camera store in Lima?

[Dan]

Hi All,

I'm leaving for Peru soon and will be in Lima for a few days. Anyone know of a good, well-stocked camera store to visit?

Thanks!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Depends on the neighborhood, apparently. Are you going there for the first time?

Just for the sake of it, I googled "Camera stores in Lima, Perú" and found a conversation in flckr about this subject (in English). There seem to be some good repair shops, but, from my experience traveling in Spanish America, they're seldom into gear like Leica. They're always peddling the latest digital, and the Canikon stuff dominates the market.

Let's see who else chips in some knowledge... Best of luck! 🙂

 

[Dan]

Yes, this is my first trip. The background is that I'm leading a group of college students and one already emailed me that her camera is having problems (in Cancun). I'm hoping to fix it either myself or have at least some kind of store to visit. We'll see!

BTW, I grew up down-state in Decatur!

 

[Dan]

The neighborhood is Miroflores.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

From my readings on Peruvian literature, Miraflores is the fancy, wealthy neighborhood, and there are a few stores there. At least, that's what I found from googling the terms I told you about.

I'm imagining that the student's camera is a digital thing, right?

 

[Dan]

Yes, a Nikon D90. I'm trying to diagnose+repair via email but also googled photo stores and found a few for that neighborhood. From what she's described, I think it's an electrical problem and hopefully not too serious.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Your student's in luck. I've read only good things about the stores in Miraflores.

How's your Spanish? What is it you are doing in Lima? Just wondering... I'm taking 14 undergraduate students to Toledo, Spain, in about 3 weeks. I have no clue whether there's a respectable camera store in town; I think if I wanted to play with gear I'd have to go to Madrid! In any event, I'm taking my digital behemoth (Nikon D700 + AF-S 24-120 f4) and my Leica M4-2 with two lenses, a Hexanon 35/2 and a 'cron 90/2, along with some 15 rolls of BW400CN.

Developing in Europe is expensive, but I may be tempted to take my film somewhere if I get impatient... Best of luck with helping your student!

 

[Dan]

This is a trip for 17 of our undergrad art students and is one of several summer intensive programs offered for credit that run 3 weeks. We're going to travel to Cusco, Machu Picchu, Ariquipa, Lake Titticacca (and some other places I forget just now). It's my first time to Peru and my spanish is non-existent! But we have traveled to Turkey for the past number of years as well as Morocco, Spain and Portugal and I don't know those languages either! Typical American, right?

Over the course of those trips I've learned to par down the equipment, so my D700+24-70mm stays home. One year I brought my Canon F1 and Ftb-n w/a 35mm and 85mm, shot all b+w and loved it, but that kit got heavy after a while! Real brass and glass from way, way back. Now it's my Nikon S2 rangefinder and Fuji X-e1 with the 18mm+35mm that go and it's a good combo of old-world and the new.

What do you teach? I envy your Leica set-up!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I teach Spanish at Northern Illinois University, and in this program I teach two classes for 5 weeks. I usually take the digital monster for the kind of promotional shots useful for my department and for the study abroad office (helps us promote the program), but the B&W setup is all my own stuff.

The first time I did this program was in 2012, and (surprise, surprise) even though I was planning on taking a Leica, at the last minute I packed my Nikon S2 kit. It is the best thing I could have done: I learned to use a 50mm lens, and also to LIVE with one lens. And the camera is gloriously light too! You will love it.

Your list of places has all the names I've read about and want to visit... Cuzco and Macchu-Picchu are high over the sea level, and the people I know who have been there have told me about problems breathing. I think Arequipa is a town in the heart of the Peruvian Amazonia (I think), and also the setting of one of Mario Vargas Llosa's novels. Man... you're lucky! I feel like Dr. Seuss... "oh, the places you've been!" 🙂