Precision Camera & Video

Guess I need to look a certain way to get someone’s attention! I walked around the store for about 15 minutes and not one person asked me if I needed any help. I did! I was willing to support the local guys but with this first experience I will just stick with Amazon for my future equipment purchases. They weren’t that busy!

5 Stars for three different OUSTANDING sales teams Cole, Mark (English), and Tamera. All three were patient and friendly.
Zero stars for one another employee, Joan, the book keeper. Holy moly… that is no way to treat or talk to someone who is clearly trying to work through a glitch in *their* payment system! In short, they inadvertently let me walk away with a $ 2400 camera after the sales lady verified that my store credit was in good standing and approved. I had no reason to believe it wasn’t since all previous payments were made on time, not late even once, and I have great credit. Once Mark notified me, I quickly told him that I would research the issue and do my part to help *them* fix it quickly as like I told him, «I know you guys want and need to get paid for this ASAP.» I have been proactive in resolving the issue but still to be met with attitude from the book keeper. Not called for, especially since it was the company’s mistake. Thanks for the crap sandwich, lady! Don’t forget that I called you to report further issues with the credit, thus obviously implying that I am doing my part to get it fixed.

Terrible customer service. Not sure anyone knew what they were talking about regarding printing. Walked out!

Go here!
The customer service is excellent.
I spent several hours in there evaluating cameras and equipment. And even though I warned them I had no idea about the equipment, my sales person, Stern, stuck with me the whole time. I was pretty set on a Nikkon and eventually changed my mind to a Canon. He was great! He showed me all of the similarities, differences, basic info on how to shoot certain photos to help me get started.
I couldn’t be happier with my experience and I’m so thankful for how kind and patient everyone was.
Thank you Stern for all of your help and encouragement. I think my new camera is going to be my new best friend, all it needs is a name now. :)

I recently bought a dslr camera and was unsure which to get. The people at precision, specifically Tamera and Sherrie were incredibly helpful, knowledgable and patient. I even had to bring my toddler with me one day to lol, and Tamera played with her so I could play with the camera.
If you are going to buy a camera, but want to be confident about your choice, go to precision… and ask for Tamera or Sherrie. They were AWESOME!

Very disappointed with my service from Precision today. I brought in a brand new Nikon camera kit to get an evaluation on a trade-​in (since I have Canon lenses). I told the guy it was a new camera that had never been opened, and that if they couldn’t give me a decent trade that I’d sell it on CL or Ebay. I expected them to verify the camera was new/​unopened and give me a reasonable quote (since I would be buying a high end Canon frame at their retail price), but they not only opened it, but left it looking like a gorilla had done the opening!!! Very dissatisfied…
*edit — responding to Precision’s comments:
It is no longer a ‘new in box’ camera when it has been removed from the box and the packaging is mangled. It is still unused, but doesn’t present as new anymore. Though it is the previous generation frame, this set is also still sold (new) on the Nikon webpage. I would expect your people to recognize a camera in current, new, sealed packaging and provide me a quote without opening it. Your people also quoted at 60% of used pricing (for a new in box camera, and hitch they first opened) vs. exchange pricing.
If I was told that they would price the camera as used, or that they would need to open the camera (which I clearly told them was new in box,) I would have saved us both time and left without being upset. I didn’t bring the camera to a pawn shop, I was looking to do an trade-​in/​exchange.

Recently decided to upgrade and wanted to support my local store, so bought my Canon 7d Mk II from Precision. They were professional and helpful — nothing extraordinary, but an overall good experience — would give them 3−½ stars.
I have been considering trading in my 300 mm lens on a used 100−400mm version. Communicated over email with them about its trade-​in value, which they emailed me would be $ 660. That was enough to finally get me into the store yesterday — but when I was there ready to trade-​in, they offered me $ 400. I hate the «bait and switch» routine — zero stars.
Combined score 1−½ stars. Goodbye to supporting the local retailer. B&H has more selection and cheaper prices, so I’ll be buying strictly online from now on.

Nikky was very helpful!!! I took in two vintage cameras and was able to explain them in great detail, get the film processed, and get one of them repaired and tested! Overall an amazing experience! I’m definitely a returning customer for all things camera! Especially vintage! Thanks Nikky!!!

Every time I go into Precision, I’m helped out by some of the most enthusiastic camera evangelists that I’ve ever met. All the people I’ve dealt with there have been super friendly and helpful.
Today I went in because I was missing a knob for my tripod head. I was directed to the service desk, where Nikky saw the problem, got down a big tub’o’knobs, and searched through it for several minutes. He found one that fit and did not charge me. I had resigned myself to having to buy a new head, but I got out without opening my wallet. (No, not even to buy a new lens. I restrained myself. This time.)

Tamara in sales is great.
Service dept isn’t. Brought in my lens and was told what do you want me to do about it? Had them send it to Tamron. Took 7 days just to get it to Tamron. Lens came back on a Friday. I called on Monday to find out it was back. No contact from service that it was there. Not customer oriented in service dept.

Extremely pleased by Precision Camera year after year. Very friendly and knowable staff, great gear at a good price and wide selection. The staff is genuinely interested in making sure you get exactly what you are looking for or helping you nail down what that is if you go in and don’t have a clue. The processing did an awesome job on making print copies of a photo from early 1900’s for me. Lastly, if you get the chance, take a One on One session with Jerry Hughes. It is worth every penny and he is a great teacher!

Im an independent video producer that recently moved to Austin from Brooklyn, NY.
For context, (and some credibility) I produce digital content for brands and businesses looking to enhance their websites and campaigns. I shoot with a GH4, Rode NTG3, Zoom H4… As well as a few other creative tools.
Recent clients: Shake Shack, Edible Austin Magazine, USA Field Hockey… To name a few.
When living in NY, B&H was my go-​to place for anything gear related. Anyone who’s been there knows its no joke. Since moving to Austin, my go-​to place is now Precision Camera. Its best feature… Friendly staff… Anyone who says otherwise is either crazy, or is having a bad day.
I frequently visit to: 1) Talk shop with staff members (I dare you to test Mark Johnson’s knowledge), 2) Rent equipment, and 3) Buy gear.
Happy shooting y’all!

I have been dealing with Precision Camera for over 20 years now, and I consider them to be the best in the industry. Professional, courteous, and knowledgable, there is always someone available on the floor to answer your questions or sell you gear.
Jerry Sullivan, owner of Precision Camera, is considered one of the best, if not the best, Leica technician in the country.
Stop by Precision. I promise it will become your new camera store.

***This is just about the photo lab, and my experience with processing. Everyone that works the floor or in repairs seems to genuinely know what they’re doing and actually care about photography.
I have never in my life had such a horrible experience with anything regarding photography. Let me start off by saying that I used to love precision. It is the place I got my first camera and I had been a loyal dedicated patron over the years. My experience in May has soured me on the entire store and company.
I had come back from a 5 month long trip to Italy and had 4 rolls of film. I had been saving for this trip for over 5 years, and I was looking forward to having my memories preserved. I had 3 rolls of color and one roll of black and white. I did two separate transactions just to ensure that the rolls didn’t get mixed up. I went home and waited patiently for about a week, until I got a meek voicemail from the photo manager Chris Dolajak saying that there was a problem with my roll of film and that it hadn’t been able to be processed. I was very sad to hear this news. I tried to call him back, but the guy wouldn’t answer.
I went in as soon as I could and asked to speak to the manager. He was on his lunch break which lasted 30 minutes past when he was supposed to be back. I waited around and conversed with the staff, and they told me that the manager, Chris Dolajak, had processed my black and white film as color and therefore all my images had been lost. Is this man blind? No. He is just incompetent, and to behave and handle film in such an amateur way is not a quality that I would want in a photo lab manager. All his staff that I talked to agrees.
When he finally got back to his lunch break he offered me a very insincere apology and gave me a roll of black and white film to replace the roll he destroyed. The roll is not worth the same amount as the roll that they destroyed even.
Think twice before giving your film over to the photo lab here. If you do make sure one of the employees that actually knows what they are doing is in charge. Do not let this man near your film.

Great class with Ian! Highly recommend. Gonna take step up class
This was our first time taking a camera class after buying out Nikon camera. So helpful with tips even a discount. No pressure to buy anything .
Good pace to the class — practical easy to understand. Made me want to go out «in the early evening «to take some great pics

Great place to make a major camera purchase. Offers numerous accessories which is very helpful to anyone who takes photography. They have you pull a number which provides direct service with a representative which is very helpful in these type of purchases. We were called several seconds after we pulled our ticket so speedy service times are a plus. The representative was very professional, friendly, and informative which exceeded our expectations. We made our purchase with confidence, they had a fair return policy and the camera instantly came with a 1 year warranty. Very awesome service and products. We would return and highly recommend them as well.

Why do some people receive better customer service than others? Is it the way we dress? Facial expression? Skin color? Height? I’ve been to this store twice and each time, I am overlooked by staff to help others’. More than 3 staff members neglected to ask me if I needed help yet ask others around me. I stood by the lenses in awe as other people who came after me were approached.
It’s quite frustrating as I read other reviewers receive the same treatment.
I’ll leave my review to be open to change as there isn’t many large camera stores in town so I may have to use this store in the future. So maybe they’ll warm up to me as they see me dropping cash like Biggie dropped beats. But until then, to the employees there: Don’t be so judgmental, that’s not welcome here in Austin.

Simply amazing. I visited the store in Austin yesterday and found the staff to be knowledgeable and friendly and incredibly helpful. I was shopping for a $ 20 flash bracket and a $ 2,000 lens and got the same level of helpful service, knowledge and recommendations from two different staff members in two different areas of the store.
It seemed just as important to them that I get a good quality bracket as a good quality lens, and they didn’t just point to the rack, they walked with me, opened the package and showed me why one product was recommended over another.
After leaving the store, I thought of two more items that I had meant to look for, so I went to their website this morning and easily found the products and ordered them. Email updates came rapidly, and the items were shipped less than an hour after I ordered them.
I live 4 hours from Austin and I will gladly bypass a closer, more convenient store to avail myself of the service, selection and prices at Precision from now on. Every time.
You have a customer for life.
PS — Just before I clicked «post», I happened to notice someone complaining that since they were not a «middle aged well dressed male», they did not feel they received appropriate service. I did not find this to be true. I do happen to be a middle aged male, but I was tired, unshaven, and wearing a faded Tshirt and old blue jeans. And I got amazing service. And I saw people much younger than me and much older than me and of different genders and apparent (outward judgement) socio-​economic statuses all receiving the same level of service during the nearly 2 hours that I spent in the store.

This is a pretty nifty place apparently if you’re a middle-​aged well dressed male. Or at least I would assume so as over my three visits this has been the only demographic I’ve seen receiving attentive service…
…however, for the rest of us, my experience has been pretty mediocre. Two out of the three times I visited, the lens I was looking for was out of stock or wasn’t a part of their typical stock. Fine. Its a brick and mortar store and limited stock happens when you’re trying to stay local. However, the sales representatives seem completely ready to dodge any follow up questions or helpful advice when looking for alternatives and can’t seem to get potential buyers out of their store fast enough. And forget asking questions about potentially trying a lens out before purchase; the insinuation of this seems to be met with death glares and shrug offs.
This has been fairly typical of the other women photographers I’ve spoken to that have visited this location, one reporting that a sales representative even went as far to call her cheap. Another reported being ignored when directly asking questions.
One star back because at their previous location I was looking for a replacement part that I didn’t know them name of and the sales representative managed to guess by way of my semi-​embarrassing flailing pantomimes what I was referring to. That takes skill.

Precision Camera has been in Austin longer than I have. So long, in fact, that they were the UT-​recommended store for photo equipment and film processing back when I was in photojournalism class, almost a couple of decades ago. Most of the employees have been shooting at least that long, and better yet, they’ve kept up with all manner of technological advances and can help you catch up and keep up, too. Their new larger location on Anderson Lane just takes everything up a notch.
This is my go-​to place to hit up for photography needs, and probably the place you’ll end up frequenting, too. They carry most quality brands of cameras and accessories, and will help you determine what you need. This is in contrast to the big-​box stores, which may be a tad cheaper, but don’t offer any service or support.
I bought my entire digital SLR outfit here, and have come in often with questions and further needs (lenses, cases, batteries, tripod, memory cards, some semblance of purchase restraint). They’ve been honest and haven’t tried to up-​sell or oversell me, and have patiently ushered me into and all around the digital camera age. They seem to be highly intuitive in figuring out a customer’s needs, so this applies to you even if you’re a point-​and-​shoot enthusiast. If you want to try something before you buy, they probably rent it, and they also offer used equipment. Watch for sales, because they happen periodically.
There’s a separate department (still) for printing your photos, involving a kiosk, yes, but also an employee who knows what he’s doing and can answer your questions. They restore old photos and can help you put together stunning albums or wall prints on a number of materials, from canvas to metal. The photo quality is, as you’d imagine, excellent.
**mini-​update here: Due to my various experiences with the photo lab over the past year, I’ve deducted an overall rating star, and here’s why: The photo lab has become far busier than it was previously, and they’ve hired some seemingly inexperienced employees. True, film processing isn’t a currently popular technology, so maybe it’s harder to find someone with film processing experience.
But I’ve been frustrated on numerous occasions by the length of time it takes to turn around a project, the phone calls saying it’s done and then arriving to find out that it isn’t (more than once), missing or messed up prints from a roll of film, processing instructions not followed, people who can’t answer basic questions, and finally, their abject unwillingness to rush a small slide conversion order (50 images) that I needed for a memorial service. I had the young woman double-​check with «the guy in back,» and the answer came back the same.
So I let them know I found that unacceptable, especially for a long-​time customer. I found another local photo lab who willingly took it on, and I switched my business to them. If you use the lab these days, don’t be in a hurry and do check their work. I’m hoping they’ll get these problems straightened out soon and stop acting like they’re the only photo lab in town. They aren’t.