Chris Niccolls Talks Gear, Reviews, and Almost 20 Years of YouTube
The PetaPixel Podcast crew is taking a break this week as they reconvene after weeks of travel, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to listen to. Chris Niccolls sat down with the folks from C.R. Kennedy for a discussion about his early roots at the Camera Store, career choices after DPReview, his current tenure at PetaPixel, and his ongoing journey as a photographer.
For those who might not know the name, C.R. Kennedy is one of Australia’s most prominent technology importers and one of the most important names when it comes to providing access to camera equipment to Australians. Founded in 1934 by Clement Robertson Kennedy, the company began by importing a variety of photographic and optical lines from Germany and Italy.
“Our close and enduring relationship with Pentax began in 1954 when we became the distributors for Asahi Pentax. In fact, we are the first and oldest distributors in the world for Pentax,” the company says
“We have over seventy years of unbroken trading relationships with some of our Japanese trading partners and we are now entering into the third generation with many of our family company suppliers. Since 1934, we have always sought long term partnerships with our suppliers and customers alike, and aim to be the leading supplier in every industry we operate in.”
It is because of this deep relationship with Japanese companies that C.R. Kennedy was instrumental in the opening of the fourth-ever GR Space in Brisbane last week. C.R. Kennedy is the Australian distributor for DJI, Zeiss, Ricoh, Sigma, and Ilford, among many others.
C.R. Kennedy has a strong tie to the photographic community in Australia, which is why Clem Kennedy and Clinton Harn spent about half an hour chatting with Chris about his time in the industry, his experience with camera brands, and how he manages to stay creative after so many years on YouTube. While Chris usually talks about modern trends and news on The PetaPixel Podcast, this week is a great change of pace for those who are curious how his brain works and how he handles reviewing so many different camera systems back to back.
