Calling all Hogs: what is your best/ favorite LOCAL camera store? (Page 19): If my local store were more competitive in price, I might consider it as well, at least for 'relatively'...

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

lukan wrote:

I've learned so much from these responses, thank you! Brick and mortar is NOT DEAD, just evolving. I'll gladly pay the tax to keep my GAS habit intact and locally satisfied. :-D

If my local store were more competitive in price, I might consider it as well, at least for 'relatively' cheap stuff. As I said before in my post, some of the prices are similar and some are way more expensive. I just checked as I was writing this...a Sigma 17-50 f 2.8 for Sony (a lens I may very well seriously consider soon) is $100 more at my local store than it is a B+H and a 50-pack of the same 13x19 paper I got with my printer ($75 somewhere I saw) is $100 at my local store. I would love to support my local camera store, but not at those inflated prices. Even a book I may buy next week is like $10 more than I can get it on E-Bay.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

A shout out for The Camera Shop in downtown Traverse City. A true gem of a store.

lukan Loc: Chicago, IL

planepics wrote:

If my local store were more competitive in price, ... (show quote)

Talk to the owner and point this out to him. Nicely, ask him to match on-line prices, and you'll pay the taxes, enabling him to stay in business and giving you a local place to go. From the sounds of his prices, he is out of line.

lukan Loc: Chicago, IL

Cdouthitt wrote:

A shout out for The Camera Shop in downtown Traverse City. A true gem of a store.

Great to have local access to Olympus! The owner must be a fan... :thumbup:

KAYAKR Loc: Indiana & Florida

lukan wrote:

I have two decent camera stores in Chicago (a metr... (show quote)

Norman's Camera in Kalamazoo, MI

Emp Loc: new york state nassau county

We have Neptune photo and Kohs camera. Both excellent. Nassau County New York. Sadly, most of the others are gone.(Berger Bros and Cameta Camera I have heard are good but never used them!!)

Emp Loc: new york state nassau county

We have Neptune photo and Kohs camera. Both excellent. Nassau County New York. Sadly, most of the others are gone.(Berger Bros and Cameta Camera I have heard are good but never used them!!)

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

lukan wrote:

Great to have local access to Olympus! The owner must be a fan... :thumbup:

It's quite handy, although they can be a bit slow in getting new products...My issue is that I'm impatient and usually order from the net.

The owner, last time I spoke to him was an Olympus user (EM5). They also sell Fuji, Nikon, Canon, and Panasonic...along with the full array of lenses for each. Like I said, a true gem.

lukan Loc: Chicago, IL

Cdouthitt wrote:

It's quite handy, although they can be a bit slow in getting new products...My issue is that I'm impatient and usually order from the net.

The owner, last time I spoke to him was an Olympus user (EM5). They also sell Fuji, Nikon, Canon, and Panasonic...along with the full array of lenses for each. Like I said, a true gem.

That's quite unique since the full array of lenses is what will eventually cost all the dough. And you have there some wonderful brands from which to choose. If I were him though, I'd trade off the Panasonic and get Sony, with Zeiss glass. I see the Panasonic fit, but the Sony-Zeiss connection would be extraordinary. You're very lucky to this store by you.

PVR8 Loc: Raleigh, NC

There are two excellent camera stores here in Raleigh, NC., Peace camera and southeastern Camera. Both stores are only fifteen minute drives from home for me and they carry extensive assotments of camera supplies as well as new and used cameras and photography equipment. I especially like going to Peace camera in raleigh because they are extremely helpful and will even clean your camera's sensor for free. I take a lot of out of town visitors to Peace Camera and they all love it. I have also gotten a couple of very good deals on used cameras and accessories at Peace camera and at Southeastern camera also. I tjhink it's worth spending a littlle more to support the brick and morta camera shops that still exists. The individualized attention that you receive in these camera shops is priceless.

lukan wrote:

I have two decent camera stores in Chicago (a metr... (show quote)

PVR8 Loc: Raleigh, NC

Also, Peace Camera, Raleigh, NC

Serious neophyte wrote:

Southeastern camera, Raleigh, NC

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

lukan wrote:

Talk to the owner and point this out to him. Nicely, ask him to match on-line prices, and you'll pay the taxes, enabling him to stay in business and giving you a local place to go. From the sounds of his prices, he is out of line.

I got the book a couple days ago...they matched Barnes and Noble (about a mile away) so at least I saved some money, but I just looked as I was writing this...the paperback version is $16.86 and the Nook version is $19.99, which is the price they matched...why in the world would an electronic version be more expensive than a physical version?????

greglynch Loc: Lakewood, CO

In the Denver area, Denver Pro Photo is still thriving. I haven't purchased cameras or lenses there (not sure what they carry) but I've purchased lighting equipment, a couple of softboxes and stands, a Sekonic L358 light meter, some rolls of backdrop paper, and a couple of bags. They are a fairly large brick and mortar shop - oh, and they have a professional quality lab as well. Not many of those around. It's an interesting place to just go browsing.

amehta Loc: Boston

planepics wrote:

I got the book a couple days ago...they matched Barnes and Noble (about a mile away) so at least I saved some money, but I just looked as I was writing this...the paperback version is $16.86 and the Nook version is $19.99, which is the price they matched...why in the world would an electronic version be more expensive than a physical version?????

The paperback version could be taking up space that they need for other books which are moving faster, so they want to unload it. There is no similar "opportunity cost" for the electronic version.

jbigelow Loc: Plattsburgh, NY

Green Mountain Camera, two locations. One is in South Burlington, VT, the other in Waterbury Center, VT. Nothing else that could even be remotely classified as a "camera store" within several hundred miles.