Camera Co-Op

I have been here maybe three or four times and everyone is always super nice and will answer pretty much any question you have. They do joke with you sometimes so if you can’t take a joke or don’t like sarcasm then I would try to deal with it.
This shop has a small business type feel to it. They have a lot of film photography cameras and lenses.
I went yesterday ³⁄₂₀ and they informed me that they are currently in the process of moving to another store closer to the 290/​Beltway 8 area. Therefore they do not have much in stock right now.
If you are just going there to browse then go ahead they have a few of the «heavy» stuff on sale right now, such as paper, books, and some camera bags.
If you need something specific I suggest you call and ask before you drive up there and they don’t have what you need!
Can’t wait for the new store to open!

They don’t have a TON of stock, but I have been able to get nearly everything I need from Camera Co-​Op, especially film and darkroom supplies.
Some other camera store staffs can be extremely pretentious and make me feel like an idiot when I ask questions. I have never felt that way at Camera Co-​Op and if anything, their enthusiasm about photography and gear is catching and I find myself spending awhile there, just talking shop and learning.
I wouldn’t buy photo gear anywhere else!

My Boyfriend and I always shop at camera co-​op for our photography needs. The staff is extremely helpful and incredibly knowledgeable. They help you make the right choice on your purchase based on what your needs are. All over the store, you can find vintage items as well. Very cool place!

For some reason it was a little nerve racking walking in there, probably because sometimes small businesses are kinda gruff and I take everything personally, but I was quickly put to ease. The woman working there – forgot to get her name – quickly found what I needed. While ringing me up we talked a bit, and she even gave me a bit of advice for crowd management (shooting a friend’s wedding). I can’t say too much about how their prices are, only went to pick up a Lightsphere and it sounds like the price on those are more or less regulated, but it was the same price as the Gary Fong website so I’m happy.

Camera co-​op Mary the Nikon lady I want to thank you so much for all the info you gave me the other day you were so on… Everything worked out like you said… I will so be back, can’t wait to pick your brain again.
Thanks.

I’m sorry… But they are rude and their prices are way high I was looking for a TTL Flash Cable and they were chargeing over 20 $ more than anywhere else i could find. This is just wrong.

Its refreshing to visit a local camera store. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly. The shop has both new and used items and deal primarily with Nikon and Canon platforms. They have both new and used equipment and accessories. I’m not into film, but they had an entire room filled with film processing gear. They also have a «junk» pile in the back to rummage through. I scored a couple of old school lenses for a good deal.

Usually when I have a bad retail experience, I simply don’t go back and that’s that. But today’s encounter was so off-​putting that I felt morally obliged to warn fellow Unilocalers.
I needed some gaffers tape, developer, fixer, photographic paper, and a lens cap. Instead of ordering everything from Amazon prime for a lot cheaper, I thought I’d support a local business.
At first the store clerk actually did his job when he asked me what size lens cap I needed, so I replied around 70 mm. But instead of letting me finish telling him what lens it was for and therefore the exact size, he cut me off and condescended, there is no 70 mm, only 72 mm or 77 mm. Um okay? I knew that too but was not aware that today was inane facts day? Sorry for not remember the exact filter size? In hindsight I wish I had been this snarky but at the time I did not say anything and simply tried to shop for what I needed.
onto the photographic paper. Ilford had apparently changed their packaging from plastic envelope to cardboard box, and it’s been a couple of years since I used any paper.
Me:So is this paper the same from a couple of years ago with plastic envelope packaging?
Clerk: what size?
Me: I don’t know, like A4?
Clerk: THERE IS NO A4 SIZE. That’s an European size. We don’t have that here.
Me: sorry I guess 8 by 10 is what I meant.
Clerk: Oh I know what you meant.
Again with thick condescension. Okay I’m sorry for using the wrong term to describe paper. You’re the expert, got it.
I was annoyed by this point but whatever. Let’s just checkout. Long story short, he asked me what I did, and the conversation ended with, oh I thought you might be somebody important, I guess then you’d have an assistant pick up stuff for you huh? Okay, a joke. It’s funny because I’m not important. har har har.
The last straw came when he tried to once again school me, but on the «ethnic» soundingness of the last name on my credit card. Oh yes, please once again correct me about where I’m from and what I know about it and how I’m wrong. WOW.
I still bought everything in the end, but I will never come back here again. I will also warn all my photography students and friends to never come here.
By the way the store is a joke. I get that you’re a co-​op, but is it too challenging for you to label your merchandise with a price?

I find the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful.

I normally buy my camera equipment/​gear online. But I also do a great deal of shopping/​buying from local B&M stores. Here in Houston we have two «Pro» shops. One is HCE and the other is Houston Camera Co-​op.
The employees at Houston Camera Co-​op are very friendly and knowledgeable. I also like that they respond to my questions on facebook very quickly. I am very impressed.
Both camera shops are same and different in many ways. I think HCE has a bigger inventory on cameras and lens. While Houston Camera Co-​op has a better selection of gear like camera bags, paper, etc. I know a lot of the prices at Co-​op are cheaper (ie, background paper).
I also enjoy going through their table of old camera gear in the back. I like to collect cameras for my shelves at home and have found some nice pieces at camera co-​op.

The people here are great, knowledgeable, and friendly. They are helpful in finding the film I needed to shoot with and they offer a student discount if you have your ID.
They have a decent collection of film cameras that I might go back for one day. Their store doesn’t carry as much as Houston Camera Exchange as far as bags, cases, accessories, but they are good at having all the right film available for me. That’s definitely a plus.

This is one of the two stores in Houston that will satisfy your photo-​enthusiast craving. Honestly, I can’t say that this shop is better than their competitors, just different.
I’ve come here 3 or 4 times for a variety of items and only once have they not had what I wanted. My most recent trip was for a Lensbaby. They always have a bunch of them right at the front of their counter, but would they have the Canon mount? Yes! I also needed a new bag since my current bag couldn’t fit my my phone and wallet together and the flash wouldn’t fit at all. Once again, they had a great selection and were actually about the same or a bit cheaper than the ones at Best Buy. Small shops like this usually charge more than big chains, so that was actually a surprise!
Also, they will buy your old equipment, including bags. So while I plan on holding on to my smaller bag for now, I may change my mind later.
My only negative is that I wish they updated their webpage more and gave all their info on one page — maybe tell us when new products are received? It’s not as difficult for me to get to after work as Camera Exchange, but I still don’t want to stop for nothing.

I went to the Camera Co-​Op to sell an old SLR camera I haven’t used in 10 years. It’s just been sitting in my office on a shelf, so I decided to see if someone else could get some use out of it, and I could make some money back on it.
I went to the Camera Co-​Op and had them look at it. They saw me walk in and promptly asked me what I needed assistance with. I told the guy that I just wanted to see if they would be interested in buying it. He asked the boss and within in 5 minutes I had a yes. I tried to stand and talk camera with the guy, but he was apparently pretty busy. I didn’t end up selling the camera because I knew I could sell it for twice as much online.
Well…wait three days later and I had changed my mind. I didn’t want to deal with the hassle that is paypal/​ebay/​etc. So I went back in and told a different guy that they had made an offer on my camera and that I wanted to see if they were still interested. I had to wait a bit because they were busy, but they came back and said yes. And this time, there were more employees so I had time to stand around and talk about all my cameras and the classes I’ve taken. I don’t know why, usually I dont want to talk, but for some reason I felt like this was the right place. And it was cool.
It’s not really a place that would make you feel like you are going to be over sold to, it’s the kind of place that they explain to you what you really need, and that’s that. I was telling the guy that I have a 35 mm lens for my Nikon D90 but that I’m interested in other lenses, he pretty much made it sound like there are not that many other lenses that I could need for right now. I expected for him to pull out every lens or to give me a list, like a sales guy at a chain store. But nope, he just told me truthfully, for a student, you’re good. Well… alright!

I’m excited about my new camera, D90 is a 12 megapixel versus my D70’s 6 megapixel. Just a slight step up so the settings look similar so there’s a very small learning curve. Much bigger screen, can’t wait to use it! I also got a new lens a Nikon 50 mm for those nice close ups with burry backgrounds, only $ 145 brand new. These are hard to find used. I’ll try my new lens and post them soon.
My two camera stops are Camera Exchange (Richmond/​Fountain View) and Camera Co/​op (Durham/​Washington). Quang at Camera Exchange and the guys at Camera Co/​op are the coolest! Very helpful and willing to spend as much time with you as you need… and I needed a lot. They have brand new cameras, which I stay away from, and used for amazing deals, lenses too. If you need camera help, I’d highly recommend one of these shops, they’re amazing!

Over the years, I have accumulated around half a dozen digital cameras. I have one early Sony DSLR, a couple all-​weather cameras, a few point-​and-​shoots, and a Samsung Hybrid (NX100). And with all these features and options, I’m still left wondering if I bought the right camera or whether I need to snag a next generation model. This is quite a change from my film days when a Canon AE-​1 Program was all I needed or wanted for years.
I walked into the Camera Co-​Op today to look around and to maybe buy a good travel camera with zoom capabilities. This place is the real deal for anything that you need that is related to film or a memory card. It’s organized, cluttered, and expertly attended, and in all the right ways. Canon and Nikon seem to predominate, although there are many layers to the «onion» here — New and Used. this is really a cool shop and one that I’d love to learn more.
So why this «A-​OK» review? My Camera Co-​Op experience today vividly reminded me of a shopping experience in Milwaukee when I was in High School. The situation involved a purchase I intended to make in a store located in a transitional neighbourhood. Store staff had apparently been burned by theft and followed me and my parents around everywhere. And so it was today, as I felt I was «stalked» by one particular employee. All I wanted to do was just look around and ask a question when I was ready. Instead, I perceived intrusive surveillance, and quickly decided that my next digital camera purchase would be consummated elsewhere.

I’ve been told that this is the best camera store in Houston. I don’t know, maybe there is better. But since I have no reason to go elsewhere, I may never know.
The coolness factor is what they have that the generic chain or big box won’t. Tons of paper, pro stuff, and used gear. I love just walking in here and looking around. It’s like visiting a museum of technology in a way.
They have a pretty balanced mix of Canon and Nikon, the dueling giants of the serious amateur and the pro, both in the SLR category and the point-​and-​shoots.
I recently upgraded my Nikon camera outfit and needed to get a number of items for it. They have the SLR kits themselves, lenses, flashes and very knowledgable staff who can help you make the right choice. And a great in stock selection – I had a specific zoom lens in mind when I walked in and voila, it’s now mine.
Buying camera accessories is like buying clothes. Do things fit? How does it look on me? How well is it padded? (FYI all natural here, thankyouverymuch) So you really like to put your hands on it and make the right choice. I got a super cool carrying case here, and am going to go in next to size my outfit up for a Pelican case (think waterproof, indestructible suitcase).
I’ve found cost to be at retail, but frankly the online route is mixed (lower, comparable, or higher). I’m pretty sure the UPS guy doesn’t jump my fence for his drop-​offs, so I can only wince at the thought of a delicate Nikkor lens being used as a football trying to hit my front porch. Touchdown!
Camera Co-​Op fan, yes. UPS Football fan, no.

I like to take pictures… Always have a camera with me, if I don’t I feel lost and empty. I recently started to get real serious about it and shoot portraits and wedding and such… My wife and I walked in and inquired about a studio light setup. The staff was very helpful and answered all our questions and was very patient. I love this place!!! All kinds of cameras. old ones, new ones, toy cameras. (holgas!!) They got it all. It’s a drive for us to visit, but it’s ALOT better than shopping at Ritz/​Wolf camera.
Keep your camera on you, You never know when you might capture somethingf magical.

I called a chain camera store to inquire about a battery for my Canon AE-​1. They had just stopped carrying the type of battery I needed, and the guy on the phone sent me to Camera Co-​op. I pass the place all the time, so I went to check it out.
Camera nerds rejoice. You can talk freely here about all your camera things and people who work here can relate. Whether they know more than you do, though, is a different matter.
This place is a mish-​mash of shelves and glass display boxes filled with cameras, accessories, collectibles. It can actually be pretty difficult to find things that you’re looking for.
The service was laid-​back (that’s probably more of a euphemism than a compliment) but friendly. I got what I needed, and they even helped me open the battery compartment with a nickel and install the battery. I waited longer than I wanted to at the check-​out line because the employees were discussing the apparent ubiquity of the Canon G series among themselves and their customers. At least I could join in the conversation since I own one too.
Buying from here is not necessarily your cheapest option, but it’s convenient if you need something fast without the shipping cost or delay. It’s always great to support brick-​and-​mortar local camera shops since they are fast disappearing these days. While the selection seems huge, I don’t suggest coming here unless you call them and ask them if they carry the item you have. And if you have patience and good humor to spare.

I shoot digital only, but I was going to be helping out with a friend’s wedding and wanted to test out B & W film. Had an extra canon body that I could just throw my lenses on but I needed some film. What better place to find it than at the camera coop. The wedding was just down the street at Rockefeller Hall so it wasn’t an out of the way stop.
I was already running late and needed it fast, ran in, a person was there to help me immediately. He knew exactly what I wanted and where it was. I was in and out of there in less than 5 minutes.
I actually came back later that afternoon since my friend’s B & W film body ran out of batteries so we had to get him a new set. I looked around the store more this time and they have a wide variety of supplies. Since it is a specialty store you can find just about anything. I picked up some lens paper while I was there which a lot of stores don’t carry separately anymore except in «cleaning packages». So yeah, this is my store if I’m in a rush and I’m not buying it online.

First things first, Cosme G., the Nikon D40 (along with D40x, D60, D3000, D5000) do NOT have a built in auto-​focus motor so if your story of the sales person telling you the camera is not compatible is true, he was partially correct because the 50 mm f/1.8 AF-​D lens lacks an AF motor and while it would mount on your D40, it will NOT autofocus with it. Only Nikon lenses type AF-​S and AF-​I would autofocus.
Ok, now the review. I admit I get most of my big camera gear online but I try to support the local camera store any time I can or when I need something quickly and the staff know what they’re talking about. And hey, like i mentioned, if there is something they don’t know, that’s why we have google, flickr, and a ton of other websites.