With a camera in hand and a water bottle in other, armed with our essentials on a warm afternoon we made our way to the famous camera street a.k.a gully in Fort in the search of vintage cameras and deals. We unravelled a few 40-year-old cameras, some known, and some not so much. Read our guide to a collector’s haven, and a photographer’s mini haven-the camera street!
Vintage Cameras, Crazy Deals & More: This Camera Street Is A Photographer's Paradise
Mahendra Camtech
At the beginning of the street, stands this 40-year-old shop, that has a good collection, with a mix of vintage and contemporary cameras. We spotted two rare vintage cameras here- the Kodak 120 (40mm) which is almost 40 years old, and an Abpopa 219 (made in the USSR) hanging on from the hooks. They also have Ricoh 500 G available here and we’ve been told that films for the camera can be sourced from here as well.
Shell Out: INR 1,000 onward
Camera Center
Camera Center is manned by a man who refused to give us his name but let’s just say, others call him “the king of photography”. He has been running this shop for almost 42 years now and has sold cameras (vintage and new) to crews, students, photographers and the likes. We spotted an old Minolta SLR, among other cameras like Ricoh Singlex, and a collection of first-generation point and shoot cameras.
Shell Out: INR 1,000 onward
Centura Photo Store
Just a few shops ahead, towards the left side is a mega store by the name of Centura Photo Store. Though they don’t do vintage cameras here, they do have a diverse collection of cameras. From your Sony, Nikon, Canon to others, you will find it all here. However, in case they don’t have your choice of model, they will call it in for you.
Shell Out: INR 5,000 onward (for accessories); Other pricing depends on the camera model
Subhash Elektroniks
One of our best finds was a hole-in-the-wall store that goes by the name of Subhash Elektroniks. With some fascinating vintage cameras on their window display, we made our way inside and found two lovely staff members willing to show off the cameras to us. A loot by all means- here they have Voigtlander Vintage 35mm Camera, and yes, it is still functional. The lens for this camera works in a unique way, wherein you must manually slide it across the length of the lens barrel.
Shell Out: For INR 15,000 this gorgeous baby can be yours. It’s an oldie but a definite goodie.
Popular Electronics
For all your go-to repairing worries, there's Popular Electronics. Here we spotted a few vintage non-functional cameras. However, we found Nikon FM2 here with a 35-75mm lens, and it was fully functional.
Shell Out: INR 3,000 onward
P.S: This is also a good shop for your repairing trips, in case you’re looking for steal deals.
Pro-Tip
The camera street is a fun lane to explore if you’re looking to get your hands vintage cameras, and the newer ones. We suggest when you get here, make sure to bargain well, and check whether the films will be available from them or not. Get your cameras out, and make it a fun afternoon out of this. #InstaGood