Hunt’s Photo and Video

This place has some of the best film processing I’ve had. Unfortunately their lab cannot make enlargements of color positives due to their lack of positive print paper, but at least they can print 110 and 220 films without converting them to digital and back. Their store employees are friendly and knowledgeable, and that’s one of their best selling points. Their selection of films is nothing impressive, their selection of film cameras downright sucks, and their selection of digital and gear is mediocre at best, but you can pick up the most popular Ilford, Kodak, and Fuji emulsions on the spot, including Impossible film, which can be convenient in a pinch.

Great prices and service, knowledgeable staff, you can play with the cameras in the store as long as you like without a pushy salesperson trying to close the sale on you and/​or move on to someone else and ignore you.
I came here just before a trip to Europe and wanted to upgrade my digital camera, which offers only a wider angle to my smartphone. After researching cameras online and briefly at bestbuy, I came in the door looking for a DSLR and the very camera savvy girl at the counter showed me a range including a mirrorless camera, which was a lot lighter, more compact and for my purposes seems equivalent to the DSLRs. There were a few features I was looking for and she found a last year model which had exactly the features I wanted in addition to the detachable SLR style lenses. The camera was discounted for being a last year model and better than any online competitor prices! It worked beautifully during our trip, taking fast, clear pictures, even in low lighting/​night, great videos, and was light and compact enough to avoid the camera strap around the neck tourist look.

The manager in this store is very rude, ungrateful, and discriminates. I suggest Cambridge and Melrose location over this location. Hunt’s almost lost me as a customer until Ora the store manager in Cambridge change that negative experience into a positive experience. Thank you Ora!

Spoke to a very nice man, Roger, over the phone here. He was very pleasant and so helpful. Great customer service!

Don’t go if you want to get a passport photograph.
I paid 30 bucks for 6 photographs and expected them to be cut precisely to my dimensions (35mm to 45mm). The person at the store was so off on his cuts. He even messed up on one of the cuts and I ended up having to cut up the dimensions myself.

I am so glad I purchased my new camera from this small camera shop. I am just learning to use it and took it on vacation with me last week. I was really looking forward to relaxing and learning how to use the camera.
One big problem. I forgot to pack the battery charger. I spent hours on the phone and trying to find someplace to buy a charger from all the big stores you can imagine. I finally hit on the idea of calling Hunt and asking them to ship me a charger since no one else had one in stock and my vacation would be over before tin arrived.
The solution offered by the great guy at Hunt was not to buy a new charger at all. As it turned out I could just charge the camera using a micro usb cable and I already had one of those for another device. May sound simple to you, but I did not know this was possible until they told me and, no one, K-​mart, Best Buy, Wallmart, Raido Shack… on and on… had known enough about my camera to suggest this solution.
Thanks for knowing what to do! Love my camera and took great vacation pix.

This is a bit of a funny story; but my boyfriend & I got last-​minute tickets to a Sox game and naturally brought along our Nikon D800 to capture the action. Halfway to Fenway, we realize we left the battery at home. Geez!
Coming out of the subway @ Kenmore, we found Hunt’s right away and asked if they had any D800 batteries with a charge. Not only did they open the ones they had in stock and allowed us to check the charges, but they plugged in a charger and helped us improve the charge of the best one at the store for free for a few minutes while we went to pick up our tickets.
Those guys go the extra mile! Felt so lucky. I can’t imagine Best Buy would have done the same, you know?

Forget Amazon, buy your camera here!
First of all, most camera have the price set by the manufacturer, just like the way your iPhone cost the same anywhere you get it. If it’s on sale, it;s on sale everywhere. So price isn’t such a deciding factor in where to by a camera but going in and getting expert advice on the camera before you buy it is!
The people are way more knowledgeable then what you get a Best Buy or any big box store, you only work at a camera shop if you’re really into cameras! Ask them to make a bundle package on the extras and you’ll save big time, they is where they have the room to negotiate on pricing.
I suggest researching what feature you want in advance, then go in to the store to make sure you read the right reviews and get their opinion!

A friend of mine from the old country found a camera that Hunt’s carries, so I had to go and buy/​pick up the order. Everything was fine and dandy with the camera buying experience.
Then I remembered I needed to get some passport pictures taken. The guy takes my picture. I pay for the camera. Then he says $ 21.25 for the passport pictures. I pay and get the pictures. I walk out of the store and look at the pictures and start realizing that I paid double than what CVS charges for 2 pictures in which I resemble a meth amphetamine addict. So not cool. So pissed off. $ 21.25 when it could’ve been 10 bucks for 6 pictures that I actually approve.

Mason was awesome! He answered every question I had, and recommend what was the best product & other suggestions! Will return again!

This was hands down the single most awful service I’ve ever experienced. I guess this shop only caters to people who are going in to drop hundreds of dollars on fancy camera equipment, which was not me. I went in to get 3 simple 8×10 prints made up to hang in my apartment. I returned on the day that my photos were supposed to be available and they were not ready. There was no apology for this inconvenience, just an excuse. When I returned one week later (which was the soonest I could get back there during their inconvenient business hours), the photos were still not there. They said the order must have gotten lost while it was being processed. There was no apology, no attempt at correcting this error. I have now successfully ordered my photos from
as I always will in the future. Will never go back to Hunt’s again for any service, it was a giant waste of my time and energy and an extremely frustrating experience.

Fantastic Customer Service! We wanted a new «nice» camera and we wanted to talk to people who knew what they were talking about — which is why we skipped Best Buy.
Neil helped us out and made sure we got the camera that fit what we were looking for and was also in our budget. He was really patient answering our questions and explaining the ins and outs– since we’re complete photo newbs. But we walked out fully loaded and confident, ready to shoot the world!

10 stars for MASON! He is extremely knowledgeable about the equipment I needed and tried his darn hardest to find the best value for me. I asked silly, elementary questions about lenses and he was patient and willing to explain according to both my level and needs.
He ordered the lens for me, called the very next day and I picked it up. He answered more questions and gave me advice for better values.
Thanks Mason. You’re the best!

I got a Holga for Christmas and I was looking for a place to buy 120 film. Specifically I was looking for a place near work or home to buy film in a hurry so I could start experimenting with my new low-​fi medium format plastic toy camera asap. I had done a ton of research on the Holga during the blizzard of 2010 on Monday (I was the only person in my department that came to work) and I knew I wanted to start out with some black and white c-​41 film which is difficult to find apparently. Its easier and cheaper to send out for processing though since it is developed just like color film unlike most black and white film that has to be developed specially and cost tons more.
Well the service here was great. I went in on Tuesday and it was pretty empty and was helped immediately. I asked for the black and white c-​41 film and was told they didn’t have any in 120 at the store but they could get it from the warehouse for Wednesday afternoon and they would call me when it was ready to be picked up. Sure enough I got a call at 12:30 the next day telling me my film had arrived and I could come pick it up whenever was convenient for me.
Great service and decent prices. I wish I was a student so I could take advantage of their student discount. If I’m not ordering my film online I’ll definitely go there again.

So I go to school — for photography — right up the road, AIB. I remember being told by even professors to not go here. Really sucks to have to trek down to Calumet in Cambridge for a box of paper when we run out. There have been rumors about expired/​mistreated paper being sold. I’ve been buying my resources when in dire need for 2 years now, and there’s been no problems. All their color film/​paper is refrigerated, as in their other stores and it comes fresh. The guys there are educated, for the most part they’re actively involved in the art scene (PRC, for example) and won’t let you down.
My only complaint is that their stock seems to be irregular — especially around finals, getting a box of the paper you need will be difficult, although they will offer to make sure you get what you need in the next few days.

I had an alcohol-​induced accident where I put the memory card in incorrectly & bent several pins of my Canon Digital Rebel (so sad). Brought it into these folks, & without laughing too hard, they gave me a reasonable quote & told me it would take 4 weeks. I thought that was a long time, but since they had to send it out, there wasn’t much I could do.
Well, 2 weeks later I received a call that my camera was fixed & ready to be picked up. It was in like-​new condition & the price quoted was exactly what I paid (no surprise fees or whatever). Will definitely be more careful operating under the influence & will recommend them for camera repairs.

This place is great. The staff is totally helpful, and I don’t feel intimidated asking them all sorts of stupid n00b questions about my cameras. They’re good with film and digital, so don’t worry if all your technology dates before the 21^st century.
I go here for film processing (they do 120 film!), to buy film (which they give a student discount for), and to check out camera lenses for my dSLR before buying online somewhere cheaper.

I came here with a friend to buy a new digital camera. I’m not a huge photography buff, and I was a little intimidated when I realized this place catered to a slightly more professional crowd then the local Best Buy. But the salesman was polite, professional, and knowledgeable, and he didn’t try to push my friend towards more camera then she needed. Overall, a pleasant experience.

Yeah… what’s with the 1 star freak out post? I often frequented the Melrose location before this one and the one in Harvard opened… back when film still existed, not to mention the amazing Hunts show at the WTC.
I’ve only been to this location a couple of times but I’ve always had nothing but good service here. Plus the occasional discount doesn’t hurt. the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. I got a good deal on my first digi-​cam back in the day. Way to go Hunts!

Hunt’s latest branch has recently opened at Kenmore Square opposite NESOP and is provides great service for their students and the hordes at BU too. There is a good range of products inside and seemingly a wider range of films than at their Harvard store. The staff were friendly and instantly helpful without being annoying — a skill that must be difficult to master given how many fail at it in shops around the world.
Considering the masses have moved to digital cameras and most equipment can be bought online it is a credit to Hunt’s that they are doing well enough to expand.