About us
A Breton shop for second-hand cameras
Analog Gwerz finds, tests and describes film and digital cameras that have already had a life, so that they can carry on. Each item is unique, tested in the workshop, and photographed as it is.
- 1 000+ reviews received, rated 5/5
- 300+ items available right now
- 22 brands represented, from Canon to Helios
- 100 % second-hand: no new cameras
How it started
A few flea-market finds, then a shop
It all started with curiosity: cameras found at flea markets, opened up, cleaned, tested, then passed on to someone who would use them. What was once just a bargain hunter’s pleasure became a job, with the standards that come with it.
Behind Analog Gwerz, there’s Manech Hurelle-Pertzing, and a simple belief: a forty-year-old camera isn’t an ornament. It’s a mechanism that still works, as long as someone takes the time to check it before selling it.
Today, the shop has passed a thousand reviews. The principle hasn’t changed: one item at a time, described honestly.
The name
A gwerz for every camera
In Breton, a gwerz is an old song: a ballad that tells a story, often that of someone who is no longer there to tell it.
Every camera that passes through here carries one. A compact that went on three honeymoons, an SLR bought with a first pay packet, a camcorder that filmed birthdays nobody remembers any more. Those stories don’t fit on a product page, but they explain why these objects deserve better than the back of a drawer.
The shop gives them a next chapter. You’re the one who writes it.
How we work
What happens before a camera goes on sale
Buying old gear at a distance rests entirely on trust. We try to earn it the only way that counts: by doing the work, then describing what we found, including what’s wrong.
Chosen one at a time
No lots bought blind. Each item is selected for its interest and condition. We don’t sell anything we wouldn’t keep ourselves.
Tested, not assumed
Power-on, shutter firing, speeds, film advance with a dummy roll, lenses inspected under raking light. Worn light seals are replaced in the workshop.
Described as it is
Photographed without retouching, flaws included. Anything the test couldn’t check is stated as such. The item in the photos is the one that goes in the parcel.
The limits, too
What we do, and what we don’t
A shop that only talks about its strengths tells you nothing. Here are both lists, and the second matters as much as the first.
- Test every item before it goes on sale, function by function.
- Replace the light seals when they’re worn.
- Clean the body and the lenses, without dressing them up.
- Photograph without retouching, visible flaws included.
- Answer before you buy, even to tell you a camera won’t suit you.
- Pack carefully : every camera padded individually.
- Restore or service in a specialist workshop: we are not repairers. A flaw is described, not covered up.
- Promise that a camera will never break down. A test says it works on the day it was tested. Nobody can say more than that.
- Develop a roll of film for every film camera: the light-tightness of a back or the accuracy of a 1/1000 speed are measured in a lab.
- Sell new, or industrially refurbished gear. Everything here has been used before.
- Restock. Once an item is sold, it’s gone: there is only one of each.
- Hide a flaw to close a sale. We’d rather lose the sale.
What second-hand really means
The greenest gear is the gear that already exists
A camera has already cost what it took to make: metals, glass, energy, transport. All of that is behind it. Putting it back into service means not starting all over again.
We don’t put a figure on it, because we couldn’t calculate it honestly. What we can tell you is what we do: nothing new leaves here, and a camera that would have ended up in a drawer or at the tip goes back to making pictures.
That’s also why spare parts, original cases and period accessories have their place in the shop: they’re what extends the life of everything else.
What buyers say
“Very friendly seller, very helpful in choosing the right camera. The quality of the camera is incredible, the packaging was perfect, nothing damaged. If anyone is looking for a camera, I recommend them one hundred percent.”
The company
Analog Gwerz is part of Skeudva
The shop is run by Skeudva, a company based in Plouguenast-Langast, in the Côtes-d’Armor. Skeudva runs two businesses centred on images, which share the same workshop and the same standards.
Analog Gwerz, the shop for second-hand cameras and video equipment, the one you’re on now. KoadBooth, photo booth hire for weddings and events in Brittany. Two ways of doing the same job: making images accessible with well-prepared equipment.
Before you buy
Three questions we often get asked
Are the cameras really tested?
Yes, one by one, before they go on sale: shutter firing, speeds, light meter where there is one, film advance with a dummy roll for film cameras. Power-on, screen, zoom, autofocus, flash and real shooting for digital. What works is stated, so is anything with a fault, and anything that couldn’t be tested is stated as such. The details are on our testing method.
Do the photos show the camera I’ll receive?
Always. Each item is photographed individually, without retouching: you see the real cosmetic condition, scratches included. A visible flaw is shown and mentioned in the description: it’s the only way we can sell at a distance without nasty surprises.
Are the charger and battery included?
Cameras with a rechargeable battery come with their battery and a charger: the original charger when available, otherwise a suitable universal charger. Cameras that run on standard batteries (AA type) are sent without batteries, and this is stated on the product page.
In pictures
Brittany, the workshop, and what passes through our hands
Where to next
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