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fotohandel.de - About us

We are not a "traditional photo shop" with a picture counter and frame shop in a classic shop.

We specialize in the purchase, sale and valuation of selected analog and digital used cameras, used lenses and photographic equipment, in particular Leica, Hassselblad and Fujifilm.

We buy and sell over 95% of used cameras and lenses over the Internet.

The local photo retailer often no longer offers "opportunities" that years ago filled entire shop windows with used goods. Second-hand cameras are rarely taken on commission, and technical progress makes camera technology "look old" after a short time. The number of “megapixels” determines their value in digital cameras, and this decreases in proportion to the increase in the resolution of the image sensor. In digital photography, the imaging performance of a camera “doubles” in short time intervals, whereas in the past “the same” film or at least the same film format was used for decades with analog cameras.

We do a lot to keep our business model successful, perhaps doing more for our customers than some competitors. We offer workshop inspection and repairs. This is not a given; the options for repairing analogue photographic technology are increasingly dwindling, and fewer and fewer specialist workshops still have access to the necessary know-how and important measurement technology. From decades of workshop experience, we (still) have the equipment from the “old” analogue days and also the mechanic to be able to continue testing and repairing cameras. We produce some spare parts ourselves and produce custom-fit camera leather with laser cutting.

We also come to the customer with our range, at photo fairs, Exhibitions and events. So we are at the Photo Fairs in Solms near Wetzlar and regularly represented at the Fellbach Photo Exchange (near Stuttgart), also in Bievres (Paris) and Strasbourg. fotohandel.de supplies - often on behalf of customers - individual rarities for the important Wetzlar Camera Auctions a special auction for high-quality camera technology in Wetzlar.

Almost sold out | At the 2020 photo trade fair in Stuttgart / Fellbach

Trade in Transition - “36 Years of History”

My apprenticeship as a "photo merchant" at the traditional store Fotohaus Weizsäcker in Stuttgart was now 36 years ago. Since then I have been dealing with (used) cameras. No, not all the time :-) and not always exclusively professionally. In the meantime I became a business economist / marketing (but that was also 26 years ago), and since 2003 I have been self-employed with my own internet and advertising agency. And since 2016 I have been successfully concentrating my core competencies in the "classic photo trade" with the opportunities and possibilities of the Internet. With the two domains www.fotohandel.de and www.klassische-kameras.de I can reach interested parties and customers around the world who would otherwise certainly not have found their way to Schorndorf.

Foto Weizsäcker has not existed for a long time, the traditional specialist photo trade has often not made the transition into the digital age. At that time there were more than 30 photo retailers in Stuttgart, today there are still about a handful.

The big names “Foto Weizsäcker” in Neue Brücke, “Foto Hirrlinger” in Calwer Straße, Lerche, Foto Kraus and Top-Foto are long history. “Digital” has not only fundamentally changed photography from a technical point of view, it has also significantly influenced trade and sales and information channels.

The few remaining and newly established photo dealers such as Photo Planet (now photo professional Planet) at the main train station in Stuttgart, Photo Universal in Fellbach and Calumet Photographic in Stuttgart invest in prime locations and spacious, modern sales areas, rely on good staff and well-founded advice. They offer outstanding service and an overwhelming selection of new goods with an enormous range of products from the big brands Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus ... In-house exhibitions, photo courses, rental studios and camera rental services are the new sales drivers, the "opportunity window" for second-hand goods has long been a part of it no more about it.

The current photo specialist trade seems to be well positioned despite the structural difficulties in times of the Internet, but it has “concentrated” very much on a few, but successful dealers. In addition, manufacturers are opening their own "flagship stores"; since October 2019 there has been a "Leica Store" in downtown Stuttgart, which the manufacturer, Leica Camera Deutschland GmbH, operates itself.

The used market has essentially "migrated" to ebay or can be found in the niche of specialist dealers - as is the case with us. Classic Leica cameras go through our hands - and from here into the whole world. Distance does not matter, our sales representatives are the many nice employees at DHL. And despite "distance selling", we can be easily reached "on site" at any time - by phone, email or chat.

Online business is of course different from brick-and-mortar retail and is particularly based on fairness and trust. As retailers, we know about the distance between you and us and therefore offer our Internet customers a special service and trust, we want you to be completely satisfied.

Foto Weizsäcker has not existed for a long time, the traditional specialist photo trade has often not made the transition to the digital age. At that time there were more than 30 photo dealers in Stuttgart, today there are still about a handful.

The big names “Foto Weizsäcker” in the Neue Brücke, “Foto Hirrlinger” in the Calwer Straße, Lerche, Foto Kraus and Top-Foto are history. "Digital" has not only fundamentally changed photography from a technical point of view, but also significantly influenced trade and sales and information channels.

Trade in Transition - “36 Years of History”

My apprenticeship as a "photo merchant" at the traditional store Fotohaus Weizsäcker in Stuttgart was now 36 years ago. Since then I have been dealing with (used) cameras. No, not all the time :-) and not always exclusively professionally. In the meantime I became a business economist / marketing (but that was also 26 years ago), and since 2003 I have been self-employed with my own internet and advertising agency. And since 2016 I have been successfully concentrating my core competencies in the "classic photo trade" with the opportunities and possibilities of the Internet. With the two domains www.fotohandel.de and www.klassische-kameras.de I can reach interested parties and customers around the world who would otherwise certainly not have found their way to Schorndorf.

Foto Weizsäcker has not existed for a long time, the traditional specialist photo trade has often not made the transition into the digital age. At that time there were more than 30 photo retailers in Stuttgart, today there are still about a handful.

The big names “Foto Weizsäcker” in Neue Brücke, “Foto Hirrlinger” in Calwer Straße, Lerche, Foto Kraus and Top-Foto are long history. “Digital” has not only fundamentally changed photography from a technical point of view, it has also significantly influenced trade and sales and information channels.

The few remaining and newly established photo dealers such as Photo Planet (now photo professional Planet) at the main train station in Stuttgart, Photo Universal in Fellbach and Calumet Photographic in Stuttgart invest in prime locations and spacious, modern sales areas, rely on good staff and well-founded advice. They offer outstanding service and an overwhelming selection of new goods with an enormous range of products from the big brands Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus ... In-house exhibitions, photo courses, rental studios and camera rental services are the new sales drivers, the "opportunity window" for second-hand goods has long been a part of it no more about it.

The current photo specialist trade seems to be well positioned despite the structural difficulties in times of the Internet, but it has “concentrated” very much on a few, but successful dealers. In addition, manufacturers are opening their own "flagship stores"; since October 2019 there has been a "Leica Store" in downtown Stuttgart, which the manufacturer, Leica Camera Deutschland GmbH, operates itself.

The used market has essentially "migrated" to ebay or can be found in the niche of specialist dealers - as is the case with us. Classic Leica cameras go through our hands - and from here into the whole world. Distance does not matter, our sales representatives are the many nice employees at DHL. And despite "distance selling", we can be easily reached "on site" at any time - by phone, email or chat.

Online business is of course different from brick-and-mortar retail and is particularly based on fairness and trust. As retailers, we know about the distance between you and us and therefore offer our Internet customers a special service and trust, we want you to be completely satisfied.

A short sigh of relief at the photo trade fair in Strasbourg.
In front of fotohandel.de - PopUp-Store / Office in Schorndorf
With us, even the company car is analogue :-)

Our business model is the classic cameras, preferably from the 60s to 90s, high-quality analog cameras and individual collectibles. Our articles are not random and frequent, but rather interesting individual pieces with their own value, tradition, history and character, often technically revised and extensively repaired. Our core brands are Leica and Hasselblad.

A good thing is that cameras used to be treated very carefully and we are therefore often offered visually very beautiful pieces in a well-preserved condition, which are intended to be used for a long time through a technical revision and revision and thus remain valuable for the user.

In addition to the classic analog cameras, we also buy and sell digital Leica cameras and modern Leica lenses, Leica M8, Leica M9, ​​Leica M Typ 240 up to the latest models such as Leica M10 and Leica Q2.