[ghelary]

Hi British Pentaxians,

I am seriously looking for a Pentax Medium Format system, but haven't decided yet for 645 or 67 system (most likely an old 6x7 with MLU) Prices for used equipment are generally quite high in France, so I'm looking to buy abroad.

I just found this site that has hudge choice of Medium format (and K-mount) equipments : https://secure.ffordes.com/index.htm Does anybody have had buying experience with them ?

Do you know if they would accept international shipping ?

Best regards,
Guillaume

[carlb]

I've bought a few things from Ffordes and they're very good. They respond quickly to emails and they've sent stuff to me in Australia, so I'm sure they'll send something to you seeing as you're just over the channel!! I had to return one item and the process was easy and straight-forward, they also refunded my return shipping costs.

My only comment is that the descriptions on the website are not very detailed so it's usually best to email them to get a better idea of the exact condition of the gear that you're interested in.

I'd recommend them

[PeterAM]

I've recently bought a bunch of used Mamiya 645 gear from KEH in the States. They typically have a large selection and generally understate their ratings. Don't know what shipping, duty, etc. would add on to the prices, but it might be worth a look.

Untitled Page

They are having some web site issues;disregard the front page message - you can search around.

There is a long thread about KEH on the APUG site, if you are curious.

[ghelary]

Thanks for the tip, i already knew KEH, it's just that given the Euro Pound ratio at the moment, the prices seems very nice.

Best regards,
Guillaume

[ludoo]

I bought a 55mm 1.4 Takumar from them, and when I got it a couple of days ago I noticed a large, deep scratch on the back element. I don't think a reputable seller should list a product with such an obvious, serious flaw, and if they do they should clearly state it.

I asked for a return and inquired about their procedures, and only got a generic email saying "ship it back to us". No mention of shipping expenses, no "excuse us for sending you a botched lens", nothing.

I'm shipping the lens back tomorrow, and I am curious as to how much they are going to refund. If it's not enough I will file a claim with my credit card company.

[sumo]

My experience with Ffordes has been a bit hit and miss.
I got an MX from them a while ago with 50/1.7 lens. It was a little beaten and the seals were gunky but it worked. I also bought a 28/2.8 from them and it was OK but it was a bit dirty. No damage and a little cleaning with some alcohol prettied it up but I expected a cleaner lens. Both items were, in my opinion, below the condition they described. The pictures on their page are either non-existant or they are so small that you cannot make any judgement. Their grading system seems to be a bit random too. Normally lower graded stuff is cheaper but in a fair few cases, lower graded stuff is more expensive! Either they are hiding something in the description or mutiple people are grading items on their own arbitrary scale or they are just crazy. Anyway, good stuff can be had from them if you are careful but be sure to mail them and ask about condition and if possible detailed pictures.

I have not gotten anything from them recently because I find other sources so much better. Locally I can usually find stuff cheap. Either that or the bay (gotta be careful though ), and recently I have been scouring KEH. They seem like a good trusty outfit although I haven't commited to any purchases there yet.

[Kerrowdown]

I have always found them to be pretty good and have bought various stuff from them over the years.

They relocated some years ago to their present location, which as a bonus just happens to be a 20 miles or so from me.

This in its self may not sound much, but when you live in the Highlands of Scotland, it's very unusual to really decent photographic shop locally (the only one for about 200 miles).