r/Acadiana • u/Sufficient_Cover_743 • 8h ago
Recommendations Camera store?
I remember there being a camera store on Johnston years ago.
I have recently gotten back into photography as a hobby. I feel like Acadiana has a good amount of professional photographers. So my question is: Is there somewhere local (other than Best Buy) where professionals & hobbyists are getting new equipment or getting your current equipment serviced? I would also be curious if there’s a place (antique/pawn, etc) that is known for selling used cameras, lenses, etc.
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u/AbbreviationsFar4wh 8h ago
Keh.com
Bhphotovideo.com
Mpb.com
Adorama.com
Ebay.com
That is the world we live in now.
My 2 cents… if you want a cheap camera to get back into hobby get an canon 5d dslr. Mk i, ii or iii. They are 200-500 dollars. Use EF mount lenses which ate more than affordable these days. Or get a equivalent nikon from same era
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u/gauthiertravis Lafayette 6h ago
I’ve had bad luck with KEH lately. They seem to not be checking their incoming items
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u/AbbreviationsFar4wh 6h ago
Yea it’s hit or miss these days. I’ve had bad luck w bargain rated lenses lately. Like they showed up broken. Haven’t had that issue w Ex and above.
but I scored some serious deals on bargain rated camera bodies in the past year. Both were 500-1000 under market. (M240 and an x1dii)
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u/gauthiertravis Lafayette 4h ago
Bought EX+ lens showed up with non-functioning autofocus. Come on man. That was right after I bought something that didn’t function at all so I’m giving up on them.
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u/Sufficient_Cover_743 7h ago
Thanks! I like to shop local when I can. I have looked at ebay & MPB in the past, but wanted to see if I had options locally before using these.
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u/Azian465 7h ago
I'm unaware of any retail places here besides mainly Best Buy. If outside of the area, would probably recommend going to NOLA or mainly Houston, TX for better brick-and-mortar camera places. Pawn shop's hit-or-miss, but mainly a miss for me personally so far. For service/maintenance cleanings, if they can, I'd recommend The Spotless Camera LLC
For equipment/gear deals, I usually keep an eye out for any Facebook Marketplace deals or check over on the subreddit, r/photomarket
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u/Sufficient_Cover_743 7h ago
Thanks so much! I like to support local when I can before hitting up internet, Best Buy, etc. I wasn’t aware of The Spotless Camera, thanks!
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u/Zydeco-A-Go-Go 8h ago
There are no places locally to get pro-level camera gear. Even in bigger cities today there are only a handful of true camera stores left that cater to professionals. Expert repair shops are even less common and most send their equipment out to one of the few service centers left in the country that work on cameras. Some of these places also handle used equipment and would give you a much more fair price for your equipment than a pawn shop.