Reviews of Samy's Camera Rentals (Photo Studio)

Christine Mackstaller

Went in today and received excellent service from Chris K. Super helpful and kind!! Thank you, Chris!!

Reuben Chauhan

Excellent selection of equipment, helpful and knowledgeable staff and a used section.

Christine Villalta

The staff at Samy's is very helpful and knowledgeable. Great store!

Christien Chavez

Outstanding costumer service

Lily Dong

Great customer service, has what I was looking for, something I didn't even know how to ask for, but they helped me figure it out and gave me a few options, and they had it in stock.

Devin Thomas

Rude

Max Kirchoff

Samy's is a great place to pickup some new photo or video equipment OR just window shop for the hottest new things. They have competitive prices and sell A LOT of digital equipment. They do have some film and darkroom supplies, but I've only have 1 employee (out of a handful of visits) actually know what I was asking for when purchasing those types of items. Great place for digital photog and video supply and knowledge, so-so on film and darkroom.

Andre Leandro

(Translated) Wide shop and many options in equipment and brands. I ordered by email and went there to buy. It all worked out. Good service. (Original) Loja ampla e muitas opções em equipamentos e marcas. Encomendei por e-mail e fui até lá comprar. Deu tudo certo. Atendimento bom.

Peter Reinold

I only can say, that this place is amazing. I used to go to Calumet before all the time, but they closed now. This place is really awesome, they have all kind of equipment, staff knows there equipment and what they are talking about. You feel welcome here. They have pretty much everything you need and even more. It's my #1 in San Francisco.

Matt Grant

I paid for a sensor cleaning after noticing some particles in my pictures. Samy's took my money, spent a few days with my camera, and returned it to me claiming to have cleaned the sensor. I still noticed the particles on my pictures afterwards so I assumed that it must be the lens. The staff told me this would be a $200+ cleaning by the manufacturer that would take quite awhile. I decided not to do this and for the past 3 months and multiple trips with my camera (Yosemite, Point Reyes, Arches National Park) I have had the particles in the pictures. I took the camera into a shop in Moab, UT by Arches and they told me the sensor was dirty and had clearly never been cleaned. WOW. Seriously Samy's???? You took my money, wasted my time via hours of photoshopping out particles from my pictures, and led me astray? So much for "the best camera shop in San Francisco". I will be going back in to return a lens I rented and let the shop know personally about this blunder. I want my money back. FYI, the above story is only the most overt screw up they've had. Every time I've gone in, the staff has not been helpful with finding accessories I need. They tried selling me a tripod that they didn't have in stock. Then tried to convince me a cheaper one would be fine after telling me before that it wouldn't work with my camera. They also tried to sell me a shutter remote that they also didn't have in stock. The lens I just rented had an $800 deposit for a $45/wk rental. SERIOUSLY??? To top it all off, they are open from 9a-6p. Not convenient to people with normal work hours. Your store is awful!!!!!!

Frank

Felt like a kind in a candyshop

Rick Willis

This is like my candystore!

Rene Diaz

(Translated) The manager and the staff are excellent (Original) El manager y el staff son exelente

Amit Batra

Good store but I found them a little short stocked on some lenses and accessories. I guess the main Samy store is the LA one. Nevertheless i found my camera backpack here and I am still using it!

Oh Snap!!!

Very friendly staff. Went above and beyond to help me at every step.

Jennifer Low

Great camera/video store with amazingly helpful and knowledgeable staff and large product selection. Rental department is awesome as well.

Francisco Pakito

Everybody so kind and willing to help

Gerard Santiago

Photography and Video haven

Justin Salsburey

My favorite camera shop in San Francisco. Very large selection and salesman that are knowledgeable but not pushy.

Myart code

Tribal customers service on their lens’s department. I walked to the store to purchase a lens and they were extremely rude to me. I just spent $5000 lsat week on profoto and based on my experience from today I even do not to go to the store to spend my money there. Sorry for the store specially during this time everyone is trying to sale something and they just shoot the customer out with their behaviors.

Milan Varga

(Translated) zwerz (Original) zwerz

Thiago Lima

Went there for a drop-in filter kit and Steven was very committed to help me out. They apparently didnt have the size I was looking for available in stock, but after a couple minutes and a lot of effort he found the perfect one for me. Glad I found a place who still have vendors like Steven, who are extremely dedicated and focused on you satisfaction.

Daniel Kwon

The closest thing to a B&H in San Francisco.

tara ntula

pretty good store, great selection and people. took a star off because what is online, especially the price is not the same as in the store, in the store it is much more... and the selection in the store is not the same as online and even if shows as in stock does not mean they will be able to find it.

Brian Fulda

As a photographer who uses Samy's all the time, I can't say I recommend this place. First, whenever I shop there, the dudes behind the counter always take 5+ minutes to notice me even though I'm leaning on it. Second, the staff in general (most especially the rental staff) are very unfriendly and expect you to know every little thing about gear. I know a ton about gear as a lighting assistant and I somehow still feel patronized every time I talk to one of those people. I once had to rent a scrim for a shoot there and they wanted a $500 security deposit for a piece of gear that I showed them on B&H was brand new for $230. On top of that, I had to use my debit card which was partly my fault but they didn't return my deposit for two weeks. Absolutely ridiculous. I had to call my bank and have them return the deposit to me. Don't shop here. Buy your stuff online and avoid the steep 8.75% sales tax in San Francisco. Rent from Adolph Gasser and save hundreds of dollars.

Yi SUN BA BS

Omg I was cheated on the price and the stuff are just so unfriendly I felt so uncomfortable.... worst experience ever.

Victor Prank

The staff in general are very unhelpful and expect you to know every little thing about gear. I was promised for the overnight delivery and it's on the recipe and I paid for it. I never received my order at the promised time and no one called me or informed me what was going on. When I called them, they had no idea where my package was because they lost the tracking number which was just lousy custom service. They could not even give me a delivery date. Finally I received it just before my flight which made it absolutely useless for me. And it ruined my holiday as I could not take the required photos. I didn't expect such terrible service from the "biggest camera shop" in San Francisco.

Kim O'Neill

Was visiting the city and had the best experience hiring kit from here. Would recommend highly.

Gabe Shakour

The fact that they have free parking for customers is very nice.

Rob Jackson

Knowledgeable staff and great selection. I bought the Beholder DS1 handheld gimbal here and loving it so far.

Victor Banerjee

Great place to buy camera and other photography instruments.

Jeff H

Great service!

J Foster

When I showed up at 3:30 pm on a Thursday, it was closed. The hours on the door said that it should be open?

Huie D.

It, as other businesses all over the world has been hurt by the pandemic, however, I have been and will continue to be a constant customer of theirs. We must keep local businesses alive and they have ALWAYS treated me well...today was no exception. Patient and extremely helpful.

San Francisco

Slow, the deposit was a 1000 bucks. Good choice, but lots of things are already rented.

T LAM

Great new camera store in SF area after Calumet shut down.

Richard A. Heckler

I am a professional photographer and have been a very loyal customer of Samy's in San Francisco - Bought a lot of equipment there. In the last year, customer service has sunk to almost unimaginable levels. Staff seems uninterested, dull. I had an expensive camera in for repair, which they lost track of. They are unclear about their inventory and 3 times in the past 6 months they have repeatedly told me something was in stock when it wasn't, causing me to waste time and alter schedules. Lastly, they offered a trade-in value that was so low, I was convinced it was unethical and I called them on it. They sheepishly changed their quote. I don't trust them any longer and sadly, will not continue as a customer.

Eric H

Helpful and very knowledgeable staff. Seems like they have everything you could possibly need.

Geoff Kalender

Great shop. They listened to what I wanted and suggested a cheaper solution than what I had in mind. This is what you want in electronics store. Nick was awesome.

Glen Mitchell (Real Estate Broker)

They didn't have what I wanted but it was fun to look around store and see what they did carry. Now I have some Christmas ideas. Friendly staff.

Shelly Puri

Reasonably priced shop with a highly informed workforce and, ability to secure a wide range of products. …

Darwin Sayo (Darwin S)

The only dependable place in the city used to be Calumet Photo. But you really had to know what you were looking for so you didn't have to ask the staff anything. They usually don't know what they're talking about or give they give you bad advice based on nothing. Samy's on the other hand was awesome. Because of my past experiences at Calumet I came in knowing what to look for, bought it, and was out in five minutes. Well, I actually didn't really know what I was looking for so I went in and took a chance at asking for advice. It was awesome. There were three people at the counter and all of them were involved. They felt like shooters. They knew what they were talking about and were enthusiastic. At the end of my purchase I asked the guy, jokingly, "Can you guarantee that I will be happy with this camera?" He said, "I don't even know you!" Awesomeness!

Sarah Leih

I have been coming to Samy’s since I got my first DSLR camera. I have been buying all the accessories from them and everything worked well for me.

Rig Daddy

Totally professional, very beginner friendly, extensive stock, good prices, GREAT service. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. From film to electronic media, web cam to studio video equipment, they have it all.

Psychic Roni

Good friendly customer service and rentals for cam equipment. Glad we found this place

Peter Beeler

They shipped my broken D800 Nikon body (broken 9-pin connector) to Nikon in LA and because camera was still under warranty, I got it back with absolutely no charges!

vinsanity161

This place is awesome

Deniyzce Bailey

Film all kinds

Anne H Maxwell

If you want expert help, want to try before you buy, need to return an item, or just want to buy or rent camera/videography gear at great prices, then go to Samy's. They have a lot of gear in stock, their sales people are super-friendly & knowledgeable, and I've never had a bad experience with them. When I was still a beginning photographer, they answered all my questions, and never talked down to me or made me feel stupid because I didn't that much about cameras. I've been a customer for sbout 4 years, I've bought at least 3 cameras from them, lenses, filters, and accessories, and I've never had a bad experience. I highly recommend them!

Claudiia M

Great local store.

Cynthia ChinueX Cornelius M.A.Ed.

Attended my son's exhibit. Go check it out!

JJ Z

Very knowledgeable people, great selection of camera gear and solid prices. This is our go-to spot.

John Kuehne

If you need it NOW then this is the defacto place for photo and film gear. These guys really know there stuff. Be ready to pay more.

Ildan S - Videography, Photography S

Great customer service, answered all my questions about future camera. A lot of different options.

Alina Cvetkova

super pleasant staff, helpful and knowledgable

Joe Keefe

Excellent service and knowledgeable staff. Great camera store in SF, with reasonable prices. Wide selection of new and used lenses to buy or rent, along with everything else camera-related... lighting, film, drones, albums, bags, lens filters, memory cards, printers, tripods, etc.

Vivek Nair

Great selection + great staff + onsite parking = ????

Brian Ong

Knowledgeable and friendly staff. If you are looking for camera gear and are unsure of what you want, they can provide information so you can make an informed decision.

Harold Hoogasian

They were helpful. Thanks.

Ruslan Gurzhiy

Great store! Thank you for excellent service!

Neftali Alonso

Great place for anything photography!

5a1ty D

This store has almost everything. If your looking for anything Canon, Nikon, Leica, Profoto, etc you got it. They have a vast amount of advanced lighting equipment for your needs, even select Elinchrom gear! They even have darkroom, video equipment, and drones. If your a student at AAU you'll even get a discount so that's great for anyone on a college budget!

Maria Boguslavskaya

The best place to repair your equipment!!! Thank you for helping me! The guy in a burgundy shirt is the best! (I'm sorry I don't remember the name).

Abhi Mehta

Honestly one of the worst camera rental places I've ever went to. I placed an order two days earlier and they somehow forgot to place a hold on it and when I got there to pick it up after calling in the morning to make sure they had it, they gave the camera to someone else. The staff member was very rude and considering this was all for a charity event I was extremely disappointed and surprised at the service I received.

The Spot Markers

Customer service here is awesome, they always go the extra mile! Ask for Tim!

Daniel Teixeira-Gomes

SF's Best Pro Camera joint

Shahzeb Jiwani

They have a great staff that is friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Also great rental prices. Definitely recommend them over the big box retailers like best buy for all your digital camera needs.

Greg Wilson

Great staff. Good rental selection. Still and video equipment

Jeremy Stover (Wandering Tutor)

Great service! Didn't have the camera I wanted,but had the next best one and it takes lovely pics! I plan on taking the photography classes as often as possible!

Jungwoo Park

The analog film counter staff are super.

Angie Gallagher

Samy's Camera is a great shop for any photographer of any level. Great products and a very good, reliable family business.

YUMI

I didn't know San Francisco has a good camera shop!! They sell cameras, related camera products, drones and everything about photos. Staffs are good and easy to talk. I bought a everyday backpak from Peak Design here. I wanted to try it on in a retail store because Peak Design sells their products only through the web basically.

Willy Chen

Awesome place, gave me a refund when the colorimeter didn't work.

Antonio Stark

A sizable camera & accessory store complete with a drone and light&props corner. There are a lot of assistants to help you out at any time, and their collection is good for most purposes, serving brands such as Leicas to Nikon/Canons.

paolo catalano

I found everything in this shop! but I have to gave 1 star because the man in the store sell to me a Ronin-m and I ask if is a second battery inside he sayd no i bought a spare battery (180$) and at home I found inside the box 2 battery, I went back to the shop and another guy was there and says I can't change a battery. After i bought a feiyu tech g4 gimbal as gift for one my friend, after a week when my friend open the box realizze was missing the charger and 2 battery, now he have to wait 3 weeks for have the charger from a different shop. I'll never buy again from this shop!!!! the worst experience of my life!!!!

Steven Yuan

Anything you can think of, you can rent here.

Justin Edmund

Samy’s is the best. Really helpful and knowledgeable staff with a great selection.

Lucp1010

Well organized and the staff is very helpful.

Fireberrytech

A photographers candy store, right amount of tech toys and gadgets for any Photographer to geek out about. Always down to come again.

Avery Wong

Knowledgeable staff, friendly people.

Kydd

SF retail.

Craig Mole

Friendly, knowledgeable staff able to procure any gear that I may need.

Derrick Matheson

Large and well stocked photo kit store 20 minutes walk from Market Street Coco Centre BART. Well worth a visit if you're into camera gear.

Jim Bob Barnett

Great camera shop and very knowledgeable and friendly staff!

Luciano Rocha

I was buying a new kit camera and lenses. Excellent service and advice, very patient, with many options.

Lance Moreno

They let you try things but staff are rude at times and are pretentious

Arkadiy Safarov

Great customer service. When I visit SF I purchased a used DLSR and when come back to New York they allowed me to ship it back (shipping is on me) for refund. Camera service works well. Special thanks to manager Michelle! Plus great equipment choice!

Lauren

Excellent service and selection! Exceeded my expectations. I hesitated to take the time and money (Uber) to go way out of our way to shop here but I am so glad we did - it was absolutely worth it. Knowledgeable, friendly and helpful staff with no pressure. My needs were met at a lower than expected cost, which made it even better!

Ankit Agarwal

Very very helpfull staff. One of the few local stores left where you can go and try stuff out and ask questions. Professional attitude. I got my camera sensor cleaned.

Maya

I'd been thinking like, they are not good at stock control, which was okay for me though, at least I could get my favorite Lomography film cheaper than anywhere with student discount, even though they don't stock well and every time I had to leave the store finding something I needed was out of stock. However, I decided I would never buy film here after I found they are not good at quality control either. The boxes of film I got (total of 18 rolls) were in terrible condition. It turned yellowish and grainy when I developed, looked like cross-processed. They're not expired, but were not refrigerated at the store. I put them into my fridge as soon as I got home and used it in a month, so I assume it was the matter of their side. I asked them if I could return them, but the gentleman at the counter rudely said film is not refundable. Well, I don't absolutely hate the result, some look even better in that retro yellowish tone. But I didn't intend to pay full price for half-expired film.

Fred Jang

Nice camera store with free parking.

Ben Hernandez

Excellent service!

Fabian Löschner

It has a big stock because it is one of their warehouses and you get good service if you need assistance. Prices are good. Shop is not on Google Street View but the address is correct.

Justin Bench

Last pro camera shop in SF

Clayton Light

They probably have what you need.

Catalin Tataru

great store, helpful staff

Ed Sanchez

Great customer service, very prompt and informative

Robert Gomez

Very informative people that work here.

Alexander Petrenko

Professional, know their gear, ready to help. Prices are a bit higher than average.

Rick Bonilla

I travelled from Sacramento because of the great prices and knowledgeable staff. Tim was extremely helpful and patient in the many questions I had before making my purchase. I am getting lots of use out of my new camera and plan on making a 3rd trip for another.

Gaines Coleman

Love this store. One of the last places in town I can get ink for my R1900 w/o ordering it online. They also have a great selection of paper (printable at least, though I know they have wet lab supplies). I list after some of the new scanners and cameras. Sigh.

DARTH PFUHL

Very Knowledgeable people. Great place to browse or shop. Wish I had bought my Video Camera here instead of VMI!!!

Julio Duenas

Great store ambience products and very friendly staff.

Robert Ottinger

Sam's has a large selection of photography and video equipment and very helpful staff. I needed a head plate to mount my camera to a tripod head. I called Calumet and they did not have it in stock and called a few other places with no luck and then someone told me that Samy's had recently opened up in San Francisco. I called them and they had it in stock. When I got to Samy's, I found the sales people to be knowledgeable and friendly. They went out of their way to help me. I have since returned a few times for other supplies and each time I am pleased with how helpful they are and they always have what I needed in stock.

Linus Schmitz

Very friendly and helpful people here. I would definitely suggest everyone go here!

Nils Decker

I recently got insurance for all my camera gear and, of course, did not have the receipts for all my lenses anymore. I called Samy's in SF with a faint of hope that they'd have it somewhere in the system. Steven F was extremely friendly and, within 15 minutes, managed to retrieve a copy of my receipt from 5 years ago (!!!) and emailed it over to me. Great customer service... if only their location in Culver City would measure up to that!

Jenae Lien

Excellent selection of camera gear and supplies. Any kind of camera accessory sold here - from bags and tripods to printing paper and inks. …

virendra yadav

I bought a Prime lens for my Nikon-D850 and needed some consultation related to a good lens in the required category. found the team to be very helpful and interactive. I closely interacted with James Moss and Neko Perez, and it was an awesome experience.

Conor Murphy

Super helpful, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Can’t speak highly enough of this place.

Eladia Denton

We had a great experience getting our photos taken here with Marvin, and the reviews certainly paint a clear picture of how professional, fast and knowledgeable he is with these photos. You could tell that he's been doing this for quite some time and the entire process was quick and painless. Would definitely recommend him to anyone. and would doubt you would get a similar, high-quality experience in many other places in San Francisco, CA. Thank you so much!

ChrisBarbara Williams

I often drive from Sacramento California to go two Samy's Camera shop in SF.

Michael P.

Place has almost everything camera related you could ever want. The staff is friendly and helpful. There are less and less of places like this around. Take advantage of this place while you can! They also have a great little gallery upstairs for exhibitions.

Alex S

Great store, nice personal a lot of good stuff for phographers

Andrew Connell

Expert advice

Raj Ajrawat

The staff is always helpful and the prices are some of the best in town.

The Ritual Channel

Great place to rent and buy gear. They have a lot of stuff in the store to see and try out. Good service. Closed Sundays.

Gavin R

Expert advice, no hard sell

J Se

It's a camera store the old kind not your digital or i phone kind. Sounds like the staff need to up the customer service experience....RETAIL

leslie hampton

Great selection and knowledgeable staff. Competitive prices. When you’re buying gear it is really great to be able to park. They have a good size parking lot for an independent store in the city.

M S

After 7 years away from photography I walked into Samy's camera to be pleasantly delighted as I was swept back into the world of photography by a attentive and enthusiastic sales rep named Dave. As a salesperson by trait and just a general hard head, I am not the easiest customer to sell to. This being said, Dave made short work of me and before I knew it I was giddily walking out the door with a brand new A73. I decided to write this review because I am returning for the third time in the past two weeks to purchase additional gear to accompany my awesome new camera. Thanks Samy's, and more specifically, thanks Dave!

Randi Bennett

I guess they didn't want my business. Salesperson had an attitude and was extremely rude when I had to ask for asisstance. I went there ready to purchase and I ended up walking out.

Dale Cruse

Had my camera cleaned here. They did a great job for a fair price. I'll use them again.

Dominic Martello

These guys are the best, ready to talk to you about something rather than into something. They know their stuff and it's worth paying a bit more for the service. It's much more satisfying getting recommendations from a human being instead of some online algorithm anyway, one whose main function is to get me to buy what they want to sell not necessarily what I need. If someone offers sound advice and allows me to handle the product I'd feel like a weasel buying elsewhere anyway. (Dan Foley spent a lot of time helping me figure out my new Fuji 100T and he's always available when I have a question.)

Hagos Damewoz

It’s good stuff

Dan Garfield

They have everything, are really knowledgeable and have great prices.

Betsy Filson Field

Samys has always been my favorite photography stop. Friendly, extremely knowledgeable staff, great prices. I'm so happy to see them back in SF!!

Omran Zaid

Amazing service

Anjay Thakur

Great place for buying and renting equipments

Danny Kim

Some staff were friendly and some not so much. Decent selection of goods.

Sarah Feldhut

Workers aren't very friendly. Felt like I was bothering them asking them for help. I ordered a pack of paper they didn't have in stock and paid extra for two day shipping. It was supposed to get there Tuesday. Its Saturday. I'm used to the Sammy's in Santa Barbara where everyone was kind and helpful and went above and beyond to help me.

Nicolas Gilly

Customer support was not the best, I asked the price of the film and the man reluctantly gave me the price of the film. Not the most amicable type. However I was later helped by a woman who was more helpful and positive. Mixed feeling..

هاني الشرعبي

Excellent , Where everything is very good I thank all the people working there

Taylor Klein

Great selection, knowledgeable employees and great prices (same as Amazon!) I would highly recommend Samy's!!!

Ben

Got hooked up with a bunch of reasonably priced gear in good condition. They had everything I needed, even a spare battery. …

Claudio Scandella

(Translated) Do not expect affordable prices even for second-hand vehicles, scarce variety of second-hand vehicles (at least when I was there) also rental in San Francisco and drop off in Los Angeles are not allowed ... not even paying a premium ... San Francisco, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Los Angeles ... I would have used the rental well, instead .... (Original) Non aspettatevi prezzi convenienti nemmeno dell'usato, scarsa varietà dell'usato (almeno quando ci sono stato io) inoltre non è consentito il noleggio a San Francisco ed il drop off a Los Angeles... nemmeno pagando un sovrapprezzo... San Francisco, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon e Los Angeles...avrei sfruttato bene il noleggio, invece....

King Jamal

It was a big store with every filmmaker's dream. The prices were decent, however buying online would be the best way to get a bang for a buck.

Jacob Scharfman

Great selection but I have to give one star because of how unbelievably rude and pretentious the staff were. Just buy from b and h or adorama instead.

Paige Tingey

Went in to ask some questions about a few lenses and the worker was incredibly rude. I never take the time to write reviews but I was very turned off by my interactions. I went in ready to buy a lens and after 3 mins ended up walking out upset. The worker wasn’t helpful at all. Seemed annoyed that I asked him “dumb” questions and didn’t even answer my questions fully. Safe to say I will be getting my lens anywhere else.

Roberto Carlos Castrejón-Pérez

Variety

Glen B

Great place for getting a camera. Really helpful staff that walked me through new models and features, explaining what they do. Got some really nice used lenses as well.

Jon Garcia

Excellent. Experienced, proactive, helpful.

brandon most

This was my first visit and we were sort of browsing for my g/fs upcoming bday gift. The store was very well stocked and seems to carry a wide variety of products. I only pulled a star because the salesman we got didn't seem very enthusiastic about us. Maybe he didn't believe that we would have bought today if we found the right camera.

Athas Nikolakakos

Very helpful. Competitive prices, after discount.

April larivee

I ordered overnight shipping on a lens Thursday, called to follow up Friday morning, confirming it would arrive Saturday. The lens was not delivered until Tuesday afternoon. When I called to get a refund on the shipping they denied any responsibility and refused the shipping refund. An altogether unprofessional and disappointing experience.

Tatsuro Ogata (llcheesell)

The shop is not so big but they have variety of products there. The worst thing I have experienced is when I asked their staff about tax refund for US visitors, he answered “yes you can” so I decided to buy high-end camera with hundreds of tax. But in actually, there is no tax refund in the US! This is totally fraud and lack of knowledge.

Ibrahim Hamdy

Perfect store with double floors where you can find anything related to Camera Equipment! Staff are super friendly and helpful. I'm not from US but found it on Google Maps so i decided to give it a visit and spent there around 1 hour just going around and asking about everything. I bought many things and one of the item was RingLight, so the guy was testing it for me and forgot to insert the adapter back and i found this when I arrived the hotel, I called them and they sent me the guy to the Hotel with the missing item!

Pablo Viera

They have a great selection of new cameras and also the used ones. The staff is very friendly

Elias Marquart

Not very helpful if the gear you bought from them is defective.

Richard Celis

Bad cistomer service but great selection of equipment.

daily laurel

Dope services.... last new XPRO1 in San Francisco...and it was for me...

Daniel Dulitz

Quick, good selection, reasonably priced, and friendly. Make sure to check everything before you leave the shop!

Jonas Hansen

Good service

Erick Tseng

Wow, such amazing service here! The staff here really know their stuff. This is the camera superstore of the Bay Area - the closest thing you'll find to New York's B&H Photo.

David Mansfield

If you still shoot film, go here.

Stranger Beat

Not entirely sure what happened to this place during COVID but it has the worst selection of anything compared to other stores in the Bay Area. I walked in, there were tons of workers, but hardly any gear to choose from??? The photos here …

Aditya Shingore

Helpful people but they are busy.

Cheryl Murray

Amazing selection of cameras and equipment. Spacious, well lit. You can try out the gear before you purchase. Reasonable return policy. Leah was knowledgeable and gracious. Not inexpensive but neither is photography. There is equipment, lenses etc for rent.

Alan Pennell-Smith

Good size store and selection. Unfortunately didn't have what I was after, but would come back.

Rory Scott

Clean store, knowledgeable staff, and reasonable prices. Can't beat it.

Dylan Lane

Great range and knowledgeable staff

Robb Alonzo

Product offering for the beginner to the studio professional.

Larry Placido

Always had good service and selections there at Samy's. A little pricier on things, but one of the better camera shops in San Francisco.

Gerardo Santaella

(Translated) Well-stocked and well-attended photography store; They put away what I requested for the day I would be there. Very good service (Original) Tienda de fotografía muy bien surtida y atendida; apartaron lo que solicité para el día en que estaría ahí. Muy buen servicio

David Wittrock

Knowledgeable, friendly. Great price on a rental.

Dave Lee

The only serious AV store in San Francisco. Excellent for rental too.

Matt Robinson

Great advice and lots of options, including refurbished.

Paul Ferzoco

The best camera store in San Francisco. Great staff, knowledgeable, sincere, large array of products. Great choice for the professional, great choice for amateurs.

Kenny Chan

Bought my Sony a6000 here. They gave me a lesson on how to use it and was really patient. They also have great discounts at times.

Charley Galdamez

These folks know their stuff and are very helpful. It's awesome to see such high quality optics in-person too.

alexw265

Bought a Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS70. Price wasn’t much higher than online. Salesmen were very knowledgable and helpful, and were low pressure. That alone, and my getting the right camera in the first place, made it better than buying online. Plus, one of the salesmen told me about a rebate I could get that I never would have known about, which gave me an extra item for free and saved me $60 on something else that I didn’t have to buy. That made it effectively cheaper than buying online. Highly recommmended.

Dominic Garibaldi

Nice store but pretty poor customer service, which I wasn't expecting. Probably some of the laziest advice I've received in any store. Didnt seem interested in selling me anything or discussing options. i'll spend my 5k elsewhere. ✌️

Jon Blomgren

Awesome place. Awesome people.

LLL

If you're new to photography and need a little assistance about which items to choose from, it will be advisable to avoid this store. It seems that most of the staff here will assume that you know why and what you're going in there for. Don't expect alot of attention if you're not spending alot of money or if you're not a regular. With that said, they have alot of products in there that will make those creative juices flow. It's best to know what you're going in there for. Do some research about what you're planning to do and what you need. Research alternative sights like Amazon for price comparisons. Amazon does have some of the items, but cost less. There's a second floor that nobody really likes inviting people to. There are lights up there and a few other things. Some of the younger staff can be patronizing to us older folks. Don't take it personal. It's just a check for them. We were once young too. As long as they're working and not on the streets causing problems, it's ok with me. Parking hasn't been a problem. But their parking lot is minimal. 6 or eight cars at the most? I can't remember because there was a large van taking up alot of space. This store is for the regular to seasoned camera/video person. It's not so much for the beginners. Unless you are taking courses or classes to learn, I'd recommend just shop at Best Buy or online with Amazon or eBay.

Alexx Conroy

Amazing knowledge of all things Photo/Video (and good prices for rental equipment)

Derek Rodenbeck

Very helpful, had just what I needed. Great place and tons of equipment.

Steven Nguyen

Great camera store in the city that's has some knowledgeable ppl if you have any questions.

Emma Peck

Just purchased a new sigma lens for my Nikon dslr. Natalie was super helpful and knowledgeable. I came in with a good idea of which lens I wanted to purchase, but she brought out a couple of alternatives that I could try before making a final decision. Had been poking around online trying to figure out which lens I wanted to buy and it was nice to have an actual human help me. Samy's prices were comparable to what I was seeing online. Thanks, Samy's!

sean herrera

Great audio and video selection. Staff knows their stuff. Rentals have great gear too.

Octaviano Ledesma

Knowledgeable and helpful for lighting

Yadmer Mejía

Friendly staff and I like the rental process!

Edgar Salazar

Very friendly experience, knowledgable staff.

David Price

Only bought a travel tripod, but service was excellent, and knowledgeable

Nicholas Pun

Very knowledgeable and helpful staff -- They were able to help me quickly find what I was looking for. They do close pretty early, which made it a rush to shop here.

Mauricio Rizzo

(Translated) Excellent (Original) Excelente

Clare Lee

I haven't made a purchase here, but I came with some questions about my fairly old cameras. The staff were super nice and helpful. I have been to other stores where the staff are nice but still make it difficult to ask questions - this place was super cool from directing me to the right department to being completely patient when I needed to confer with a friend about a repair. I live in South Bay but I will make the effort to go to a place where service is this good. I'll be back soon!

Denise De Luise

I ordered a flash cord to replace my broken one that I need for a wedding shoot in 2 days. The mail order person assured me it would take between 2-5 days, and that I would have it in time. When it didn't arrive today I called, and was told that it NEVER SHIPPED! No explanation for why this happened. The mail order person then emailed her manager, (it's after 5 pm),and maybe they will try to ship it overnight to me for a Saturday delivery (but the wedding is on Saturday, and I live rurally, which means that the delivery isn't likely to show up in time). Maybe Samy's can call the bride and groom and explain why I can't use my flash for their wedding! I sure hope they figure out how to get this to me. I'll follow up with this review.

Wendy Li

James was incredibly helpful and professional. His advise saved me from purchasing accessories I dont need. I highly recommend it

Javid Soriano

Gear techs are notorious for being snobby but these guys are very friendly and down to earth. They'll teach you thoroughly how to set up your gear no matter what level you are-- once I saw them show someone how a c stand works. Tbh, I normally use borrow lense, but in a pinch samys is my go to.

Freddie Carpio

Knowledgeable people.

Cristina Lira

Friendly and knowledgeable customer service. David provided us with all the information we need for our Camera.

Maricela Gomez

So happy that Samy's is now up north. Now i have a camera store that i can go to and trust when i travel up that way. Adam is great very helpful and knowledgeable.

Matt Simione

My favorite place.

Mike C

A great place to shop for gear. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Learned a lot yesterday just talking to the staff.

LUIS ALONSO VALLEJO SEVILLANO

(Translated) Good attention. (Original) Buena atención.

Darrin Schultz

Showroom is empty due to the pandemic. Not worth going for consumer camera needs.

WILLIAM gallagher

Thank you ! for the awesome service

Brooks Uhrig

Samy's is my go-to shop for anything camera related. Knowledgeable staff and they always have great inventory!

Paul L

Huge. Lots of good stuff in there. They have a small parking lot in the side and I've been able to park in it most of the time.

Akira Blu

wonderful-always! Been with Samy since circa 2011 getting to experience both film-to digital touch ups. Staff is always ready for all aspects of questions, leaving with nothing but great encouragement to do great! -Enrique A.

Hamid shahrokhi

Great shop I wonder how long they will last

Rich Man

The coolest camera store in San Francisco great deals !!!! helpful sales people

Cole Kwiatkowski

Dont know how this place has so many good reviews. Seriously the rudest staff ever, I walked out as soon as I was hit with attitude.

Les Lie

I hate to say something negative about a business that supports the arts, but I went to Samy's on two separate days, and surprisingly, the staff ignored me in favor of servicing white male customers that came in after me. The first time, I came in with my male friend who was only there to accompany me as a friend. It was empty of other customers at the rental station. Since I was the one renting, my friend stood near the back wall, waiting for me. I went right up to the counter, and a female employee glanced at me, didn't say a word to me, but then quickly asked my male friend if he needed any help. Confused by this, I told her I actually had made a rental reservation. She said okay, and gestured to her male coworker who would help me. The male coworker walks over, and bizarrely, he also glanced right over me and called out to my male friend standing in the back, "Do you need to rent something?" I was very confused by this assumption - why my friend was getting more attention than me, seeing as I had been so straightforward that I needed help, both verbally and nonverbally - my body language facing the employees and standing right at the rental counter. After a not particularly helpful tone from him as I received the equipment, I left with a weird feeling of receiving slightly dismissive treatment from 2 employees, but was hoping it was an isolated incident. It was strange to me though how attentive they seemed to my friend, whose body language was not at all of someone needing help. When my friend and I left the store, I asked if he noticed anything strange about what just happened, and he said to me exactly what I had been thinking; that they really seemed to want to help him, but were not very helpful or friendly to me and it was sort of awkward. The second time I went in, I was trying to drop off the equipment. I ended up waiting close to 10 minutes before someone helped me, while the man who behind me had only had to wait 3 seconds after entering the doors. He even stood a yard or so further from the counter from me (I was literally standing at the counter, equipment right on the counter, face forward. When the staffmember started to help the other man first, I interjected myself in their conversation and said I had been waiting for a while, and he ignored me, so I leaned in closer and repeated louder myself in case he didn't hear me. After a third try, it became very clear he deliberately was ignoring me. I can only guess he thought it was rude of me to interrupt their conversation, and that was his way of letting me know. However, it's also rude to not acknowledge someone's presence right in front for 10 minutes, especially after I say I've been waiting. As well, as it's his job to be professional, and at least say something, like "We will be with you" or "Sorry for the wait." Anyway, I got zero effort from him. He ignored me and did not ask another employee to come over for me. When the employee turned away to get the equipment for the customer, the customer apologized and said that it was awkward that the guy had ignored me. After feeling conflicted about speaking up further, I decided to speak to the manager as well. Although she sympathized with me on some level as another woman, I worry that the staff of Samy's are unwilling to ask themselves if they are subconsciously giving preferential service to the norm, and that norm is male and white. There is an existing expectation and bias for filmmakers/photographers, especially in this city, to be white men. I am a POC and a woman and have worked on photo/video shoots for 10 years. The industry is already enough of a boy's club, but I would hope my presence (and money) should at least be equally respected and valued in a camera rental place. Maybe they could even be allies. I hope that management and the staff is willing to take this note seriously. Nobody should come in here having to wonder why someone else is receiving preferential service. Perhaps even as easy of a fix as having a queue system at Samy's would eliminate this experience.

Julie Trachtenberg

Helpful sales people

Chris Woo

Nice selection of equipment, experts available, slightly pricy

Queen Booker

My nephew is a photography buff so we went to Samy's to get a flash and battery. The clerks were extremely helpful. They were able to describe the different suppliers for both products, allowing him to make an informed decision. The prices are competitive. It was definitely better than going to a big box store!

Steven Foon

Just an amazing place. Tons of stuff. Great and friendly staff.

Bobby DeBarge

Great store! So happy there is finally a Samy's up north now! They always have what I need

Aaron Small

Good prices and very thorough service.

Jannis

Good Selection and a good service. I was here for paying a ND Filter.

Elgin Thomas

Great store

Lakshmi Javadekar

Great place to buy and rent camera, lenses and related equipment. Not too many options left in the city. They will also help clean sensor etc if you need help

Henry Evans

I don't understand why someone would buy online with Samy's around. Over the last five years I've worked with them for still and video equipment, lighting, accessories, and problem solving in both L.A. and San Francisco. They price competitively with B&H and include expert consulting, strong inventory, and friendly service. I like living near Whole Foods, I LOVE living near Samy''s on Bryant.

kira levenberg

Fixed my mom's problem cheaply as well as cleaned her camera, with specialized service. High quality stuff. Even had a parking lot. The only thing that wasn't good was the neighborhood, with homeless people (naked for some reason--going the bathroom) (sorry not sure how to word it much) a few blocks down.

shubha chintak thapa

Good people variety of products

Paul Gibula

Great selection and helpful staff.

Angie M

Great service and product

Jesse Schwimmer

Very helpful photo service

Phil Bayfield

Quite a large camera store, had exactly what I wanted

Greg S

Friendly staff, great service and a huge selection of camera and video equipment.

jesper nellemann

Great service and competitive pricing

Lenore Cymes

While most people are getting bigger cameras, I went down to point and shoot. This was my second experience with Samy's (after walking out of the local Palo Alto camera shop 2X). The staff (Adam to start with) couldn't have been more helpful and interested in making sure I got the right camera for what I want. Dan- who does the meetup training will help me get going on the new camera and what a great experience it is to shop at this store. If one is a novice, I really recommend dealing with these guys. Actually they are probably as helpful no matter where one lives on the photographic spectrum. I may not ever buy a 3rd camera, but if I do - this will be the first place I go.

chris choi

Super professional and friendly

Patrick Phillips

Had a great experience. Tons of floorspace with a multitude of cameras, parts, and accessories. The person who helped me was warm didn't make me feel pressured toward a purchase, rather he seemed interested in helping me find what made sense for me. Will be returning!

Mark Allen

This is a GREAT photography store. Great selection, knowledgeable staff and pricing the same as Amazon. Please buy your gear here, we need to support good bricks and mortar shops.

Maria Ramirez Flores

Staff was super helpful

Shawn Annecston

Great customer service and very knowledgeable.

Mr. Tom!

Super knowledgeable. I am so glad we still have an independent expert store in town. Lots of new media options for cell phones , IG, etc.

Justin Coan

Love it, Joe is the GOAT!

Michel Dufour

Didn't find what I was looking for, but DAVE gave me a great service. Nice personnel, super nice store. They got a lot of stuff! Will be back (if I ever came back to SF) or I'll go online. Thanks again.

KEN LANGLEY

Fantastic service. They went out of their way to help me.

Agoode1220 1

I must say they are one of my favorite stores to visit when I come to SF and they have everything, you need as a photographer.

Rob andr

Great camera store. All of the staff is very helpful and full of knowledge.

Stanley Lee

This is one of the few camera stores left in SF and Bay Area. They have a fairly good selection of cameras, lighting, and accessories. They also carry film and related supplies. Pricewise, they're competitive with the market. They have a rental department in back and a small parking lot on the side. Check their website each Thursday their weekly sales ad. They offer classes and recently hosted an excellent workshop with Sony.

Dave Haney

This is the largest camera store I have ever been in. Richard was very helpful, I was on holiday from England and he sold me a new lens. Prices were much lower that the over shops in San Francisco ! well worth the drive, plus they have great parking ! Dave

Michael Lampen

Just purchased a fujifilm x series from them today. I called in advance twice and the second time talked with David who was very knowledgeable and patient. Had a somewhat extensive conversation and really felt that I could trust his advice. Came to the store later and was helped by another guy (didn't catch his name) and Kelsie who gave me a nice beginners rundown of my intended purchase. David rang me up and provided additional consultation. All were extremely knowledgeable and informative. It was a great buying experience, great staff and no up selling! Best in town from the many shops I checked out. Thanks guys from your newest loyal customer!