Why is it so hard to find a real camera store?

[HeatherFeather]

I got a very nice Canon T2i for Mother's Day with the kit lens and an additional zoom lens. I would like to look at and handle a wide angle or fish eye lens. I live in Tampa, which is not a small town, but I am having a terrible time finding a camera store. When I search, I wind up with Best Buy and Ritz, neither of which is what I need. It looks like there are some stores in Orlando. Anyone have any ideas? Or anyone been to any of the stores in Orlando? Thanks in advance for any help.

[ukcatfan]

The Internet killed real camera stores. I would avoid most Orlando shops. They are almost all tourist traps that do a lot of bait and switch activities. They also push a lot of unnecessary things like filters, batteries, etc. If you play hardball with them, the item suddenly is not in stock. There might be some honest shops there, but I would think you are going to have to get closer to downtown.

[MarkBarbieri]

I agree. We used to have several good camera stores in the greater Houston area. Houston is the 4th largest city in the US and it now has one "real" full service camera store.

[handicap18]

The Greater Boston area actually has quite a few "real" camera shops. 1 that has 4 or 5 locations (Hunts Camera & Video) and a number of other "mom & pop" shops. 2 or 3 in Boston itself and 5 or 6 others in the greater metro area. Guess the Northeast just has a greater demand for these type of places.

We also have our fair share of Best Buy's and Ritz Camera's.

[giantstu]

We went to Colonial Photo& Hobby and were impressed with there amount of stock and knowledge. http://shop.cphfun.com/#store=photo&dynamic=index

[Pea-n-Me]

For the same reason a lot of retail is changing. Look around at malls and other stores. Around here, they're all moving from indoor malls to outdoor malls. Interesting phenomenon since they were originally outside before they went inside years ago. :laughing:

I went to buy a CD as a gift yesterday (Lullabies for a baby shower) and I noticed that both Borders and WalMart have severely cut the amount of CDs they sell, I'm sure, again, because the market is changing.

I heard a rumor yesterday that BJs is up for sale, can't confirm. I sure was bummed when we lost our Sam's Club last year as well as I shopped there a lot. (Have a membership, but I'm not a huge fan of BJs.)

Some people here like to support Mom and Pop type camera stores whenever possible so they'll stay afloat. I'd try to do that, too, but truth is they either don't sell what I need, or their prices are prohibitively expensive, so I buy most of what I need online.

[ssanders79]

North Tampa Photography is the place to go in Tampa.
http://www.ntphotodigital.com/

NTP is one the last real camera shops in the area that I've found. It is located off 275 on West Busch blvd. They have a great selection and better yet they deal with used gear. I've never felt pressured while shopping in the store. They are truly interested in getting you what you need not what they want to sell unlike the big box stores. They may not be able to compete with online prices they exceed in customer service.

What part of Tampa are you in?

[RadioNate]

We went to Colonial Photo& Hobby and were impressed with there amount of stock and knowledge. http://shop.cphfun.com/#store=photo&dynamic=index

This is the one I'd recommend. I bought my T2i there. Not a tourist trap at all. The staff can be snobby to newbies but if you have 1/2 a clue they are fine.

[The 4 "Quay"balleros]

Why is it so hard to find a real camera store?

Well, it's part of the Walmartization of America. Make the item in ....(with the low labor costs, no regulations and poor material quality) and you can sell it the item very cheap. Thus the item is a disposable item and you don't need the specialty shops for service.

[ssanders79]

Why is it so hard to find a real camera store?

Well, it's part of the Walmartization of America. Make the item in ....(with the low labor costs, no regulations and poor material quality) and you can sell it the item very cheap. Thus the item is a disposable item and you don't need the specialty shops for service.

I agree with you on principle, but it does not really cover mid to pro level gear. I doubt wallyword will ever sell much more than an entry level dslr or a 55-200 lens.

[The 4 "Quay"balleros]

I agree with you on principle, but it does not really cover mid to pro level gear. I doubt wallyword will ever sell much more than an entry level dslr or a 55-200 lens.

True, but what is the demand for this level of an item? Back in the day(for lack of a better term/time period) when almost every "level" of an item was built to be kept and maintained(as opposed to being disposable). These specialized shops were needed then. Now the average joe buys very pricey disposable items. The average joe is the maker of demand. That's why most specialized shops have gone out of business(low demand=low money).....:sad2:

[fortheluvofpooh]

we have to travel about an hour to get to our camera shop but it is worth is. We go to Dans Camera in Allentown, PA. I am not sure about anything in FL. Good luck on finding what you need.

[Gdad]

Since you have a Canon then North Tampa Photography might be worth a stop- I don't buy much there except HC-110 since they don't really stock much Nikon gear. Lately the store seems pretty depleted in general though. Another option in the area is Lake Shore Camera Exchange (http://www.lakeshorecamera.com/index.html) in Palm Harbor- very friendly family business and they keep a decent inventory. I just bought my D7000 from them- it was kind of nice actually being able to buy it from a real store for once.

[WDWFigment]

I'm actually a bit surprised that so many are still around. Despite what another poster said, it has nothing to do with making it with cheaper labor and the item becoming disposable. It has everything to do with larger online retailers, such as Amazon, selling the item without sales tax and at a cheaper price since they order in much larger quantities and have much lower overhead. Most photographers have their gear serviced by the manufacturer, so I doubt that factor ever enters the equation with respect to whether camera shops are economically viable.

I like local camera shops, but there's no way I'm going to pay sales tax plus 10% extra for the same item to "keep them afloat."

[ssanders79]

I like local camera shops, but there's no way I'm going to pay sales tax plus 10% extra for the same item to "keep them afloat."

Your exactly right. This could easily amount to $200 or more.

Locally - $1500 dSLR body + $105 tax = $1605
Online - $1350 dSLR body + $20 shipping = $1370.

Savings of $235 by shopping online for the same dSLR body. For me that is a huge savings and a no brainier. Now if I had more money than I knew what to do with then sure I would support the local shop for the the instant gratification of driving to store and coming home with a new toy.

[Gdad]

I agree Tom- mostly I buy online also for obvious reasons. But with a newly released camera there is not much out there in the way of discounts (without a lot of work anyway) if you can even find one- so paying the tax was not all that much to justify supporting them on this one. And it was kind of a lost feeling of excitement buying from a store- kind of like the rush of clicking "Confirm Order" and seeing UPS pull up to uyour house all at the same time. :teacher: ;)

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree that most of us don't care to pay any extra than we need to.

I think the biggest issue I've seen mentioned on this board re Mom and Pop type camera stores is utilizing them if they've spent time with you, as, in effect, you're paying for that service (and presumably they're far more qualified than a salesperson at somewhere like Best Buy). They'd also be there for you for problems, questions and even classes, etc. Probably something worth paying for for many users.

[WDWFigment]

I agree Tom- mostly I buy online also for obvious reasons. But with a newly released camera there is not much out there in the way of discounts (without a lot of work anyway) if you can even find one- so paying the tax was not all that much to justify supporting them on this one. And it was kind of a lost feeling of excitement buying from a store- kind of like the rush of clicking "Confirm Order" and seeing UPS pull up to uyour house all at the same time. :teacher: ;)

I wasn't knocking your purchase. In your situation, it worked out well! Last Friday, I was kicking myself for turning down your offer because J&R delayed my shipment AGAIN after promising it would ship that day. I was thus going to have no camera for our December trip. Then, miraculously, I saw a NikonRumors tweet that said the D7000 kit was in stock at B&H. I instantly went to the B&H site. I noticed they had the same printer rebate on the body-only, but not on the D7000 plus kit. That didn’t make sense, so I called Epson to confirm it applied to the kit, too. Epson confirmed, so I ordered both. Granted, I’ll have to sell the lens now, too, but who knows if J&R would have ever shipped my order. They had the camera in stock, for sale, in their New York B&M store on Friday, so apparently they didn’t care about fulfilling those pre-orders.

Now I am getting that rush as I refresh my UPS tracking page every hour to see where the camera is!

[Gdad]

I wasn't knocking your purchase.... Now I am getting that rush as I refresh my UPS tracking page every hour to see where the camera is!

I know- I'm glad you were able to get one you are going to really like it. The more I use mine the more sure I am I made the right call over the 300s.

[WDWFigment]

I know- I'm glad you were able to get one you are going to really like it. The more I use mine the more sure I am I made the right call over the 300s.

Good, I can't wait to play with it!

For those curious, my camera is currently in New York, NY, USA. So for those of you in New York, if you see a UPS truck today while driving, treat it like an ambulance and PULL OVER! We don't want any delays! :yay:

[annnewjerz]

I know- I'm glad you were able to get one you are going to really like it. The more I use mine the more sure I am I made the right call over the 300s.

Good, I can't wait to play with it!

For those curious, my camera is currently in New York, NY, USA. So for those of you in New York, if you see a UPS truck today while driving, treat it like an ambulance and PULL OVER! We don't want any delays! :yay:

I can't even read these posts without immediately wanting to search online for the best deal possible and buy myself an early Christmas present!! I'm most definitely too worried about selling the D90 and being camera-less though, so chances are the D7000 will just remain on my wish-list. BOO!

[laurachelle]

I get most of my equipment from bhphotovideo . com. A lot of my other photography friends buy their stuff from there too. They tend to have better prices than most retailers, and I've always had a great experience.

[GrillMouster]

As others said, check out North Tampa Photography or try renting lenses through any number of places online to try them out before buying.

[Marlton Mom]

They had the camera in stock, for sale, in their New York B&M store on Friday, so apparently they didn’t care about fulfilling those pre-orders.

Hi Tom,

I'd like to make a point that I never inquired whether B and H had the D7000 in stock last Friday during my visit. On the floor does not equate to in the store, especially when there is a high demand and the beginnings of a supply effort.

I also saw the D7000 on display at Best Buy but alas it was not in stock and they had no idea of what would be appearing on the next truck.

I've been asking so that I could let you and others know in case I find a stash in a low demand area. I had stars in my eyes at B and H and thus completely forgot to inquire about the D 7000.

If you don't get your hands on a D 7000, please let me know if you would like to borrow my D90 and assortment of lenses. I'd be happy to help you out in any way.

:hug:
Sincerely,
Marlton Mom

[annnewjerz]

I'd like to make a point that I never inquired whether B and H had the D7000 in stock last Friday during my visit. On the floor does not equate to in the store, especially when there is a high demand and the beginnings of a supply effort.

I could be wrong, but I think Tom was referring to the J&R B&M store, not B&H. They were selling D7000s to B&M customers rather than fulfilling their online preorders. That would piss me off too! That being said, they probably have some stock alotted to their B&M store and that same stock can't be used for their online orders, or vice versa...so it makes a little bit of sense.

[Marlton Mom]

I could be wrong, but I think Tom was referring to the J&R B&M store, not B&H. They were selling D7000s to B&M customers rather than fulfilling their online preorders. That would piss me off too! That being said, they probably have some stock alotted to their B&M store and that same stock can't be used for their online orders, or vice versa...so it makes a little bit of sense.

Doh! OIC!!! Sorry Tom. I thought it was a Typo and you were fixated on baked beans or something... (B and M baked beans) I know how poor newlyweds can be and judging from your love for a bargain, baked beans seemed like the way to go.

Mea culpa with much love,
:blush:

Marlton Mom

[WDWFigment]

Hi Tom,

I'd like to make a point that I never inquired whether B and H had the D7000 in stock last Friday during my visit. On the floor does not equate to in the store, especially when there is a high demand and the beginnings of a supply effort.

I also saw the D7000 on display at Best Buy but alas it was not in stock and they had no idea of what would be appearing on the next truck.

I've been asking so that I could let you and others know in case I find a stash in a low demand area. I had stars in my eyes at B and H and thus completely forgot to inquire about the D 7000.

If you don't get your hands on a D 7000, please let me know if you would like to borrow my D90 and assortment of lenses. I'd be happy to help you out in any way.

:hug:
Sincerely,
Marlton Mom

I don't know if I wrote B&H in my original post, but I meant that J&R had it in stock and was selling (and did sell) the D7000 on Friday in their New York store. When my wife called to inquire about our 27 day-old pre-order, she was told that said pre-order had been delayed another two weeks because they received "insufficient amounts." When she called back informing them that the very product I ordered and had been waiting on for 27 days was being sold in their store, my wife was told that "the store gets different shipments than the warehouse." I don't give a rats *** who gets what, I know that I've been waiting 27 days for my camera, and the company from which I ordered was selling the camera to people who had been on their waiting list 0 days. Regardless of how it's rationalized by the store, that's fundamentally unfair, in my eyes. To cap it all off, the sales person with J&R was rude to Sarah when she called to cancel.

Now I've made it my "mission" to spread the "good word" about how J&R sucks. It's probably not going to cause them to shutter their doors, but my photos get a decent number of views on Flickr, so if I even cause one person to not shop at J&R, it will be a great success! That's right, you heard it here first: DON'T SHOP AT J&R!!!

B&H, on the other hand, fulfilled my order immediately. I was a bit weary at first given that the camera came in stock after the close of their business hours on Friday (it was still only like 3 pm), and thought their inventory system online might not be real-time...and I'd wind up on ANOTHER indefinite waiting list. But that was not the case! Now I don't feel so guilty about them sending me their costly-to-produce catalog!

Thank you very much for the offer to let me borrow your gear! That is very generous and much appreciated! However, I have a date with UPS on 11/17 so I don't think it will be necessary!

[HeatherFeather]

Thanks for the recommendations and interesting feedback! To the poster who asked what part of Tampa I am in, I live in Valrico, but I work for UCH so I am up near the USF campus a lot so not too far from North Tampa Photog. Looks like I will check them out. I have also signed up for a class with them about Canon DSLR cameras for beginners that will hopefully help me out.

[manning]

B&H, on the other hand, fulfilled my order immediately. I was a bit weary at first given that the camera came in stock after the close of their business hours on Friday (it was still only like 3 pm), and thought their inventory system online might not be real-time...and I'd wind up on ANOTHER indefinite waiting list. But that was not the case! Now I don't feel so guilty about them sending me their costly-to-produce catalog!

!

Sometimes their site gets a little crazy. I was in the market for a scanner for $189.00. I went to order and it said "discontinued". Next day it was back for $169.00. Go to buy it the next day and it says "discontinue" Again the next day it is back for $169.00. I decide to call to place the order only to be late by 2 minutes, the are closed.

The next day I finally bought it for......$149.00. How's that for luck?

[Gdad]

Now I've made it my "mission" to spread the "good word" about how J&R sucks. It's probably not going to cause them to shutter their doors, but my photos get a decent number of views on Flickr, so if I even cause one person to not shop at J&R, it will be a great success! That's right, you heard it here first: DON'T SHOP AT J&R!!!

One thing they seem to be very good at is spam. I can't seem to stop the torrent of junk email I've been getting from them since placing and cancelling my doomed pre-order.

That is very generous and much appreciated! However, I have a date with UPS on 11/17 so I don't think it will be necessary!

Wow- that would be--- TODAY- ;)