Wolf Camera & Video

One day in 2009 I stopped by here because my film wasn’t getting developed at Walgreens each time I dropped it off (apparently I wasn’t the only one suffering from this). A woman with glasses offered to take a look at my SLR 34 mm camera in the back to see what was possibly wrong. I gave her instructions on how to open the camera. She returned to the front in about 15 minutes of time. I got some prints and went home. Sometime later I examined my camera, and to my horror the woman had forced my camera open, breaking it. The camera wouldn’t close, so I couldn’t load film. I brought it back there the next day. They had a sign that stated they’d replace stuff if broken or not liked. You know what happened when I brought up the fact the woman had broken my camera?
Some Indian woman informed me,“well didn’t you bring it here yesterday and it wasn’t working? It was already broken“
I knew I wasn’t going to get my money back like their sign advertises.
I hope those two women aren’t working at Mike’s camera because they are terrible people! Thank god for Camera Heaven in the TL, I got a new camera and lens for $ 125.

I’m glad to see that Pietro has gotten some good press from other reviewers. I wandered in here recently after an exhaustive internet search for a DSLR to upgrade to from my point and shoot and was greeted by a lively guy that sure knows a thing or two about cameras. Pietro is super knowledgable, very passionate about photography and was quick to win my business. This guy gives good camera.
After reaching a state of near analysis paralysis on my own, Pietro got me into a Sony A57. I have to say that this was the first time that I recall experiencing real customer service in San Francisco in as long as I can remember. I will be back to Wolf camera, for all my future photography needs.
Prices are very comparable with the best internet deals. I have no idea how they manage that, but even if the prices were significantly higher I’d have come and bought at Wolf due to the awesome service, and you can feel good about supporting brick and mortar business.
My one quip (and it is just a nit) about Wolf is the selection in store can sometimes be limited based on what they have in stock, but they are happy to special order and know about everything there is to know about the latest and greatest cameras.
If you want real advice from a camera specialist, this is the only place I would go.
p. s. To any reviewers out there that complained about bad service. You might give them another try. Everyone I have talked to here has been great. There may have been a bad apple in the past. The current staff is top notch.

Wolf camera is a good, basic camera shop — I’ve seen better — I was hoping they would have a greater selection, but what they had was decent.
But like so many others, I’m here to review the salesman Pietro more than the store itself. The guy is very good at what he does. I was there to buy a tripod, and as soon as he saw me eying the selection he swooped in to offer his opinion. He picked two of the models and gave some recommendations, demonstrated how to convert the tripod into a monopod, and told me about some shooting he had done recently with one of the models.
Usually I don’t like overly enthusiastic salespeople — I just like to browse on my own until I have a question, but something about his manner made me change my mind. He seemed sincere, he was helpful but not pushy, and the tripod he recommended was squarely in the middle price range, so he wasn’t just pushing a sale. He also made sure to emphasize their 10 day return policy, and encouraged me to try it and return it if I wasn’t satisfied.
So, all around it was a good experience.

I say try Wolf Camera & Video first! On my frantic hunt for a specific camera a client (who is leaving the country TODAY) was looking for, Pietro went above and beyond the call of duty. They did not have the camera we needed in stock, so Pietro made a call and found it at another store for me! This was truly a «Miracle on 34^th Street» moment. Thank you Wolf Camera & Video for such great customer service. I’ll be back!

The best place to print your photos! You can’t beat 7 cents per prints on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you do have to be a member. It only costs I think under $ 20 bucks for the year. It does save me alot of $$ cause I am rare person that still loves to print photos and share with my friends and family. They have super friendly and knowledge staff and parking is easy in Safeway shopping center.

This review is specifically about PIETRO, the shining star of Ritz/​Wolf Camera at Church/​Market. Pietro has been helping me with my camera needs since 2003! He is VERY knowledgeable and has a passion for the art of photography. Pietro goes out of his way to ensure that customers understand the differences in products and leave feeling confident in their purchase. I know that if I have any questions or concerns I can go back to the store and he will always happily help me.
I am very clumsy, so I like the option the store offers to buy insurance that protects against drops and water damage. I have twice now had to utilize this insurance; once when I fell in a muddy rice paddy in Laos (yes this was covered!) and recently when i tripped over my tripod and sent my camera crashing to a hardwood floor. It has always been super easy, even from the other side of the world to get my equipment serviced, even when the damage was my fault. I highly suggest this additional insurance if you are anything like me.
If you are in the market to buy new photo equipment, it is worth your while to visit the shop and have a chat with Pietro.

I am a Canon-​brand user and i find that their lack (absence) of canon-​type gear has been disappointing for me.
I color-​correct my photos for printing and they still come out w/​a slight green tint; that is not a problem with other labs.
If it weren’t for Pietro’s help, I’d never go.
UPDATE: 4/18/2012…Canon’s back my friends!!! And I guess that they let go of the technician that didn’t know how to turn off «auto color-correction»…Thanks to P, Regina, Annette, and Kenny! Up to 4 *s! I’m a happy photographer!

I have never used this place for printing services but as a camera store it is disappointing. I want to support a brick-​and-​mortar shop but this place isn’t it. My first time in I wanted to check out some micro ⁴⁄₃ cameras and the little I had read online was more than the kid at the store knew. My second time I wanted to buy a viewfinder, they were out of stock and offered to order one in for me if I wanted to wait a week and pay twice the price of amazon. The last time I went in determined to buy a tripod, I picked out a decent manfrotto and was set to buy only to discover that they didn’t have any mounts that fit. At least that time the guy who helped me knew what I was asking about.
If you are looking for a camera shop with knowledgeable staff that has anything useful in stock don’t bother with this place.

Went here with a question about hot shoe adapters, in attempt to use a flash I currently had with my canon. They not only misguided me in telling me that adapters do not exist, but aggressively tried to sell me their high-​end canon flashes even though I clearly wasn’t looking to spend hundreds of dollars on a flash.
They were very misleading and not helpful, at all.
I would not recommend going here, but instead WOULD recommend using B&H Photo online.

We just had an excellent experience at this camera store. When we walked in, I expected to look around a bit, play with some cameras, and then go to Best Buy or Amazon for the actual purchase.
The excellent and knowledgeable sales staff changed my mind. A guy named Philip spent 30 minutes with us, showing us cameras, settings, techniques, and basically giving us a digital photography lesson. He knows his stuff, answered lots of questions, and gave useful and honest answers.
Wolf will match prices from Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon. The camera we bought was actually 12 bucks less on Amazon, and I’m sure we could have had Wolf match that price. But I decided not to ask for the price match. The service was so effective that I decided to let this store keep more of their margin… they earned it.
When I decide to buy my next camera or accessory, I’m going to Wolf, and I’m asking for Philip. You should too!

I went to this place last week and purchased a Fuji FinePix S-​series 4000. The sales staff at this location is friendly and really knowledgable.
Regina was the sales rep who helped me and she was very helpful, knowledgeable. This store was a welcome change compared to what I had experienced days earlier at Best Buys and Sears.
Not to say Best Buys and Sears are not good. But when looking for a camera I think it is best to go to a camera store.
This Wolf/​Ritz store in the shopping center on Market near Church next to Safeway was very helpful when the other places I went to were either too busy, or were not able to elaborate on the brand of camera I wanted.
The deals they offer and sales at Ritz/​Wolf are great. The prints they develop are much better than ones I usually get at Walgreens. So if you need help buying a camera, check out this place.

Great friendly service! I went in today to look at Nikon lenses. I was looking for something with more reach then the kit lens that came with my D3100. Kenny is very knowledgeable and unbiased: he answered all my questions, and made lens recommendations based on my criteria. He let me try the different models out on my camera body and helped me decide which one was right for me. Thanks Kenny!

i’d love to say that i love this place — they actually printed pretty good quality enlargements for some of my digital photos.
however, i made the mistake of not checking the photos until i came home… only to find they hadn’t even PRINTED a 12×18 print i’d ordered… that cost me about $ 15.
completely unresponsive to my outreach on this as well… so i can’t give them more than two stars.

I recently purchased a Sony DSLR camera I’d been researching for a long time. Since this was my first DSLR, I wasn’t going for the newest, top-​of-​the-​line model. Amazon and other online retailers offered the camera I was looking for at $ 600. I decided to take a peek in Wolf Camera to see if they had it or a comparable model. They did, at over $ 100 less than any of the online retailers. Phillip waited on me (with, I believe some advice from Pietro) and I could not have asked for a better experience. Phillip was friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to spend as much time as it took to be sure I got all my questions answered and made the best choice of the peripherals. A few days later VVSP and I went back in to pick up a couple of extra lenses. No price break there – they’re the same price anywhere you look. However, once again, Phillip was cool, friendly, and provided good information. I’d recommend these guys any day.

My Boy gets all of our «couple» and family photos to send home to my parents in Seattle here. They offer a little station where you can edit all your own photos. The service depends on who you get or if anyone even offers to help. The prices aren’t really worth it in my opinion and forget about buying frames here. WAY too expensive. They always seem to have people coming in and out of the store, so I assume they offer other good products too. It’s my camera shop until I find a better one…

I’d give this place a B+/A– for the photofinishing quality. Actually, the color has been spot-​on, even though in two different instances I ended up with matte finish when I had requested glossy. They seem inclined to give you whatever they have on their machine at the moment.
My major beef is with the customer service. Or lack thereof. Many of the employees in this store seem rather spaced out. One time I had ordered a bunch of Christmas photo cards that were scheduled to be ready the next morning. So I go in the following afternoon only to find out the order hadn’t even been processed. Whoops. On another occasion, the enlargements I ordered from the day before couldn’t be located after the clerk spent 10 minutes looking high and low for them. When she asked one of her co-​workers, this second person walks right over to the file she had just been leafing through and pulls them out instantly. Hmmm.
I’ve had much better luck with the Wolf Camera in the Potrero Shopping Center. A bit of a drive, but clearly worth it to minimize the aggravation factor.

Thinking I could save money in the long run, I went out and bought a HP Photosmart printer to develop my pictures. But I have a tendency to take LOTS of pictures when I travel and I found the cost of constantly buying photo paper and ink cartridges negating my ‘savings’.
So I found myself going to my neighborhood Wolf Camera to develop 403
photos from my latest journey. The staff was friendly and helpful in setting me up at one of the stations and I spent the next 30 minutes choosing photos I wanted developed.
One of the women who works there, Annette, was very nice. She got me hooked up with the prepaid Digiprints card and the Image Rewards club card, both of which saves me money in the long run. I came by the next day and picked up my seven boxes and was thrilled with the results. They look much cleaner, crisper than the ones I made on my HP. So if you’re shooting a ton of photos, this place is highly recommended.
I’ve dealt with them before when buying a digital camera for my son. While I could have bought the camera for cheaper at Best Buy, I didn’t have to hire a bounty hunter to track down the staff to get help.

I get all of my photos developed here because they really do a beautiful job! I don’t know what their secret is, but photos come out with richer colors here than at other places I’ve gone to in the past. They also don’t bat an eyelash at some of the photos I’ve had developed here… I’m sure they’ve seen it all! It IS located in the Castro, after all…
Another big perk about this store is that the people who work here seem generally pretty knowledgeable about cameras and photography in general… this is helpful to novices like me and knowledgeable people like my partner alike!
I’ve also had calendars printed out here in bulk: they did an excellent job, gave me a discount for the larger job, and I was very satisfied with the results. Kudos to Karen, who worked hard on this project with me!
I would definitely recommend taking advantage of their Frequent Foto club card if you find yourself developing a lot of photos, buying a lot of frames, etc. The discounts really are very noticeable and for myself and my mother, it’s definitely worth every penny of the $ 15/​year membership fee!
Oh, did I mention there’s ample parking? And it’s right near Muni, the Castro Safeway, and next to a Starbucks where you can get a cup of coffee while you’re waiting for your photos to be printed out? What’s not to like?!
This is a great store and I hope it continues to stay open for years to come!

Wow, unbelievably great service is still ALIVE! Dang!
I just waltzed into Wolf Camera today with a camera problem. Vivian was incredibly helpful. I felt like my camera was the patient and she was a doctor and the illness was diagnosed and given a cure.
What did I learn? I can buy a memory card for a mere $ 15. It’s good practice to regularly format it. The thing that you use to upload pics, well it’s called a card reader (so simple, why didn’t I think of that!). If your memory card is corrupted, well guess what, Wolf Camera offers an image recovery service! It was super cool to be listened to and then offered sound advice.
Vivian is really nice, very smart, and over the top helpful. All in all, just have to say AMAZING service!

The selection is lacking and the customer service is shaky, but if you need really basic things for a low price this is the place to go. There is parking which is always a plus for any store in SF.
Again– go here for camera caps, cheap filters, batteries etc.
Don’t go here expecting Gasser’s or Calumet.