Went in to buy a lens I saw advertised on their website. I was told the price listed was wrong and they would not honor it. Extremely disappointed, was hoping this was my new camera shop. Would not recommend a place that doesnt stand by the prices listed on their website!

Nice store, good selection, helpful staff. Plentiful parking. Check out Looking Glass first before buying on-line.

Oh man, this place is just amazing! I went for a camera clean service and staffs there are so friendly and helpful. It made my whole day!

Love this store so much- every time Ive been in theyre so helpful. Its a shame you cant explore the store during covid (they have a massive inventory) but I was able to find what I wanted on the website and pickup was easy and quick. They really do love what they do, and it shows- they even wrote me this heart-warming note on my bag.

Great experience and a really friendly staff! They opened up some cameras for me to check out even though I had already decided to purchase a different one. Well stocked store and a lovely space.

Such a good selection. I went in for 120 film and was not disappointed. Loved the decor too!

Im new to film and wanted to support a local shop (screw Amazon.) Found these guys by simply Googling and bought me a pack of reasonably priced Portra 400s. The Gent at the counter was super helpful and despite not being able to browse the store, made me feel welcomed. We need to support shops like this. I cannot wait to browse at their location when this nightmare is over. Stay strong fellas. The analog community needs you!UPDATE: Added some photos I developed from the film purchased.

Amazing place, cant get enough! Thanks again guys

Great local camera Store. Very helpful and friendly.

Great service. Enforce social distancing very well. Helped me a lot as a first time camera shopper.

Such a warm and pleasant experience just being at the store. The staff is very friendly and the ambience of the store is welcoming. Theres a great variety of products to shop and try out, and there are experts helping you make the best purchasing decisions. I even had a jammed SD card in my camera, and they helped me get it out free of charge! I love this store

I came in to buy a spare lens cap. I couldnt enter the store, so they brought me one. It cost way more than I was expecting. Ill probably give them another shot, but Ill have to reference prices with online because I felt a little screwed over on the lens cap.

In the time of Rona and her Co-hort-Vid: looking glass has been around for a good long while, and since Ive gotten into photography, more so than just playing with my rents Pentax or my handed down nikon f2, or even my Mavica, they may be the only camera/lens store that is not geared toward tourists stereos and audio. This is an awesome place that I wish I had known of sooner. I saw a lens I have been looking for peowned and had to get it. It was 559pm. They close at 6. I called and they said theyd wait. By the time I got there they had all my info, I walked up, forgot mask, came back and SHAZAAM! Lens in hand with receipt, and Im on my way. Thanks so much Cheryl (oh boy I hope thats right... hmm) you are awesome and you are why this place is in business when so many others have shuttered haha. Lol.

I dont think theres any other camera shops like this around... helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly staff. Im usually an online shopper but I also like to put my hands on things before I buy them IF I can find a place that carries them. So I did a search for nearby camera shops and found the Looking Glass... My first visit was to find a 50mm lens for my Canon 5D Mark 4. Even though I was leaning towards the f1.2, I went with the f1.4 as was recommended by weighing out the pros and cons. My next visit was to look for a new video mic. My Rode video mic was causing noise when using the Wi-Fi on the Mark 4. So I was looking to get the Rode videomic pro plus which they had in stock, but the guy helping me wanted to make sure it was the mic before he sold me a new one. We tested another go mic and it still made noise. Then we test the pro plus on my camera and the noise was gone. Ive been back a few other times to buy batteries, a new tripod, and every time I get the same ol thing... great customer service.

Excellent staffProfessional always friendly I am so glad they are here

Not only a photographers store, Looking Glass Photo is a great place for people who want to take better pictures. The staff is very helpful and does a terrific job of coaching their customers into getting better results from their equipment. Their prices are very competitive and when you factor in the value of the expertise, shopping here becomes an obvious choice when compared to buying online.If you need equipment and want to buy it from people who really understand how to use it, come here.

Such a great family-owned shop! They have an awesome product selection, tons of services (e.g., repair shop, classes, rentals), and simply delightful staff! For everything I checked, their prices are the same as what you would get at Best Buy or on Amazon... But they offer way better assistance with product selection and ongoing support than youll ever get at a big box store. Please make sure to give these folks your business. They deserve it!

The atmosphere was largely nitrogen with about 20 percent oxygen and a smattering of other gases. Any more inane suggested review topics from Googles automated review query system?Actually this is one of the last great camera shops in the Bay area. They are well stocked with a large variety of photography equipment and have a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Lots of classes and other events. Get on their mailing list if you have any interest in photography. Buy stuff here so they stay in business. It wont cost more than online and they have manufacturers events that offer lower prices unavailable anywhere else. This is a good place.

I recently brought in some negatives from a special trip I took 20 years ago to get scanned. When I went in to pick them up there was no CD. Later I was able to download some files but they are too low res to be useful. Now, they cant find the CD I paid $90 for and they cant find my negatives. This has been going on for a month and no one seems to have any idea whats going on. :(

I’ve been shopping at this business for over 40 years, first when it was on Telegraph and Alcatraz when I used to develop and print black and white film, to now, in the digital age. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. They’re not just trying to push camera sales - their service attitude is very professional. They help you make informed decisions about the investments that you make in cameras and lenses. The class offerings are relevant to the times too - digital as well as iphone photography; and wide range of topics including post photography applications. I don’t give many five star ratings - but this one definitely deserves it.

I cannot say enough positive about Looking Glass’s very knowledgeable and helpful staff.I had a memory card failure. They recovered 300+ images that I thought might be lost forever. My thanks for their help and professionalism!Also, their prices are the same as online! Why on earth would you buy anywhere else?I also attended a class there. Excellent and very helpful.

The day 9/4/19 at approximately 5:10 pm, I visited the store to learn why the camera, Nikon F3, I bought the day earlier 9/3/19 wasn`t its light-meter working properly. I was getting helped by a store agent that was about 6`1 feet tall, skinny, Caucasian male was on the far right register on Ashby Ave entrance, after he was done helping me I asked if I can have the used batteries we tested on the camera, he stated; No, these are mine and his coworkers started laughing at me in a way to embarrass me, I didnt feel right about hearing No as a costumer, I believe he was supposed to tell me its price, and the other associates were not supposed to laugh at me. I was gonna buy more supplies that I needed but the way the store representatives treated me made leave and not to come back

Awesome place and super great staff. Super helpful to help you. Love this place

Amazing place to get all your photo needs, staff is extremely knowledgeable both in person and on the phone. Shout out to Cha and May for helping me set up my first film camera.

One of the last Mom and Pop camera shops out there for the bay area. Nice space and friendly staff. Also a rentable darkroom and processing station for black and white film!

Amazing shop for the selection and the people. I got great help figuring out a problem with my old Pentax K1000, and they keep a great selection of used gear (as well as new of course). Everyone in the shop was super friendly and knowledgable.

Ive been looking for a rental darkroom place in the bay since the one I used to go to in SF closed, this place is great! The staff are really friendly and helpful and they have good rates for the rental darkroom/film processing. It is a large store with all kind of photo equipment, but I especially appreciate their large in-store selection of film, photo paper, and darkroom equipment that I havent seen in any other store. I will definitely be back!

The ideal and perfect photography store and community.I love the atmosphere in this store! The staff is really friendly and helpful.They have everything from digital to analog cameras, and their store is pretty big.If I lived near it, Id go there all the time.

I dropped a lens :( and swung by on a weekday after work and was so impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. The shop is huge with a great inventory and cool vibe. The employees gave me some good advice and an estimate on repairing a lens and I was able to pick up a eye cup that had fallen off. Very pleasant experience!

Awesome place to get your camera sensor cleaned! Ive gotten my camera cleaned twice by them now, always pretty fast and it sure is clean after! Great business.

I hadnt gone to specifically looking for something though always in search for the perfect tripod. Light enough and short enough when packed seems to be contrictory elements. But as always the obliging staff let me fondle a desire. X-T3.

Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. This is the place to go when you need advice on what to get! Awesome classes and a great place to get prints. Prices were the same as online. Will definitely be back!

Very good camera store in EastBay. Offer darkroom and camera rental

I have been living in the Bay for about 6 months, and in that time I have visited this store quite a bit. At first to get a feel for the place and the staff before I purchased anything. A few things I have noticed about Looking Glass.1. None of the staff is every pushy to make a sale, and even they dont close the sale they havent ever given me the impression that they had better things to do or dismissed me.2. They know their gear! None of that Best Buy ill read the description of the product to you and hope that is enough to get you to buy it. They actually use the gear they sell. I dislike when sales people try to sell me something they do not use, or have no clue about. These guys shoot photos.3. Its like going to that friends house who had all the cool toys for you to check out and sometimes play with.All in all if you are in Oakland, want to meet other photographers, need a new camera or repairs, I personally urge you to check this place out.

This is a review of my experience shopping here in 2017. I wanted to give an update on my experience, as i was a bit of a novice when it came to shopping for a camera.First, the cool part. Their “camera bar” is a really great setup for showing off their cameras to customers. Its a bit more old school and much more pleasant than, say, best buy’s setup.Their salesman are pretty good too, although i did catch a little bit of the “hipper than thou” attitude that is prevalent in these types of places. Ever seen the movie High Fidelity with John Cusack? Yeah, kinda like that. It was to be expected though so no big deal.Where i think they could have improved is asking if the buyer would like a 10 min primer on how to shoot the kinds of images the customer is trying to get from purchasing a stand alone camera. Just explain the very basics of how to get a properly exposed shot at the right shutter speed and aperture. That way, your customer can hit the ground running as soon as they get the box open. I know they have classes and stuff but buying 1300$ camera should be enough to get u a quick session on how to use it at the most basic level.So thats why i subtracted the first star.The other area for improvement would be in price. They are always just slightly more expensive than b&h photo or amazon. Yes, i know they offer more customer service but reference the above point. I dont think the amount of customer service offered was worth the slight premium in price.Thats the reason for the second star.Ultimately i love my 80d, but with better guidance i would have made different choices, like choosing a different kit lens setup.None of these are deal breakers. If u need a good camera and want a bit of guidance i would definitely encourage shopping here.

Great service. Awesome selection. Very knowledgeable staff. They also offer photography classes and darkroom rentals.

I have been a customer at Looking Glass for about 4 years. Every time Im in the store Im impressed by the knowledge of the store personnel, by their friendliness and especially by their willingness to give me all the time that I need for questions and decision making. Additionally, I love the spaciousness of the new store! Keep up the 5-star work.

Very knowledgeable staff and one of the last places to get film and get it printed. Been going since they lived around the corner on Telegraph Ave. Now they have more space and darkrooms.

Great service and quality photos i received for passport and visas. Prices were good also. Skip all the terrible pharmacy photo areas and come here. Super happy with my visit here.

Knowledgeable staff who will spend time and do not push for sales; large diverse stock on display; fair prices.

I was in a VERY bad spot last weekend. Rented a camera from another location; didnt realize that it took an XQD storage card. Early next morning I was to leave out of town to shoot an event. Stopped by Looking Glass and they did have one I could rent (didnt need to purchase a $140.00 card for a one day event). After the shoot, I wasnt able to download from camera to my laptop effectively-WHAT??? And, when I did get SOME images downloaded, they were exceedingly blocky and looked like bad blotches of watercolor paintings. Went it and tried native lenses and as many options for resolve as I could at Looking Glass. Everyone was very helpful and patient. I have been a customer for many years now, off and on, and am SO very grateful for them. Shop with them if you can.

This is one of the few camera stores left. They stock a wide variety of equipment and supplies; and they can clean your cameras sensor when dust gets in the camera body. Their knowledgeable staff are helpful and friendly. Minus one star because they only carry high-margin items, so if youre looking for an Ape Case, youre going to find LowePro and up. I get it; its the reality of brick and mortar.

Very nice store, much bigger than their old location, friendly staff and they have a darkroom and classes as well. Parking is easy with the big lot.

One of the best of not the best camera shop in the bay. Still have an amazing array of film stocks & a state of the art darkroom...all of which are extremely reasonably priced!

Almost everything a photography hobbyist could ask for (except for the small camera pouch I was looking for). Friendly, knowledgeable staff. I did find a great tripod at a good price.

Love this hidden gem. Knowledgable staff and friendly. They have so much stuff. Plus big parking lot.

Great service, I told Jeff my budget for a new camera and he hooked me up. Super knowledgeable, funny, honest and competitively priced.

I went to this place for the first time this Monday. I cant remember the name of the nice lady who helped me. But she (a fuji fan) was awesome. The customer service was fantastic. The people there really know and love photography.update: this is my new favorite place in the whole world. LOL

Cool staff, everytime you need from film to digital, printing and all.

Even if I can find something cheaper online, I am going to choose to spend the extra on Looking Glass to buy the same item. Why? Read on.I first came to know Looking Glass through a camera geek and dear friend, who gave me the best advice: Go find a local camera shop, and start building your community there.Alvin was right! From the moment I walked in to Looking Glass, to my first camera ever purchased, to my subsequent lenses and supplies, the team at Looking Glass treated me like Im their favorite customer. I feel good walking in, and I always feel better walking out.Their product selection is wide, their advice spot-on, and their attitude is unparalleled. They never pushed me to buy things I dont need. They asked about my use case and stayed with it. They took the time and energy to research with me, to learn with me. They gave honest feedback. They treated me like one of them, even when Im just a nobody.True story. I bought a Fuji XT20 from them. It malfunctioned 6 months later. I called Fuji directly numerous times, to no avail. Then I shared my frustration with Fuji with Andrew and Brian at Looking Glass, not expecting anything. But Andrew looked me in the eye and said sternly Say no more. Let me take care of it. What followed was 3 months of painstaking work and back-and-forth that Andrew and his team took on just to get the case resolved. And to be clear, the problem wasnt with Looking Glass; it was with Fuji warranty and support team. And Looking Glass did NOT have to deal with all this BS on behalf of me, a relatively new customer who is a mere newbie in photography. But they took the case on nonetheless. And they solved it, with grace, and a smile. My. Goodness. Jen, Andrew, Brian, and the rest of the team now know me as that Fuji XT20 hiker guy, and we bonded over the unfortunate event.Not just because physical retail shops need to exist for our communities, but because Looking Glass - specifically - is a special place where you feel that after all your adventures in the wild (Im a backpacking guide and photographer), youve come home to a group of people who are really dedicated to the art and science of photography and are die-hard cheerleaders for their customers work.If theres ever a Standard of Service Excellence that all retail should be measured against, Looking Glass lives it to the highest rate, every day.

This is my go to camera shop. Knowledgeable and friendly. Good used stuff and plenty of stock on latest gear.

A camera store with the major brands. Looking Glass was very helpful in getting a Sony lens repaired that I had bought from Looking Glass more than a year ago. Looking Glass handled arranging for the repair with Sony and sending them the lens. All I had to do was bring it in to the store.

This store does have some gear but the staff is not that good. They have a condescending attitude and not too respectful. Typical were the great professional photographers and youre just a stupid customer attitude. They lure you with were going to buy your gear advertisements and then when you bring in your stuff they dont want to buy anything. They will tell you its too old and outdated cameras. Duh...Obviously people are going to bring things like that. They just want to buy things you could sell yourself anyway. Whats the point of their buy your gear offer.

They are very knowledgeable. A very honest and helpful 5 star group of people.

If you are looking for photography supplies they will have it. They also have knowledgeable staff to answer any questions.

Very helpful staff. Clean, bright shop. Great range of products and services.

I love the stores new location on Ashby! They really seem to using the new space well. Im in the middle of buying a DSLR package from them, and Im amazed that their prices compete with the top online retailers, but with customer service and convenience youll never find online. The selection of professional and prosumer gear is impressive too. Another very satisfied customer!

This Berkeley institution is staffed with knowledgeable and genuinely helpful people. While many pro photographers I know shop here, Ive never been made to feel any less valuable a customer even though Im decidedly amateur.

One of the Bay Areas best camera stores

Excellent customer service ... affordable pricing ... A photographers dream store ...

Wonderful place with incredibly knowledgeable and kind staff.

We had to get an official passport picture for our 2 week old infant and was happy with the great service (and patience)!

Alot of bags could use more tri pods .high end cameras to shop for .unfortunately California tax hinders most purchasing experience in photography stores.. but hope for better used options!

Good place for rent....cant beat a day price for renting a whole week end ! The only drawback is the store which only open at 10am and the gear have to come back at 12am!....it should be better if the store open earlier just for the rent part....people are working and open at 8.00am would be great!

Very very helpful staff but the audio selection leaves a lot to be desired. check first, dont leave until the last minute

My daughter n I were looking for Birthday gift for wife. I needed alot of schooling on cameras n features. An Associate at the camera bar, Andrew A. Was new, but knew alot and took the time to suit our needs n best interest. Found information if he didnt know n Added on the extra necessities n off we went 30 min. N $400. Later. It was a great experience n example to show my daughter Real Customer Service.Thanks Andrew

They are always so helpful and friendly.

L always receive great products from you! Fantastic turnaround times as well.

Very knowledge staff in all areas of digital and film based photographic arts. Also has well equipped darkroom for rent with budget friendly prices.

Very helpful staff and great inventory. Enjoyed the film developing class we took here, too.

A great photo store. Been going for 30 plus years.

Seriously love this place. Great scans of my film.

Excellent stock of film and darkroom supplies for those times when only analog will do

It doesnt get any better than a local photo shop with very knowledgeable and friendly photography experts and comparable prices on everything Ive looked to by.

You gotta check this place out!Looking Glass Photo is a spacious store LOADED with gear!Looking for a new lens or on-camera lighting options? You can bring your camera in and slap on lenses speed lights that youre interested in and get some real-world testing on the spot! That is invaluable.Looking for a new bag? Looking Glass Photo has a wide selection of styles and if you have your gear with you, go ahead and load one up to test it out before spending your hard earned cheddar!What I find most valuable is the knowledgeable staff. These people arent there just collecting a check. They shoot. They know their stuff. Additionally, their not all just Nikon guys or Canon gals, theyll provide the low-down on anything from point-and-shoots to DSLRs, or, if youre drinking the mirrorless kool-aid, they can give you the scoop on Olympus and Sony offerings among others too. Theyll take the time to sit down with you one on one and answer whatever you throw at them to the best of their abilities. Priceless.This spot also offers a variety photography classes (which I have not partaken in) and other programs that allow you to borrow gear and get familiar with it FREE of charge! They also provide services such as lens cleaning for those of us too scared to get THAT intimate with our gear.Check them out you wont be disappointed!

Really helpful staff. Great for getting film/darkroom supplies

Nice photo store with decent selection, decent. pricing on used lens and niv6staff.

The short version is that the store staff is knowledgeable, the stock represents high value for the money, the special events are amazing, and you can grow new horizons without wasting money because they can help you out through the hype.COVID update 11/6/2020: modified full services with masking and distancing at outside tables under the overhang of the main entrance has been available for some months now. Full stock and staff wisdom are there for you, also on-line classes, both free and for fees. Film services available at Ashby entrance. !!! Preps are underway for a planned expansion to limited in-store shopping within a couple of weeks!!!I love this store, so heres the long version: In a world where Zeiss now makes cameras for major smartphone manufacturers, this shop is where I began to learn to make some sense of it all and to learn and develop in ways I didnt know existed. There is a depth and dedication of the entire team of folk behind this store that continues to amaze me. I buy here because they continue to save me huge amounts of money (huge is relative here) by making tremendous recommendations and concisely giving me the why of it, keeping me out of dead ends while letting me grow my interests in ways I had no idea were open to me. When I grab my gear, there are very few items that Ive bought from Looking Glass that are not actively serving me well or that I would easily part with. If you dont have a wider range of interests than you will ever be able to satisfy or you havent made a lot of mistakes or false starts in life it is hard to explain how valuable this is, but over the long term it is true economy and it leverages your time, money, and effort and gets you way farther. They dont and cant stock everything, but it is a sophisticated stock: they say We dont have anything here we wouldnt use ourselves. Ive gotten amazing value at times, especially from their used gear and special sales days, and benefitted hugely from their classes and by talking to manufacturers experts at their special events. I ask a lot of questions, and we all have choices but if they stock it I always buy there so these invaluable resources and good people will be there for me tomorrow. Simply because I began to shop at LG, over time photography has become less about money and magic and luck and more about the choices I make. So the store where I buy my tools is helping me move beyond tools! I like that a lot, and I respect the heck out of them for it. Thanks.

Easy parking, knowledgeable staff, everything you need, including dark rooms to process your own.

Excellent service. Rapid turnaround for a sensor cleaning.

Knowledgeable staff and opportunity to photograph objects to test out a new camera lens

Only place I know to make prints

Very helpful staff. Fun vibe.

For video or photodroduction, this place rocks! I bought a blub for my softlight and a Rode Smartlav+ kit for here to produce some videos for a class Im taking, and the staff went above and beyond helping me out. If you have a purchase to make, Looking Glass prices are competitive with new equipment off amazon.

Best selection and very knowledgeable staff make for a valuable resource for serious photographers and hobbyists

Amazing selection. Great customer service

Great selection, friendly and knowledgeable staff

Get all your local camera needs fulfilled here

Very easy to create my project great experience.

The staff is really helpful. Ive found everything I need for my photography class here.

Knowledgeable staff and great service. Low darkroom rates.

Well stocked store with knowledgeable staff.

Great place to purchase camera gear.

Great staff, good equipment..

Great assortment of equipment and knowledgeable staff.

Great expertise, lots of supplies.

Stopped by to check out the stock and the staff was quite friendly.

A real camera store. Not many of these left!

Great service and knowledge.

Went to the new store hoping it became a more pro shop but it is still mainly for students. Not much of a selection for pro equipment but if you want film and paper this is your place.