Thinking of moving on your old Hasselblad equipment or, perhaps upgrading to a newer system? London’s unique camera museum and store, a few yards from the British Museum, is keen to hear from you.
The store is one of London’s leading specialists in trading and repairing Hasselblad camera equipment and is actively looking to buy new stock because of the current high demand for used items.
Store manager Ward Porter, whom many of you will know from his many years at the old R.G.Lewis Leica store, is happy to consider any Hasselblad equipment, either for outright purchase or for sale on commission.
The Camera Museum, at 44 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY (020 7242-8681) is an eclectic mix of coffeeshop, Hasselblad store and, in the basement, the ever-expanding camera museum. It’s well worth a visit whether you are a Hasselblad fan or just a photographer seeking something different. Opening hours are 11 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday and noon to 7 pm on Saturday.
I used to have a “poor man’s Hasselblad” ..a Bronica, which was just as good, but cost rather less. But those things are so -n-o-i-s-y-! (..both the ‘Blads and the Bronicas..) with that huge mirror flipping up and down ..almost as deafening as the giant Fujifilm GX680 ..for which you really do need ear-plugs!
But then I was given – at least, I think it was “given” – a Moon Landing Hasselblad (..as in the video above..) ..I was going to – and did! – write an article about it, and had its use explained to me by a man who’d actually been to the moon and back ..astronaut Jim Irwin.. and eventually gave it to a photographer friend, Clifford Massey (..who’d shot several record covers, and, when I knew him, worked for the local newspaper ..and his son Paul worked for the London Evening Standard, and then the London Daily News, and is now a successful freelance).
..Where was I? ..Just out of interest’s sake, I called in – not at the Aperture Café / Camera Museum near the big, Bloomsbury British Museum, but just round the corner at Jessop’s second-hand shop in Pied Bull Yard, now sadly gone, but only a stone’s throw from the dinky Camera Museum – and asked what a fully-working Moon Hasselblad would be worth.
The man nearly fell off his chair! “..About six figures, at least!” ..We-ell, it went to a good home, but I’ve never known if it’s ever had a film run through it. I didn’t use it, as I found that the square 6×6 format just didn’t work for me ..I like to have a longer (‘landscape’) base-line, or a taller (‘portrait’) picture.
But I did pop into the Camera Museum just a couple of months ago ..it really did seem to be more museum now than café (..which it used to be, when it was full of X-Pans as well as ‘Blads..) but a lovely place to visit if you’ve got 30 or 40 minutes to while away ..and the place to take your ‘Blad for repair, appraisal, or a straight sale. Charming people, too!