Kaufmann’s Cameras

Update: Mr. Kauffman allowed me to return majority of my order and he gave me a discount on the items I decided to keep. I was very happy and grateful that he decided to work something out for me. He also apologized sincerely for the mistakes.
I had a very poor experience at Kaufman Cameras in San Mateo. I was recently married in November 1, 2015. I received my professional photographs on November 7, 2015. My husband wanted me to get prints of our wedding photos at Walgreens but I suggested that we get prints at a professional photography business. I searched for nearby locations in the Bay Area and came across Kaufman Camera in a Google search. I called the store and asked if they print photos in small and large sizes. I was told that they only print up to a certain size and anything bigger would have to be sent out to another location for printing. I was satisfied with that response (since I only had one print that was large enough to be sent out) and agreed to take my business there. On Monday, November 16, I visited the store with my electronic photo files on a cd. I worked with a staff member to view my photos and place my order. I was told that I would receive the entire order in a week. I was satisfied with that time frame. The following Saturday, November 21, I received a call from the store. A staff member left a message on my voicemail stating that he would start working on my order and send out my large photo for printing. I called back puzzled and explain to the staff member that the order was supposed to be processed the day I made the order and was supposed to be ready in a week. The staff member got defensive on the phone and was rude in his response back. He claimed that he didn’t know if the order was processed and stated that the staff member who assisted me with my order wasn’t at work that day so that they could communicate about the status of the order. I suggested he talk to his coworker before he proceeds further because the order was supposed to be processed the Monday before. After speaking to my husband about the conversation, he suggested I talk to the manager. I called the store and talked to the manager. He said that he would talk to his employee who assisted with my order when he comes into work on Monday, November 23, and check the status of my order. He also said that he would start on the in house photos on that day (November 21). He said that he would call me back on Monday, November 23 with an update. I received no call on Monday, November 23. So, I called on Tuesday, November 24 to check the status of my order. I was told that the in house prints were ready but my large print that needed to be sent out, was not. He predicted that the print would come in on Wednesday because they put a rush on the order. I was told that they would call me back when they got my print in. I got a call on Wednesday afternoon, November 25, and was told that the large print had come in. I went to pick up the entire order on Monday, November 30. The total was 533.72. This was a huge surprise to me since I was never given an estimate or a cost at the time of my order. Also, the large print that was sent out and received a week after the due date was priced at $ 53.75 and there’s no evidence to suggest whether or not I was charged for the rush that was put on it by the store. Lastly, I took the photos to get framed at FastFrame and discovered that Kaufman Cameras printed the incorrect photos for the 3 8×10’s and 1 12×18 prints that I ordered. I had to return back to Kaufman Cameras to get the right photos printed. I asked to speak with the manager and worked directly with him. After the order was corrected, he told me it would take another couple of days to get the new order completed. I left the store, annoyed and disappointed because I was so greatly inconvenienced and mistreated. Plus the manager didn’t offer and refund or discount for the trouble or service. I will NEVER take my business there again. I DO NOT recommend this location for printing images. The printing photo quality isn’t great. I found several blemishes on the 4×6 prints that I ordered. Printing your wedding photos is supposed to be a happy and positive experience, unfortunately, by going to Kaufman Cameras, it definitely was not.

Just finished another successful outdoor movie night! We rented the giant screen, projector and surround sound from Dave at Kaufmans. He set it up and took it down — so pleasant and hassle-​free for us! We also liked that it’s not a blow up screen needing constant air to keep full or blow around with a little wind. It was a perfect choice for our teen birthday parties and would be fun for a family BBQ.

Kaufmann’s has my loyalty as customer. We needed to have my mom’s photo in 8×10 and 4×6 sizes for her memorial service. The best photo we could find was from my sister’s wedding album whereby she was surrounded by her children and grandkids. We took the album to Fedex Kinkos on El Camino (near 37^th Ave) and wasted hours there. The antiquated scanner and photo printer was awful. The store clerk (Brian) was trying to be helpful while ringing the cash register. I was helpless, frustrated and baffled how this major corporation with an expensive storefront could not get such a simple job done. My husband and I wasted 2 days at FedEx Kinkos until I found Kaufmann’s.
I brought the album in and an unassuming young man named James effortlessly did the job — exactly what we thought FedEx with all its machinery should have done. He scanned the image and developed outstanding quality photos in time for the service. He improved the turnaround time when I told him in tears that I really needed the photos. James, you are a wonderful human being. I look forward to doing more business with your store because of your efficiency, knowledge and kind disposition.

They have done all the restoration work on my mom’s memorial photos (1000’s) and did CD’s, enlargements, etc. This is a very professional compnay who provide personal service. They are a rare gem amoongst the chaff in the area.

The staff here was exceptional, especially one man in particular whose name I do not remember. I highly recommend this store for your photo needs. Very knowledgeable and willing to help.

I was looking for a Camera store in the area because my niece had a problem with her point and shoot camera. I found Kauffman’s through a Google search — what a great experience.
As other reviewers have stated, the staff is very knowledgable and willing to help. John worked with me on several ways to identify and solve the problem before resorting to the purchase of a new battery.
While there I also explored new cameras and found a variety of fairly priced options, new and used. My only disappointment was their 7day return policy, (30 days with a 20% restock charge). I was looking for a Fathers Day gift which was more than a week away, and the store is 40 miles from my home. I did not expect to have to return it, but the policy made the purchase challenging unless I was very sure.
Other than that, I would recommend this business to anyone looking for fairly priced camera equipment and friendly, knowledgable staff.

Thanks to the public’s unending support of Amazon and the Iphone there are no camera stores left on the planet, just barren wastelands of nail salons, massage joints and Starbuckses endless. But wait there’s one left and its Kaufmanns and its across the street from the last record store on earth, Vinyl Solutions. I needed two basics– a lost adaptor for my tripod and a lens cap I’ve been meaning to buy for my naked lens for like 10 years. Sure enough after much digging in two drawers the old timer clerk found them even though I would have gladly bought a whole new tripod and told him so. Great store.

After my grandma had passed away over a year ago, cleaning up her house, I found a roll of film. Took me this long to finally gain the courage as my healing process to finally get this film developed. What did I do first? Went to Walgreens to discover, «Sorry, we don’t process that kind of film anymore.» Okay. what to do? My fiancée suggested that I check into a camera store. Thank you Unilocal,I found Kaufmann’s. Walked in and one of the employees was so kind to help me out. It was a little on the pricey side, because I went with the CD and film negatives.
What I found out is that this film my grandma had, was over 25 years old. It was amazing that they were able to process the small amount of pictures they did. At this point it was priceless to me.

First time coming here, They have classic and new cameras. Quite a large variety of accessories, believe it or not they still develope black and white film. I’m glad they still do, the only part that sucks it takes couple days to get film back. A bit pricey but I do think mind considering its hard to find a place like this. Parking is pretty bad here tons of other stores but limited parking. Other than that good place if your into photography.

Needed a new strap for my camera and they delivered. Had a wide selection, and staff was helpful in explaining different options and answreig questions. They also had great prices with a large range for the budget photographer.

I don’t review every single place I visit. This one is special because I had spoken with an associate on the phone and was convinced that visiting the shop would not be a waste of effort. I enjoyed the conversation with Pran, who was technically knowledgeable & informative. Prices seem about the same as other quality shops I have visited in the past. They do black&white film processing on site, I hear.

I called in to see if they had a specific camera in stock. I was helped by an extremely friendly man named Ron. He greeted me over the phone with such kindness in his voice that I was excited to come see him even if they didn’t have my item.
I asked if they had the Fujifilm mini film camera in stock and he said that they had 2 left in stock. The price was about $ 30 more expensive than anywhere else but I really needed it for Christmas. I asked Ron if he could put it aside for me because I lived a good 40 minutes away from his location. He happily said yes and did just that.
I came in about an hour and a half later and asked for Ron. The worker told me that he was out for lunch and wouldn’t be back for another 30 minutes. I really wanted to interact with him but I had to settle with just purchasing my item. I got a mini heart attack when the worker told me that they were out.
I fought the emotions in my head for about 2 seconds but it felt like an hour because I didn’t know how I should proceed with my responses. I just calmly asked, you’re out? And the worker said yes, and he asked me if I was the person who called in. Looks like Ron was my guardian angel. He set it aside just as I asked him to. He saved my Christmas.
I paid and asked the worker to tell Ron that I had picked up my camera. I’m really grateful for him not pushing the camera for a customer that was already in the area.
What can I really say? The customer service here is superb!
5 Stars!

Excellent service.
Now I develop all my black & white films here. Very reasonable price, excellent quality and I receive the developed film on the same day.
I came to know this place from Unilocal when I had to test a lens that bought from eBay (Nikkor 28 – 70 f2.8) and found some focusing problems with my camera. So I called in Kaufmann’s Camera whether they can test it with their cameras. They were very welcome to test this lens with their cameras. They also helped me to review the result of different aperture and focus settings of that lens in their system without any cost.
I would definitely recommend Kaufmann’s Cameras

Like old school 35 mm cameras fall into the dust, Kaufmann’s Cameras is one of those old school film shops appearing like they have numbered days. I had the privilege to actually be at one of these stores because alas, similar stores in my hometown are pretty much dust.
These guys know there stuff just like the old days.
Go inside, everything is pretty much appeared scattered in a random feel, but it works for them. I would have really liked more effort in display and organization without needing to ask any questions, which as then. well we don’t have it and check craigslist. Fair enough and that would be fair way to respond.
—- Consignment gear.
—- New and Used Cameras
—- Lighting, projector bulbs
—- Tripods, Boom, Film and Video
—- Film and Digital.

Wow! Recommend them very highly!
John rented to us and set up an HD video projector and speakers for our screening event. He was so nice and fast and got us set up really well for our event. The projector quality was great and he helped us troubleshoot to make sure we had the best set up for our event space. Highly recommended and will definitely call him again next time we have an event South Bay.

The best camera and photography store on the Peninsula!!!
I love going here. The staff here are not only friendly, but incredibly knowledgeable. They have been extremely helpful on a number of occasions.
I compose both digital and film photographs and they still carry a good assortment of items for film photography and development. Every time I was on the hunt for an item… grain focuser, film clips, old papers, color filters, they seem to have it all!!!
They have a good variety of equipment on consignment and receive new items regularly. Their prices here are reasonable and competitive and I love supporting local businesses!!!
The customer service here is truly priceless!!!

THE WORSTS SERVICE EVER! ZERO STARS!
1. I called this place ahead of time and asked if they offer a soft copy (placed on a flash drive) for passport photos. Thy said YES, which is why I primarily chose to come here.
2. When I entered, employee #1 just stared at me, with a blank face. So I greeted him (isn’t this their job?), hoping to get a response like, «how can I help you?», but I was expecting too much, because all he gave me was the same blank face and a flat, «hi.»
3. Since employee #1 didn’t seem interested in helping, I went to the back of the store to ask employee #2 for a passport photo with coinciding soft copy and he said NO, they don’t off soft copies. So, why did you give me false information over the phone? After some back and forth debate and employee #2’s insistance on NOT being able to offer the service I was asking for, employee #1 finally chimed in and said that he could do it. I guess employee #2 just didn’t want to put in the extra work to put the picture on a flash drive.
In the end, I got my passport photo and the soft copy, but it had to come with attitude and insolence. Something I could have done without on my lovely Saturday morning.
I will NEVER return to this establishment and I DO NOT recommend it to anyone.

«wheew! I am so tired!» I said walking into Kaufmann’s
I had just finished up with a long and tiring shoot and was inspired to get some new gear and to hopefully get some questions I had answered.
«Do you want some water?»
«seriously?» I said, shocked, «sure!?»
One of the associates walked into the back and handed me a bottle of water!
I clumsily stumbled through explaining what I wanted and asking a bunch of idiotic questions. The staff was amazingly friendly and had exceptional knowledge. They even went as far as to draw me up diagrams and write down websites for me to check out! They told me to come back when I had more questions! They actually encouraged me to come and use their knowledge!
This store is one with true integrity like none i have ever experienced before.
PLEASE spend your money here. I want this place to stay around forever.

Here, take my credit card because I need new stuff. Seriously! Take it! I want you to rip me off, because I really wouldn’t know the difference.
I recently purchased a new DSLR (frrrommmm another retailer, sorry), but knew at some point I would need a new telephoto lens. Now this is going to hurt, because quality zooms lenses don’t come cheap. I had some older equipment and was told by a few friends that I probably didn’t need to upgrade, but seeing that both my Canon 28 – 105 and 100 – 300 lenses are 12 plus years old I just wasn’t convinced that they have kept pace with technology.
I walked in yesterday with my entire gadget bag full of dated equipment and my new camera (which again, I feel guilty for not buying it here but I did get a really great deal on it. so anyhooo.) and asked the salesperson to help me find a new 300 mm lens. The sales associate took a few minutes and examined my older lens kit and then says to me «you know, there is nothing wrong with your old lenses». In fact he went on to say that my older lenses were much better than the 18 – 55 lens that my new camera came with. He explained to me why in detail and recommended that I stick with my 12 year old 100 – 300 lens.
I walk in with credit card in hand ready to drop a few C notes and am told I didn’t need to? Really? Talk about an honest retailer. I then show him my new Canon 2ti and ask if I should consider upgrading to the 3ti (thinking I could return it and purchase the 3ti here). Again he tells me, there is no need as the differences between the two cameras are marginal and not to spend the $ 200 extra for an upgrade that is not needed.
Bottom line, I walked in thinking I would drop $ 300 plus on a new lens but instead walked away with a filter kit and two lens cap leashes for around $ 50 bucks. Thanks to Kaufmann’s for your honest approach to business.

I finally bought a new camera after visiting the store for years and drooling over equipment, having trouble making up my mind. I knew I would buy from Kaufmann’s because I freakin’ love this store. I like to support mom and pop shops like these for their superior service in hopes they will stay in business so I can continue to shop here. Pros, amateurs, students, and hobbyists shop at Kaufmann’s, and I’ve always gotten the assistance I need.
In fact, pardon me while I do something I rarely do on Unilocal — I feel the need to preach.
*stepping onto my soap box*
Top-​notch independent shops like Lullaby Lane went out of business when certain shoppers treated them as showrooms for merchandise and bought the products online or at warehouse stores after checking them out in the store. I have been guilty of this, and it never felt right. Especially when a store I loved eventually went under. Oh the guilt.
If we shop at Kaufmann’s and take up salespeople’s valuable time and expertise, we should also buy here. My opinion — I’m still on my soapbox.
Camera magazines that encourage their readers to use mom and pop stores like these as showrooms and then buy online are encouraging unethical behavior and will put these fantastic stores out of business.
*stepping off soapbox now*
That being said, I always get treated right by the knowledgeable staff of guys who know cameras inside and out. I have a sweet new DSLR camera with a much faster shutter speed. The resolution of my pictures is so high that I haven’t figured out a way to upload them to Unilocal easily. I will either have to use my old camera or figure out something. In the meantime, I encourage anyone who takes pictures and values excellent customer service to check out Kaufmann’s. It’s my favorite camera store and has such a high Unilocal rating for a reason.