Exclusively-Nikon Grays of Westminster Becomes the First Camera Shop in the World to be Granted a Coat of Arms

Mr. Robert Noel, Lancaster Herald of Her Majesty's College of Arms, presented the Coat of Arms to Gray Levett, founder of Grays of Westminster at a celebratory dinner held at the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall, London on 29th October 2014.

London - Grays of Westminster, the multi-award winning, exclusively-Nikon camera shop, renowned world-wide for its exemplary level of customer service, has become the first camera shop in the world to be granted a Coat of Arms.

Mr. Robert Noel, Lancaster Herald of Her Majesty's College of Arms, presented the Coat of Arms to Gray Levett, founder of Grays of Westminster at a celebratory dinner held at the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall, London on 29th October 2014.

The Grays of Westminster Coat of Arms: "Lead in Order to Serve"

Distinguished guests at the dinner included Andrew Main Wilson, Chief Executive of the Association of MBAs, who gave the introduction, Mike Maloney OBE, Britain’s most decorated press photographer, representatives from Nikon Japan, Nikon UK and Nikon Germany, as well as journalists from the national and photographic press. Also joining the celebration were a number of Grays of Westminster’s clients, several of whom had travelled from Australia and Dubai to be part of the celebration.

Grays of Westminster founder, Gray Levett

For any person or organisation to have a legal right to a Coat of Arms, it has to be granted to them by England’s Earl Marshal, the 18th Duke of Norfolk, through the Herald at the College of Arms in London. Heralds are appointed by The Queen and are delegated to act on her behalf in all concerns of heraldry and the granting of new Coats of Arms. To be the recipient of this honour, the criteria that is taken into account before a Coat of Arms is granted might include awards or honours from the Crown, public and charitable services or eminence and good standing in national or local life.

The College of Arms worked closely with Gray Levett throughout the design process to create a Coat of Arms that was personal to Grays of Westminster and one which would visually identify their role in the photographic industry. It is painted on vellum using ink and 22-carat gold paint decorated by a herald painter, with the text written by a scrivener, the whole process taking a year to create. The College of Arms maintains an ancient English tradition of manuscript writing and illumination which can be traced back to early monastic scriptoria.

Heraldic Description of the Grays of Westminster Coat of Arms 

The symbolism within the image depicts a Lion (Gray Levett) amicably communing with the bird of Japan, the green pheasant. The mural crown around the lion's neck stands for responsibility to the public. Its right paw is resting on a camera lens. The cornucopia representing flourishing growth is replenished with flowers that represent various facets of Grays of Westminster and Japan. The tip of the horn has been modelled into an emblematic portcullis for Westminster. The rays of light emanating behind the flowers symbolise the derivation of the word photography, which means photo = light + graphy = writing. The rationale of the badge is an occidental phoenix with two heads for looking both east and west. It bears the motto:

Lead in Order to Serve (Praesis ut Prosis)

The crest, helmet, shield, motto and badge
of Grays of Westminster's Coat of Arms

On receiving the Coat of Arms, Gray Levett said:

“I am deeply honoured to receive this singular recognition for Grays of Westminster at the Institute of Directors tonight in the presence of so many key figures of our profession. To be acknowledged by Her Majesty's College of Arms is something very, very special, and the Coat of Arms will serve as an enduring inspiration for me to continue to offer the very best in service to our Nikon customers.”

About Grays of Westminster

Grays of Westminster, located in central London, a short distance from the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Knightsbridge, was founded almost thirty years ago by Gray Levett with the idea of creating a world-class camera store, which would offer a service that was second to none. Grays of Westminster is to many photographers not just a camera-shop but an institution, one that has attracted customers from all over the world and from all walks of life. It evolved from a modest mail order company in the mid-1980s to its present, highly-respected position in the photographic industry with over 47,000 customers world-wide, that have included the legendary film-director, Stanley Kubrick, David Suchet, best-known in his role as Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous sleuth, Lord Snowdon, world-famous National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg, Rod Stewart, and the late 1960s’ icon Terence Donovan.

Grays of Westminster now join the ranks of distinguished shops such as Burberry and Harrods which have also been granted a Coat of Arms.

For more information, please contact:

Gray Levett FIoD
Grays of Westminster
40 Churton Street
London
SW1V 2LP

+44 (0)20 7828 4925
info@graysofwestminster.co.uk
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk

Exclusively-Nikon Grays of Westminster Becomes the First Camera Shop in the World to be Granted a Coat of Arms

Gargantuan Wide-Angle Lens with a £100,000 Price Tag Goes On Sale at Grays of Westminster

The rare Nikon fisheye lens is said to be able to ‘see behind itself’, it weighs 5.2kg and measures 171mm in length with a diameter of 236mm

London – One of the few 220º Nikkor fisheye lenses ever made is now available for purchase and is looking for a buyer at London’s Nikon-only reseller, Grays of Westminster.

Nikon stunned the photographic world at Photokina in 1970 by introducing the 220º fisheye Nikkor with an astonishing speed of f/2.8. It is the world’s most extreme wide-angle lens to cover the 24 x 36mm image area (at the time) with a massive glass dome which dwarfs the camera attached. The 6mm is for scientific and industrial applications and special effects when shooting portraits, architecture and interiors, etc.

Lens production began in March 1972 and it was only made available to special order. This lens’s technical specifications are:

• 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye-Nikkor lens
• Serial no: 628024
• Lens construction: 12 elements in 9 groups
• Picture angle: 220º
• Diaphragm: Automatic
• Aperture scale: f/2.8-f/22 on both standard and aperture-direct-readout scales
• Weight: 5200g
• Dimensions: 236mm dia. x 171mm long (overall); 160mm extension from lens flange
• Distance scale: graduated in metres and feet from 0.25m (0.9ft) to infinity (∞)
• Filters: built-in skylight (L1BC), medium yellow (Y48), deep yellow (Y52), orange (O56), and red (R60)
• Front lens cap: Slip-on, delivered in a rugged metal case.
• Condition: MINT
• Price: £100,000

Founder Gray Levett said, "The background of this immense lens is that our vintage camera buyer Toni Kowal spent six months tracking it down from overseas, and we were fortunate to be able to find this example in such pristine condition. The lens was photographed by master photographer Tony Hurst. It is a stunning example of the optical expertise of the engineers and designers at Nikon."

Grays of Westminster can be reached by telephone on +44 (0)20 7828 4925 or by e-mail: info@graysofwestminster.co.uk

About Grays of Westminster

The legendary award-winning Grays of Westminster is a charming period shop, specialising exclusively in Nikon. Grays of Westminster offers knowledgeable advice and information on Nikon equipment, whether new, second-hand or vintage. They can provide a fast and reliable mail-order service on any Nikon item which is available to all world-wide destinations.

From their very beginning over a quarter of a century ago, they aimed at offering their customers the very best service and the finest in Nikon equipment. This tradition continues today.

Grays of Westminster also provides a vast range of photographic training sessions for its customers including subjects such as Mike Maloney’s Photographic Workshop at the House of Lords; Heather Angel’s Wildlife & Natural History Workshops; Simon Stafford’s Definitive Flash, Portraiture, Landscape and Macro Training Sessions; Michael Eleftheriades’ panoramic and colour-calibration seminars.

Grays of Westminster is situated in a quiet location in central London yet within walking distance of Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.

For more information, please contact:

Gray Levett
Founder
Grays of Westminster Exclusively…Nikon
40 Churton Street
London
SW1V 2LP

+44 (0)20 7828 4925
info@graysofwestminster.co.uk
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk

Submitted by: WorldWidePR.net

Gargantuan Wide-Angle Lens with a £100,000 Price Tag Goes On Sale at Grays of Westminster

Nikon Owner Magazine Gives Away Free Ticket to Heather Angel Workshop on Twitter

A single tweet in December by one lucky Twitter user will secure them a free place – worth £245 – on the prestigious and highly sought after Heather Angel Wildlife and Natural History Workshop in July 2011.

Heather Angel

London – Nikon Owner, the magazine of the Nikon world, launched today a competition on Twitter for which the prize is a free place on the celebrated Heather Angel Wildlife and Natural History Workshop, held annually in East Grinstead, Sussex. Now in its 15th year, this prestigious workshop, presented by internationally renowned Professor Heather Angel, includes a full day of lectures, demonstrations and the chance to handle and use a large range of new Nikon camera equipment and Think Tank camera bags. These workshops regularly attract visitors from all over the U.K., Europe and throughout the world.

A ticket to the workshop, which includes a sumptuous lunch and dinner, and usually costs £245 (£185 to Nikon Owner subscribers), will be given away free of charge to the lucky winner of this exciting Nikon Owner Twitter competition.

How to enter
All Twitter users need to do to enter the competition is to include the Twitter hashtag "#nikonownermag" anywhere in their tweet. For example:

"I've entered Nikon Owner magazine's Heather Angel workshop competition - wish me luck! #nikonownermag Pls RT"

To be eligible for the prize, entrants must also be following @nikonownermag. It's as simple as that. The competition ends 24:00 GMT 31 December 2010 and the winner, chosen randomly, will be announced on Twitter by @nikonownermag on 4 January 2011.

"I think we are going to make one Twitter user very happy. To attend a full day's workshop given by one of the world's greatest wildlife photographers free of charge from just a single tweet can't be bad!" said Gray Levett, editor of Nikon Owner magazine and founder of the exclusive Nikon-only dealer, Grays of Westminster. "We wholeheartedly believe in social media so this, our first foray into Twitter competitions, certainly won't be our last. Our next competition will very likely be held on Facebook, so watch this space..."

About Heather Angel
Award-winning wildlife photographer Professor Heather Angel is the author of sixty books and a veritable authority on photography. She also writes regularly for the worldwide photographic press. Through her lectures, workshops, and writing, Heather has always been an enthusiastic tutor on wildlife and nature photography.

For more information on the Heather Angel Wildlife and Natural History Workshop, here is a link to the 2010 press release:
Nikon joins Heather Angel's Wildlife & Natural History Workshops in July 2010
http://nikonownermag.blogspot.com/2010/05/nikon-joins-heather-angels-wildlife_13.html

About Nikon Owner
Nikon Owner magazine and its interactive website, www.nikonownermagazine.com is considered by many to be the world’s number 1 user group for Nikon owners. It was initially founded with the purpose of assisting Nikon users to make full use of the Nikon equipment they own, to give advice on a wide spectrum of photographic queries and problems, and at the same time to offer ideas to bring about an increase in photographic skills.

For more information, please contact:

Gillian Greenwood
Features Editor and Events & Training Coordinator
Nikon Owner magazine
40 Churton Street
London
SW1V 2LP

+44 (0)20 7828 8971
gillian.greenwood@nikonownermagazine.com
http://www.nikonownermagazine.com

Nikon Owner Magazine Gives Away Free Ticket to Heather Angel Workshop on Twitter