George’s Camera

Thanks to Jair and Mark for fixing my spotting scope! They knew exactly how to fix the problem. And correct my lousy attempt at fixing it myself.

Calvin was super knowledgeable, patient, respectful and just a pleasure to work with. I was in the store to get a nicer point and shoot with room for growth as an amateur photographer and he helped me find something that I really liked. I would recommend Calvin and George’s Camera to all photographers, professionals and amateurs alike. Thanks so much for your great customer service and knowledge Calvin!

These people were really nice to me today. One guy helped me with some digital photos another one helped me with some copies and enlargements. They seemed glad to be at work and didn’t mind my uneducated questions.

Needed a quick turn around on some photos two days before Christmas! at 4pm on Dec 23, I called to see if they would be able to process the order by Christmas Eve. Yes, so long as I processed the order by 5pm that night. By 6:30pm I received an email confirming that I could pick up the photos between 9 – 2 on Christmas Eve. My father was able to receive wedding photos as his present!

I walked in and right away Jesse was super helpful! He figured out quickly that I was a beginner and guided me in the right direction of purchasing my new lens! He asked lots of questions about my usage and explained the different types of lenses. This visit was worth the hour drive. There is a reason they are rated number one in Google for camera shops in the San Diego area!
I would shop here again if we are in the area! Thanks to Jesse for the awesome customer service!

Incredibly helpful staff! I was looking for a small missing screw to my tripod and the manufacturer didn’t even sell it. Had half the staff trying to find a solution and they found the screw I needed. I’m so grateful!

So happy we have a great camera shop in North Park. By far the best customer service and talented staff. I needed to have a special high definition print made from a (legally) downloaded photo off the internet. Gus, the lab pro, created a print for me that was even better than I had anticipated.
This is our go-​to photo shop from now on.

Rented cameras here to video record a live show. Rented two Panasonic cameras, a shoulder mount, and a light. It was competitively priced and they picked up the cameras the next day at the venue for a small fee. They were very helpful and professional. Especially because I was flying in and my visit was brief.

This is the best camera store for all your photography needs. Film or digital. Special thank you to employee Calvin who went above and beyond to help me with a special order Hallmark ornament keepsake and and placed a tiny photo artfully skilled and cut out on the first try! You rock! Is an anniversary present.

First of Calvin is the man. He was so helpful and knowledgable. It almost felt like family was helping me out lol. I purchased a flash diffuser and battery charger for my Nikon D7000. Good prices and great service!!!

Sales associate MARK is the best! Thank you! Ok… so I was in San Diego on business and realized I left my camera battery charger at home. Obviously I would rather have two batteries than 2 chargers, so Mark got me a new battery and made sure it was charged for me. He then also helped me find three additional accessories that I needed — a new lens cover, a «leash» for that cover so I don’t lose another lens cap, and a lens clear protector. Yep. Mark solved all my problems and was friendly and helpful. If I lived in San Diego, I would be a regular at George’s! Thank you MARK for your help!

Jay was very helpful and easy to talk to. So much inventory I could have enjoyed looking for a while at all the fun stuff. Had a higher budget but Jay didn’t try to sell me on the more expensive cameras. i told him I needed it for a safari and he went right for the new Sony DX. 30x optical and it fits in my palm. I would recommend George’s to everybody. I went to the one on 30^th

Hands down the best camera store in San Diego!!! The staff is incredibly knowledgable and takes the time to listen to customers as well as follow up with them if they dont have an answer. The customer service is top notch. Something I cant say for other camera shops in the area: /
I always go there for my photography needs, and even if I am just perusing, It is always a pleasure going in and talking shop with these guys! Standout employees: Larry, Pat, Calvin, Casey, Jim, Keisha in the rental!, It is amazing how these people remember who you are and your history in the store everytime you come in. I would highly reccomend this place to photographers, whether a beginner or experienced pro! Stoked!

First off, I make every effort to support local businesses.
And I visited George’s Camera years ago and bought a telephoto lens at more than $ 500.
So I walked into this store today interested in Artificial Lighting.
Right away I was treated in a very condescending manner. These people seem to enjoy stroking their own egos as experts and putting down newbies and amateur photographers. The store clerk who was supposed to be ‘helping me’ laughed at me as I walked out the door!!!
In addition, the prices here are ridiculously expensive, and I know I can get the same products for far less on Amazon!
Don’t waste your time here. The so-​called knowledgeable staff thinks they know it all, but they have absolutely NO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS.
You’re better off doing your own research and buying online!!!

This place is amazing. I usually get stuff on Amazon, but these guys are so good, I bought local instead. My rep there is Calvin and he is awesome. He’s so nice and friendly and knowledgeable.
I have no hesitation buying from these guys. I’m getting great prices, but I’m getting the wealth of their knowledge, which is worth it’s weight in gold.

Knowledgeable, courteous and very helpful staff. I’ve been a happy George’s customer since my Canon 7D was purchased at the store five years ago, and it’s my go-​to place for lenses, cards, batteries, cases and all things camera. Great selection.
Today, however, my experience there was truly exemplary — worthy of 10 stars, were ten stars available.
After taking my 7D to an in-​house repair shop last October (2014) to replace the CF card mechanism, and that repair shop having it for weeks, it hadn’t worked right since (sensor error messages I had never seen before) — until, ultimately, it stopped working altogether a couple of weeks ago. To make matters worse, that repair shop wasn’t honoring their six month warranty. Thinking I would have to ship the camera to Canon to get it working again, I decided to bring it into George’s for a «second opinion» before sending it off.
I’m so glad I did! I was helped by Jair Flores, who asked the right questions, took the time to listen to me explain the sequence of events leading to the camera’s failures, and then carefully inspected the camera to identify/​confirm and fix the problem. While Jair was working on my camera, my husband browsed the GoPros (looks like we’ll be getting one from George’s soon — yay!), and I bought a new 16 GB CF card (at a great price, I might add), because it seemed that Jair was onto a solution, and I wanted to be able to test it out if he had found one.
In under a half hour from the time I walked in the door, with just a few adjustments, Jair got my camera turning on again and *working* again, without error messages — at no charge! I am so grateful for his helpfulness, discernment and skill, and for George’s Camera overall. Today’s visit to George’s saved me time, money, and an upcoming shoot. Although I was already a satisfied George’s customer, they have absolutely earned my loyalty for life on this count. I can’t recommend this store highly enough.

This place was OK. I went in around lunch time, and so a couple staff were out on break. Had to wait about 5 minutes to get some service — no big deal. Main reason I went in, was because I lost my CF cards and reader and needed new ones today for my DSLR. Everything went fine with the purchase.
Then I got home and bar-​scanned the 2 items I bought into Amazon, and it turns out both were marked up pretty high compared to Amazon:
Delkin DDCF500−16GB 16GB CF 500X Memory Card
$ 29.95 on Amazon, and $ 39.95 at George’s
ProMaster All-​in-​One Card Reader USB 2.0 — Red
$ 16.95 on Amazon, and $ 24.95 at George’s
After adding taxes to both vendors, it worked out to be $ 23.19 more expensive to purchase what I needed at George’s instead of Amazon. Or close to a 50% markup. I’m not sure how prices for primary equipment (bodies, lenses, etc) compare, but for accessories like this, there’s no competition.
So, nice store, nice people, but I probably can’t justify going back for accessories unless I’m in a time-​sensitive bind again, it’s just significantly cheaper online.

I have been a photographer for over 40 years. In that time I have come across some of the best and worst Camera Stores imaginable. I am happy to report that George’s is one of the best, due to the fair pricing, service and relationships I have built over the years with the owner and staff. I have purchased camera bodies, lenses, and many accessories there and have had two lenses in for service since I started going there in 2005.
There is no reason why anyone would want to buy cameras or lenses at B&H, Adorama or
, when you pay the same price at George’s, and you get service and professional advice. The sales staff is knowledgable and friendly and totally no-​pressure as they are not commission.
Let me give you one scenario of many why George’s is better:
Let us say you drop a lens and need to send it in to Canon or Nikon for repair. You would have to pack, insure and mail the lens yourself with tracking and hope nothing happens. To my knowledge Canon or Nikon will not send you a tracking number when they mail the lens back. If you had bought the lens at George’s you would merely drop the lens off there and they’ll give you a call when the lens has been repaired. Much less hassle, risk or cost.
I strongly believe in supporting local business. I would much rather give my custom to a brick and mortar store where I am greeted by name, get professional advice and friendly service than place an order on-​line.
I am the founder and organizer of the Pacific Photographic Society of San Diego, which with over 1,500 members is the largest hands-​on photography group in the San Diego area and many of our members shop at George’s. I have never had any negative feedback from any of our members.
As you can see from my reviews (I’ve been
since 2008) I only give five stars to businesses that deserve it. In this case five stars are much deserved. By the way this review is valid for both locations, 30^th Street and Kearny Mesa.

On my search for a DSLR camera, I came to George’s as my first stop. As my first time looking at any cameras at all, I definitely need some expert advice.
I felt a little out of place at first, as the associates didn’t seem very approachable, and I had no idea where to look first. I finally asked Linda if she could help me, and she turned out to be awesome! I told her what I was looking for, and she brought out a couple of different brands so I could compare them. She was great at explaining what they could do and what features they each had, and suggested some cameras that would be the next step up from the entry level ones she was showing me.
I didn’t get a chance to look around the store too much, but was very impressed with Linda’s service. I ended up getting my camera at a different store, but plan on coming back if I’m ever in the neighborhood and need anything else.

Rented a Canon 70−200mm f/2.8 IS lens over the weekend for $ 45. Lens was in perfect condition, everything went super smooth.
Make a rental account (it’s free) so that you can reserve a lens ahead of time and skip the line. Painless, and affordable, what more do you want?
They are opening up another location in Kearny Mesa as well, which fortunately for me is a lot closer: D
I will continue to go to George’s Camera for my photography needs.