Powell Camera Shop

I normally buy my gear either online (B&H) or go to Samy’s in Pasadena. I recently moved out to this area (West Covina), and I came to Powell to support the local business. I also didn’t feel like making the trek out to Pasadena.
It’s a relatively modest size store, but it’s pretty well stocked with all the essential gear. The prices are decent, I’m sure I could find cheaper prices online. Why I give this place 5 stars is because of the service. The people that run this store are good decent folks. They are first and foremost camera guys, not salesmen. They’re not gonna pressure you into buying all the expensive stuff. They’ll guide you to what you need, and they’ll patiently answer all your questions and inquiries. There’s definitely a personal touch to this place. I might be paying slightly more then if I shopped online, but it’s nice to actually go to a brick and mortar place and deal with actual human beings. In this case they are cool guys, and I feel great about my experience and purchase. Not to make it sound like they are overpriced, actually they gave me discounts wherever they could. Good, decent, honest, genuine. That’s how I describe this place. So if you are in need of some camera gear go check them out!

I love this place, the owner and employees are really nice people, always with a right advice even when that mean don’t buy it, they have some used canon and nikon lenses (not bad btw) this is a small carlmera store but they always have what I need or they can order it if they don’t have it, prices are not different than bigger stores with the personal touch, I have always get the time and advice that as not pro I need, I have never feel descriminated for the fact of don’t know :)

At the last minute decided to have wedding footage for our daughters wedding. Powell’s was helpful and helped us with top of the line video equipment and service!

I went to get an estimate on how much it would cost to fix my camera and I was given a reasonable price and an honest opinion for what could be done. They were very helpful. Great customer service. It’s nice to know that there are still some honest shop owners out there.

I just moved to the area and needed some film negatives developed and scanned. I read good things about Powell’s online, and it is in my area, so I was happy to support this little business and entrust them with my photos.
I will start by saying that the negatives turned out great. I asked them to push the film a stop, and it turned out as expected.
Unfortunately I can’t say the same for the scans.
The average file size for the photos is 700KB. Opening the files in Photoshop reveals that each photo is roughly 1500×1000 pixels in dimension, with a resolution of 72 pixels per inch.
Unacceptable. I would be lucky to get a good-​looking 4×6 out of these, let alone anything decent enough to be viewed on a 1080p computer screen on my website.
I paid $ 16 for the developing and some unusable scans (and another $ 4 because I asked to push the film a stop). Unbelievable.

A really good store with most of the things you could want!

One of the few places that only take 2 – 3 to develop film. They have great service and always answers the million questions I have!

Let’s tackle the issue of cost as it pertains to Powell Camera. They are by no means the cheapest outfit around. The behemoth Amazonia and that other well known camera place westward usually have them beat. This is a Mom & Pop place that just doesn’t do the volume of sales to warrant those lower prices. But so what!
Here is why I choose to go shop at Powell Camera:
Their customer service is unmatched and they are the most approachable friendly staff you will ever encounter. Case in point. I recently needed a soft-​box for a shoot the following day. I gave them a call and they immediately provided me with what I would need and purchase price. So off I went. As I walked in I was greeted and let them know I was the one that called about the soft-​box. I was still on the fence as to buying it. He went to back to get the soft-​box pulled it out of packaging and proceeded to instruct me on how to use it along with methods of making it easier to install/​uninstall. This attentiveness on their part made it easier for me to make a decision. Oh and what the hell, might as well get this, this, and that. While at counter, I mention that I have this spot on the camera I can’t get rid of. While he is explaining what to do to clean a camera he takes my camera for a demonstration and proceeds to clean it. I’m sure they don’t go around cleaning everyone’s camera for free and the store being empty probably had something to do with the level of attention I received. But I have been there more then once and never have I had bad service. If you have a thousand questions like me, they have a thousand-​one answers and never seem bothered by them.
I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I was with the overall service Powell Camera provided. They have gained a customer for life that will choose them over price-​point any day. People often complain that the Mom & Pop places are going away. It’s because we often look at price first before anything else, not realizing that you rob yourself of the chance to meet great people displaying their love of the craft.
So next time you’re shopping for camera gear or whatever. I recommend you stop here at some point before you finalize a purchase somewhere. Who knows, you might also find yourself writing a praise review of this place in the future.

This is an amazing Photography store!!! The staff deliver excellent customer service with a scholarly staff. I highly recommend this place!!!

Came in just to pick up a replacement lens cap and maybe browse around at some other lenses.
Spoke with win about possibly getting a tripod and boy did he know his stuff. He showed me what each one was all about. Explaining the different scenarios each one could be used for and also what made them cost what they did…
If you’re a rookie or a pro you can always appreciate places like this that know there stuff and want you to get the best bang for your buck. Glad I came across this place.
Oh yeah they also sell used gear and rent out lenses too! Definitely coming back for my camera supplies!
Forgot to mention that they gave me a free lens cleaning cloth!

Wow found a camera shop, seems like they all disappeared. Had to buy some accessories and all the big box stores didn’t carry any of them.
Called Powell and right away they had what I was looking for and more. Great customer service and a knowledgeable staff.

First time here. My Nikon wasn’t working. They looked at it, did a couple things, fixed it and didn’t charge me. I tried to give them $ 20 toward their lunch. They wouldn’t take it. I’ll definitely come back.

Dropped of my f100 and I know it’s in good hands, the crew was very attentive, and the store was very organized, with lots of accessories and printing options. This is my new camera shop!

This place was awesome! I had called ahead of time to see if they had what I needed (120 film black & white w/​ISO 125) and sure enough they did! When I came into the store everything was near and in order. The employee that helped me was friendly and didn’t try to sell me anything I didn’t need; which is awesome. They even have their own darkroom to develop and print your film photographs! I am giving this place 4 stars just because they were a little bit pricy on their smaller items. (Ex: a SMALL camera strap was $ 45.) But other than that I loved this place and I would definitely go back again!

It’s hard to find legit photo shops! This place had everything you need, if they don’t, they order it! I’ve had a business down the street for over 8 years and I was sad to find this place after I sold! The gentleman there was very helpful and we say and talked for 5 to 10 minutes. He knows his stuff!

I recently relocated my business to this area and was happily surprised to find this camera shop is within walking distance of my office. I went in to look around and came out with a used 70 – 300 mm Tamron lens! I’ve been wanting a telephoto lens for sometime now and was thrilled to see they had a decent collection of used lens for sale. The gentlemen who helped me was extremely nice and never pushy about trying to sell me other things that I didn’t want or need. I’ll definitely be returning to this store for all my camera related needs.

straight and to the point.
Parking: shared lot towards the end of the block.
Service: walked in and was greeted by vin? heard another customer greet him by name. He was direct and to the point. I had three old canon powershots (two with lens errors and one with a different kind of error.) He told me that with those, they charge for the time that it takes to take it apart. Each came out to the same price it would cost me to just get a new one. blah. oh well.
I’d be interested to come back when I further invest myself in my dslr! :D

At the risk of sounding repetitive based on other reviewers, this store truly has the best customer service. There is no pressure or «sales-​pitchiness» to the time they spend answering questions, they are sincerely helpful. They have always recommended products based on what I need, not based on what will make a bigger sale, and I appreciate that.
The push to shop local is easy when it comes to this camera store; they make the time worthwhile and have a great selection of the fundamental as well as latest and greatest products for hobbyists and professionals alike.

At the time I strolled in, I was taking a film photography class. The class required some basic equipment and my professor suggested this business which, to my luck, is down the street from my house.
Right when I walked in, I was instantly greeted by Win. What an incredibly kind man! After explaining my situation, he located all the equipment needed for my class as well as give insight on the products I was purchasing. What I expected to be a very tedious trip looking for equipment that I’m not familiar with yet ended up being a fairly pleasant trip thanks to Win’s help.
Absolutely amazing service. There’s no doubt in my mind that Win, as well as the rest of the staff, know their stuff. Even though my initial trip was strictly for school, I’ll definitely be back for assistance with my Nikon DSLR.

i love this place! my hubs and i were in a hurry to find an iphone mount for a tripod for an event early the next day. Luckily, Powell was close by, and its always true for mom-​and-​pop businesses like Powell — their staff really know their gear. Even if you’re under a budget, even if you’re fussy and want to try mounts on different tripods, they won’t give you attitude. And because I was able to try both available mounts they had available, I was able to discern that the cheap one had limitations for smartphones other than the iphone. One of them had a clip that can get in the way of the camera frame. So I ended up getting the higher priced one.
Also, his upsell methods didn’t seem pushy at all– he showed me another mount with wide-​angle & fisheye lens inside. So awesome, but also out of my budget at the moment lol. Still pretty cool though — might save up for it.
Oh I also got a free cleaning cloth ($ 5 value) from checking in. Yay! I’m so glad I found this place — it’s a few blocks from the I-​10. I’m pretty sure this isn’t the last time I’ll be at Powell’s.