Professional Photographer magazine Quote:

“Dealing with independent retailers such as Grays of Westminster is a good way to buy top quality second-hand goods. But pro-spec bodies in particular do not stay on the shelves for long, so you need to be quick.”

- Second-hand setup… Wedding photography by Tracy Hallett

“Many thanks for the replacement lens received today safe and well. Not surprised but still always pleased to receive such exceptional service! Many thanks & kind regards”

- David Nixon

“Grays of Westminster the best shop for serious camera users “

- Philip Mynott Photographer

Excerpt from the article on the Amateur Photographer website:

A rare £100,000 Nikon fisheye lens, said to be able to ‘see behind itself’ – and dwarfing any camera it is attached to – has gone on sale in London.

The Fisheye-Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 was credited as the world’s most extreme wideangle lens to cover the 24x36mm image area when it was unveiled at the Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany in 1970.

It weighs a whopping 5.2kg, is 171mm long and has a diameter of 236mm.

‘We came across it around seven weeks ago,’ said Gray Levett, co-founder of Nikon dealer Grays of Westminster who told AP that he found the gem on a trip overseas.

Believed to be one of only a few hundred produced, it was principally designed for scientific and industrial applications and special effects when shooting portraits and architectural shots, for example.

The 12-elements-in-9-goups optic delivers a picture angle of 220º.

photo credit: Tony Hurst

We are happy to offer a quotation on your mint or near-mint Hasselblad, Leica and Rolleiflex either in part-exchange or, on occasion, an outright purchase.

Although Grays of Westminster deal exclusively in Nikon branded products, we have a market for other top-brand camera equipment in overseas markets. So when considering that upgrade to the new Nikon D4 or indeed any new or second-hand Nikon, please allow us the opportunity to give you a quotation for your high-end non-Nikon equipment.

Please e-mail us on info@graysofwestminster.co.uk or telephone 020 7828 4925 with full details.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Gray Levett
Founder

Photograph by Simon Stafford
D3X + 24mm f/3.5 PC-E Nikkor ISO100, 10″, f/11 10-stop Lee ND filter

To get you in the festive mood we’re doing daily special offers as listed below. Please do contact us to place an order for any items, and as these offers are time-sensitive we recommend telephoning the shop on 0207 828 4925 to get in touch.

Wednesday 30th November 2011

Receive an instant £50.00 off any Nikon J1 + lens kit.
This offer is only valid on the new Nikon J1 body plus lens kit (either the 10-30mm lens or 10mm f/2.8 prime lens). Other offers are available with alternative lenses also. This offer is only available to UK residents.

Thursday 1st December 2011

Receive £5.00 off any new filter or memory card purchased today.
Includes Nikon and Hoya neutral colour, UV and circular polarising filters and Sandisk memory cards currently in stock.

Friday 2nd December 2011

Three FREE issues of the Nikon Owner Magazine when an annual subscription is taken out.
This offer runs all month so that you can present three copies of this stunning 60-page glossy magazine as a gift when you subscribe for yourself or another. Magazines are subject to stock levels and availability.

Monday 5th December 2011

Receive 10% off selected second hand film SLR bodies purchased today.
Do you have a family member interested in learning photography, or want to keep a hand in film photography yourself?
This offer includes 35mm film SLR bodies graded VG to Mint- and does not include collector’s items. All second hand film SLR bodies priced under £300.00 receive a 10% discount; bodies over £300.00 receive a 5% discount. Our full list can be found here:

http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/products/secondhand.php?cat1=1&pg=1

Tuesday 6th December 2011

FREE 2GB Sandisk Ultra SDHC memory card when purchasing a D5100 body.
Any purchase of a D5100 will receive a free 2GB Sandisk Ultra SDHC memory card, ideal to get you started and compatible with HD video recording.

Wednesday 7th December 2011

Receive £10.00 off any Nikon Coolpix purchase today.

This includes the Nikon Coolpix range that Grays of Westminster keep in stock: Coolpix P7100, Coolpix P500 & Coolpix AW100 for today only. Please note that this is subject to stocks and availability of the Coolpix cameras. AW100 come in Black, Orange & Camouflage.

Thursday 8th December 2011

Receive 10% off selected second hand manual focus lenses purchased today.
This offer includes all AI and AIS lenses graded VG to Mint- and excludes collector’s items. Lenses priced under £300.00 receive a 10% discount; lenses over £300.00 receive a 5% discount.

Our full list of manual focus lenses can be found here:

http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/products/secondhand.php?cat1=3&pg=1

Friday 9th December 2011

Receive £5.00 off any remote release system and off any flash accessories purchased today.
Including all wired and wireless remote release systems for DSLR and film SLR bodies, and any flash accessory £15.00 or over including diffuser domes, sync-cables, flash-gels, power packs, etc.

Monday 12th December 2011

Receive £10.00 off any ThinkTank Camera Bag purchased today.
All ThinkTank shoulder bags, airport bags and rucksacks that we keep in stock are included in this offer.

Tuesday 13th December 2011

Receive £20.00 off the Nikon MB-D10 or MB-D11 today.
£20.00 off our current specials price of the MB-D10 battery grip (for D300, D300S and D700), and the MB-D11 battery grip for the D7000 today only while stocks last.

Wednesday 14th December 2011

Capture NX2 Software & Camera Control Pro 2 on specials today.

Capture NX2 and Camera Control Pro 2 are at the special price of £125.00 today (RRP £177.00).
Capture NX2 Upgrade is £75.00 (RRP £108.00), and the Camera Control Pro 2 Upgrade is £39.00 (RRP £55.00) today only.

If you have any questions or wish to place an order for any items over the telephone please do not hesitate to contact us on 0207 828 4925.

We now hold a large selection of Mint Nikon SLR bodies, unused in their original boxes, with models such as the Nikon F in chrome, a Nikon F2, a Nikon F2AS, a Chrome FA and even a Mint and unused F5. We also hold collector editions of certain bodies including:

F3 Limited Edition, F3/T Titanium Black Body, FM2N Dragon Millenium Edition, FA Gold Outfit including the matching 50mm f/1.4 AIS lens, and for the rangefinder lovers, an S3 Year 2000 Edition with its hand-made 50mm f/1.4 lens.

This is in addition to our vast range of digital bodies, auto-focus lenses, accessories, manual focus equipment and general rangefinder and vintage equipment.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require any information about these or any other items listed on our website.

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Telephoto Lenses

Telephoto lenses can be a conundrum to those who know the quality and quantity they want, but can’t decide which length will work best for them. Here are a few pointers to help you choose.

AF-S 200mm f/2G VR II IF-ED vs. AF-S 300mm f/2.8G AF-S VR II IF-ED

This is often a difficult decision considering the similarities in weight and size of these lenses – the 200mm is in fact 300g heavier than the 300mm, which is 2.9kg exactly, but in conjunction with a camera body both are hand-holdable and comfortable with a monopod.

The 200mm focuses closer by almost a foot – 1.9 metres being the exact closest distance. On the 300mm one can focus 2.3 metres away in AF mode, or 10cm closer if choosing to manual focus, which is handy to know if you plan to use either lens for a close up wildlife or sports shot.

Most technical charts will show that the 300mm produces higher contrast images from the centre of the frame to the edges, but DX users have little to worry about as your camera is only using the centre of the lens to take photos and both lenses do produce similar results when wide open.

The main thing to look at when choosing any telephoto lens is whether one wants to use a teleconverter or not. The wider the aperture of the lens, the less light you’ll lose in using a teleconverter, and either of these lenses work fully with full auto-focus functions on the 1.4, 1.7 and 2x teleconverters that Nikon produce.

There are many variants of these two lenses, from manual focus and non-VR versions, to the previous VR I of each, so if you are looking at acquiring one for a little less than the new RRP, do browse our AF lens web listings where we have a few in stock: www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/products/secondhand.php

Image courtesy of Nikon USA – 200mm f/2 taken at f/2, 1/200

Image taken by Mr. Brendan Hohls, F100, 300mm f/2.8, Provia 100F

AF-S 400mm f/2.8G VR IF-ED vs. AF-S 500mm f/4 VR IF-ED

The 400mm is considerably heavier than the 200mm and 300mm at just over 4.6kg, and heavier even than the 500mm f/4, which comes in at 3.88kg, making it a less popular choice. However, it’s definitely well worth looking at for many reasons. On paper it fractionally out-performs all the other telephoto primes when it comes to edge-to-edge contrast and sharpness (from one end of the frame to the other), and is also compatible with the full range of Nikon teleconverters including the TC-20E III, unlike the 500mm f/4, which may work but will slow down its auto-focus motor considerably in poor lighting conditions.

The lighter 500mm gives it enormous appeal, as its weight makes it manageable on a monopod (hand-holding is not for the faint of heart due to its length) and it produces fantastically sharp results. In combination with a 1.7 teleconverter it will give 850mm, or 1275mm on a DX-format camera which allows excellent flexibility for sports, wildlife and any other action shots, without needing to be close to the subject to get the perfect shot.

Images taken by Simon Stafford – www.simonstafford.co.uk
Lionness, D3S + 400mm f/2.8G, f/4, 1/200″
Hippo, D300S + 500mm f/4, f/4, 1/400″

600mm f/4G VR IF-ED

This is the longest prime lens that Nikon now produce, all other longer focal lengths being manual focus and long-since discontinued (although many, such as the 800mm and 1000mm can still be found on our second-hand pages). Weighing 5kg, this is certainly a lens which you would want to take with a tripod attached, but is perfect for photographing subjects where less walking and more actual photography is involved.

Often coupled with a 1.4 or 1.7 teleconverter it will give you up to 1020mm on full-frame cameras, or 1530mm effectively on DX camera bodies, making it a lens which embraces almost any distance-challenging situation.

Image courtesy of Nikon USA. AF-S 600mm f/4G VR, f/4, 1/2000″

If you are planning any trips with weight-restrictions it is worth checking these in order to plan what to take in your camera bag.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions about telephoto lenses or any other Nikon-related matter.

Following phenomenal response from our email sent out last month, we now have a replenished second-hand area with several very popular items currently in stock, including professional lenses such as the 14-24mm f/2.8G AF-S, 16-35mm f/4G VR AF-S and the 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S.

For anyone seeking out a digital camera body, or perhaps a back-up for existing kit, we also now have D3S bodies, D3 bodies and D300 bodies amongst many others.

Please feel free to peruse our second hand listings here:

http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/products/secondhand.php

Alternatively you can telephone or email us at our below contact details.

More on Current Special Offers

Nikon are currently running several special offers on two of their most popular DX bodies, as follows:

D5100 + any new Nikkor lens = £50.00 CASHBACK
D5100 + any TWO new Nikkor lenses = £75.00 CASHBACK

The D5100 is now priced £569.00 for the body only or £635.00 with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR AF-S DX lens, and other kit and discount prices are available with alternative lenses – please contact us by telephone or email for more details. This offer runs until the 30th September 2011 so there are only a few weeks left!

Purchase a new D300S body and receive a FREE 750GB portable hard drive

If you purchase a new D300S body you are entitled to a free StoreJet 750GB portable hard drive, worth £99.99, until the 31st October 2011. The D300S body only is currently £1089.00 and available with a variety of kit lenses at very special discount prices. Please do contact us to find out more.

To find out more about any Nikon equipment or our latest prices, please feel free to contact us by telephone, email or in person.

When considering upgrading your digital body for a shiny new Nikon, please bear in mind that Grays of Westminster are very keen to re-stock shelves with fine secondhand items. It is an ideal opportunity to obtain the best part exchange (or outright purchase) quotation.

For a brief period, in order to replenish stocks, the company will be offering higher than normal rates for your fine Nikon bodies and lenses. In particular we are looking for D200, D300, D300S, D700, D3 and D3S bodies and full frame lenses – please telephone us on 020 7828 4925 for a quotation today.

Kind regards,

Gray Levett
Founder

Grays of Westminster – Exclusively… Nikon
40 Churton Street
Pimlico
London SW1V 2LP
Tel: +44 020 7828 4925
Fax: +44 020 7976 5783
Website: http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/

London – On Tuesday 26th July, Grays of Westminster, the legendary Nikon dealer, was presented with a stunning, heavy crystal trophy by the Managing Director of Nikon UK, Mr. Michio Miwa, during a celebratory luncheon at the exclusive Belgravia, London hotel, The Goring.

The trophy, which features a 3D image of the legendary Nikon F camera laser-etched into the award, reads:

“Presented to Grays of Westminster to celebrate their 25th Anniversary and their outstanding contribution to Nikon users.” – Nikon UK Limited

Grays of Westminster was founded a quarter of a century ago by Gray Levett who had the idea of creating a world-class camera store which would offer a service, second to none. The concept began to take shape and ultimately came to life as Grays of Westminster.

In a letter to Gray Levett, Mr. Makota Kimura, the President of the Nikon Corporation, Japan wrote: “Grays of Westminster is a well-known and respected business that has become almost a household name amongst professional photographers during the past twenty-five years. This is no doubt a result of your commitment to your customers and understanding of the Nikon brand.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on such a momentous occasion and would like to express our gratitude for your support of the Nikon brand. I am looking forward to a continued mutually beneficial relationship during the coming years.”

The distinguished actor David Suchet CBE and long-term customer sent a message with his regrets, “Thanks so much, but sadly can’t be with you, filming Great Expectations for the BBC, playing Jaggers. Have a wonderful celebration. Congratulations!!! Love David.”

Amongst those taking part in the celebrations was Richard Young, the UK’s most successful celebrity photographer; Mike Maloney OBE, Britain’s most decorated press photographer; Andrew Main Wilson, Chief Operating Officer of the IoD (Institute of Directors); founder, Gray Levett; co-director, Uri Zakay; Gillian Greenwood, Nikon Owner magazine director and author of In the Company of Legends …a history of Grays of Westminster, as well as senior staff from Nikon UK.

Receiving this award, Gray Levett said: “This is a significant moment in our history. I am delighted and honoured to receive this beautiful crystal trophy from Nikon. Grays of Westminster started a quarter of a century ago from humble beginnings with just £100 and no stock to speak of; to be accepting this award in the grand surroundings of The Goring today is something I could have hardly imagined.

“Grays of Westminster has what is probably the widest range of new, second-hand and vintage Nikon in the world. From the very beginning we aimed at offering our customers the very best service and the finest in Nikon equipment. This tradition continues today. The fact that we have survived over the last twenty-five years has been made possible by our very loyal customers, the hard work of all of our staff and our strong relationship with Nikon UK and Nikon Japan.”

About Grays of Westminster

The legendary award-winning Grays of Westminster is a charming period shop, specialising exclusively in Nikon. Grays of Westminster offers knowledgeable advice and information on Nikon kit, whether new, second-hand or vintage, to customers who visit the shop in person, as well as a fast and reliable mail-order service on any Nikon item which is available to all world-wide destinations. Grays of Westminster also provides a vast range of photographic training sessions for its customers including subjects such as Mike Maloney’s Photographic Workshop at the House of Lords; Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops; Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture, Landscape and Macro Training Sessions; Michael Eleftheriades’ panoramic and colour-calibration seminars.

Grays of Westminster is situated in a quiet location in central London yet within walking distance of Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

For more information, please contact:

Gray Levett
Founder
Grays of Westminster Exclusively…Nikon
40 Churton Street
London
SW1V 2LP

+44 (0)20 7828 4925
info@graysofwestminster.co.uk
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk