The Photo Shop - San Luis Obispo, California

Richard Rubenstein

What a treat to visit an independent camera store! The internet & mass merchants have made it difficult for small specialty shops to survive. This shop has carved out a special niche with its combination of new and pre owned camera equipment and photo supplies along with kind, knowledgeable staff to support their personalized service. I stumbled in there last week to browse as I was passing through town, but plan to return this coming week to hopefully buy some gear. My appreciation goes to the owner & staff for bucking the trend and keeping a local camera shop available to us photo enthusiasts. ?

UPDATE: I did return and purchased a camera & lens at a very fair price. It was honestly represented and an enjoyable buying experience. Even their after sales service was amazing. They do care about their customers. Thanks again - I'll see you whenever I'm on the central coast.

Lea Rodney

I walked in on a whim to develop some film. I prefer independent spots if I can! The photos turned out okay, a lot were black which no one took the time to go over with me. They accommodated mailing them to me after I asked multiple questions like tracking, carrier etc. so I can keep track of it because they didn’t relay any of this info in the beginning. The tone of the customer service was like a brick being dragged in the sand..I felt more like a bother than anything with bare minimum interaction..so I will not be going back. ‍♀️

Josh Petray

What a gem. Amazing custom-tailored customer service defines this SLO-based ruby-of-a-photo-shop. From ameteur to pro, this little shop is chock full of goodies to keep you covered. Very friendly staff who always go above and beyond: think treating you well, coupled with a massive selection of photo gear. All the employees are pro level knowledgeable, and gave me all the ins-and-outs PLUS some extra know-how on how to operate, upgrade & customize. I can’t say enough good things about this place. If you are in town visiting or from the area, it’s your one-stop shop, plus you are doing your part to keep downtown SLO a thriving locale. I picked up a used CanonEOS 7D plus tripod and countless toys through the years. You will be fascinated with all the vintage goodies to boot!

Daniel Bredner

Great little Shop! Super friendly staff. Needed a CF Express Type B memory card during my California road trip. The Photo Shop got me covered. (Even 35mm film stocks are available in the store!)
Greetings from Dresden / Germany

Margaritta Pizza

Long story short: pretty pricey film and the guy in the corner was condescending.

Buying 400 fujifilm 35mm/36 shots here was $17.50. at a similar store such as freestyle photography the same film goes for 8.99.

As for the guy in the corner watching youtube. He was condensing when it comes to looking at a camera. Looking for a CCD camera, And asked if they had one. They said “No” but infact after further looking around they did have one.

We asked to look at it and asked a few basic questions. Such as what’s the image count and does it fully work. These two questions came with a harsh tone. He said he couldn’t tell the frame count and then explains how to do it after? But still does not check it. And after asking if it was in working order he seemed to take offense and stated he wouldn’t sell it if it was broken.

alex exley

Needing just a few digital prints made finding an actual "photo" shop was important to me for quality. The owner Peggy was super friendly. Trevor actually took the time to enhance and correct some color issues for me. I was able to get the prints within moments. I'll be back! Also if you like film cameras they actually sell and develop film.

Steve Tillmann

Super helpful team!

Visited the store to get help removing a hopelessly stuck lens filter and waled out a short time later with the problem solved affordably.

Thanks So Much!

- Steve

thephilprof

Outstanding service. Purchased a $65 used Nikon Cookpix and was treated as if I had spent 100 times that much. Trevor was extremely helpful when we accidentally wound up with the wrong charger. He waited for me to return to the store right around closing time to make sure I had the right charger. Cameras there are in excellent condition and at prices comparable (or better) to what one finds online. Just loved the shop. You'll regret not stopping by.