Hunting for old cameras in Vienna. Suggestions wanted

robertofollia

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Dear all,
Finally solved login problems
The 1st weekend of june I will be in Vienna . Vienna is famous for their "flohmarkte" (Flea Markets).
I've read about them and one of the most important is the one in Naschtmarkt, but... I do not know if it's the best place for old cameras.
I know there is a "fotobörse" on the 11th of june but won't be able to attend.
Any contribution would be more than welcome. I know I won't find any treasure and old cameras prices are rising steeply, but maybe some odd stuff resurfaces., so would be grateful if someone could confirm Naschmarkt or suggest another location
Best regards and thank you all in advance
Robert
 
I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Vienna. There used to be a lot of cameras in the Naschmarkt, but the numbers peaked in the late 1990s and have decreased ever since. It used to be a good place to get Soviet cameras and lenses. The Kettenbruckengasse market is also worth a look, as, over summer, is the Techno-Flohmarkt. Good luck.
 
Sorry for late reply.
I am experiencing serious problems when logging in. Have to reset password each time.
Thank you for your valuable contributions. Will check for sure both in Naschmarkt, Kettenbruckengasse and Westbahnstrasse. I recall seeing a big camera store in westbahnstrasse, had a yellow sign but can't remember the name.
Best regards
 
There is a "Leica Shop" in Vienna with lots of stuff, but not cheap. The same shop is also on eBay. It used to be near the Westbahnhof.

Erik.
 
I'm just back from a week in Vienna and was logging on here to thank those who had helped me out in this general enquiry thread.

I had a wonderful time and visited numerous camera shops.
There's a whole group of them on the Westbahnstrasse clustered around the Jo Geier Mint and Rare shop which has a great stock of high quality analog cameras, including now my two Leica Ms and their respective Summicrons!
A few steps up the road are two Leica stores, one selling new equipment and the other analog gear.
United Camera on the other side of the road looks like a Nikon only store but has a big range of equipment inside. I can't remember if there is any used stock.
Next door to it is Camera31 which I never got into but I did receive a lengthy explanation from a customer outside who told me it was the workplace of the finest repairman outside of Paris and the only place he would consider looking for the correct screw to repair his Rolleiflex.
Very close by on the same street and not to be missed are the Westlicht photographic museum and gallery which was closed while I was there in preparation for the Photographing the Beatles exhibition which opened yesterday.
Almost next door is Milaneum, a wonderful gallery seling old photographs, many of them snapshots in a box for 1 euro each.

Ten minutes walk away from all this is the unmissable Photoborse on Lerchenfelder Strasse. A couple of the previous stores had recommended I go there and it didn't disappoint. It is crammed full of the most amazing stock which includes a Ducatti motorbike hung from the ceiling and one of the two salesman directed me to a used version of the lense I was enquiring about in preference to the new ones, which he had a plentiful stock of and could have made a better profit on, all the while sipping from a flute of chilled wine behind the counter at 2 in the afternoon.

I really envy you going there. I stayed at the Hotel Admiral which was inexpensive and a short walk from the 49 tram that takes you to the places mentioned.

You can see some of my photographs from the trip to Vienna and Munich here.


Have fun.

Chris
 
Came back yesterday. As I was flying from Frankfurt did a small stop in Wetzlar to visit Leica HQ. It's amazing how close is Wetzlar from Frankfurt by train-less than 1h 30. As it was sunday just Leitz Museum, museum shop and welcome area were open. No casino (restaurant for workers), no customer care and no classic store. So could not ascertain if my M6 repair had been finished or not. At least, took my Leicaflex SL black paint and my IIIf to picture the Eisenmarkt, the pioner factory in Hausertorstrasse and the second factory which became Town Hall, all in Orwo UN54
Regarding Vienna, only had 3 hours free time on saturday. The suppression of U2 metro line hindered a lot transportation (they are building not 1 but 2 new more metro lines, and the city is upside down). Only had time to go to Naschmarkt. Cameras at first were few and far between. Many agfas, some bellows cameras but finally managed to find two stalls. One of them close to the Kettenbruckengasse metro station entrance , which had mainly Eastern cameras (Prakticas, Zenits, Kievs, Flexarets) which delivered a somewhat battered Exakta Varex IIa, working but needs CLA and curtains. Another stall was an old man located in the main corridor, well hidden between 2 stalls that had lots of boxes for sale. Got a nice Tokina 25-50mm in MD mount, a Pentacon 2,8/29mm in M42 (had never seen that front ring), a Lomo LC-a (could not say no for 20 euro) and an as-new or almost never used Yashica FX.3 (pre super, so with the indepedent exposure button). Was not going to buy it but besides leatherette, damaged but intact, had even the sticker "exposure check" intact and the one from the Munich shop "Foto Technik" that sold it some 40+years earlier. A releather and refoam and as good as new. My aunt's FX-3 super, very little used,was in worse shape than this one.
IMGP9326.JPG
Excuse the poor quality image as it has been taken with a nearly dead Optio i-10.
I keep the addresses for next time, Camera 31, the photoborse, Westbahnstrasse, and Jo Geier shop.
I would like to thank you all so much for your help, advises and contributions. Time was so tight that could not see anything else, but keep addresses in safe place for next time when, for sure, will have to arrive empty-pocketed in order to resist temptation.
Best regards to all
Robert
 
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