Albert Muro, was great. He helped me very quickly and was very knowledgeable about cameras. If you…read moreever need equipment I would suggest you stop by Samy's first

I've been shopping at Samy's since the early 1990s, and I've stayed a loyal customer all these…read moreyears because of their knowledgeable staff, extensive inventory, and excellent customer service. Very few brick-and-mortar photo stores can match Samy's selection, and being able to hold, test, and compare products in person beats guessing online any day. Scott B recently helped me with an exchange, and the experience was so smooth it inspired me to finally write this review. Samy's is a fantastic business, and I recommend it without hesitation.

They have a huge amount of stuff. However. Buyer beware if you buy something from them online and…read morehave to return it they will not do a RMA shipping label. I bought a Marelux travel case it was junk. Had to ship it back used USPS it was literally the SAME COST to ship it back as it was to buy it. Spent $8000 and had to pay for the return shipping on a $99 item

I was new to underwater photo/video and felt completely overwhelmed at all of the available camera…read moreset ups that are available. I found Bluewater Photo and initially they were very helpful and answered all my questions, eventually helping me put together a full kit (housing, lights, ports, etc.) I was helped by Tommy who offered to set up a zoom call with me once I received my equipment to show me how to put it together and how to take care of it. As soon as I paid for the equipment, it was impossible to get ahold of anyone. I reached out several times to try to set up this promised zoom call and never got a response. I ordered in March 2020, so the equipment sat in boxes until April 2021. When I finally had the opportunity to use it, I discovered that I was sold the wrong focus gear for my lens (which was also sold to me by Bluewater so there's no chance that they didn't know which lens I had) and that there was sand in my housing. I purchased what I was told was a very gently used housing that they had used a few times in house to shoot a couple of demos. When I reached out, they did send me the correct focus gear free of charge and they apologized for the sand in the housing but weren't able to offer any logical explanation as to how this would have happened to begin with. By this point I had already decided I would not do business with them again, but the reason why I am now writing this review after so many months is because the buttons on my housing are not working. They were always tenuous at best, but now most of them do not function at all. I have used this set up maybe ~20 times since April of this year and have been meticulous about cleaning and caring for it in between dives. I believe that Bluewater Photo took advantage of a customer who was new to the industry and sold me poorly maintained equipment because they felt they could get away with it. I cannot recommend Bluewater Photo less. They only want your money - customer service and quality sales are not their priority. Underwater camera equipment is such a massive investment. Don't make the same mistakes that I and others have, and be sure to purchase through a different company.

Friendly service and affordable pricing. Quick and easy. Would recommend. My go to for film…read moredevelopment

One of the worst film photo development experiences I've ever had. Only marginally better than a…read moreWalgreens photo lab capabilities. They clearly did not develop the photos properly as they were left with a red color cast and a severe exposure imbalances. I took the negatives to another lab to have them re scanned, the other lab was able to salvage them a little bit but the damage had already been done! Won't be trusting this place again.

First time trying this and renting a lens, had an amazing experience T. Pham. He was able to work…read morewith me and my needs to make this happen. Very welcoming and amazing customer service. Would highly recommend this place and will definitely be coming here again. -Emanuel

Very bad experience. I ordered a lens online but when they told me that I was outside their…read moredelivery area, I assumed, incorrectly, that they would just cancel the order and refund my money. But instead, I had to argue with the salesman and dispute the charge with my credit card company. I have yet to receive all of my money back. Very poor business practice. After I posted the review above, rather than apologizing and trying to rectify the situation, I received an email from the owner threatening litigation. Despite that I feel the information in my review, is accurate, I have included additional information to support my review. Top Lens Rental stated that they witheld 4% from my refund to cover the cost of the credit card transaction. They advertise that they "are a mail-order rental business which is a mailing/shipping operation" and that the only place they don't ship to is Canada yet they refused to give me a full refund when they wouldn't ship my rental order to Washington.

This is the first report on Authorized Camera Repair (ACR) so it should be written without…read moreprejudice or malice. Let me start by setting the background: After going to Simon's Camera and being told that my fairly new SLR needed to be shipped back to the manufacturer for repair I started looking at other shops because this didn't sound correct. I called ACR and was given a chatty direct explanation of how the system works: Most Camera shops do not do their own repairs - they send them out and mark up their vendor's work. According to the gentlemen at the counter many local stores send cameras to him. So I went to Simon's, got my camera, took it ACR and paid the $10 fee to take a look. Side note: Simon's had tried to charge me $20 just for shipping! After having the camera for only 2 days i called the shop and was told after running extensive tests there was nothing wrong with my camera (works perfect) no extra charge would be assessed - I can only imagine had Simon's serviced my camera it would have been "a major part" at 100 bucks + labor. This store is honest and knows its stuff. Go there if your camera is broken. Having said that (Curb your Enthusiasm reference), the gentlemen working there needs some serious customer service training. It's probably his establishment and he has been tucked away there for years but he is quick tempered and forceful with his verbal transactions often cutting the customer off and speaking to them in an unknowingly condescending way. Which, I guess, sometimes is all find and dandy if you just want it done right. ACR is recommended, bring your thick skin. JG

I'd like to start off saying that the repair shop is not on site and its cash only.The shop is at…read morea seperate location so if you decide not to get your gear repaired you'd have to wait a few days before u can get it back. I thought that detail was important enough to be mentioned first. Anyway, I brought 2 flashes over for repair on Friday(11-13). Tom was about to close shop but he was nice enough to wait for me to bring my gear in. Tom is very pleasant, very chatty. Paid $10 cash for each flash to get his tech to look at it. Great start, was definitely seeing where his high ratings were coming from. He asked me to call him wednesday the following week(11-16). Called wednesday, gave him my ticket number and he said hey, one flash is repairable - $84 - and he'll have his guy take the parts out of the 2nd flash to get it to work. I say thats fine, kindly have his guy put the 2nd flash together so i wont have a bag of flash "parts". I was thinking maybe i can bring the 2nd flash somewhere else and get them to repair it and i dont think anyone will want to repair a "bag of flash parts" . He said it would be double labor , if his guy had to put it back together. In my head im going. $84+$20=$104 and ill end up with one working flash and a "bag of flash parts". I decide to just not get them repaired there so i ask him to just have his guy put the flashes back the way they were, and ill get them repaired elsewhere. He's like ok, but i wont get the flashes back until Friday (11-18). fine. A few minutes later he calls saying hey... I talked to the guy and he says he'll try to put it back together. At this point im already a bit agitated but I give him credit for going the extra mile. I give him the go ahead to just fix the flash and get it over with. He tells me to call Tuesday(11-22) At this point i hop online, buy an SB-600 off craigslist for $150bucks, and get my instant gratification. So. $104 for a repaired flash using parts from my 2nd flash and over 2 weeks of waiting... or $150 of instant gratification ($200-$250 for a brand new one that you get in 3-5 business days). You be the judge. He certainly gets points for being a good businessman, just isn't practical for my particular situation. I'd love to give him a high mark but im just not happy with the all in all experience.Of course, this may be a totally different story if he was repairing a $5000 camera body for a few hundred bucks. UPDATE: March 03, 2012 So the repaired flash stopped working again with the exact same symptoms. Turns out that the fix was a $7 Flash tube replacement from Nikon and about 30mins-1 hour of soldering. His tech who took the flash apart previously also did a bang-up job of putting it back together. he actually melted some mounts trying to get to one end of the flash tube and the rubber bands holding the tube and the wires werent properly guided back cleanly. The tech also apparently "didnt have enough time" to put the 2nd flash together so i found loose parts and screws in it when I took it apart to move the flash tube

Alan Gordon is one of those businesses that I have been going to for decades. Not just at this…read morelocation but in their previous locations as well. This is the place for indie filmmakers to get what they need at reasonable prices. Whether you are buying or renting they really have a good selection. As we all know, the realities of the industry have changed a lot over the past couple of decades. One of the things I like about Alan Gordon Enterprises is that it has really stayed up-to-date with what is going on with technology. This keeps them at the forefront of being able to offer very competitive services to its clients. Things like lights haven't changed that much in recent years. But, even for the subtleties that are needed to light certain scenes, Alan Gordon has the fixtures that can make it happen. Some people complain about rental equipment not always working from this company. For the most part that's not true. But sure, I've had that happen to me a few times as well in the past. But, the reality is, where else are you going to get that camera or that whatever at a reasonable price? And, as a filmmaker this is an occurrence you should be prepared for. This is why it's always important to have a back up for anything that you do not personally own and are sure that's going to work. Overall, Alan Gordon Enterprises is one of the legacy businesses of Hollywood. Keep the tradition alive!

Decent rental house, not my go to place, but it's worth considering it, calling, see if their…read moreequipment fits your production situation. Their prices are lower, very indie friendly. It could work if you are flexible and not very picky. Customer service could be a bit better in my opinion, but Alan Gordon is always an option.

Vince is a photography rockstar! I purchased a session for head shots and I had an absolute blast…read more Vince is not only a pure professional with the best eye, but he is so kind, warm, helpful, and truly wants to give you a joyful experience. I have never had such an easy shoot! Vince opened his beautiful home to me which made me feel very comfortable and at ease. Not only was the location stellar, he suggested a wonderful make-up artist to hire and Yvette was just fantastic! I was also able to quickly see my photos right after the shoot! He works diligently and is honest with which shots suite you best. Vince is a wonderful soul who takes immense pride in his work. It was such a joy to work with him. I would (and will) go back in a heart beat! It is the first time that I have ever had the pleasure of having the good problem of which exquisite photos to use. Thank you, Vince. You are such a talent! I cannot wait to work with you again. :)

WOW!!!!!! I heart Vince... He's the real deal, peeps…read more I scheduled a 1.5-hour shoot with Vince yesterday and met him at his on-location site in Culver City. The outdoor area is beautiful with incredible natural light that Vince took full advantage of... 1.5 hours later, I had 2 burned CD's with 300+ images with 5 different outfit changes (I change fast haha :P ). I was blown away as we were looking at the raw images on Vince's Mac after the shoot. He is insanely talented with a true gift for bringing out the beauty in your core self... I'm normally not too comfortable in front of the camera but Vince made it easy and super fun with creative pose suggestions and helpful hints (i.e. sweet reminders to tuck in my tummy every so often, ha!). Vince has wonderful energy! Light, bright, sweet, fun, creative, and incredibly knowledgable of the art form. I researched him beforehand and saw that he's shot Snoop, Kim K., and a bunch of other celebs and musicians and am honored to have had the incredible opportunity to shoot with him as well. I HIGHLY recommend Vince to anyone interested in learning how to be an extraordinary photographer (he teaches classes and runs seminars on photoshop, shooting, etc.), anyone looking for amazing pictures (headshots, etc.) or video, and to everyone looking to be inspired by creating breathtaking images together. Yay for having flattering and beautiful pictures of myself to show my future kids/grandkids one day! Mommy was once young and cute, heh. Having a boy would be helpful for that but there's no rush on that... But I digress. Thank you so much Vince!! I am in awe and appreciation of your talent. I am so grateful we met and hope to have the chance to shoot together again in the near future.

having read many favorable reviews for Harry Fleenor at Oceanside camera repair I decided to send…read moremy Rolleiflex 2.8 in for repair. Reviews posted, praised Harry for his years of experience as a highly skilled Rolleiflex repair person. Harry answers all email correspondence promptly ALWAYS and gave a thorough and detailed assessment of the scope of repairs needed. everything cited in the repair estimate was repaired. Harry not only repaired what was required to have the camera at optimal (like new ) performance, he returned the camera in an improved cosmetic condition . Reviews said Harry was the best Rolleiflex repair person in the US. I would take those reviews further and say without a doubt ,this is the best Rolleiflex repair person in the World.. my experience is described as "blown away" service exceeded my expectations By a lot Bpic Oregon

A long long time ago quality meant something, precicion was measured in millimeters or less, and…read morethe phrase "good enough" was frowned upon. Like the other reviewer below me stated bluntly, Harry Fleenor is the top rolleiflex repair man in the world. I purchased a 2.8E2 Rolleiflex from him in near mint cosmetic condition. The only problem was the shutter was off, the aperature was sticky, and you could barely focus it. Not to worry, this is where Harry shines like no one else can. Whenever you buy a camera from him he restores it mechanically to the day it left the rolleiflex factory in germany. A few weeks after my purchase I picked up my emaculately restored Rolleiflex from 1949. When rolleiflex germany went out of business Harry had the insight to buy their equipment. Even if you don't buy your camera from him I strongly suggest you send it in for him next time you need an overhaul, because when you get it back it will perform as if it was brand new! You won't find a film camera that will give you a more beutiful focus boquet then an antique rolleiflex. Don't expect a bargain, or a overnight turn around, but expect excellent service and quality that exceeds perfection.