgrounds, Hasselblads...)

Judge

SeaFields wrote: »

Can I ask is there value to be had from the Irish photography market?

I ask that with reference to the following situation. A couple of weeks ago I got a gift of a new Sony Lens - 55-200mm for my Sony a200. (please don't bash me new lens - I'm a newbie! ). This was purchased off amazon through a German supplier for €184 including postage. Looking around at many sites in Ireland this lens is typically in the region of €260 (e.g. on pixmania.ie this lens is listed at €259.63 and that's with 13% off at present).

I'm all for being economically patriotic but with that much of a difference why anyone would purchase anything here is beyond me at the mo.

Any ideas?

You have to realise that the Irish stores are small independents and they're being driven out of business by large online retailers and the camera companies themselves acting in concert to drive them out of business.

The large online stores - Amazon, Warehouse, Pixmania etc - can buy product in bulk and seek aggressive discounts that independent stores like Gunns etc. cannot. This enables them to undercut the bricks and mortar shops.

This situation also suits the camera manufacturers. A small number of large shops is more efficient (i.e. cheaper) for them to deal with than a large number of small shops because they can have a smaller sales and distribution operation.

Once the small shops are gone out of business and all trade is restricted to just a few large etailers, we will quickly see significant price rises.

We're already seeing this take effect in Dublin. In the last 12 months:
Spectra have gone out of business;
Camera Exchange have closed their Trinity Street shop;
Pixels have closed their Liffey Street shop.
Within the next 12-18 months we're going to see further contraction - we'll be doing well if there are as many as three camera shops still in business in Dublin by the end of 2011. I suspect two is the maximum sustainable level. :mad:

Something to remember next time you see that great online deal. (And no, I don't work for any of the shops, just passing on what I've heard both here and in the UK).

ValueInIreland

tororosso wrote: »

Pixels on Liffey Street closed recently. I went by last week and a guy there removing stuff from the shop said they had gone bust. I think it is all the Pixels although not sure. The website is still up but I think they have stopped trading...

I can confirm that Both Pixels stores have closed down - I believe high rents (South Ann Street in particular) killed them.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Judge wrote: »

You have to realise that the Irish stores are small independents and they're being driven out of business by large online retailers and the camera companies themselves acting in concert to drive them out of business.

The large online stores - Amazon, Warehouse, Pixmania etc - can buy product in bulk and seek aggressive discounts that independent stores like Gunns etc. cannot. This enables them to undercut the bricks and mortar shops.

This situation also suits the camera manufacturers. A small number of large shops is more efficient (i.e. cheaper) for them to deal with than a large number of small shops because they can have a smaller sales and distribution operation.

Once the small shops are gone out of business and all trade is restricted to just a few large etailers, we will quickly see significant price rises.

We're already seeing this take effect in Dublin. In the last 12 months:
Spectra have gone out of business;
Camera Exchange have closed their Trinity Street shop;
Pixels have closed their Liffey Street shop.
Within the next 12-18 months we're going to see further contraction - we'll be doing well if there are as many as three camera shops still in business in Dublin by the end of 2011. I suspect two is the maximum sustainable level. :mad:

Something to remember next time you see that great online deal. (And no, I don't work for any of the shops, just passing on what I've heard both here and in the UK).

That's the nature of the free market though, compete or die.

Price of course, is only one measurement of value, and there's nothing to stop someone competing on some other measurement, like convenience or service etc.

For me, I've mixed feelings, when I was starting out I bought in a bricks and mortar shop, figured I wanted someone to bring the camera back to if it went pear shaped, now I buy everything (largely) online, I actually bought my elinchrom skyports in Ireland though, as the price was pretty much the same as online.

trishw78

ozymandius wrote: »

MacSweeney's - Dublin and Cork.

Any experiences dealing with them? Not a name that pops up much here.

I've been to the Cork store it's pretty decent, They have a store in Clonmel as well but they don't carry the range or knowledge they have in the Cork store.

Kbeg3

trishw78 wrote: »

I've been to the Cork store it's pretty decent, They have a store in Clonmel as well but they don't carry the range or knowledge they have in the Cork store.

I think the Clonmel one has closed down, or they've moved.

wil

ValueInIreland wrote: »

I can confirm that Both Pixels stores have closed down - I believe high rents (South Ann Street in particular) killed them.

I notice the website shop is now closed too.

"Pixels Media Ltd is currently in liquidation."

Sign o' the times - now that the times have gone back 2 decades:(

melekalikimaka

Judge wrote: »

You have to realise that the Irish stores are small independents and they're being driven out of business by large online retailers and the camera companies themselves acting in concert to drive them out of business.

The large online stores - Amazon, Warehouse, Pixmania etc - can buy product in bulk and seek aggressive discounts that independent stores like Gunns etc. cannot. This enables them to undercut the bricks and mortar shops.

This situation also suits the camera manufacturers. A small number of large shops is more efficient (i.e. cheaper) for them to deal with than a large number of small shops because they can have a smaller sales and distribution operation.

Once the small shops are gone out of business and all trade is restricted to just a few large etailers, we will quickly see significant price rises.

We're already seeing this take effect in Dublin. In the last 12 months:
Spectra have gone out of business;
Camera Exchange have closed their Trinity Street shop;
Pixels have closed their Liffey Street shop.
Within the next 12-18 months we're going to see further contraction - we'll be doing well if there are as many as three camera shops still in business in Dublin by the end of 2011. I suspect two is the maximum sustainable level. :mad:

Something to remember next time you see that great online deal. (And no, I don't work for any of the shops, just passing on what I've heard both here and in the UK).

so the choice is...

buy overpriced from irish stores...

or by cheap online...until they raise their prices...

your not a glass half full man are you?

LeoB

www.hallcameras.ie . I have always found the staff in Halls to be excellent to deal with. Very Honest and fair.

sikahunter

LeoB wrote: »

www.hallcameras.ie . I have always found the staff in Halls to be excellent to deal with. Very Honest and fair.

+1 for halls i love that place staff are really nice and the prices are really good

magicbastarder

halls were bordering on rude when i asked them about the sigma 30mm f1.4 in four thirds - insisting it didn't exist, and they got annoyed with me for suggesting otherwise.

rubdub

When I was recently looking for a grip for my 7D, I went into halls to get a price, they didn't hold it in stock & the young guy behind the counter said that they would have to specially order it in from Canon, he said it would cost €340!! The same grip costs €219.99 in Conns, and €199 in Berminghams! I can only imagine that he was thinking of the grip for the 5D..