THE OWNER IS CONDESCENDING AND RUDE. I came in today to get help getting film for my camera. I just got the camera and do not really have knowledge of film cameras, but I was eager to learn! I also had a few disposable cameras I needed to get developed. I explained clearly that I did not know what I needed and brought in the camera. The owner was very rude and condescending in his responses. When I asked for clarification he was even ruder. I don't understand how you can own a niche business and not be kind to those who want to learn. As a young person interested in photography, we are the people keeping this man in business. I was gonna return to develop the photos, but now i will not. Try being nice to the people giving you money, no matter who they. I've worked customer service for many years, it's not that hard! read more

I came in last year to look around. I'm a photographer and camera collector. He has a ton of great stuff and we ended up talking for almost an hour about lenses, cameras and even New Mexico history. I bought a lens cap and an old photography book. I'll be back this summer. read more

Owner is a fair bit of a prick. Shame - seems like a cool selection, but he didn't seem comfortable with me browsing and vice versa Edit: If someone picking up a $50 lens scares you...my suggestion would be to either keep everything behind a locked display case OR (better idea) close your store and keep it all in your basement where there's no risk of anyone touching anything read more

Looking for something obscure for your camera bag? Maybe have that oldie but goodie camera that technology has left in the dust and need something for it. You could find it here. This place is stuffed with cameras, lenses and other treasures to fill that need. There was a lot of NOS, & used photo equipment on the shelves, counters and cases. I didn't find anything for my mirrorless camera. However my eyes were filled by the old and many times antique cameras throughout the store. So nothing to fill my needs today but a trip back to a time when cameras didn't come on phones. read more

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I unfortunately must agree with all of the negative comments on here regarding this store and it's owner. We dropped by while staying in Albuquerque to find a certain type of film, excited to visit a local business. Instead, we were met with a shocking level of condescension and rudeness. We tried to create a bit of friendly conversation about film to learn more about the store and this guy, and were met with nothing but incredible negativity. We asked to look through the used film bin, and he stood over us watching us look through the bin. Visiting this store was genuinely an intensely uncomfortable experience and for that reason alone I would strongly advise against going here. We were told "no one in NM sells reversal slide film"? A quick look on Google Maps and Picture Perfect Photo Lab, five minutes down the road sells all types of film at normal prices. And what a shame - you try to support local business in lieu of paying larger companies, but this guy is quite a piece of work. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

Great experience with the owner ! First time ever in the shop and it was the only camera store in the city that had exactly what I was looking for! Definitely will not be my last time shopping with this great establishment! read more

When I walked into the store, the first thing I noticed was the political propaganda littered throughout. In a day and age when I can find anything I need online for better prices, it baffles me why someone would purposely alienate potential customers. It's his store, and yes, the owner has a right to put up what he wants, just as I have the right to move along as I don't need to be preached to. People like that are typically miserable, which showed in the person working the counter, as other reviews point out. You missed out on a $1,000+ purchase with this customer. Do better and keep your thoughts to yourself. People who visit this store are doing so for the hobby of photography, not for your views on politics. We get enough of that vitriol from the media. read more

I am a photographer that works nationally and stops at vintage film camera places everywhere I find them. Previous negative reviews of this location are completely accurate. This is one of the best in store collections of vintage equipment I have seen since I found a gem of a place in St Louis. The person behind the counter though made me feel unwelcome like customer service was just not worth extending. I have over 40 years shot with and used almost everything from Holga to Deardorf. I don't want to brag about knowing a lot about vintage photographica, but it it's truly my thing. I thought maybe I could win him over a little by demonstrating knowledge. Even that attempt seemed to just miss the mark. Maybe I am tooting my own horn too much, but I would have thought I would have been a dream customer for this store. After looking through the store I narrowed down my questions to 2. I would have loved to look at the Exakta equipment in one case but that seemed too risky. I asked if He had any Leica M cameras and if he had a wide angle lens for a Rapid Omega camera. The M3 DS he showed me was gorgeous and interested me but in the end I just walked away feeling like the store was not really interested in customers. read more

Not very helpful. If you want to be viewed as knowledgeable, the owner advised you should bring your whole camera handbook. Art, the owner's husband, believes he is the pinnacle of photography--despite the fact that he only has 2 canon digital cameras lens. The shop is full with vintage photographic equipment that appears to have never been sold. Don't waste your time in this uninteresting and unpleasant shop. read more

Shop owner isn't very friendly and acted as if I was not there to buy a new lens. I may not look like your typical photographer but being followed and asked probing questions to see if I know my way around a camera was uncomfortable. Art was his name if I'm not mistaking. read more

Huge selection of photography equipment. Much vintage materials. Helpful and friendly service.

I worked for a half a day to get a new fluid head off my Gitzo tripod. Gitzo website had no answers. YouTube didn't even have anthing close. Enter Camera & Darkroom , where I met Art. Asked Art if he did repairs, and he said, "Not usually. What's your problem?" I pulled my fluid head still attached to my Gitzo centerplate and said, " I've tried everything I can think of to separate the two." He seemed interested. We attempted a few things and then he said, "Let me see what I've got." Having no repair shop, it was so refreshing to see someone critically think and round up a hodgepodge of items to try and tackle this problem. Within 15 minutes we separated the two successfully! This doesn't seem to happen anymore. Most stores I've asked do you do repairs and if the answer was "no" , they'd just as, "Sorry!" And out the door I'd go. Art took an interest in my problem and came up with a successful solution! Hat's off Art, and Thank you !! read more

I just spent over an hour talking with Art and buying way more than I was looking for. He helped me with getting a 4x5 lens and lens board, I left with a lens cap for my other lens. There's so much darkroom equipment here. Anyone looking for those taller grey 25% grain scopes he had a few more. 3 1/4 steel film holders for processing. Chemicals. And so much more. Immediately walking in and seeing 2 8x10 cameras I knew this place had what I needed. Such a pleasure I wish I had somewhere like this near where I live. read more

Not sure what all the negative reviews are about... this is a super old-school camera shop with a decent assortment of cameras and accessories and a super-knowledgeable and friendly staff. Lots of focused on used equipment, so this is definitely your place if you want an old film body. I found their assortment wide, but not deep (only one brand of filter, for example). But, easy access, large assortment and knowledgeable folks made this place a winner for me. read more

I am traveling and needed to get a couple of things for my camera so I called Canon to see who they would recommend in the Albuquerque area that was a Canon dealer/rep and they referred me to Camera & Darkroom and am I ever glad that they did! They not only had what I needed on hand, but provided for some great conversation! As an old film camera guy myself and also a fan of 'mom and pop shops' as opposed to the greedy and most often worthless corporate machine, this was quite a treat for me and I can't recommend this place highly enough!!! read more

I was just there - not quite ready to buy. I do want to buy local, but left feeling I had Just been lectured for asking stupid questions. I guess I may buy on line rather than deal with this condescending male. BTW, I'm a woman. read more

Extremely helpful store attendant. Helped me save money and gave great advice! Highly recommend.

Like a knucklehead I left my polarizing filter at home. In desperate need of one, I found this place on yelp. I arrived when they opened and they had exactly what I needed. Sure it's a little more than I would have liked to have paid but that's what you get when you leave your stuff at home. I've been using it all day and it works great. I'm grateful this place was open! read more

Camera & Darkroom - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

We were visiting from out of town when our camera developed some problems. We looked online for a camera shop that could offer us some advice and hopefully get our camera working again. We decided on Camera & Darkroom and were not disappointed. Art immediately recognized and repaired the problem (a bad connection between the camera body and lens). It took less than 5 minutes but made all the difference in the world to us. We now had our camera back working good as ever. Art is knowledgeable, straightforward and took a no nonsense approach to our problem. This is a refreshing change. We plan stop by Camera & Darkroom on our next visit to Albuquerque. We also bought some used equipment at a reasonable price. Rick S. read more

It's sad that in this day and age when online companies are beating out small local businesses, that a place like this makes it even harder to support local. Don't waste your time! Terrible prices, terrible customer service (as in, i feel like the whole reason you go into a store is to talk to someone who knows what they are doing and will treat you, at the least, like a person worthy of their time, not to walk into a store and the person behind the counter makes you wonder why you even went into the store in the first place) There really is no reason anyone should go here. read more

Great service and expertise. Grateful to have this level of expertise and photographic supplies locally.

Art Esquibel (owner/ guy who works here)is a total asshole. He is rude and nasty to just about everyone that comes through his doors. He is very aggressive argumentative, and mean. Who wants to shop at a place where the people try to make you feel like garbage? I came here a few years ago in 2017 looking for a lens and he was an asshole. Needless to say i bought nothing. Today I thought I might attenpt to sell my Paul Buff lighting gear- BIG MISTAKE. I dont care that he didnt buy, but he rifled through everything, told me to sell it on Craigslist and told me to "get the fuck out" and "thats the world he lives in" .... Like what does that even mean??? I left and didnt say a word- I was speechless. I honestly do not know where some of these stellar reviews are coming from- perhaps his friends and family. I imagine they are the only people who can find any redeeming quality in this sorry excuse for an alleged human being. Anyone foolish enough to spend coins after an encounter with this SOB must be very desperate. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE. Seriously, get what you need online- this place has so much ancient, overstocked, overpriced, rotted photography "gear" that never sells. I dont know how this place stays in business. Again perhaps friends and family are keeping this shit show afloat. Albuquerque has so many photographers, someone with the means should open up shop (with better, modern photography gear) and put this crap stain out of business. read more

FIFTY stars! I fell during a slippery, muddy hike, landed on my new-to-me digital camera, and bent the retractable lens so that the camera was inoperable. They don't make this camera model anymore, so I was super bummed. I took the camera to Art, he took it, did a slight twisting hand movement, and it was fixed! Who knew there were skilled camera chiropractors? He wouldn't let me pay him for the two-second repair, just said it was my lucky day that the camera could be saved and that I hadn't messed it up more by trying to fix it myself. Art LOVES cameras, both film and digital, and is very knowledgeable, passionate and interesting. Go there for a walk back in time, or a history lesson, or to upgrade to some new digital gadget. Thank you, Art! read more

No need to visit any other Camera store again! Absolutely love this place. I highly recommend for any body interested in photography. This Gentleman will help you out with what ever you need. His wife and him are such a pleasure to talk to. So before you keep scrolling, Check them out! Thank you again! read more

Owner is really knowledgeable but really abrupt and condescending. If you don't know exactly what you are looking for down to the serial number then don't bother asking. Be prepared to feel real stupid after conversing with this man. read more

I needed a Kodak Brownie 500 8 mm projector to work. Had brittle cord issues, had broken bulb issues. Art, at the Albuquerque store just took care of it all. Did not hesitate to get the broken bulb removed. ( Even mentioned on the phone prior to helping me in person, to stop trying to remove the bulb myself.) The store did not have the correct replacement bulb in stock, but was sent home with the correct info for ordering a bulb. Everyone was happy to help, was quite knowledgeable about my vintage home movie needs and where I could get it all transferred to digital, if once I took a look, I wanted anything moved to a DVD or thumb drive. Thank you, Art, and Camera Darkroom team! Amazing customer service. read more

The front lens of my camera got broken by my grandson, it is an older camera but has been a good one that I was hoping not to part with. I went to Camera & Darkroom hoping it was fixable and would not be too expensive. Art helped me it was a much easier fix than I thought it would be, he didn't charge me or try to sell me on something my camera didn't need. I really appreciated his honestly and help. I hope this camera keeps on going but when it stops I know where I will send my business. Thanks Art! read more

Horrible service. The owner of this shop is a total jerk. doesn't inform you when your order is ready so I waited almost two weeks for their call and when I called to check on it he was defensive and acted like I was supposed to know my order was done and was ready to argue. If I could give this shop negative 5 stars I would. Do not give them business go to picture perfect on Juan tabo and menaul if you're looking for developing service read more

I went into the store with my boyfriend looking for a sturdy tripod, with no prior knowledge of what to look for, and right off the bat the guy who owns the place was really rude and condescending to us. We just asked him simple questions and expected some amount of useful knowledge in what to get and only received rude remarks instead of useful answers. Only when we decided to buy something did he decide to be a little nicer to us. The tripod was garbage as it turns out despite the price tag (which was a lot) and we wanted to return it but he doesn't do returns. The item we got ended up being about $80 somewhere else and he charged us almost $60 extra for a piece of junk. Shitty customer service and shitty products. I wouldn't recommend stepping foot in there unless you want to get ripped off and treated like crap. read more

Guys, don't pay attention to Chris R. (his review is just before mine) because he almost wrote the same review for Kurt's Camera, who does SUCK, LOL. Seems like Chris R. is doing some soft marketing for B&H, lol. No dis against B&H but we're reviewing the local camera shop, not some Internet biz, right? The Camera & Darkroom people are very nice, laid back and helpful. No pressure to buy the latest XYZ camera, gadget, etc...just good service and realistic prices. I've gone there for films, filters and equipment, I'll do so again when I visit next week. See you guys soon C&D. read more

I came through town on a drive across the US in desperate need of a sensor cleaning. There was no one available to do it right then, but they did have swabs so that I could do it myself. Something was better than nothing, after all. While I was there, I found a second hand lens that I wanted at a very fair price (and I know the used lens market prices pretty well as I am often looking). I bought it and I am very pleased with it so far. Most of all though, I was really pleased with the attitude of the nice young woman behind the counter. She was clearly concerned that I get a clean sensor and did what she could to help me, plus she was helpful with the lenses without pushing anything too hard. The other fellow there really knew his stuff on lenses though he had just a tiny touch of camera snobbery going. Once I convinced him that I really just wanted to be sure I was buying the right piece for me, and wasn't questioning his expertise he got more reasonable. The shop has tons of older camera equipment, a great selection of well working vintage equipment, and I saw several hard to find accessories for sale here. The buyer for this place is smart and doing a good job. Overall it's a good shop, a good value for your money, and there is a knowledgeable staff. read more

Nice store with a decent amount of gear which is great if you forget stuff you need at home. The prices might not be the best, but in a pinch, what can ya do.... read more

Camera & Darkroom - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

This store is a treasure. I couldn't help but notice that there tend to be two types of comments here. For the folks that felt abused or not served well I would suggest coming into the store with open ears and a willingness to learn. Art is a wealth of knowledge. One's own insecurity shouldn't substitute for legitimate reviews. I found Art patient, willing to help and teach me, and while waiting for him I had a chance to see him interact with his customers. He asks clear questions to get to clear answers. Albuquerque is lucky to have a store like this. read more

It's crazy that this was the only camera supply store available...everything is online. Changing times...Unfortunately I needed black and white film for my son's photography class. I'm grateful that they had it and grateful it was open. I didn't expect amazing customer service, but i found the gentleman condescending and rude. I hope I don't have to go back. read more

I have called inquiring on several items at the abq store just to have the person running the store be rude and for some reason can't give an upfront answer.is it that hard to give a ballpark figure on an item?? If so then why advertise yourself as "give us a call and tell us what you have". Totally unprofesional.....guess they don't need the business there.dont waste your time going or even calling them.there are more stores in abq. That will actually take the time to help a customer out. read more

I went because I had some cameras and odds and end for photography I no longer needed. I put everything on the counter expecting to here we can't by that or for the man to break out in laughter. Much to my surprise he said he was interested in everything. Granted it was Nikon stuff and the attachments were brand name. We at first was not even going to say a price he would pay for fear of insulting me. I told him no offer would offend me as I wasn't expecting much. He reluctantly said his offer and immediately said okay. We shook hand and I signed a piece of paper got paid and happily went on my way. That is why I was there and all I can speak to, but the shop seemed well stocked, the staff were nice and I will now go there for all of my photography needs. read more

There is no pride of workmanship or service here. Although the price was rather high, I had some photos made from old slides. The quality was atrocious. They couldn't even be bothered to make sure all the dust was off the negatives before printing. I work way too hard for my money to ever waste it at this place again. read more

I thought that the guy who waited on me was a jerk. Luckily, I can buy what I need on eBay.

I am grateful to Art at Camera & Darkroom for helping me pick out my first real camera. While visiting Albuquerque, I decided to stop by to buy an entry-level camera. I knew almost nothing about cameras. I had used the camera on my smart phone or a point-and-shooter given to me as a Christmas present. For the types of pictures I wanted to take, my smart phone just wasn't getting the job done. Striking up a conversation with Art, I let him know what skills I had (none) and what I wanted to achieve (as a long-term goal). He let me play around with different camera models, and he showed me how cameras worked and what the settings mean. Finally, he recommended I start with a used digital SLR camera. Score! I walked out of the store spending just under the amount I had budgeted for a new camera, plus knowledge that I was able to put to use right away to take pictures of Albuquerque and along Route 66 as I embarked on a long road trip to Northern California. Art's thoughtful instructions and friendly demeanor has made me a believer in the power of knowledgeable salesperson. In summary, Camera & Darkroom is a good place for people newly interested in photography to buy cameras suited to their skill level at a reasonable price with friendly customer service. read more

Please, NEVER go here, for the sake of your wallet and your camera: This place was way over-priced. I went in looking for reflectors and a kit for cleaning my camera sensor. I also mentioned I was a bit of a rookie in photography (apparently a huge mistake). They were out of reflectors, so I asked what I would need to clean my sensor (this was my first time doing it). This is what he sold me, and the prices: 1 X tissue: 2.99 1 X swab: 4.99 1 Eclipse solution: 11.99 Dust-off compressed air: 9.99 Total: 32.15!! huh! Firstly, compressed air!! Every video I've ever seen on cleaning a sensor strongly advises against using compressed air because it can get the propellant onto the camera and destroy it. And, secondly, 10 dollars, really? walmart sells the exact same brand in a 3 pack of cans twice the size for 12 dollars... so their price was a 500% mark up, and I didn't even need it (indeed I could have destroyed my camera using the crap he said I needed). Next, the swab. Another 400-500% markup from everything I've found online. They average just over a dollar a piece. Just look up on amazon or anywhere what you can get for 32 dollars. If you want a lesson in not shopping around, than this is your place. Anyways, I certainly can be blamed for not doing my homework, and I've paid for it (luckily without messing up my camera), but I hope this saves someone else from this second rate store that will have no problem ripping you off. read more