If you spent your weekend with a camera in hand, the Cambridge Photography Show has come and gone, but the month is far from over. The event, put on by the long-running Cambridge camera shop Campkins, took over The Graduate Hotel on Granta Place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, running from 9am to 5pm each day. It is the biggest photography event of the year in the city, and the best part is that entry was free, with exclusive show discounts on top.
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The scale of the thing is worth spelling out. More than 30 brands set up stalls across the two days, from the big names like Canon, Fujifilm, Sony, Nikon, Hasselblad, Sigma and Tamron to the more specialised gear from Samyang, Lowepro, GoPro, Joby, Manfrotto, OM System, Insta360, Blackrapid, TTArtisan, Saramonic, Falcam, Cotton Carrier, PGYTECH, H&Y, Atomos, ZWO, Benro, Tenba, Novoflex, Newell, Spyder, DJI, Transcontinenta, Peak Design, Hahnel, Holden, Kondor Blue, Macgroup, 3 Legged Thing and Praetego. Whether you were after a new body, a prime lens or just a better bag, it was the one place to see and touch a huge chunk of the market in one room.
The talks were the real draw for a lot of people. Saturday's line-up leaned into the local: Nordin Catic on 'Cambridge on Camera', Oli Kane's 'Framing the Moment: Football Through Crisis', Henry Davies on 'Navigating the Fast Pace of Drones', Keith Heppell, the Cambridge Independent's press photographer, on 'Behind the Headlines', and Charles Hogarth's 'Confessions of a Nightlife Photographer'. Sunday moved over to Corpus Christi College, with a videographer who has worked inside 10 Downing Street and a wedding photographer among the speakers.
There was also a competitive side to it. Every ticket entered you into a draw for a Canon EOS 2000D and more, with attending a workshop earning you bonus entries and buying extra tickets boosting your chances further. It was a clever way to keep people moving between the stalls, the talks and the workshops.
If you missed the show, the good news is that the month is only half done. The weekend was part of Campkins' wider Cambridge Photography Month, and there are three workshops still to come. 'Chasing Totality: Roo's Journey Beneath the Eclipse' runs on 22 October at King Street Brewhouse, 'Raptors in Flight: Wildlife Photography' on 23 October at Histon Football Club in Impington, and 'Slow Shutter Cambridge: Long Exposure Masterclass' on 28 October at Campkins' own shop at 12A King's Parade. Between them, they cover everything from an eclipse to birds in flight to long exposure around the city.
For context, Campkins has been going since 1952 and sits at 12A King's Parade, so this is a fixture with some real history behind it. If you want to catch the workshops or find out what is left of the month, the show's website is the place to start, and the shop itself is always worth a wander if you are near King's Parade. It is a good reminder that the city's photography scene is a lot busier than it looks on the surface.
Published Date
19 October 2026
