Focus on Imaging - Bargain's to be had ?

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stevewestern

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I know this has sort of been covered before, but just what sort of bargains are there to be had if you go along ?
Is it really a place to go and save a lot on gear, and if so, when is it best to go - The ideal home exhibition used to be worth going along to on the last day when stuff was cleared out, but what about Focus ?
Any thoughts ?
 
Any day is a great day to go. Wednesday apparently is great for the deals but that's just because they are trying to shift excess stock from the exhibition.

I went on a Tuesday last year I think and I walked away with a tripod that was meant to be £100 and I got it for £50. You want to research what you're after before you go because then you'll have a clear sense of pricing :)
 
The majority of stalls aren't selling stuff on the day, but there is usual a Jacob's (I think) and a few others selling refurb, or b-grade or whatever they call them, kit. They had 7Ds last year for £1000 which was a good few hundred less than they were in the shops....also tend to have lenses "cheap"....good if you are looking for new kit, but not really enough to make it too big a bargain that I end up buying anything I wasn't after anyway.
 
Jacobs and Cameraworld are usually there and there were certainly bargains to be had on new Sony lenses last year, some for less than the grey importers charge, and the year before the A900 was very cheap. No idea about what competitive prices are for Canikon kit so can't comment on whether there were any bargins for those.
 
Last year there were plenty of stands selling, but I was also interested in what stands were selling, as ideas for later purchases. Some people were reporting bargains, I saw a few things slightly cheaper, but also some very interesting ideas.
It's just a nice place to find everything (or just about everything) under one roof.
 
I was very dissapointed last year on the bargains front. My tutor bulled it up so much and when we got there, nothing was going for any decent price!
 
My worry is that getting there is a major expense, so I would be hoping to be able to get a few things cheap to justify it - £100 or so on a train is £100 towards a lens, body, flash etc etc..
I can get a softbox or whatever for that sort of dosh but cannot afford both.
Yes, a day out playing with equipment I cannot afford would be nice but owning something would be better !
 
stevewestern said:
My worry is that getting there is a major expense, so I would be hoping to be able to get a few things cheap to justify it - £100 or so on a train is £100 towards a lens, body, flash etc etc..
I can get a softbox or whatever for that sort of dosh but cannot afford both.
Yes, a day out playing with equipment I cannot afford would be nice but owning something would be better !
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See if there's anyone in your area going, you can always car pool with them and go halves on the petrol :)
 
I wouldn't expect too much in the way of bargains.
Tthere are some cheaper prices but not by much. I got my 7D last year, and it wasn't a super brilliant price. It was the cheapest I could get it, but I could have also come home and ordered it online from the same retailer for the same price (IIRC).

Some lenses and accessories can be a bit cheaper, but only if its something you're actually after. I wouldn't go with the sole purpose of bagging a bargain unless you're going on the last day and get lucky.

We always go on the first day, so obviously that makes a difference.
 
The only bargain that got my attention turned out to be refurbed/B-grade stock. Camera shops local to me leave a little to be desired so in that respect it's good to see so many manufacturers and retailers there and see/test the kit, but I've not come across many true bargains.
 
There is never anything that makes me think "thats to good to walk away from" on the bargins front... I do however hope this year that the freebie's are better, last years were rubbish!
 
Focus is a good place to spend money but not really to save money. You'll get the odd exception but you may have to search for it. Anybody looking to shell out serious money can usually do a deal but I mean £1000's
 
Can remember some white box deals last year on 1D bodies (mk2?Mk3?) and some other good deals on printers and accessories, but it's not amazing. If you can get to the front of the crowd to actually look at the stuff :)
 
Well, if I was to buy anything major it might be a 1ds body, but it would need to be fairly heavily discounted...
However, it sounds rather like I might be better saving the travel costs and getting a softbox or whatever instead - I can have a day out there next year maybe !
 
stevewestern said:
My worry is that getting there is a major expense, so I would be hoping to be able to get a few things cheap to justify it - £100 or so on a train is £100 towards a lens, body, flash etc etc..
I can get a softbox or whatever for that sort of dosh but cannot afford both.
Yes, a day out playing with equipment I cannot afford would be nice but owning something would be better !
Click to expand...

If you know you're going, buy a cheap advance ticket!
 
I was a first time visitor last year and had a great day. I did end up buying a bag and some odds and sods, but I did not think there were any major bargains to be had (if it's a big purchase, you would probably get a better price by contacting some of the trade sellers on this site like Stuart @ Digital Depot). I also found the whole shopping experience quite strenuous as it's a long wait to get to the front of the queue and once you do get to the front, you don't really get the attention or advise that you would get if you go in to an actual shop. Saying that, I got to play with some gear that I aspire to own one day in the actual manufacturers stands.
Have a great time if you do decide to go.
 
One of my mates got an SB900 for the same price (near enough) as an SB600 at another stall, so they are there deals to be had.
 
i can't go, i was reading this thread last night before going to bed and ended up dreaming about it. i dreamt that i had 2 lenses stolen at the show and now i'm afraid if i go then the prophecy will come true :(
 
A bargin is only a bargin if it's something you need/want.



£100 for a train ticket sounds a lot. It's always best to look hard at prices, as I can get a return for £35 or a single there and a single back for £20 on exactly the same trains.

I looked a few weeks ago and it was £80 return and £20 for singles.
 
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I don't go there to buy, more to look around and see what's available in the market place. There was a really interesting stand selling mounts for DSLRs to be used as film cameras, a really big stand selling cheap strobist kit, and a few other stands that I took documentation away with me.
 
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