'CLICK' GO THE CAMERAS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 83, 31 December 1937, Page 4

'CLICK' GO THE CAMERAS

Dealers in Photographic Goods in Boom BETTER SNAPS GENERALLY' Dealers in photograpic goods are^ in high g]ee this Christmas and Yuletide. The gloriously fine weather prevailing over the holiday period has resulted in an exceptional sale of eameras and films in Hastings. Indeed, business in this direction has been one of the main features of the Christmas trade, and anticipations are that the coming week-end will -give continued impetus to trade. Prior to Christmas there was a big number of eameras sold, aud an interesting feature is that there was a definite demand for a quality caniera, "I had to get a rush order_ of eameras and aecessories from Wellington and Auckland a few days bel'ore Christmas, as I had praetically sold out of stock, " said oue retailer this morn* ing, when questioned regarding thQ photographic activities of the coixi' munity. "There is not the slightest doubt that others also enjoyed big business, for since Christmas there had' been a real flood of films for develop* ing. It's.as much as we can do to handle the business." Other retailers endorsed this comment. All were participating in a Tea^ boom as far as developing and printing was concerned, while the sale of eameras was unusually good, even for this time of the year. Business before Christmas was esceptionally brisk, the demand being almost exclusively in the direction of folding eameras with a good class of lens. Certainly box eameras were in demand, but according to one dealer, this was mainly in the direction of providing gifts to children, ."To them it would be their first camera, and I can say from experience that there were a good number sold, judging from the number of , films that I have handled gince Christmas," he said. All those questioned commented uprn the discrimination shown by customers. "People do know what ie a gP°d photograph, and the excnange of, snapshots is quite a customary thing thejje days," said one man, "I would say that generally speaking, better pictures • are being taken by amateurs nowadays, compared with a few years ago. This, of course, can be attributed tp a great extent to the better eameras bping sold and the big improvemeiits that have been made in the manufacturing of a better-grade film." From the comment passed it appears that there are two distinct types of customers with films for developing. There are the visitors to the town and district who expose films freely at places of interest and beauty. Then there are the residents who for the most part take snapshots of their friends on the beaches and at play.