National Camera & Video

I love this place. Super friendly & knowledgeable staff. Anytime I’ve had an issue with my camera’s they have offered expertise advice.

I’m just glad they have the internet on computers now so that I don’t have to have this type of in-​store experience very often.
They are fine for last minute items but the waiting is the hardest part. Even when you have what you need and just want to get rung up, my average wait time of just standing there is a good 5 – 10 minutes.
I understand that a lot of times customers at the counter are getting some solid advice on national cameras and video, but even a simple acknowledgement that a customer is waiting would be nice (yet is probably not realistic since it’s kinda like waiting at the record store).
I’m glad they exist and glad they’re there… but in the age of the internet and where people have multiple buying options, if I was them, I’d invest in some basic customer service or better yet: have a line dedicated to those getting advice vs. those who just want to check out.

This was a nicely appointed camera and photo store, much larger than it looks from the outside. They have a really nice assortment of all things camera and film, and an impressive array of cases and accessories.
It would be a totally fine place to make a purchase, but I did not find the staff to be particularly helpful. The one woman who approached us seemed a bit off-​putting. My husband asked her a question, and she basically said, «no, we wouldn’t carry that.» Then he asked her if she had something like what he was looking for and she said, «The only thing we would have would be XX» and gestured to a corner and that was it. No offer to show us the item, no interest in acutally helping us find something that we might want to buy. But at least she did come over to talk to us. The five or six men who were also working the store stayed behind the counter. About half were with other customers to be fair, but those who were not just kind of oggled at us and watched as we walked around the store.
Shockingly, we left without buying anything.

I have purchased almost all of my camera equipment from National Camera. They offer expertise advice & a wide array of cameras & equipment. I recently purchased a new Canon SLR & was pleasantly surprised to discover that three camera classes were included in my purchase. What a great surprise & selling point. Easy, worry-​free purchase & altogether a very pleasant experience. I can’t wait to go back & take my camera classes :)
Service is friendly & smart. & the variety of cameras & camera equipment is great. There is even a thrifty table w/​used filters, gear, & misc. equipment when you just want to give something a try. They also purchase used camera equipment & provide buyers w/​refurbished options. Options are always a plus.
National Camera has been my go-​to camera store since I can remember & will be for years to come.

I bought my beautiful camera at National Camera and Video. I am so happy that I went there, because I was prepared to buy another Nikon, and I was lead to something that is working much, much better for me. They really have the knowledge to support you in making a big decision like a camera purchase.
But the reason this is only a three star review is because sometimes, when you aren’t buying a camera, the service here is ten times worse than your average big box store. I went in to buy some lighting equipment, and after I said I didn’t have a huge budget, I was told that there just weren’t any options for me (He said: «Well, that’s just how much these things cost). And the sales guy turned around and walked away. I looked around by myself and found another lighting set that was in my budget, but I didn’t buy it because I was pissed at the sales guy.
It feels really shitty to be treated like garbage in a store that you just dropped thousands of dollars in a few months earlier.
So go to National Camera and Video to buy a camera or sell used gear, go to West to buy anything that isn’t a camera, or if you really need a good deal and can wait, buy it on Amazon. I got that $ 289 lighting kit for $ 160 on Amazon.

Good selection of product and the staff is very friendly. I came here with the intention of selling a few of my telephoto lenses, but decided against it in the end. Despite my indecision, the store guy, Scott was more than happy to run the numbers for me and thank me for coming in.
Once I’m back up and running, I expect to shop here on a more frequent basis.

Went to purchase a neck strap for my dslr and after about 2 minutes of wandering aimlessly throughout the store a friendly staff member noticed the confused look on my face and offered to show me where to go. She then asked if I had any questions and when I said no she walked away and took care of some other fancy camera business stuff.
Nice big store with a pretty good selection of cheap and extremely expensive cameras along with any accessories you could ever need. They also give classes here for those looking to brush up on their photo skillz. Overall a good experience and I’ll definitely be back.

I am a long-​time customer of National Camera & Video. I have purchased two Tamron lenses from the Roseville store and darkroom and polaroid equipment from the Golden Valley store. They are helpful, friendly, and always have the products I’m looking for in stock and at a competitive price. Thank you National Camera!
I was in the store yesterday and was lucky enough to meet the Tamron rep and photographer. What a great experience! I am so glad that was the day I decided to stop by!
I rated NatCam ‘pricey’ because good camera equipment is not cheap. And that is OK.

Great customer service from knowledgeable and informative staff.
Decent prices on everything (including ink for your color printer) and great selection of items.

Big selection. Knowledgeable, non-​snobby staff. Trades welcome. Lots of used gear in good condition. If you are new to photography, skip the big box stores and give these guys a visit. Plenty of pro-​level gear to drool over too. They also sell video gear, but I know nothing about video gear. I do know National Camera is my first stop for my photo needs.
The staff at this store (actually in Roseville, across the street from Rosedale) are great. I’ve also had good experiences with the downtown Mpls. and Golden Valley locations (the latter having the biggest used/​pro inventory).
Part of me wants to drop a star for the prices, which are not MSRP but are often within sight of MSRP. On the other hand, when you need something photo oriented right now, these guys usually have it. So they get a ½ star back, with the true rating at 4.5 stars.
Now go take some pictures already!