I went in to Bernies to see what was wrong with my camera. I went to use my Nikon digital camera and for whatever reason the shutter was locked. I brought it to Bernies to get an estimate to fix. The estimate cost around $20. It took a few days and they reached out to me and told me it needed a shutter cage and it was about $300 to fix. WOW that is a lot especially when you can buy a used one on Ebay for $100. I told them I was not interested in fixing and went and picked up camera. The gentleman I felt with was friendly and nice and helpful. Although I did not fix camera the cost to get an estimate was a lot less than other camera places in area. If you are in the market for a new or used camera they seem to have a pretty good selection. read more

Bruce is awesome and so knowledgeable about not only cameras, but the history of photography as a whole. We got a digital Canon camera off Ebay and Bruce helped us fix it up. I can't believe the 1 star reviews even if I tried. Nothing but a welcoming experience. Me & my camera feel well taken care of! Excited to take a photography class that they offer. Once you know the history of this place, you can't say one negative thing about them. read more

The list of reasons to avoid this operation is long and varied. Having worked with them professionally (under duress), taught me that this is a place you go *only* if you have no other options available - which in today's market is no longer the case - thankfully. From deceptive business practices to plain old shoddy work, Bernie's took us down so many shady lanes and pulled so many underhanded antics that knowing I never have to go through the doors of that establishment ever again brings a sigh of relief. read more

I wouldn't recommend this shop to anyone. Their prices are the highest I've ever seen anywhere else. You're better off getting your gear from B&H Or even Amazon! read more

My little sister came to visit from Chicago and she is experimenting with photography and wanted a quality lens. Someone recommended Bernie's . Bruce the owner was so patient and informative. We did the tour in the Photo museum and truly enjoyed it. My God we felt as if we went back in time. Bruce was a great guide and the museum had everything you could imagine in it. One of the last of its kind as a matter of fact. We loved it and recommend visiting the museum. read more

Awful. Do not get your film developed here. They do the work offsite, you wait over a month to get one roll back just to get a lackluster product and overcharge you for it. Be warned, your expensive roll of film will look like you had it developed at Walgreens. Rated a one star only because zero is not an option :/ read more

I have had excellent experiences at Bernie's. Each time I have been helped by Bruce, the son of the original owner from 1958 (Bernie). Bruce has been consistently helpful, patient and kind in answering my many questions and is a well of knowledge in this niche sector. I am surprised by other reviews that are so put off by their service experience. It is worth every penny to me to be able to buy film cameras/supplies in person from someone I can trust and ask questions vs. taking a gamble buying something random online, hoping there are no issues. read more

I needed my film camera fixed and two rolls developed. The quote I was given for the camera was $250 as they wanted to take it apart and put it back together fixing everything, but I just wanted to get it working. Regarding the rolls I asked to have the pictures given to me in a CD or email. One of the rolls they gave me the pictures printed and on a CD, the other roll only printed. One roll took a month and a half to develop, the other 2 months. Each cost me $25, which in my experience is expensive. read more

I bought my first DSLR camera here and they gave me a hell of a good deal, so they can come in handy for local good deals on camera equipment. The store hardly has anything there though. I wanted an LCD adjustable light for video/photo and all they had was a tiny LCD and a huge ring light set up. They should have all available gear in order to compete with the big guys online. I think that Joe is pretty helpful sometimes, but he can say some weird things like, you should use a ND filter for everything. read more

These guys are jerks. I've had to deal with them for my workplace on multiple occasions, and every single time the guy is a prick. Called yesterday and before I could finish my damn sentence "Hi, I wanted to follow up on an order..." "Well what is it? (Laughter) Film, camera, ect. what?" Time before that I was picking up a "gift certificate" for a coworker, I paused when I tried to recall the coworkers last name (his first name is pretty unique) guy behind the counter scoffed at me and said "What you don't know the guys last name? Kind of pointless." These guys are pricks everytime. Don't give them your money. read more

I highly recommend Bernie's, Bruce is extremely knowledgeable and helped me get into film photography which is something I had really wanted to do for a very long time. One thing is that everything is overpriced to some degree. I think their film and developing is a really good deal but there cameras and service is marked up quite a bit but due to good reasons in my option. I took my camera in to get serviced it was a very easy fix I could do myself if I was more knowledgeable and trusted myself but it was an expensive rare camera and wanted a professional to fix it. The fix was high price but you are paying not only for the repair but the quality of the technician. So while at the end of the day even though Bernie's is a little pricey you are paying for a local family owned business, quality, paying for years of knowledge, etc... read more

I took my camera in to get looked at, and the gentleman working was kind. I showed him the small plastic piece that was in need of repair, and he said he would look at it and give me a call the next day. I paid a $20 deposit for this diagnosis, which he determined would be a two day job, costing $700. That seemed astronomical to me, but he said it was because he would need to take the whole camera apart. After some frustration, I decided to look into it myself. After about 10 minutes Googling, I found a pdf that showed how to take apart my camera. It seemed that only two pieces would need to be removed to get to the piece that needed replaced. I ordered the tool necessary to take those pieces off ($12) and the replacement piece from eBay ($7) and decided I would try it myself. It took me 15 minutes to fix myself. So one of two things happened: this place saw that I had an expensive camera and was trying to take advantage of me, or they don't know what they are doing and truly thought they would have to take the whole camera apart. Either way, not a place I will trust to take my gear in the future. read more

Unfortunately, I was not all that impressed with Bernie's. It's a shame it's the only real photography store in the city, but they could definitley do better. As part of a black and white photography class, I needed to pick up film and photo paper, among a few other things. While Bernie's had everything I needed (and lots of other supplies) I didn't feel all that appreciated for coming in. I spent a couple hundred bucks and felt like I was being shuffled out the door as quickly as possible. I will give the one guy at the counter some credit because a woman right before me asked to get a roll or two of film developed in just barely an hour. I could tell he wanted to get to it quickly, but still felt like I was hassling the guy just being there. I hate to see real camera stores shut down, but unless I'm in a pinch I'm probably going to order supplies online from now on. read more

Bernie's Photo Center is one of the few locations in Pittsburgh you'll find that deals with Canon's DSLR compatible equipment. It's has the appearance of a hole-in-the-wall shop on the outside and the selection of serious photographer lenses and items could be better. The layout of the store is rather mismanaged. The employee working was friendly and made recommendations, allowed me to try out a camera bag, and test a lens. There were several other customers in the store and he did his best to provide attention to everyone, however more employees would have been appropriate to shorten the wait time. read more

I had a totally mixed experience with Bernie's, which may explain the other reviews. I have a DSLR that I got from my father - it had never been cleaned or adjusted. It had been having some trouble with the battery, so I took it to the only place in Pittsburgh (apparently) that will help with this. A dark-haired guy greeted me as I walked in and treated me like a total noob, and his demeanor made me feel like the dirt under his shoes. However, he did give me good information and service about my camera when prompted by another man in the shop (who I might assume is Bernie). They told me they could send it to the manufacturer where they'd clean it for a couple hundred bucks, but instead they cleaned out the sensors and the lens right there at the counter and checked the contacts between the lens and the camera. The dark-haired guy showed me through a magnifying glass what I was looking at, and explained that some spots I saw in the viewfinder were inside the top of the camera and wouldn't appear on the pictures. The other guy (Bernie?) explained to me some of the functions of the camera -- I knew these already, but it was nice to hear them explained and he showed me a few examples. They advised me to get a UV filter to protect my lens, which I knew was overpriced but I happily bought anyway to pay for their service. So I think the kind of experience you get depends entirely on the person you run into. I can see how someone would be put off by the dark haired guy I ran into first, and how someone would absolutely love the service from the other guy. All in all I'm pleased with my encounter with this shop, but I probably won't buy anything from there considering how overpriced it was -- however, if something goes wrong or I need any service, I'll definitely go back. read more

Went in to buy a cold shoe adapter in a pinch on my way to a shoot. He charged me $20 for the same exact item that sells for $6.29 at B&H. I bought it without thinking, as I was stressing on the way to a gig, but was furious when I thought about it in the car. Unfortunately, this is the only game in town. Makes me glad I live in New York City. You would think a store in a dying industry would thrive to provide better customer service, pretty much the only reason why I would go to a small store rather than a big one. They don't even offer that. read more

I called to ask about pricing of photo developing. The person on the phone literally laughed at my questions. Not sure what kind of customer service that is but surely not the kind I want to interact with. I work in customer service and have heard some pretty dumb questions but never have I ever laughed at any of them. And I know full well that I wasn't asking anything idiotic... I unfortunately do not recommend. read more

On the road and stopped here because it looked promising. The man sold me a charger that does not work for my camera, after reassuring me that it would. It's nice that they sell film here, but I wouldn't come for camera chargers. read more

Service and products are lackluster. I don't regularly shoot digital, so I need a 'real' camera shop to either process or send out my film rolls for negatives. But to be fair, I may as well go to Filmmakers and use their darkroom to process the film myself. First of all, they do not have their own darkroom at Bernie's, and therefore have to send it out and it takes sometimes over a week. Secondly, I've stressed to them in the past that I wanted negative scans and not prints. But 9/10 they give me prints anyway. If you shoot with a Sony, Panasonic, Leica, etc, they are more than likely not to carry any accessories for it. They have mostly Canon and Nikon accessories; most of their lenses are used and rather pricey compared to others. Pros: variety of lenses (for a price), lots of film stock types to choose from, certain specialty accessories or gear not found anywhere else in the city. Overall, not a great choice. I was once a frequent customer and now I curse this establishment. For the only 'real' camera shop around, they're 'really' disappointing. read more

A nice family run camera store. The employees are very very knowledgeable and have helped me countless times. I love this store!

I was little hesitant to go to bernies after reading some of the reviews I thought I was going to be entering camera snobbery being just a novice at what I am doing. I suprised to find them extermly helpful and encouraged me to learn more about my new hobby. I walk out with a great new strap and will go back for my next lens. read more

I'm a professional photographer, lived in Pittsburgh for 6 years. Its such a shame there isn't a single good camera store in Pittsburgh. The people here seem to not know much about cameras and they sell equipment it seems like that's a holdover from the 80's. They have nothing in stock, other than some crap cheap digital cameras. You go to any other city and there are amazing camera stores. I have to drive all the way to Youngstown to YM Camera for actual in stock products and helpful service. Hell, you go to Buffalo, and even they have a decent camera store and that town is a crap hole. Why the eff doesn't Pittsburgh have a good camera store!??!?!?! It's so frustrating. Maybe if you're not a professional you can get stuff here but even then, they still have hardly anything in stock. Also, the store is a disaster zone; like a Toys R Us when they were in business, which is part of the reason why they are now out of business. On a sidenote and not really the stores fault, you'll get panhandled the second you walk outside. read more

I like to support local business when I can with my purchase habits, and I had run out of film and was in the area, so I decided to pop in to Bernie's! I've usually had okay experiences here buying film, but this time around I have a sour taste in my mouth. The person who sold me film didn't tell me that the film I was buying was expired - it's okay to sell expired B&W (especially only a month expired) but that is something you have to be up front about. Having to find that out after the fact, no matter the severity of the issue, is bad business practice. read more

I gave them a film to develop back in May. They gave me a nice receipt. One week later I call, not ready. The following week, they would call me back. Four months later, they still have no idea what they did with the film. Other than losing your stuff, they seem like nice guys. read more

I was delightfully surprised with the place and service after reading some of the reviews that were less than complementary. I had an old Canon SLR camera made in occupied Japan that I wanted to get in condition to sell. The sales person was very helpful and professional. He checked it out, showed me an issue with the lens, checked a few reference books plus eBay for the approximate value of the camera and advised that the cost of reconditioning the lens would be about the same as the sales value of the lens and body together. He did not offer to buy it and suggested offering it for sale on-line in its present condition. He probably spent 20 minutes with me. I could not of asked for better service read more

Just stopped in to see about selling my Canon Rebel T3 to buy a 60D (that they don't have in stock because it's "old"). I was offered $50 for my T3, that is currently being sold online for over $300. I asked why such a low price and was told that since it was an older model it wasn't worth as much. Needless to say, I walked out with my T3. Sucks that this is the ONLY camera shop in Pittsburgh. read more

Going to this shop is like going to the home of your eccentric Uncle Bernie the hoarder. It's a huge mess, absolutely piled with stuff--from new to used to antique to total junk. You think somewhere in the unorganized piles and piles of stuff they might have the thing you want. If you ask for help, the first employee will say he cannot help you, and he'll call for someone else. It might be Uncle Bernie himself who then comes out to "help" you. But Uncle Bernie looks totally puzzled when you describe the perfectly common item you are seeking (in my case today, a tripod side arm). He'll rummage around in the piles of junk and pull out some piece of junk that's not remotely what you want. When you say, "No, that's not it," some further rummaging will result in some other piece of junk being pulled out, which will also not be remotely what you want. When you point out "No, that's not it either," Uncle Bernie will give up and disappear into the back of the shop, muttering a "sorry" which is not least heartfelt but is instead dripping with contempt. You'll think: Sorry I wasted your time Uncle Bernie. Turns out Uncle bernie is not the lovable variety of eccentric I will add that I have visited this store off and on for well over 30 years. It was never a good place, service and selection were always, at best, mediocre. More regularly, service was downright rude, the selection a joke. And now it is the only camera store in Pittsburgh. I suppose one admires their longevity, but they obviously do not have the slightest interest in selling products. I always advocate buy local. But, in this case, if you live in Pittsburgh, do yourself a favor: shop online. Don't waste your time coming to this dump. If you are visiting Pittsburgh from elsewhere, bring all your gear because you won't get it here. read more

Alright so I feel like I am in Bernie's like everyday, because I recently got a Pentax 35mm camera for free. So I usually go in there for film, and if I'm out and planning to shoot that day, Bernie's is great. They have a good selection of film, and they are friendly and they seem knowledgeable. However, the price of film at Bernie's is pretty high. I bought some Ilford XP-2 Super 400 film and they were like 9 dollars each which is roughly $3.50 more than on B&H. In total, I like the store, but I don't like the price. read more

After getting in a tight spot (clients changing plans on me), I was in an emergency need for a large backdrop and was worried about getting one in time. After a quick search, I came across Bernie's, a sadly dying breed of actual photography stores. I was worried that the selection wouldn't be adequate, but when I got there, my concerns were put to rest. Not only did they have exactly what I was looking for (and much more), but it was also competitively priced. After solving my immediate problem, a salesman Joe came up to me and asked if I needed any further assistance. I happened to also be in the market for a few more items and was able to intelligently discuss the products. Why? Because Joe, like the other salespeople, is not just a salesman, but also a photographer. I noticed another customer who was new to photography was receiving quality advise from an exceedingly patient salesman, showing that they are not elitist but inviting about photography. They know their stuff and are very helpful. The best part about a store like Bernie's is that potential buyers of usually expensive equipment can actually get a look at and feel for products before they buy them. You just can't match that type of experience online and I am proud to support their business. read more

despite all the reviews, I was attended well, very helpful gentlemen and they new what they were talking about, heck they even pointed me in the right direction to get a job (I just moved to Pittsburgh) all in all, 4 solid stars read more

I developed my 120 film here the other day, and they charged me an extra 4 dollars a roll for no reason. On the website they say $8 but they charged me $12. The owner is very pretentious and rude. When I told him that it says 8 dollars online he didn't care at all. When I dropped my film off the high school kid didn't even tell me the price because "it is too much for me to calculate" Also, the photo equipment, darkroom equipment and film are way over priced. I am never going back to this place. I strongly urge everyone to never enter or deal with Bernie's Photo. Rather, use the websites of companies like B&H, Adorama, or Calumet. The have MUCH better customer service and better prices. Very disappointed that this is the only photo store in the city. read more

Up-charges most of their products that you can find on B&H for way less money. Sales person treated me like I was a very inexperienced. Not a bad place if you're in need of camera gear without a moments notice, but overall definitely order offline. read more

After driving 30 minutes to get to Bernie's Photo to get an estimate on fixing a plastic button that holds the batteries and SIM card in I was told it would cost $20.00 for the estimate. Little did I know that the estimate was not going to be done right then and there but sent to Nikon in NY. I waited two weeks for Bernies to get back to me - cost was going to be $77.95 minus the $20.00 I already gave them. I reluctantly told them to just go ahead and fix it because I didn't want to have to learn and shop for a new model. Another 3 1/2 weeks goes by and nothing. I put pressure on Bernies and they call Nikon. Two days later I get a call the camera is there. They state, "good news" they replaced your camera! Granted it was a newer model, but if I wanted a newer model, I would have just went out a bought a newer model AND it was a refurbished one on top of it! Keep in mind this was a $100 camera we're talking about here! After talking to Nikon, I realize this was probably done as a 'good will jesture' to the shop because Nikon was waiting on the part for so long. BUT Bernie's Photo still is charging me the full amount for a used camera that was not mine to begin with! So Bernie - keep the camera. I'll go and buy a new one that comes with a warranty for that amount. Very poor business tactics! Never again! Save yourself the aggravation - do business somewhere else. read more

Very disappointed. We were in town from San Francisco and needed some Tri X 120 film. went to Bernie's. They did indeed have it, but charged us almost 2x the value. The film goes for 24.95 on the B and H website and Bernie's charged us 47.00 a box. I thought it sounded high and asked the clerk... his reply was that Kodak recently announce they are discontinuing Tri-x and this is the price. So, based on this information I bought 4 boxes. I checked when I got back to the hotel and realized I was over charged and the film is not discontinued. I am all about supporting local, but not about being ripped off. be careful!!! read more

I went to Bernie's specifically for a lesson - and Joe was my teacher. I'm a life-long recreational photographer but now also called into action for work-related activities and events. So I needed to up my photo game. Joe was the perfect teacher. He was familiar with my camera and showed me options that I didn't know existed. As importantly, while walking around the Ohio Street area, he gave me simple tips that can make the difference between a ho-hum and a great photo. Perhaps most of all, I appreciated that Joe was respectful of my skill level and explained technical issues in ways that I could understand and apply. I definitely recommend him and the store as a great resource for this kind of education. read more

I have a friend who bought a very specific flash for a Polaroid 360 from Bruce at Bernie's. Such a rare flash that no one is willing to split up the camera and flash to sell me a flash on its own. But of course, Bernie's had 10 of them. I cannot even begin to tell you how above and beyond they went to make sure I was satisfied with this (small and inexpensive) purchase. When my friend arrived here in Atlanta with the flash he bought there, it did not work. So I contacted Bruce and he asked me to ship it back and he would get it working. Well, for this small purchase, he replaced the nickel-cad battery (specially ordered), replaced most of the innards, tested it on my camera, switched out the charger and shipped it back to me. At no cost. I know for a fact that they made no money on me. But in this process, Bruce created a customer for life. I am in their debt. Don't walk. Run to Bernie's. I can't wait to go back to visit Pittsburgh again so I can walk in myself and meet Bruce and see the amazing selection they have first hand. This is customer service, extrordinare! read more

my review is about their digital printing. I tried my 8x10s at walgreens, target, and fed ex before trying bernie's. I ordered 3 8x10s but received 3 7.5x7.5 photos on 8x10 paper, and was not told beforehand that this would be the case, so the photos do not even fill my picture frames. the photo paper was not glossy, and they were packaged with nothing separating them, with the printed sides facing each other so one was scuffed. For a professional shop I would think this would at least be common sense. I was also told 2 different prices before and after pickup. They honored the original price, but apparently the chart system they have on their website which you can find here: http://photoprocess.com/digital-prints/2255552 is false advertising. It is $16 for one 8x10 but $13 a piece if you get 3-5 photos, HOWEVER (and the chart does not say this and also I was not told this when ordering), to get the discount it has to be multiple copies of the SAME print. So if I want to do an order of 10 prints I have to pay $16 per print just because they're different pictures. I do not mind paying more for high quality but my photos were not much better than walgreens, let alone worth 10 more dollars a piece! I was not able to get the sharpness and richness of colors I needed, and paid $41 for 3 7.5x7.5 photos which were packaged as if they were taken on a cheap disposable camera. Very much overpriced for a low quality product. read more