I have visited this store many, many times over several years and always left a bit smarter. The owners are very experienced and more than willing to share their knowledge and expertise. Their prices are very fair on their USED equipment and their selection is vast. This is a must if you are a camera buff and willing to listen to experts in their field.

Camera Exposure helped me out with some lost settings. They were super helpful. I recommend them. Ask for Diego

It was my first time here last week and Santiago was incredibly helpful. I’m new to film photography, and he walked me through several different cameras and answered any questions I had. Very excited to be coming back more often!

Such a gem of a shop! I will definitely be back. I got a vintage camera that needed to be serviced they knew exactly what was wrong and quoted a fair price to fix it. If I had known about this shop before I would have definitely got a camera here. I will definitely be back because they develop film and have so many cool cameras. If you like vintage cameras this is like a candy shop. I will definitely be back.

First time buying a film camera and I cannot recommend this place more. The guy helping me let me talk his ear off for an hour and ask every question I had, with clear and concise answers. The camera I ended up buying is exactly what I had in mind and I am so happy with it, and the pricing was super reasonable. Great place and super friendly people!

DO NOT GO HERE!I’ve had the worst experience here, and hope to warn others before coming to this shop. I first came to Camera Exposure a couple months ago after seeing the positive reviews, thinking it would be a good place to buy a camera and get film developed. I bought a medium format Mamiya camera as a gift, they showed me how to use it and assured me everything worked fine. Since it’s a film camera, I wouldn’t know for sure until I got some rolls developed. When they were ringing me up they kept reminding me that there are no refunds, I thought that kind of weird but didn’t think to much of it since the guy selling me the camera told me there is no doubt the camera works. Turns out that was wrong, the camera doesn’t actually work. There is light leak in every frame and the exact same pattern on every shot, which wouldn’t be from loading the film incorrectly, this can only happen if the camera itself is letting in light where it shouldn’t. AND THERE IS NO REFUND, even though they sold me a broken camera🥲.I also got film developed from a point and shoot camera, they first told me it would take 2-3 days. After not receiving a call, text or even email I called them to check the status of my film. They they told me it would actually be 5-7 days, which of course was wrong again. I didn’t get my film until 9 days later, then they told me I would get my scans for the film sent to my email in at most 24 hours. Which again was wrong, it was sent 2 days later. FOR THE SAME PRICE I COULD HAVE GONE TO NELSONS AND GOTTEN MY FILM BACK SAME DAY.Fair warning, be careful if you go here. There are so many good camera shops in San Diego, be cautious with this one.

I have to admit that my experience was not recent but the owners behavior left a lasting expression. I was a new photographer excited to have found this shop. I walked in with a Sigma macro lens whose barrel had stiffened and could no longer focus. The owner condescendingly told me what a junk lens it was and never gave me a repair estimate. When I inquired about a lens in a case he never bothered to pull the lens out so I could inspect it, and I had to get on my hands and knees to find the price from under the glass. He never asked what I was looking for or gave me information on the lens I inquired about. He just stood there blank-faced. I was happy that day to have found this store in my neighborhood. I needed a camera bag or two. I needed a few lenses and had plenty of cash to indulge but the service was really sub-par, at best. Sir, you should embrace new photographers and inspire a new customer and not display such a condescending attitude. You kicked-out a potential long-term customer. Oh,well...BACK TO B&H and EBAY.

Great service!!! Maleah was very nice!!!

I bought my first film camera here, it was expensive when you compare it to ebay. Its kinda my fault, but at the same time he kinda pressured me into buying it. At first i was planning to buy the pentax k1000 but he said that its trash and that canon ae1 is way more better. I mean, ofc it is way more better but I was just a beginner at that time and on a budget. Im not coming back here :// Sorry.

I had the most amazing experience. I was a little nervous going in and a little embarrassed about how little I know about cameras and lenses but the owner of the shop took his time and helped me more than I could have imagined. He was very kind and was extremely helpful. I sold him a few of my old lenses and camera and he gave me a very great price as well. I will forever be coming back to his shop, and if you are looking for a place I would give 10/5 stars to.. THIS IS THE PLACE!!! Thank you camera exposure for such a wonderful experience

Owner comes off like a super douche. Bad vibes all around.

Sales, service, new, used, repairs...Fast, reliable, reasonable, friendly.

Cool place. Great place for information and equipment!

My go to place for my camera needs

I have been a customer here for several years, and I have always had fantastic service, straight answers to questions, and excellent products. I have purchased several top of the line Nikon products, mostly lenses at 2.8, from the 28-70 to the 80-400 4.5.-5.6. They work beautifully. I have referred others to his store, and they have purchased as well. Look at it for what it is...a great place to buy gently used photography equipment and supplies from a nice and knowledgeable man. I recommend you give this place a try. If he doesnt have what you want, he will soon enough.

Extremely good experience with CE today. The have a HUGE inventory of manual focus lenses that are in excellent condition. If you are looking for a new camera this is not the store for you but or something vintage this place is a gold mine. I worked with Mano who was patient and very helpful and was willing to spend over an hour with me talking about all sorts of things.

Fantastic local camera store for all your photography needs.

Sold me a broken camera. lied about it not being broken and refused to give me my money back. crook

Ken and Mano have always been helpful. Good resource for every camera question.

Ive been coming to them for years. Have bought a couple of small format cameras, a DSLR and a tripod there, as well as getting film I found is my dads drawer developed. Yes they still do that too. As others have noted, their prices arent always the cheapest compared to on-line, but they offer valuable advice, and can be persuaded to bargain on occasion.

Super knowledgeable ownership, its like a museum of old camera gear. A must visit for anyone into odd and old film equipment

Took my K1000 to this store to diagnose a problem. Due to his high prices, more than the camera is worth, I asked him to diagnose only for $35. Well, he charged me an additional $30 to repair what he said was “a minor fix”. I reminded him that I only wanted a diagnostic done and not to repair to keep costs down. His reply, “ well, if you don’t want to pay the $30 I will just open it back up and put it the way it was.” I told him I didn’t appreciate his attitude and that he should not be charging me an additional $30. He said it was for 1.5 hours of labor . I said, “ really, it takes 1.5 hours to open the top of the camera and adjust the minor linkage problem?” His reply,” well, if you take your car to a mechanic...” I am never going to do business with this shop again! I bought a camera and camera lense from him, wish that I hadn’t . And, the camera I bought is still not working properly! I do not like Ken’s attitude, the way he spoke to me in a condescending manner and that he took the liberty to charge additional (after I told him not to) without my permission to do so!!!

When I walked through the door, I felt like I entered a time machine. Ken has tons of equipment, priced modestly from beginner to highly decorated veteran. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about his business. I strongly recommend this great place before you go ANYWHERE else!

Great selection of film cameras and a knowledgeable staff. Their prices are fair for the cameras and lenses you find. I would commend the price of their film developing since it is a pretty great price for developing a roll of 35mm with a set of 6x4 with a CD compared to online developing labs which have added costs of shipping.

Photographers dream... amazing store! The amount of lenses and the variety of them is staggering. Ill definitely visit it if near the San Diego area.

Considering that they sells vintage cameras that is in top condition, it is safe to assume that all cameras they sell are in like new to pristine condition. Tips to shop in this store, buy in bulk and you will get a very competitive price to online market. To new customers, dont be intimidated by the store owners personality. Just be very clear of what you want and you will get a very good informations and deals.

I took my D40 to get cleaned there, excellent job, good turn around time. Great shop has also gently used equipment. I handed down my camera to my cousin, and i told him to go there for your camera needs.

Great for used gear in top condition, digital and film. New items also. Very knowledgeable staff. Good film selection too!

Very helpful and knowledgeable. They handle both film and digital. They also have a lot of cameras and equipment at very reasonable rates.

A camera savvy friend told me about this place so I stopped by. The owner was VERY honest with his answers (unlike some of the other camera shops....) and I truly appreciated all the helpful information. I cross-referenced everything on the internet and with friends juuust in case and he was right about everything. I ended up buying quite a few lenses here.The lenses are in great condition and guaranteed for 90 days. I got a great deal and am very satisfied with the whole transaction :D

I went in so I could have my Olympus OM-1 looked at because it wasnt working right. The repairman really knew his stuff and fixed the problem. So awesome!If youre looking for a mostly film camera store and repair shop, this is the place to go.

Camera Exposure is Very helpful staff. Had an urgent project and they made it happen for me. So glad places like this still exist in the city.

I love personalized, authentic businesses like this. Speak to the owner, all decisions are made on site. Its the proper way of doing business. But it was still lacking. The owner is pretty knowledgable though he claims more than he knows in a few cases. He tried to tell me that paper backgrounds are not sold in 12 foot widths. That being said you can find some very unique and rare items there. You shouldnt cut them off of your list of shops, but you should be on point when doing your research.

Kenneth was very helpful in getting me my first DSLR camera without trying to sell me the more expensive options.

Best place for high quality used camera equipment and an amazing selection of darkroom supplies.

Great camera store for used vintage gear as well as repairs with fair prices, highly recommend it !

Great store with a huge selection of everything a photographer could ever need! Best film photo shop Ive been to in San Diego!

The owner was very helpful and taught me a few things as well. Great for students and newbies like me!!

Very knowledgeable about photography and history of photography. Camera Exposure service is fast and of great quality.

Excellent camera store with Everything....new and used

This is the place you want to go. Ken is extremely knowledgeable and kind. Not to mention, he has the best selection of used glass in San Diego.

Super rude, not helpful at all. Over price . Crappy customer service . Cool lenses horrible management

Took two of my film cameras into get small issues fixed and they left being MORE broken than before. Spent hundreds of dollars. They made no effort to fix it or help. Super bummed out because I wanted to support a small local shop- but they did more harm than good. I have to spend hundreds more at a new shop now.

Owner was very helpful and gave me a fair price for my trade in

The guy was nice and very educated.

Sold me a defective Nikonos film camera for $350

I dont go anywhere else to get my film developed. Ken is very knowledgable and helpful and always gets my scans back to me promptly.

Helpful with all things camera.

Rude as usual !!! The guys working here are notorious to have an attitude of smarties. One thing is to be very savvy and another is to show off like jerks.

They have quite of selection of lenses, tripods and film. Everything you need & great prices on Nikon batteries!

This guy bought some stuff off me before. Then I take the same kind of stuff back to him not only would he buy it but wouldnt even give me 5$ for it to get home.

Very rude! Not personable at all. Tried too rip me off! I would not recommend buying for this store.

Excellent customer service very knowledgeable definitely will be come a regular customer

This was my second time around at Camera Exposure. The first time I was looking for a DSLR and got an awesome deal about half the price of the retail price of the Canon I purchased . I returned to buy a telephoto zoom lens and got another killer deal on a high performing Canon EF USM lens. Everything is either used, refurbished, or pretty much new. The owner is very knowledgeable and firm with his negotiations. Great authentic camera store with awesome deals for digital and film photographers.

Interesting little shop like you dont see much anymore.

Best selection of camera equipment in san diego

Very helpful & knowledgeable. Cool collection.

Bad timing estimate and customer service. Bad estimating. You have to wait for weeks to get an estimate to fix your camera and the estimate you get is inaccurate.

Always great service and friendly/knowledgeable

The guys who work here sure do know a lot and have a great selection of cameras and accessories, but can be very snooty at times.

Old fashion camera shop.

Tons of vintage film cameras and lenses

Helpful

Nice

Finally found a store to buy old cameras, a wide variety, especially the full range of old-fashioned cameras

Simply fantastic. A marvel for those who love photography

Liked. Expensive as for me but the lens was repaired.