Looking for a local Camera shop that can help me select a good quality Camera. Tending not to lean towards RITZ or other mass stores but rather ma/pa.

TIA

Well, I know you aren't looking for a chain, but the people at Penn Camera near the Springfield Mall can give you some scoop on the various photography brands and stuff. You can always ask questions and then shop around for the best price when you decide what you want.

There is a small independent photgraphy shop on Rt. 1 in Hybla Valley across from the WalMart; that the only one I know of and it's not very well stocked. I go in there once in a while to look at the used stuff. Sometimes you find some cool oddities or lenses. Penn Camera has a used shelf, too, but their prices for used stuff are a ripoff.

Check a DC phonebook. Big cities usually have at least one half decent photography shop.

I agree with tomahawk about Penn camera having a semi-knowledgeable staff, but before you go there to actually purchase anything, go here and compare the cameras your interested in and find out what other people think of theirs.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp

Also, before you buy from Penn, go to B&H Photo's website and get the proper price, otherwise Penn will rape you. Print out the price from B&H and bring it with you and they will match it.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/category/9810/Cameras_Photo_Gear.html

What camera are you interested in? What type of shooting will you be doing?

Hi, thanks for the responses. We bought a place in the Northern Neck and there is much wildlife and scenery to photograph. There are several bald eagles, osprey, etc that I would like to shoot. I plan to (eventually) get a spotting scope to capture various distant sailing vessels so the camera will be used to attach to one. I hope to be able to frame the better photos and place it around our home. I believe a digital slr would be the way to go and have read great things about the canon 40d.

Noob, the 40D is a nice camera, but you need to make room in your budget for lenses, which can cost as much or more than the camera. To do good wildlife pics, you'll need at least a 300mm lens. Canon makes a pretty good 70-300 f/4.5 for around $500.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=8454&A=details&Q=&sku=397663&is=GREY&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Ideally, and if you could afford it, you should use a 400-500mm lens, but you might have to sell one of your cars to pay for it.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/183203-USA/Canon_2532A002_Telephoto_EF_500mm_f_4_0L.html

Remember, all camera's do pretty much the same thing, it's the lens that makes a great picture.

Think I'll stick with the 300mm for now :-)

As I will mostly be outdoors and by the water (possibly on boats), have you any recommendations on what to look for in a durable camera?

BTW- has anyone had any experience with: http://www.ephotocraft.com/

They look to be in Burke VA which is not too far from me.

On the subject, does anyone recommend any places to take classes on (digital) photography?

Has anyone taken any classes from NoVA/GMU/Smithsonian/etc. that they could comment on?

kev

One word of advice: Find what you want and buy online. Amazon beats any brick and morter store every time on high end camera equipment. Beware though of the shady dealers on the net. Stick with someone reputable (such as amazon).

nakedshoplifter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One word of advice: Find what you want and buy
> online. Amazon beats any brick and morter store
> every time on high end camera equipment. Beware
> though of the shady dealers on the net. Stick with
> someone reputable (such as amazon).


Thanks. I generally have a 10% rule (of course the higher the price the less the percentage :-) with local retailers. In one sense, I'd rather try and support the local merchants where I can but won't pay out the nose to do so. I also would, on higher priced items, prefer a local fellow to hold accountable when/if things go awry :-)

I highly recommend Fuller & D'Albert. (close to Farrish Jeep at FFx Circle).
They have the most competent sales staff in the area IMHO. Little bit on the
"pricey" side, but the support I've received from them is excellent. I bought
my Nikon F100 (film) from them and anytime I've had a question they seemed
the know the answer right off the top of their heads.

Ace Camera in Sterling

Noob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Think I'll stick with the 300mm for now :-)
>
> As I will mostly be outdoors and by the water
> (possibly on boats), have you any recommendations
> on what to look for in a durable camera?


Most Nikon and Canon SLR's are pretty durable and have amazing shutter life spans. The recent models now have sensor cleaning systems as well.
If your going to be near water or sand and stuff, you might want a camera with weather seals. Obviously the truly weather sealed units are pretty pricey, but as long as you don't get the 40D soaking wet, you should be fine. I have a Canon 5D and have gotten it pretty wet a few times and not had any problems.

There are a lot of sleazy online stores out there that will bait and switch you or sell you grey market stuff. Stick with B&H and you'll be fine.

Fuller and D'Albert used to be a great place to talk to experts and get a good deal now and then, but they hardly sell anything anymore. I can't figure out how they even stay in business. I stop in there every now and then just to see if they're still there.

There is another family-run option in the area ephotocraft. They have a store in Burke and one in Fairfax. You can find them at http://www.ephotocraft.com. They have a large inventory and are knowledgeable. If you do your homework on prices they will generally negotiate close to B&H or Amazon pricing on big ticket items. I bought my Canon 20D there and a couple of lenses.

About 2 months ago I stopped at the Fuller and D'Albert store and there was a sign up saying that they no longer were running a retail operation. Where they get their business from is a mystery as the pricing on their website is hardly competitive.

The margin on photo equipment is very small so its hard to get really deep discounts anywhere.

Numbers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Noob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Think I'll stick with the 300mm for now :-)
> >
> > As I will mostly be outdoors and by the water
> > (possibly on boats), have you any
> recommendations
> > on what to look for in a durable camera?
>
>
> Most Nikon and Canon SLR's are pretty durable and
> have amazing shutter life spans. The recent models
> now have sensor cleaning systems as well.
> If your going to be near water or sand and stuff,
> you might want a camera with weather seals.
> Obviously the truly weather sealed units are
> pretty pricey, but as long as you don't get the
> 40D soaking wet, you should be fine. I have a
> Canon 5D and have gotten it pretty wet a few times
> and not had any problems.
>
> There are a lot of sleazy online stores out there
> that will bait and switch you or sell you grey
> market stuff. Stick with B&H and you'll be fine.
>
> Fuller and D'Albert used to be a great place to
> talk to experts and get a good deal now and then,
> but they hardly sell anything anymore. I can't
> figure out how they even stay in business. I stop
> in there every now and then just to see if they're
> still there.


The story I heard from a sales rep is that retail photography is only a
very small portion of their overall operation. They have industrial and
government customers for their graphics production and thats where
their emphasis is. I asked also about their "bankers hours" and was
told the same story.

Sipa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On the subject, does anyone recommend any places
> to take classes on (digital) photography?
>
> Has anyone taken any classes from
> NoVA/GMU/Smithsonian/etc. that they could comment
> on?
>
> kev


I took printing classes at Glen Echo Park over on the MD side of the Legion bridge. Google it and look at their course schedule. They do digital and film classes over there and have a dark room.

Also, FFx Co schools have a sort of adult education thing going on, and sometimes they offer courses on photgraphy. I took one once a few years ago, but I don't know where to look them up. I think if you go to a school or one of the rec centers they have pamphlets, but I'm not sure.

About buying gear, you can check pricegrabber.com or one of those comparison sites, where the customers rate the dealers on service. That's worked for me several times to find a good price from a dealer who gets good marks.

Noob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looking for a local Camera shop that can help me
> select a good quality Camera. Tending not to lean
> towards RITZ or other mass stores but rather
> ma/pa.
>
> TIA

Hi, a quick follow up to my post for posterity. I visited Ace Photo in Ashburn and Photocraft in Burke. All in all they were both positive but I will note that I had a harder time getting "noticed" at Ace Photo. They had 4 people on the floor and I guess they were working on some leaflet so was a bit disengaged from the customers. That said, I don't think it was malicious and would certainly consider buying from them in the future. Photocraft was much more pleasant. The young gentleman that was there was pretty helpful and didn't try and push the latest and greatest on me. I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up a Nikon D40 + a few lenses from them this weekend barring anything unforseen.

Before you go and pick the brain of a sales associate anywhere, please be respectful to the fact that some may be paid on a commission basis. There is nothing worse then when a commissioned sales associate spends an hour of his time with you, and you decide exactly which one you want, and when he asks would u like to purchase it you reply with "No, I'll just buy it online, it's cheaper." Yes, stuff online is always cheaper, because they have no store overhead.

Before you go on saying I don't give a fuck if you are wasting someone's time, think about the guys family. Commissioned associates probably make about 3-4 dollars an hour, such as food servers which many of you can relate to who depend on tips. I'm not saying you have to buy from a store, but please be respectful of their time, as they do need to make a living somehow.