Informational | Michael Vance Pemberton

Where to buy a camera? That is always the question, I asked myself when I started photography. How do you decide where to buy a camera? There are so many things to consider when making that purchase. I listed down below some of the things you should consider when purchasing camera equipment. Something that has always been important to me is great customer service. I have found over the years, I like to find a local store having great customer service and knowledgeable staff that helps me decide on what kind of camera gear to purchase. I also like to find a store that carries used equipment. I'm always trying to get the most out of my budget. So I came up with a list of the 20 best places to buy a camera. I have purchased equipment over the years from several of them. The others I looked at the reviews, comments from others and would purchase from them. Things you should consider: Return policy Consider Location Beware of taxes What kind of selection You get what you pay for Reviews Do they sell refurbished gear Customer service KEH. Keh camera has been around nearly 40 years. They focus on mostly selling used camera equipment and gear. A benefit from buying used is you get more out of your money for your budget. They guarantee satisfaction which I have found to be true as a customer of KEH myself. Their website says every used item you get goes through a thorough grading process to ensure quality and comes with an extended warranty as well as a return period. KEH'S goal is 100% satisfaction, if you are not satisfied with your purchase, you can return or exchange it to KEH within 14 days of delivery for a full refund. Check out their website for more details on the return policy. They offer free ground shipping in the continental US with orders over $49. This offer is for US orders only and it excludes shipping to Alaska and Hawaii. KEH also offers a price match guarantee, their website says if the price of the product you purchase changes within 14 days KEH will refund you the difference. This only applies to product price changes. Prices affected by promotions are not eligible for a price match refund. I've purchased several items from KEH and was very satisfied. MORE INFO They offer a 5% discount to the military. B&H. B&H was founded in 1973 and is based in Manhattan New York City. B&H conducts business through online e-commerce consumer sales, business-to-business sales, and it is one retail location. B&H is known for its customer service. B&H offers free expedited shipping on most orders over $49. They offer free store pick up in 30 minutes at their retail location. They have an excellent 30-day return policy. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason, you may return it to B&H within 30 days of the purchase date. I have purchased several items from B&H and I have always found good customer service and quality products. B&H has a loyalty program, you can earn points on your purchases and later redeem them for discounts. They also carry a large selection of used cameras and other second-hand electronics. MORE INFO AMAZON. Of course, I think everybody's familiar with Amazon. You can find pretty much everything you want on Amazon.com relating to cameras. Amazon has a good return policy. Their website states "Items that ship from Amazon.com including Amazon warehouse can be returned within 30 days of receipt of shipment in most cases". Some products have different policies and requirements associated with them. So make sure you check out their website for more information. Amazon also has its prime membership which is a paid subscription service. This gives users access to services that would otherwise be unavailable to you or add an extra cost. It also includes free 2-day delivery, streaming music, video, and other benefits. MORE INFO EBAY. I think we are all familiar with eBay. eBay is going to have everything you're looking for when it comes to camera gear and accessories. Whether you're looking for new equipment or used equipment, eBay has it. One issue I have had with eBay is returning an item. Returns can depend on a seller's stated return policy at the time of purchase. Your refund may be reduced by restocking fees or return shipping costs. So that is one thing to keep in mind when using eBay to purchase your camera gear. Other than these eBay has been a good source for buying camera gear. MORE INFO BEST BUY. Best Buy has a decent selection of camera gear but is not as good as others like Amazon or eBay. I have not purchased big items at Best Buy. I have shopped there for accessories like filters and other things. Best Buy is a good place to go shopping. Another thing I like about Best Buy is there price match guarantee. You can go online and find out more information about this or check your local Best Buy and ask an associate. They have a decent return policy, you can check this out on their website or at their store. MORE INFO BEDFORD’S CAMERA. Bedford camera is a store I have used regularly when I lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas. One of the things I would recommend for somebody new to photography is if you can find a local camera store to work with you is very helpful. So when you have questions you can go into the store and get some knowledge in person. You can shop stores in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri and also on their website. At the time when I was traveling a lot, I knew I could count on the manager Larry. When I had an issue, even if I just needed to send them the equipment to get it clean when I was out of state, it wasn't a problem. They only have a 14-day policy return on items bought online so this was one thing I didn't like. But overall I had an excellent experience using Bedford's camera. MORE INFO ADORAMA. Adorama is known as "The Photography People" the company has been around since the 1970s. Their retail store is in New York City. They have an excellent inventory of used and new camera gear. They have an excellent 30-day return policy with a full money-back refund excluding any shipping charges. They are known for having excellent customer service. They also have what is called a VIP 360 membership which has a lot of benefits like a 60-day return policy. So check out their website for more information. MORE INFO SAMY'S CAMERA. Samy's camera has been around since 1976. They have several stores located in California like Los Angeles, Culver City, Orange County, Pasadena, and San Francisco. They have a department carrying an unparalleled selection of medium and large format cameras, digital backs, and accessories. They have Apple certified specialists on staff ready to design any digital photo or video workflow system you may need. They have a large selection of cameras, video equipment, lenses, bags, cases, apparel, memory cards, tripods, heads, studio lighting, drones, and quadcopters. They also carry a large amount of used camera gear. Samy's Camera has a standard 30-day return policy but they do have several conditions that apply. So I would check out their website for more details. MORE INFO ABE'S OF MAINE. Abe's of Maine has been in business since 1979. Abe's of Maine has been a family-owned and operated business since its inception in 1979. They have a great reputation for customer service and low prices. Their staff is known for being well-informed and polite. On their website, you can read more about their top 10 reasons to shop at Abe's of Maine. Number one loyal family service since 1979, number two knowledgeable and friendly staff, number three great reliable customer service, number four free shipping on thousands of products, number five no sales tax, number six preferential payment option, number seven fast order processing, number eight hundreds of coupons and rebates, number nine detailed specs and product review, number ten easy-to-navigate website. MORE INFO PRECISION CAMERA & VIDEO. Precision Camera and Video is another company that has been around since the 70s, out of Austin, Texas. They're committed to photography education and delivering the finest customer experience at the largest camera store in Texas. One of the many benefits of this company is they have a repair department and is second to none. Their return policy states most items purchased from Precision Camera and Video can be returned within 14 days from the date of purchase with the original receipt or eligible for refund or exchange and unless defective are subject to a restocking fee. For more details check on their website. They offer free ground shipping on orders over $200 on specific products that are shipping within the continental US. They also offer special financing at their retail location and offer free basic digital photography classes. So if you live in the Austin, Texas area I think this is a great benefit for someone just starting in photography. MORE INFO RITZ CAMERA. Ritz Camera is one of those companies that's been around a long time since 1918. I've shopped at Ritz Camera for over 20 years, especially when I was shooting film. I have always been satisfied with their customer service and printing processes. Their staff has always been incredibly knowledgeable. Their return policy is a little different than most as you must have a return authorization number, so for more details check out their website. One of the things I like about Ritz Camera is they offer free shipping for ground service. I've purchased a lot of film and a lot of camera gear from Ritz Camera and have always been happy with my purchases. MORE INFO They carry a large inventory of camera equipment. MPB. MPB is an internet business. They operate a unique side of the camera business. MPB trades thousands of cameras and lenses every week across Europe and the US. MPB checks, grades and photographs every single item and has a six-month warranty, so you can be sure what's in the box. For more information check out their website. MORE INFO VISTEK. Vistek has been around in Canada for over 40 years. They are known for having a large selection of the best brands available in the world. They are known for going the extra mile to provide great service, technical support and professional consultation. They have a rental department, service, repairs and a photo lab, leasing department and commercial sales. For information on their shipping policies and return policy check out their website. MORE INFO PAUL'S PHOTO. Paul's photo is a family-owned and operated store. It has been serving the community for over 50 years. They also offer a large selection of camera gear and expert knowledge from their sales team. They also have a printing lab on site. Check out their website for their return policy. MORE INFO MIKE'S CAMERA. Mike's camera has been around since 1967. They are known for having outstanding customer service. They offer one of the largest selections of photographic and video equipment. Whether you're looking for digital cameras, computers or digital printers to high-end medium or large format film cameras. They offer a low price guarantee. They offer to match other retailers and are confident that no other retailer can match their value. MORE INFO KENMORE CAMERA. Kenmore camera is a family-owned business and has operated since 1974. There store located in Kenmore, Washington is just 15 minutes north of Seattle. Kenmore Camera is a Northwest leader in photographic equipment and accessories. They have a staff of knowledgeable professionals offering friendly customer service to all who enjoy the ever-changing field of photography. MORE INFO NATIONAL CAMERA EXCHANGE. National Camera Exchange is a family-owned and operated business for over a hundred years. They provide expert customer service along with the largest selection of photo and video products in the midwest. Their mission statement says "Do everything possible to help customers capture and create images to preserve memories and inspire others". MORE INFO HUNT'S PHOTO. Hunt's Photo is a new England's imaging equipment leader. They are known for having excellent customer service and making sure every customer feels comfortable with his or her purchase. They want you to be confident whether you're a student or an enthusiast, and their professional staff will help you choose the right equipment for your needs. Hunt's Photo has been around since the 50s. MORE INFO UNIQUE PHOTO. Unique Photo has been around since 1947 offering customers the best and price, quality and dependable service. They are one of the largest privately-owned photography supply distributors in the world. They stock over 20,000 brand name products from all the top manufacturers like Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, Fujifilm, DJI and more. They pride themselves on having a helpful and knowledgeable staff of professional photographers and videographers who are trained in a variety of fields and disciplines. MORE INFO ROBERT'S CAMERA. Roberts's camera has been around since 1957. Robert's Camera has become a premier source for photo, video and audio and electronic equipment. They work with everyone from the top pros in the business to the very beginner who just wants to learn more about taking great pictures. They have two retail stores located in the Indianapolis area. They have a new downtown location in the great mass avenue district and a location in the Carmel area near the art and design district. They have a hassle-free 14-day return policy. Their prices are competitive with all the big guys out there. If you find a lower price from another authorized dealer they will always do what they can to meet the price. They also carry a huge selection of quality used camera equipment. MORE INFO.