Udated March 2006
This page is here for nostalgia, with Olden closed the end is near, eBay wins! When I arrived in NYC in 1975 you could still find a black Nikon SP for sale in stores. There were still Nikon RF items available at Olden new in the box! Many stores had hundreds of RF accessories new.

Buying Cameras in NYC

Update: For visitors to NYC the camera collecting scene has become rather bleak, to put it mildly, unless you count lunch with me, which all NHS member are encouraged to do if possible. The days when I could go to Camera Barn to hunt for treasure in their drawers, in the back room and behind the counter, are a distant memory!

I was so lucky to come to NYC when I did in 1974. Back then the Nikon RF had only been discontinued for a few years, and dealers still had new stock left. Stores like Camera Barn had new lens caps, lenses (I bought a new 180!), and lots of used rangefinders. It was not at all unusual to find meters and other small parts. Dealers were very trusting of good customers, I spent hours in back rooms looking through literature. Of course I had to compete with other collectors from the NHS, who I did not yet know about.

But the question is where to go for collectible cameras? Remember, if you are a visitor to New York City, most of these stores are not likely to have anything the day you visit, but you can form a relationship with them so that later phone orders become more fruitful because they know you.

Here is the rundown, no addresses... Whats the fun if I give it all away?

Update: Frankly I think 2002 may well be the last year for collectible stores in NYC. The scene gets worse every year. I now seldom even bother, there is simply nothing for sale of interest, it has been this way for five years, I have just been pretending not to notice.

Wall Street Camera (out of business!) still continues to buy almost everything that is offered to them, this is the only store where you are likely to find a shade or body cap. But the locals and flea market dealers keep the really good stuff off the shelves, since they visit the store all the time. Even the good user equipment is often sold right away to other dealers. You may find a black SP but you have to be there when it comes in!

Update: Wall Street Camera survived 911, and they continue to sell collectibles, but they are currently no longer in Shutterbug. Eli Kurland has left and started a new store in Stan Tamarkin's old space just above SOHO. Eli has done a great job, his place is the cool store Stan wanted. Some good used and collectibles, but emphasis is on Leica.

Lens and Repro is primarily a rental and sales dealer of high end studio equipment, but maintains a nice group of used pieces. They also have a case full of Nikons that are not for sale. Now "not for sale" stuff in a store makes me crazy, but these guys are so nice I forgive them. (Peter Lownds has opened a lovely museum/store in Rotterdam doing the same thing, I wonder how he will balance selling and not selling, in the same location, without upsetting customers.)

Ken Hansen Photographic (out of business!) is back in NYC after a few years in Florida, he has returned none the worse for wear. His operation is very personal, like his first store. He continues to have a small, but elegant, collection of collectible equipment. Ken is one of the nicest people in the camera retail business! (In about'75 I went into Ken's to look for a Nikon SP. I wanted a black one, like the one I had in college. He showed me three or four, but I decided not to buy one because none had a titanium shutter.)

Stan Tamarkin runs a very earnest store, but never has shown me anything of interest, Nikon-wise, but you never know about the future! His oriental-rugged showroom, and small camera gallery, is right next to the Leica Gallery so it's well worth the trip. Tamarkin has also been organizing auctions, with beautifully produced catalogs, which so far have not drawn the interest in Nikon that they deserve.

Update: Stan moved, I have not followed, but I hear he is uptown in NYC, check his web site for the latest info. Kurland photo has moved into his old photo digs next to the Leica Gallery.

Adorama is an odd store, where you can find treasures, but prying them loose is not easy. The sales people put on a face of total ignorance unrivaled in the camera world (they all seem like it's their first day on the job, or their last). But if you persist, there are very nice and knowledgeable folks there, if you can get past the regular counter guys. Let them know you are a serious buyer and you may see the likes of an S3M, or a type one reflex housing! These guys get some amazing stuff, but it is seldom on display, you have to ask.

Update: New expanded layout in the store, and some new folks on the sales floor, add up to a great overall improvement! Collectibles on the days I have visited are very sparse.

Cambridge Camera (out of business!) is now in the old B&H store on 17th Street, so they get a huge spill over of the confused or lost. Do not miss this store! I have been in the store while customers screamed at the top of their lungs, while the salesmen, staunch lads that they are, showed no fear. But, be brave mighty Nikon collector, the pain of others can be your gain. There are many good cameras here, and they are either way over-priced or way under-priced, since they seem to use the traditional NYC dart board method to set prices. The store probably still holds the world's record for number of "reviews" in the internet news groups, although other stores in NYC are working hard to unseat them.

Camera Traders (Izzy Heller is gone!) has a used dept run by an old friend of mine, Izzy Heller, who is doing a great job of finding nice collectibles. A small friendly shop, where you can find small items like shades, as well as the occasional SP body.

Update: Last visit, lots more nice stuff, becoming the last collectible source.

Olden (out of business!) always looks like it is about to go out of business, but it has looked that way for many years, and it's still there. I now think it's their style, and they will last forever. Maybe I am used to Olden, but I always find them especially nice, I always receive a warm greeting from Bobby Olden. You never know what to expect about this place collecting wise, I have bought really great stuff here, but most of the time there is nothing. But since I once purchased a Nikon F high speed here, not to mention new boxed M2R Leicas, and other great stuff, I just keep going back, month after month. 100 visits=1 buy

Alkit is right around the corner from my favorite Barnes and Noble so I like to make a camera and book trip uptown. A nice, used dept, with really great sales people, many of whom came from the now closed Camera Barn chain of stores.

Update: Last visit no collectibles, in fact not much used, they are concentrating on new for the professional.

B&H Photo has a nice selection of used equipment. But they have a very uncomfortable selling situation for collectors, modeled after Russian department stores in Moscow like GUM. YOU HAVE TO STAND IN A LINE, AND WAIT YOUR TURN, JUST TO LOOK AT EQUIPMENT!!! Some people put up with it, but I don't. I just jump the line and shove my way to the front, look at what I want (however little is on display), and call the manager when I want to buy. I would never have made a good communist, I just hate being treated so equally! In all fairness, they do have the best selection of new cameras in the world, they carry every possible accessory, and your randomly assigned salesman will almost always be knowledgeable, and helpful (think of it as blind date buying)!

Update: A recent visit to the new upstairs used dept. was extremely disappointing for this collector! It is much smaller (or at least feels much smaller), the display area is so far behind the counter, that for my old eyes the equipment might as well be in the next room.

The good news is the lines are gone, you buy just like a regular customer at other stores. Best to go early or late and never on Sunday, unless you like crowds.

There are other stores, but these are my personal favorites. All of them have supplied me with good collectibles at one time or another, so whatever my shopping experiences were, they have cameras, and I visit them all! I cannot comment on mail order, or return policies on any of these stores, because I never return anything, and I walk out with my purchases.

Sleazy camera stores on Madison Ave., in Times Square, and other locations, are traps set up to rip off tourists with used cameras sold as new etc. You can spot them because they usually have more stuff in the windows than inside the store, and in addition they sell ivory and rugs. I am brave and go inside. Once I was "ripped off" when a rug/camera merchant sold me an old beat-up Nikon on 34th Street for 500 dollars, another stupid tourist! I was able to recoup some of my losses since it was a black S2. I warn you I have actually been asked to leave one of these stores when they realized I spoke English well, speak with a German accent, and look trusting and lost. If you are lucky you too will be "suckered" into buying a 10,000 dollar camera for 500.

Pawn Shops have all but disappeared from New York City, a loss of one its most valuable camera resources! Most of them have either closed or become gold and jewelry dealers. There are still a few in Brooklyn but visits may not be for the newbie to NYC. Cameras purchased at these shops, and later advertised, should have their serial numbers listed in the traditional 64XXXXX form.

Brooklyn camera, did not used to be officially open to the public, I don't know what their current policy is. They used to allow serious collectors to visit if you gave them a ring. I never went unless I was going to buy since collectors are going to disrupt them to a degree. They are nice folks and will allow you to look at a lot of stuff. Take a cab who knows the way. They are now on Sunrise Highway....I have no idea where that is, but it may not be in Brooklyn, for sure it's not in Manhattan.

Update: (Thought you might want to know that Brooklyn Camera is located on Long Island. Small store but very friendly, nice "regular" items, Cheers, Pat Bourseaux) Thanks to Pat for the tip, anything outside of Manhattan might as well be in China to most New Yorkers, but maybe someday I will venture to Sunrise Highway!

www.brooklyncam.com

Shows in NYC (If you can find one let me know)
are like everywhere else, there are too many, so not much new equipment or new dealers appear.

However the monthly Sunday show on 57th Street, the site of the NHS convention, does continue to occur month after month. I never go, but when I do, (a bit of a Yogi Bera (1) contradiction there), it is pleasant, and every so often something nice does appear, especially when a new dealer takes a table. The regular guys never sell anything interesting, of course, since anything valuable is sold to their regulars.

Shows are simply a way to renew old friendships, and get on the list to be called when the good stuff is available. There are always exceptions to the general boredom, especially if you take a table. There is always the chance someone will stumble off the street with a Nikon. In NYC you will have an advantage, if you are willing to spend money, since most NYC dealers are cheap beyond belief.

The same promoter has a show in somewhere called New Jersey (Wayne), called the "Second Sunday Camera Show", but I have never been there. I have heard New Jersey is located to the west of New York City, pilots sometimes mention it when flying west, it may be near Ohio, or Idaho, or somewhere like that. If you know where New Jersey is drop me an email, but if it's on the other side of the river I am out of luck, since I don't have a boat.

Every Sunday until the weather gets too severe there is a huge flea market on 6th Ave. and 26th St. where camera goodies do continue to appear on a regular basis.

Update: I have been told the flea market is to be no more... but there are others in the neighborhood.

Remember while you are in NYC there are a number of private dealers.

Close to NYC, but no subway service.

Ken-Mar is a huge Nikon source, as anyone who reads Shutterbug knows, but you will not find much that you cannot find from their ads or by phone. But you should stop by and meet these guys, they are among that small group of dealers who really care about cameras and their customers. There are no bargains here, but they sell beautiful equipment that they buy at high prices (like the rest of us), but Ken has a great eye, and buys the best!

Jimmy KOH You will not find a nicer dealer in NY! And he gets some very good Nikon equipment! He always goes to the NYC camera shows, and is willing to bring anything you see in his ads for you to look at in person.

By the by, if I have missed anyone you think I should include, or you have any comments, please send me a note.

(1) No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded. Yogi Bera