Camera West

I was here on vacation and stopped in because I forgot my camera battery charger at home. Great service!

Ben, Shawn and Adam really rose to the challenge of handling a defective D750.
Kudos for being my advocate with Nikon and getting me a new D750 body!
Happy Customer here!

I ordered a camera over the phone. I was initially apprehensive since it was a very expensive camera and I live in a different state. But the reviews were good and I decided to go ahead. Hal was very helpful and shipped it the same day. The package arrived on time and in perfect condition. My only beef if their use of FEDEX which I don’t like because their tracking system is poor and customer service is useless. But may be it is a personal opinion.

Sitting at the store now and listening to the amazing customer service going on!
My mother broke her camera and came in to see if they could possibly fix it. David, an employee of Camera West, spent an hour trying to fix it and then researching online to see if there was any great deal he could offer her. He answered all of her questions and was not just after a sale.
She is now happily walking out with a camera that will last her a very long time and she is more knowledgeable of the equipment because of the time they spent with her answering all of her questions! I would highly recommend this place!

Great selection of accessories and cameras!!! Customer service was excellent! I love my portrait lens!!!

While visiting Palm Springs I had need of a real camera store and found Camera West. I was very impressed with how professional and neat the store was, and the employee found me exactly what I needed in about 60 seconds, a camera specific brand name accessory. I continued to browse and also found a couple of other useful items I needed. I would highly recommend this venue for top quality equipment and accessories.

My husband and I stopped in on our way cross country to buy a lens cap, some film and an extra camera battery. The professionalism of the gentleman Gary Faye who helped us was amazing. He showed us the new showroom, helped us with our purchases and was a wealth of knowledge and patience and expertise that is just NOT found anywhere in retail sales today. He has been a professional photographer his entire life, and is so humble about it, and this camera store has a beautiful and accomplished asset. While we were there looking around after our purchase, we noticed he assisted a cinematographer needing a lens, and a retired woman just getting into photography. He was equally gracious to both and i really marveled that he had helped us the same way, with our little purchases as he did with the other people. Full disclosure, I have known of his work and that is one of the reasons we stopped by this store. I will make my purchases online from here, and stop in again next time we are passing thru I-​10 heading east. I think the 5 star rating is because the level of professionalism shows. And the selection of used lenses is crazy! I don’t know what the other reviewer is talking about.

I’m pretty shocked to see this store has a five star rating. My experience was definitely not like that at all.
The people that worked there were rude and pretentious and stared at me in disbelief when I wanted to put a used lens on my camera to see how it looked. It’s a USED lens. Of course I’m going to put it on my camera to see how it performs! Idiots.
Their selection of lenses really wasn’t impressive either, WAY overpriced and small.
It’s not a friendly place, overly ritzy, and take themselves way too seriously. I’ll never go back.

TOP NOTCH service !!! Thank you for being the Nordstrom of camera stores. I will forever be loyal because I appreciate that you appreciate your customers.

I found this store on Unilocal and felt confident that I was going to the right place. Yesterday, I brought in a group of vintage cameras/​equipment to sell. These guys were friendly and knowledgeable. They looked over each item thoroughly, made me a fair offer and cut me a check. Easy to deal with, no hassles.

As a professional photographer based in Palm Springs I couldn’t be happier that we have one of the première photography store right here in the Coachella Valley. The helpful staff is always willing to spend time with customers as they work with them to choose the best equipment for their needs. I have been extremely satisfied with all of the purchases I’ve made and with the customer service offered even when I needed to exchange a piece of equipment that was bought in error. You can’t get any better than this place… anywhere.

A while back my photography gear was stolen. I e-​mailed every area and online used camera equipment dealer I could find to notify them and ask them to keep an eye out. Ultimately, I found my gear on Craig’s List and someone is now in jail BUT of all the companies I contacted, Camera West was one of the few that responded back acknowledging my loss and confirming that they would keep an eye out should anyone bring the gear in for sale. I know it’s not good for business for someone to purchase equipment that was unbenounced to them stolen, but just the simple act of acknowledging my situation meant a lot to me and demonstrates what a professional and caring staff they have.

Went to Camera West based on the rave reviews from Unilocal… needed my Nikon DSL cleaned… had a couple of spots showing up on my photos… young kid behind the counter said they charge $ 50 and it would take 10 minutes… went ahead and had it cleaned because I wasn’t in San Diego where my second home is located… asked the kid about a 20−70mm lens for my Nikon… wandered around the store a few minutes before saying they were out of stock… won’t be buying any equipment here and won’t ever go back…$ 50 for a 10 minute clean is ridiculous… will have my camera serviced in San Diego from now on… don’t waste your time unless you are in a pickle…

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Had to stop here on a photo safari after a series of unfortunate mishaps and John and Gary went above and beyond in customer service, offering several options on purchases, rental possibilities that would have taken our business elsewhere, as well as giving up some tips on local places to shoot and times when the light is good. When you drive for 7 hours out to the desert and forget your film and someone else drops their camera on day one, only to find this place, it turns out the best it can. This is a CLASSIC camera store. They have all the necessities. Only one thing, call ahead. They have summer hours which means not open on weekends.

If I were to sit down and write what the perfect camera store would look like to me and couldn’t have included all the features Camera West offers! Seriously! I’ve used them three or four times now and each time my experience is better.
I bought a great tripod and head from them. I specifically asked for used equipment as the carbon footprint is less and, of course, so is the price. Sean, the owner, asked me several questions as to the type of photography I did, then promptly lead me to the perfect used tripod which I’ve used ever since. When I had problems with it a while down the trail and took it back for repair, it was repaired on the spot with no charge.
Since then they have sent one camera into Nikon for me for repair, and helped me with it again just yesterday. This time they were able to fix it on the spot, again with no charge, but they could have easily told me it would have to be ‘sent in’ and pocketed my money. These guys have integrity!
With the money I saved on camera repairs I bought a new camera bag from them. When I quipped the only thing more I needed from them would be a cup of coffee they produced that, too, lol! As someone else commented, 5 stars hardly seems adequate for this place.

Upon arrival in the Palm Springs area, I was very sad to discover that the image sensor on my DSLR was infested with dust, causing dark specks to appear on every photo I took. Fortunately, I found Camera West – they wet cleaned my image sensor while I waited, and the vacation photos were saved!
During the (short) wait for my camera, I had the chance to check out the store. It is fantastic. The staff are knowledgeable, friendly and not at all pushy. The new gear is drool-​worthy, of course – did I mention they are an authorized Leica dealer? – but most impressive was their solid collection of used and vintage/​collectible equipment, all fairly priced. And the complete selection of photographic paper. And the complete selection of film (film!). And the complete selection of accessories, including filters. And… well, you get the idea.
There was a time when stores like Camera West could be found in every city. Sadly, this is no longer the case. If you live in the desert cities, you are lucky to have a store like Camera West in your midst. Whether you are a pro or a first time point and shoot buyer, this is the only camera store that matters between the desert and LA. Go there, now.

Originally went in with a bunch of pelican cases and camera bags loaded with all ages of cameras and misc equipment. It was time to do some housekeeping and get rid of the old and i wasn’t up for the internet hassle. Not only was I given a fair price for my «junk»…but I wasn’t treated like a homeless person looking for a pawn shop. Even though I felt like a Hasselblad buyer on a Kodak budget. Everyone treated me well and all have not only the equipment savvy but can make the most complex camera lingo understandable.
For my needs, they went through my assortment of Canon lenses and approved. One was sent out for repair and came quickly back. I grabbed at the Canon D60 and was wondering where to drop the APS film cartridge (just kidding folks).
If that wasn’t enough customer service I also needed to replace all my lens filters and made an idle remark about the pricey B&W filter for one lens. It was checked, online, against the current «New York Deal Joints» and it was found to be slightly more expensive. But, the price was instantly lowered to match the big guys. I still would have bought it for all the service they shower you with.
Customer service is their mindset and everyone had the patience of a saint as I searched the place for elusive flashbulbs (feeble attempt at humor). Everyone made the transition from the dark ages into the digital age a painless process. Painless to my fragile ego and my wallet.
It’s worth a drive to not only be treated well but exposed to lots of goodies in all price ranges and used but pristine equipment AND if they don’t carry something or are out of stock they have a second store in Walnut Creek that they can draw from.
I haven’t written so much since finding out that there was an In N’ Out Burger joint in Indio!

This place is an old-​school camera shop, and I would add an extra star if I could.
I recently purchased a vintage 35 mm Minolta camera. It originally used a battery which is no longer available because it contained the poison mercury. I needed a replacement battery, but the newer batteries have some voltage issues that affect the accuracy of the light meters found in vintage cameras. The resulting photos can be improperly exposed leading crummy picture outcomes. So I started looking for a local camera shop and I found this establishment. (Not too many camera shops around anymore!)
I brought the camera to this shop, and the owner was more than happy to go through the camera body and lens; cleaning a bit here and there before pronouncing it good. He squared me away with the right battery and some solid advice on how to operate the camera properly taking into account how modern batteries affect the operation of older vintage cameras. I was taking notes like a school kid!
Like a previous poster surmised, you just cannot find this level of knowledge and expertise from a teen at a big-​box store. These guys knew what they were doing and they have the right products in stock. In addition to purchasing batteries for the vintage 35 mm, I purchased a wireless remote shutter release for a newer Nikon D3000 digital camera which my daughter uses to make claymation videos. The owner knew exactly which remote I needed, and without missing a beat, he handed one to me. The prices weren’t bad at all either.
I was quite impressed with this store, and this will be my new place to go for anything camera. It’s always cool to discover a new place where you can trust the people who work there, be sure they can take care of your specific needs, and not rip you off.

I wanted to get a dsrl camera and had been researching all the different models and finally decided on a nikon model. Of course, that was the easy part — dsrl cameras are not cheap, so I scoured the internet for prices.
I found a number of shady websites offering the camera for $ 500-​$ 600, but decided I would rather pay extra to know exactly what I’m getting.
Went to all the major retailers that carried the camera, all at the same price, then found this shop. I was a little hesitant, as I basically consider myself an amateur when it comes to photography. To be honest, its intimidating walking into a shop where you know that they have far more knowledge about a product you want to buy and could possibly use that to pull one over you. Kind of like going to an auto mechanic for a repair. You all know what I’m talking about.
However, when I walked in the first time, all the staff was super nice and friendly and showed me the model I was looking at. Their price for the camera was the same as Best Buy and Walmart, which in my opinion is pretty awesome as they certainly don’t have the big buying advantages that larger corporations do.
I ended up buying my camera from them for a few key reasons — one, they are a local business and I like supporting that. Two, they actually know what they are talking about and you don’t have to hunt down a sixteen year old sales boy who doesn’t have a clue about life, let alone cameras. Three, their prices are fair and I feel a lot safer about spending $ 700 or more there.
The other awesome thing about this store is that they also sell used cameras, and the prices looked very reasonable to me. They have a lot of high end merchandise, unfortunately stuff I can’t afford, but its also there.
Overall, I would highly recommend this store to a first time dslr camera buyer or a professional.

OK, I have been in photography since the 70’s and I have seen the evolution of the photographic world and the demise local camera shops.
Clearly the internet and the Walmart mentality has taken it’s toll.
Camera West is a brand new store with a TON of inventory.
The sales staff is friendly and informed. They are Nikon, Canon and Leica dealers and have a large stock of Gitzo tripods. They also have a ton of medium format equipment.
Everything is first class. Prices are VERY fair.
They also have a very large stock of immaculate used cameras. Again, the prices are equal to anything I see from private party sales. In other words, excellent pricing.
As far as Leica goes, if you are a Leica aficionado this is the place for you. In addition to a significant inventory of current models, they have a staggering number of used Leicas and accessories.
They also sell film and some studio equipment.
This is every bit the equal of a Big City camera shop with just excellent pricing.
No, they do not seem to have a rental service (they may I just don’t know) but in almost every other regard it will make the day of the photo enthusiast and pro.