London is a brimming kaleidoscope of alternative shopping experiences, far removed from the globalised spotlight of Regent Street, and the much too crammed sidewalks of Oxford Street. If you look hard enough, you’ll be rewarded with a varied and fulfilling window shopping experience, one such experience are hunting down vintage camera shops. Have you always wondered about the fascinating metal-bodied cameras with jiggly manual lens that pop up in sixties period flicks every now and again? Like the Pentax Peter Saargard used in An Education for instance; Or the Rolleiflex which was a permanent feature around Nicole Kidman’s neck in Fur.

While modern technology has digitised the medium, freeing the hobbyist from the perils of film development and the darkroom, a plasticky digital SLR isn’t quite the work of art as a Leica rangefinder ever was. Back in the more romantic days of photography, the likes of Garry Winogrand and Henri Cartier-Bresson performed a kind of balletic waltz with tip-toeing dexterity and along with their shutter snap judgement on the busy streets of Paris and New York; composed immortal decisive moments. While we might not be able to capture moments as striking as a Magnum photographer, we are able to take a tour around London’s best vintage camera shops and marvel at the legendary tools which were used to create history’s best known photographs.

The best shops are located in and around the vicinity of the British Museum. One of the oldest dealers in town are R.G. Lewis. They are the first UK based Leica dealers and have been an established name in London for over a hundred years now. Located on the corner of Southampton Row, a few steps from Holborn station, it is the quintessential vintage camera shop. Two glass cabinets holds their latest 2nd hand stock and is visible from the glass shop front. Once inside the cosy surroundings, you’ll be greeted by the usually friendly and knowledgeable staff, including Lenny the owner, who can then let you handle a few of their vintage gems for sale. Heading to the next destination, a brisk walk in the direction of the British Museum and you’ll stumble upon one of my favourite places in London – Aperture and the camera café. Primarily a 2nd hand camera dealer but it has a café area attached to the shop. According to them, Aperture are allegedly the only camara shop-cafe combo, in the world.

It has great ambiance, you’ll usually find avid camera buffs sipping coffee inside and debating the finer points of one camera brand against another. As for the shop, they stock a wide variety of cameras including Leicas, medium format Hassleblads, Rolleiflexes and I have spotted the odd Contax film cameras in there too. While you can marvel at their Leica stock locked away in beautiful rose-wood style glass cabinets, Aperture also hold a range of Nikon F SLR cameras – the consummate vintage camera and once the photojournalist’s camera of choice back in the 70’s and 80’s. If you spot a mint condition Nikon FM2 going for £250, snap it up, and I guarantee it would make for a uniquely special gift. Of course, if you want to check out a shop with an amazing layout to showcase their optical gems, then you must head over to Pied Bull Yard, just outside the British Museum and then on to The Classic Camera. The shop is bathed in bright natural light mostly from the large windows that make up its shop front. Inside, huge glass cabinets which line the walls. Cameras and accessories are beautifully arranged, including free standing ones in the middle of the shopfront. It’s almost like a cross between a camera museum but with the sensibilities of a luxury car showroom. In addition to the prized Leicas, they also stock a wide range of Voigtlander and Zeiss Rangefinders and their lenses – whom some say are almost as good as Leicas but at a tenth of the price. Finally, the grand daddy of all London camera shops has to be the official Leica shop in Mayfair. It shares the same post code as the Bentleys showroom in Berkerley Square and it is there that you will get the chance to try your hand at some of the world’s most prized cameras and lenses, including the chance to feel the weight of a Leica 50mm Noctilux in person. What is a Noctilux you ask? Oh well it’s only a £10,000 optical jewel…

About the Author Kang regularly updates his blog LondonEater with stories of his gastronomic escapades, complete with sumptuous photos of every dish he’s eaten. He is also a freelance photographer who specialises in food. He loves food and cameras equally and his growing photobook collection boasts a copy of Garry Winogrand’s “The Animals”. You can view his portfolio here.