Used Camera Stores in Los Angeles

[windraider]

Hi All,

Will be dropping into LA this weekend and was wondering if there are any reliable place I can shop for used cameras & lenses - particularly Leica Ms and Olympus OMs.

Would appreciate all suggestions and instructions on how to get there from Hollywood (btw I'm not driving - probably take a bus/metro or taxi if nearby)

 

[dskphotography]

samys on fairfax or the outlet store next door theres a place called the used camera store in orange county other than that not alof of quality used paces that i know of out here

 

[windraider]

Thanks for the info. Cheers

 

[CameraQuest]

I doubt you will find any worth while camera stores for used eqpt. the good ones have all closed. as far as I am concerned, the only good LA places buy used cameras are the weekend camera shows. see http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39001

but since you are in Hollywood, go see Mel Pierce Camera on Hollywood Blvd. it used to be one of the great ones, but the founding family is long gone.

Stephen

 

[julianphotoart]

RFF has a great selection. The big monthly camera show is fantastic. Nevertheless, to answer fully:

Trader Jim's in, I think, Culver City.
Samy's on Fairfax.
Samy's in Pasadena.
Samy's in Santa Barbara.
Bel-Air Camera in Westwood.
Silvio's in Torrance.
Ross Yerkes, who does repairs, is in L.A. and he also buys/sells. He's a nice guy. I've got his number somewhere.

 

[David Murphy]

Here's my spin from someone who's lived here for 17 years: Samy's is expensive and the service, well, variable in quality. The sales people are most interested in pitching you digital cameras and ink jet printers.

The camera shows are hit-or-miss -- better prices are usually found on the Internet, but they are still worth seeing at least once. Many of the sellers are not aware of the new pricing regime that film cameras and lenses now have due to the impact of eBay and the Internet (i.e. the camera show prices are typically above market).

Frank's Camera was still open as of about two years ago. It's a strange and eccentric place stuck in past, but you might enjoy it -- it used to be a national player in its glory days.

 

[aizan]

no one shop has a big collection, and what they have is usually overpriced compared to ebay. you might luck out, though. i just did. =)

trader jim's closed! there's also paul's in torrance. both are on hawthorne.

 

[JJW]

Say, guys... we should all support our local brick & mortar camera stores. Buying on line or on eBAY is really a big pain in the a*s. The internet, eBAY and digital have really killed the business. It's a crying shame. I know prices are now pretty low on film gear, but it really is nice to have a place you can drive to that has what you want and need... like FILM. I know, I know, I am crazy. I still shoot film.

It would be helpful if we could each profile a local camera store or two here on RFF... I know a lot of folks who are members here travel and it might be useful to have some info on who's who doing what in another corner of the world.

Over the past three or four years most all of the local town camera shops around me have closed, but I know a couple of decent ones that are still open for business.

 

[David Murphy]

Say, guys... we should all support our local brick & mortar camera stores. Buying on line or on eBAY is really a big pain in the a*s. The internet, eBAY and digital have really killed the business. It's a crying shame. I know prices are now pretty low on film gear, but it really is nice to have a place you can drive to that has what you want and need... like FILM. I know, I know, I am crazy. I still shoot film.

It would be helpful if we could each profile a local camera store or two here on RFF... I know a lot of folks who are members here travel and it might be useful to have some info on who's who doing what in another corner of the world.

Over the past three or four years most all of the local town camera shops around me have closed, but I know a couple of decent ones that are still open for business.

Actually I prefer eBay and RFF and I just love shopping online. With a few exceptions I never felt I was getting a fair shake from an old-style camera store, and I've seen a lot of them just rip people off left-and-right. For example, for a time in the 80's, U.S camera stores practiced something called "uniform pricing". Apparently this was some version of price fixing. Now when confronted with true market forces they are withering. The savvy ones morphed into eBay businesses, sometimes maintaining a storefront as well -- sometimes not.

Their disappearance is not a crying shame to me. Their primary virtue was being able to see and sometimes handle the actual gear. FYI I can also buy film online cheaper than any camera store I've ever seen and in much greater variety.

I grant that someone could convince me other otherwise, but I doubt it!

 

[los]

i have to agree with david. KEH is the best thing to happen to me when it comes to gear.

 

[JCdeR]

A guy named "Panhead" Pioneer chicken 'n Dogs, alvarado street. (if it still existst) back in the early 80'ties you could order anything from this guy.... and I mean anything, come back a couple of days later and he'de have it. He would know his sh*t too, knew all the leica modeös, lenses, watches, hifi gear, guns, very knowledagble guy actually.

 

[JCdeR]

I still wear a watch today that I bought off him back then .... just for the memories of it all .... don't even want to think where it came from

 

[JCdeR]

Reason I went there in the first place was a Warren Zevon/Jackson Browne song called carmelita .... Just wanted to check it out and ran into Panhead, got talking, met up a couple of times.... it#s how it goes ...

 

[David Murphy]

A guy named "Panhead" Pioneer chicken 'n Dogs, alvarado street. (if it still existst) back in the early 80'ties you could order anything from this guy.... and I mean anything, come back a couple of days later and he'de have it. He would know his sh*t too, knew all the leica modeös, lenses, watches, hifi gear, guns, very knowledagble guy actually.

Excuse me, you mean to say his name was: "Panhead" Pioneer chicken 'n Dogs?!

 

[JCdeR]

hehehehehe ... funny ... ... very funny (really!)

 

[JCdeR]

Actually his real name was Earl"

Now if this was my name I would of changed this to "Panhead Pioneer Chicken and Dogs" anyday .....

 

[Rodinal Addict]

Hey Dave murphy, where is/was Franks Camera located?

Robin