QotW What is your favorite camera store?

B&H Photo in New York.

Their super store in Manhattan is amazing, but I was buying from them when all they had was the hole in the wall downtown. A lot of New York camera stores developed sleazy reputations, but not B&H.

They carry an amazing variety of stuff and I usually find it quicker to look up Nikon specs on the B&H site than on Nikon's own site. Since I live one state away from B&H, a lot of shipments reach me by the next day and their Payboo credit card saves me the sales tax.

The few things I've had to return (usually for my mistakes) were handled quickly with no hassle at all.

I ordered a Nikon Z8 from them and learned several hours later that Nikon had a special deal going where if you traded in another Nikon, they'd give you a few hundred dollars above the price of the trade-in. Well, I assumed I was going to have to cancel the order and order it again. But it had already been shipped (they're very efficient at B&H). So I figured I would have to wait for it to show up, return it and order again. But I called customer service and the rep said, "No problem." He passed me over to the used department who gave me a quote on the trade-in and then passed me back to the customer service rep. He did a "virtual return" of the camera that was on its way to me and sold it to me again at the new price. Can you ask for more than that?

Yup ... Love B&H! I use to order from them when I lived in Germany decades ago. Funny because when I use to talk them on the Phone, I thought they were like Puerto Rican. Imagine my surprise when I finally made it to the Cathedral of Camera, and discovered it was hasidic Jews that ran it! But also odd, a bunch of them van pool in from Pennsylvania, ie. not Brooklyn.

When I was shopping for a replacement WIDELUX, B&H let me return Twice, before I found one that had even exposure.

Now with their PayBoo credit card, one saves on the sales tax ... a considerable savings with expensive cameras!

Guy Parsons said:

Jack Simpson said:

Guy Parsons said:

makofoto2 said:

This is going to be a big job for someone to compile! Seems like a Polls would have been better ...

Amazon > BH Photo > Samy's Camera

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The OP question might have made sense if restricted to USA responses only, but the DPR has long had a strong international involvement so naturally we end up with answers about stores and suppliers from all over the world.

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You should have, Guy, used continents ie: Oceania, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Antarctica

Jack

Guy Parsons said:

For me as an Aussie the USA/UK/Euro/etc options are of no interest whatsoever, so it will be difficult to make a sensible summary of the answers provided that will satisfy all viewers.

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For me it is Australia first, the rest of the world is elsewhere.

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Touche, mate .. for me, tis Canada ;-)

Jack

Guy Parsons said:

makofoto2 said:

This is going to be a big job for someone to compile! Seems like a Polls would have been better ...

Amazon > BH Photo > Samy's Camera

Click to expand...

The OP question might have made sense if restricted to USA responses only, but the DPR has long had a strong international involvement so naturally we end up with answers about stores and suppliers from all over the world.

For me as an Aussie the USA/UK/Euro/etc options are of no interest whatsoever, so it will be difficult to make a sensible summary of the answers provided that will satisfy all viewers.

Click to expand...

In fairness, there's significantly more people in the USA, UK and Europe, than in Australia. There's probably more Australians in the USA, UK and Europe than in Australia! :-D So for quite a few of us, even camera shops in other regions/countries are of interest to us, as there's a chance we may get to use them. I myself got to experience B+H in NYC earlier this year, for example. And when abroad, I sometimes need to visit a camera shop, so this thread is pertinent to my interests.




We're not hearing about Far Eastern shops, as this is an English language site. I'm sure if you visited Cantonese, Japanese, Malaysian etc sites, you'd get very different responses. Personally. I'd love to travel to Japan and China, hopefully will some day, so I'd be excited about visiting those shops in that district of Tokyo for example. Isn't there a huge one that makes B+H look tiny?

Hal Wilson said:

Guy Parsons said:

makofoto2 said:

This is going to be a big job for someone to compile! Seems like a Polls would have been better ...

Amazon > BH Photo > Samy's Camera

Click to expand...

The OP question might have made sense if restricted to USA responses only, but the DPR has long had a strong international involvement so naturally we end up with answers about stores and suppliers from all over the world.

For me as an Aussie the USA/UK/Euro/etc options are of no interest whatsoever, so it will be difficult to make a sensible summary of the answers provided that will satisfy all viewers.

Click to expand...

In fairness, there's significantly more people in the USA, UK and Europe, than in Australia. There's probably more Australians in the USA, UK and Europe than in Australia! :-D So for quite a few of us, even camera shops in other regions/countries are of interest to us, as there's a chance we may get to use them. I myself got to experience B+H in NYC earlier this year, for example. And when abroad, I sometimes need to visit a camera shop, so this thread is pertinent to my interests.

We're not hearing about Far Eastern shops, as this is an English language site. I'm sure if you visited Cantonese, Japanese, Malaysian etc sites, you'd get very different responses. Personally. I'd love to travel to Japan and China, hopefully will some day, so I'd be excited about visiting those shops in that district of Tokyo for example. Isn't there a huge one that makes B+H look tiny?

Click to expand...

My interest in camera shops is mostly SE Asia, specifically Indonesia, Singapore & Malaysia because that's where I live & most often travel to, although I did visit a few in Japan on a few recent trips, both new & second hand, most notably MAP camera which has multiple branches around Japan & some really good second hand shops around Akihabara, Tokyo, whose names escape me at this time.

Anyone going to Singapore, I'd recommend visiting Sim Lim as there are still quite a few camera shops there with good prices.

Hal Wilson said:

Guy Parsons said:

makofoto2 said:

This is going to be a big job for someone to compile! Seems like a Polls would have been better ...

Amazon > BH Photo > Samy's Camera

Click to expand...

The OP question might have made sense if restricted to USA responses only, but the DPR has long had a strong international involvement so naturally we end up with answers about stores and suppliers from all over the world.

For me as an Aussie the USA/UK/Euro/etc options are of no interest whatsoever, so it will be difficult to make a sensible summary of the answers provided that will satisfy all viewers.

Click to expand...

In fairness, there's significantly more people in the USA, UK and Europe, than in Australia. There's probably more Australians in the USA, UK and Europe than in Australia! :-D So for quite a few of us, even camera shops in other regions/countries are of interest to us, as there's a chance we may get to use them. I myself got to experience B+H in NYC earlier this year, for example. And when abroad, I sometimes need to visit a camera shop, so this thread is pertinent to my interests.

We're not hearing about Far Eastern shops, as this is an English language site. I'm sure if you visited Cantonese, Japanese, Malaysian etc sites, you'd get very different responses. Personally. I'd love to travel to Japan and China, hopefully will some day, so I'd be excited about visiting those shops in that district of Tokyo for example. Isn't there a huge one that makes B+H look tiny?

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I would far more interested in what is in Japan than in the USA. There are many shops. Some offer lots of used gear at reasonable prices. If l go there again l will probably visit some. Only been to Japan twice.

Also interested in Bangkok.

I have bought several Lumix cameras at my local camera store. Panasonic no longer allows them to sell Lumix because they need to sell a million dollars of product annually. I believe that is the number told to me by a store employee, but it could be different. So all my subsequent purchases have been at B&H, which carries everything and has excellent customer service. However, DPReview should establish a partnership with them so I could click on a link to Buy Now at B&H, which would support DPReview financially. The only links I see are for Amazon, which puts local camera stores out of business and defeats the purpose of this article.

Hal Wilson said:

Guy Parsons said:

makofoto2 said:

This is going to be a big job for someone to compile! Seems like a Polls would have been better ...

Amazon > BH Photo > Samy's Camera

Click to expand...

The OP question might have made sense if restricted to USA responses only, but the DPR has long had a strong international involvement so naturally we end up with answers about stores and suppliers from all over the world.

For me as an Aussie the USA/UK/Euro/etc options are of no interest whatsoever, so it will be difficult to make a sensible summary of the answers provided that will satisfy all viewers.

Click to expand...

In fairness, there's significantly more people in the USA, UK and Europe, than in Australia. There's probably more Australians in the USA, UK and Europe than in Australia! :-D So for quite a few of us, even camera shops in other regions/countries are of interest to us, as there's a chance we may get to use them. I myself got to experience B+H in NYC earlier this year, for example. And when abroad, I sometimes need to visit a camera shop, so this thread is pertinent to my interests.

Click to expand...

OK, thanks, understood.

Hal Wilson said:

We're not hearing about Far Eastern shops, as this is an English language site. I'm sure if you visited Cantonese, Japanese, Malaysian etc sites, you'd get very different responses. Personally. I'd love to travel to Japan and China, hopefully will some day, so I'd be excited about visiting those shops in that district of Tokyo for example. Isn't there a huge one that makes B+H look tiny?

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The big ones in Japan seem to be Yodobashi and BIC that seem to conveniently pop up near big rail stations. I last visited Japan in 2014 and saw severe shrinkage in those shops compared to previous visits in 2009 and 2011. Such as the Yodobashi Akihabara store was massive in 2009, this floor cameras, next floor tripods, floor after than films and paper another floor lighting, it was huge, now shrunken of course and most of those earlier floors shrunk to one or two floors in most of their stores. I suspect now that I would seek the MAP stores as well as checking Yodobashi and BIC.




Hmmm, BIC seems to "hide" cameras on their web page, they have resorted to pushing other products to keep alive.

In 2009 Yodobashi Akihabara looked like this....


On the film and paper floor.


On the tripod floor

Yodobashi Camera in Japan, has got to be one of the best camera stores in the world. If they don't have what you want, you probably don't need it.

dmanthree said:

Why? It's the only one left near me. Luckily it's a very good store.

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Same for me on both counts. Plus they run workshops.

They also have a once-a-year week-end sales event that brings in manufacturers' reps from all the major brands, who man their own booths, showing you their current models and hinting at what's coming soon (or not). A crowded and fun atmosphere.

I only buy new gear every few years, so going once a year is enough for me.

And they have an online business.

(PS: In Boston suburbs).

NikonD1X2 said:

Yodobashi Camera in Japan, has got to be one of the best camera stores in the world. If they don't have what you want, you probably don't need it.

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That's the one. Apparently it's huge. Must visit one day.

https://www.capturemag.com.au/news/capture-visits-the-world-s-largest-camera-store-yodabashi-camera

Japan also has huge used camera shops too. Those, I would probably find more interesting tbh.

Hal Wilson said:

NikonD1X2 said:

Yodobashi Camera in Japan, has got to be one of the best camera stores in the world. If they don't have what you want, you probably don't need it.

Click to expand...

That's the one. Apparently it's huge. Must visit one day.

https://www.capturemag.com.au/news/capture-visits-the-world-s-largest-camera-store-yodabashi-camera

Japan also has huge used camera shops too. Those, I would probably find more interesting tbh.

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It now sells a lot more than camera gear. I saw one video, there was more about massage than cameras.

fourthirdster said:

I have bought several Lumix cameras at my local camera store. Panasonic no longer allows them to sell Lumix because they need to sell a million dollars of product annually. I believe that is the number told to me by a store employee, but it could be different. So all my subsequent purchases have been at B&H, which carries everything and has excellent customer service. However, DPReview should establish a partnership with them so I could click on a link to Buy Now at B&H, which would support DPReview financially. The only links I see are for Amazon, which puts local camera stores out of business and defeats the purpose of this article.

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Reading this, I got concerned and checked to see if my bricks and mortar stores still carry Lumix-yep, both of them apparently make this cut. Panasonic aren't selling that many cameras, big picture, so it seems kind of arbitrary that they'd cut off a smaller store that could still boost their numbers and more importantly, name recognition, simply for them not selling a million bucks a year in Lumix gear.

RaysJ said:

Hal Wilson said:

NikonD1X2 said:

Yodobashi Camera in Japan, has got to be one of the best camera stores in the world. If they don't have what you want, you probably don't need it.

Click to expand...

That's the one. Apparently it's huge. Must visit one day.

https://www.capturemag.com.au/news/capture-visits-the-world-s-largest-camera-store-yodabashi-camera

Japan also has huge used camera shops too. Those, I would probably find more interesting tbh.

Click to expand...

It now sells a lot more than camera gear. I saw one video, there was more about massage than cameras.

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Due to the massive crash in camera sales their previously major Akiba store now has shrunken their possibly earlier 4 or 5 floors of camera gear to now one floor.

https://www.yodobashi.com/ec/store/list/en and click the floor guide of the store you like and wait for the auto translation of the page.

That seems to be the page to explore the floors of every store but for some reason I cannot access any Yodobashi pages at all right now. OK a FireFox foulup, accessible via Edge.

The Akiba store camera gear now all on the 3rd floor along with a lot of other unrelated stuff.....



Oh the heady days of 2009 and 2011 when I first visited, truly magic store to get lost in, now a feeble version of its old glorious self as far as cameras are concerned.

We now have to pay a duty on used gear ordered from Japan. :-(

fourthirdster said:

I have bought several Lumix cameras at my local camera store. Panasonic no longer allows them to sell Lumix because they need to sell a million dollars of product annually. I believe that is the number told to me by a store employee, but it could be different. So all my subsequent purchases have been at B&H, which carries everything and has excellent customer service. However, DPReview should establish a partnership with them so I could click on a link to Buy Now at B&H, which would support DPReview financially. The only links I see are for Amazon, which puts local camera stores out of business and defeats the purpose of this article.

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A million annually, so that's about $4,000 a day (allowing for days it will be shut), seems a lot of product from one manufacturer... wow...

Mr Bolton said:

fourthirdster said:

I have bought several Lumix cameras at my local camera store. Panasonic no longer allows them to sell Lumix because they need to sell a million dollars of product annually. I believe that is the number told to me by a store employee, but it could be different. So all my subsequent purchases have been at B&H, which carries everything and has excellent customer service. However, DPReview should establish a partnership with them so I could click on a link to Buy Now at B&H, which would support DPReview financially. The only links I see are for Amazon, which puts local camera stores out of business and defeats the purpose of this article.

Click to expand...

Reading this, I got concerned and checked to see if my bricks and mortar stores still carry Lumix-yep, both of them apparently make this cut. Panasonic aren't selling that many cameras, big picture, so it seems kind of arbitrary that they'd cut off a smaller store that could still boost their numbers and more importantly, name recognition, simply for them not selling a million bucks a year in Lumix gear.

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Good point. The camera store they cut off was the only one in my state selling Lumix. It is commonly believed, including by me, that Panasonic has good products but not good marketing, and this is another example of that. Hope they wake up someday.

[No message]

Jon555 said:

fourthirdster said:

I have bought several Lumix cameras at my local camera store. Panasonic no longer allows them to sell Lumix because they need to sell a million dollars of product annually. I believe that is the number told to me by a store employee, but it could be different. So all my subsequent purchases have been at B&H, which carries everything and has excellent customer service. However, DPReview should establish a partnership with them so I could click on a link to Buy Now at B&H, which would support DPReview financially. The only links I see are for Amazon, which puts local camera stores out of business and defeats the purpose of this article.

Click to expand...

A million annually, so that's about $4,000 a day (allowing for days it will be shut), seems a lot of product from one manufacturer... wow...

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That does seem like a lot. But whatever the number Panasonic shouldn't be cutting off the largest camera store in my state and the only one selling their product.

makofoto2 said:

We now have to pay a duty on used gear ordered from Japan. :-(

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No we don't, who's we?