Andreas Jahn <Andreas.J...@ruhr-uni-bochum.de> wrote: >Hi, >I'm on vacation next month. I plan a trip to California. >Does somebody know several good foto dealers in Los Angeles and San >Francisco?
>BR > Andreas (from good-old-Germany :-))
In San Francisco you can go to the Calumet store on Bryant near 20th. It's probably the most complete place in SF. Their opening may have wiped out Photographer's Supply (also on Bryant, near 3rd) which used to have a lot more retail but still has a decent store and a lot of rental gear. There is also Adolph Gasser's (2nd near Mission) which I personally do not patronize unless absolutely necessary due to somewhat lacking customer service. You can probably fit all three of these on one Yahoo map.
Down in Palo Alto is Keeble and Shuchat which is a great store if you're over that way. --- David Meiland Oakland, CA
<Andreas.J...@ruhr-uni-bochum.de> wrote: >Hi, >I'm on vacation next month. I plan a trip to California. >Does somebody know several good foto dealers in Los Angeles and San >Francisco?
remove.da...@meiland.com (David Meiland) writes: >In San Francisco you can go to the Calumet store on Bryant near 20th. >It's probably the most complete place in SF.
Unless it's changed recently, the Calumet shop *I* went to in SF sold mostly studio gear. They really weren't much of a general-purpose camera store, particularly if you were interested in buying an actual camera (except for Zone VI). Nice place to pick up a softbox, though.
> >Hi, > >I'm on vacation next month. I plan a trip to California. > >Does somebody know several good foto dealers in Los Angeles and San > >Francisco?
J Greely <jgre...@corp.webtv.net> wrote: >remove.da...@meiland.com (David Meiland) writes: >>In San Francisco you can go to the Calumet store on Bryant near 20th. >>It's probably the most complete place in SF.
>Unless it's changed recently, the Calumet shop *I* went to in SF sold >mostly studio gear. They really weren't much of a general-purpose >camera store, particularly if you were interested in buying an actual >camera (except for Zone VI). Nice place to pick up a softbox, though.
>-j
Hmm, the one *I* went to yesterday had all sorts of new and many used cameras, all sorts of accessories, film and books, darkroom stuff, etc. etc. They have rentals and a rental studio. I did not notice a film changing room, which is handy for someone without one at home. What's missing, and where's better in SF? --- David Meiland Oakland, CA
In article <ynvk83so5oj....@corp.webtv.net>, J Greely <jgre...@corp.webtv.net> wrote:
>remove.da...@meiland.com (David Meiland) writes: >>In San Francisco you can go to the Calumet store on Bryant near 20th. >>It's probably the most complete place in SF.
>Unless it's changed recently, the Calumet shop *I* went to in SF sold >mostly studio gear. They really weren't much of a general-purpose >camera store, particularly if you were interested in buying an actual >camera (except for Zone VI). Nice place to pick up a softbox, though.
Hmmmm. The Calumet I've been visiting regularly on Bryant since it opened a few years ago has a lot of camera gear (along with the studio and darkroom gear, etc., of course). I've bought an awful lot of my camera gear there, in all formats....
>> >Hi, >> >I'm on vacation next month. I plan a trip to California. >> >Does somebody know several good foto dealers in Los Angeles and San >> >Francisco?
>> >BR >> > Andreas (from good-old-Germany :-))
In L.A. there is Bel Air, as previously mentioned, but here is their web site. http://www.belaircamera.com/ The web site is rather crude and basic with some items not even having any prices but at least you got more than just a name.
They also have rental gear and the last time I visited they had alot of stuff on hand. I don't remember their prices but considering their expensive location I highly doubt the prices will be the cheapest.
Funny you are coming to California and I am in California wanting to go back to Germany. Lived there for a few years while in the American Air Force and really miss it. Have fun on your visit. By the way is this your first time visiting America or California?
in Westwood (L.A.) is Bel Air Camera... talk to Rudy (salesman) who is incredibly knowledgeable and/or Tony (manager) -- Doris at the film counter is also a gem.... some of the nicest people in the business.
Andreas Jahn wrote: > Hi, > I'm on vacation next month. I plan a trip to California. > Does somebody know several good foto dealers in Los Angeles and San > Francisco?
remove.da...@meiland.com (David Meiland) writes: >Hmm, the one *I* went to yesterday had all sorts of new and many used >cameras,
The last time I was there, they had one small display area devoted to a fairly narrow selection of new and used cameras. Gasser's and K&S had much more variety and quantity.
Andreas Jahn - hello i have lived in san francisco for over 30 years and have pretty much given up on the dealers here. be prepared to deal with pirates and lying thieves, rude and arrogant attitude, high prices and 8.5% sales tax. no joke. i won't mention any names except to say that the one exception might be Pro Photo, at least they said they had a camera i want at a competitive price on the phone last week. except for a few rolls of film the other stores have been a disappointment more times then i care to remember. check bhphotovideo.com to compare before you buy, they can deliver anywhere in california in 24 hours. ~gilbert
> Andreas Jahn - hello > i have lived in san francisco for over 30 years and have pretty much > given up on the dealers here.
Calumet down on Bryant St is the only safe bet for me in San Francisco. Gasser can be expensive.
The absolute worse San Framcisco camera store is Discount Camera Store near Kearny and Market. They are a remnant of the old school camera stores that have such high mark ups. For example, they sell the Russian made Horizon 202 panoramic camera for almost $800, while the rest of the dealers in the country sell them for only $275-$350. They are located in downtown, so they probably do a lot of business with the tourist walking traffic.
I lived in San Francisco for 2 years and was disappointed by their photography stores, with the exception of Calumet.
