York Camera Mart

York Camera Mart: an independent camera shop in central York

York Camera Mart is a family-run, single-shop retailer based on Church Street in York. The business describes itself as independent and says it has built a reputation locally and nationally for service, advice and value from its York store. Its stock is described as all UK stock, and the shop positions itself around specialist knowledge of both new and used photographic equipment.

Because it is not tied to a single manufacturer, the shop states that it recommends the product it considers best for each customer rather than pushing one brand's range. It also presents itself as price-competitive against larger high-street retailers and says its staff are highly trained, with the shop taking time to establish what a customer needs before advising.

Cameras, lenses and optics on the shelves

The catalogue is organised by product family and by brand, covering a broad spread of the market rather than a narrow selection.

• Cameras: DSLRs, mirrorless bodies split into crop-frame and full-frame, bridge cameras, digital compacts, new film cameras, instant cameras, trail cameras, thermal cameras and 360-degree or action cameras.
• Lenses: wide-angle zooms, telephoto zooms, prime lenses and macro lenses, with fittings listed for Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus (OM System), Panasonic, Sony, Sigma, Tamron and Samyang, plus lens adapters and converters.
• Optics: binoculars, spotting scopes, monoculars, thermal scopes and rangefinder monoculars, with brands including Hawke, Opticron, Pentax, Swarovski and Zeiss.
• Accessories: bags and cases, batteries and chargers, straps, cleaning supplies, film, filters, flashes, gimbal heads, LED lighting, lens caps, microphones, memory cards and readers, monopods, photo frames, remote controls, scanners and viewers, tripods and USB cables.

Brands named across the camera ranges include Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus (OM System), Panasonic, Sony and Kodak. Bag and support lines include Manfrotto, Lowepro, Peak Design, Billingham, Hama, Cullman/Kenro and Velbon, while flash options cover Canon, Fuji, Kenro, Metz, Nikon, Nissin, Olympus (OM System), Panasonic and Pentax.

A substantial second-hand section

Used equipment is treated as a category in its own right rather than an afterthought. The shop lists used DSLRs, used mirrorless bodies, used bridge and compact cameras, used film cameras and accessories, and used video cameras. The used film stock is further divided into compact, SLR and medium-format bodies, alongside used instant cameras.

Second-hand lenses are grouped by fitting: Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Micro Four Thirds (Panasonic and Olympus), Panasonic full-frame L mount, Pentax, Sony and film lenses. The used section also extends to flashes, binoculars and scopes, bags, cases and backpacks, and tripods.

Services handled in the shop

Beyond retail, York Camera Mart offers a set of services carried out in store or through the shop:

• Passport and ID photographs.
• Repairs and servicing.
• In-house sensor cleaning.
• In-store printing.
• In-house tape-to-DVD transfer.
• Photo restoration.
• In-store screen protector fitting.
• Personalised gift vouchers.

Film, instant and specialist formats

The film offering covers 35mm colour and black-and-white film, 120 colour and black-and-white film, Fuji Instax film and Polaroid film, supported by film scanners and viewers for those working with analogue material. The wider catalogue also reaches into less common territory, with thermal cameras and scopes, trail cameras and 360-degree or action cameras sitting alongside conventional photographic kit.