Kameraz

KAMERAZ evolved from FrippsHillbrow that was referred to in 'THE BANG-BANG CLUB' as a small “hole in the wall” operation that originally specialised in second hand photographic equipment.

It existed from 1982-95 and the owner, Johan Greybe, moved it to Rosebank, a month before our Rugby World Cup glory, as FrippsRosebank, into a similar small-sized premises.

In 1998 we got expansive and moved into a 200 sq m premises AND decided on a new name (KAMERAZ) that would bear out the fact that we don’t dabble in TV’s, HiFi’s, fridges, etc, but specialise in photographic equipment.

It’s nice if one can imbue a business with a certain zeitgeist which is so dependent on finding and retaining the right people. So, happy to say that we have the lowest level of staff turnover in the industry, with people with degrees in photography, and others that, yes, most of the time enjoy working here.

Although one should never believe one’s own PR – i.e. flattering market perceptions, as it gives one a false sense of having “arrived” – one would like to think that one is perceived as a serious camera shop; even though we smile a lot.

Nowadays, although still the biggest dealer in second hand equipment in the country, 80% of our sales are in fact NEW stuff.