The staff here has always been totally patient, helpful, and informative. I love having a local store to try lenses on my existing camera body and get solid, practical advice on other eqipment. Photography can be a very pricey hobby. Still, their prices are competitive with outfits like B&H or Adorama, but THEY ARE HERE IN DC. So I would rather shop here whenever I can. read more

No customer service (Binoculars) I was sold a very expensive pair binoculars to use for field work abroad. The pair proved defective and were terrible. The binoculars proved worthless. Embassy Camera did not take responsibility for selling a malfunctioning product. I was told in the store to send the pair of binoculars to the Bushnell company and that the store could do nothing else. Embassy Camera offered to send the binoculars for me (but I do not live in DC anymore so this would have been pointless) but they offered no compensation and took no responsibility for selling me such a terrible product. Emb. Cam. gained almost 400 dollars from my business with them and now I am left with all the problems and a worthless product. read more

Embassy has done a good deal of work for me over the past number of years - it's my "friendly neighborhood photo shop" as it were, but all of the work they've done for me in that period is excellent - and for a good friend who I recommended 'em to they've done some challenging restoration and preservation work there and what they did is very first-rate - at least to my needs, and some of my work has been commercial and needed to be to that quality without question, so it's certainly up to the high level I expected and needed. read more

The employees are kooks. The prices are a rip off. Go to dominion camera in falls church.

Went to this store today seeking a replacement charger for my camera battery. My friend and I waited nearly 10 minutes while the owner and employee each waited on customers, and during that time neither acknowledged our existence as we waited at the counter. Not that I would have expected them to drop what they were doing to help me, but a simple, "We'll be with you in a few minutes" would have sufficed and made me feel that they actually valued my patronage. So while I waited, I wandered around the small store. Apparently a Nikon poster with a picture of a bulldog taped to it indicated where the public store ended and the employee area began, but with no other actual sign stating this, and when I stepped beyond it, the employee immediately began yelling at me to keep out, in three different ways, something like, "Get out of there! You can't be there! Get back!" This was the only thing anyone in the store ever said to me. I decided to leave this rude store and walk down to Ritz Camera on L St. Ritz immediately took care of me, and I was in and out of Ritz in literally 2 minutes. Embassy Camera has the worst customer service of any business in the neighborhood. I never will return. They might be experts (who knows, though - I never got to actually speak to them before they yelled at me), but someone needs to knock the chip off their shoulder. I hope they go out of business. read more

Don't go here for photo scanning. Their scanner is for documents and only scans at 300 dpi. They bulk load the photos, and so do not do any of the color correction or scratch removal offered by some of the online companies, yet at the same or higher price per photo. I wish I'd known to ask these questions before going there. read more

I bought a new Sigma lens and it was having some autofocus problems. I called Embassy Camera to ask if they had the Sigma USB dock that would update the firmware. The man on the phone was very friendly and said I could bring it by. I got the sense he was doing me a favor, and he certainly didn't offer me an estimate or inform me of a minimum service charge. He plugged the lens into the dock and in 1 min confirmed the firmware was up-to-date. He then offered to restore the firmware from factory settings. He clicked another button and the software ran for 20 min while I waited and he tended to other customers. He gave me back the lens and perhaps it focused better than before -- certainly no worse. He had given me the impression he was doing me a favor by checking the firmware. Still, I asked if I could pay him some cash -- I was thinking $5-10. He said sure, and rang me up for $25. I said this was a bit more than I expected, especially since had he instead sold me the USB dock at MSRP ($59), I could have done the same thing and been able to update my lens in the future. He said, "you're right. But it will still be $25." He seemed very nice, but perhaps it was the fact that an older gentleman, possibly the owner, was standing beside him who explained, "We have to charge for our time. Even if we take the filter off your lens, we'll charge you $25." I get it -- a camera store has to stay in business. But without notice or estimate, charging $25 for about 2 minutes of actually man-time and use of a $60 device that I could have (and in hindsight, should have) just bought from them, rubbed me the wrong way. Needless to say, I would not return. If you go there, be sure you get a formal estimate upfront -- even for routine inspections/repairs. read more

Went here to replace a broken camera and was pretty specific about what I would be using it for. Bought what they recommended and during the course of a week decided it's not the camera for me as it doesn't fulfill my needs. Sadly, the store offers no return/exchange policy, so, I'm stuck with a camera I hate. I'd like to support the small businesses in the neighborhood, but, I'm buying my next camera at a bigger store that offers some actual customer satisfaction. read more

Gotta say, this place was great! Very enthusiastic salesmen and employees. I went in to purchase a new Nikon d5500 and before I could ask how much, the manager was making the best price comparison with the big retailers. I also asked if I could swap out the kit lens that was packaged with the camera. No problem. Really great service and I love going back when I can. read more

I had Embassy develop some prints for me. They came out much darker than on the digital files, really a mess. It was obvious no one had bothered to look at the prints, because if they had presumably they would have done them over (benefit of the doubt). I reprinted them at CVS for half the cost, and they looked fine. read more

I bought a high end lens from these guys. The lens was available online for about 50% of what it retails for since it comes as a kit lens with the 5d Mk III. They dropped their price considerably to match what I could buy it for online. THEN, a week later, when I decided I didn't need the lens after all I returned it. I'm a total pain but these guys never gave me a hard time and gave me a refund no questions asked. Buying online isn't always ideal and it's great to have a friendly, competent camera store in the city. read more

Quick, easy passport photos. The location is convenient and the staff is efficient. If I had known how easy (finally!) getting my photos would be, I wouldn't have put it off. Thanks, Embassy Camera! read more

This place was fine but a bit disappointing in how it's run. I had a bunch of stuff that I wanted to trade in for some small amount and even though some of it had apparent value (as seen on eBay etc), the store basically downplayed that, while acknowledging that they could potentially resell stuff for small amounts, but weren't willing to offer me anything for it. So that's ok but when a young employee expressed interest in purchasing some of the products, she was audibly yelled at in the back by someone and that opportunity was removed for me citing a conflict of interest. While I understand the need to be consistent among employees and that it's unprofessional to offer to buy stuff as an employee, I think it is equally unprofessional to yell at the employee in the store. Further, if they have so little interest in the items, what skin is it off the store's back if someone does want to purchase the items. They didn't want them so it shouldn't matter to them. But it did, likely because they just want to get them for free while telling me they are worthless, which to me, is not a positive approach to the business and would concern me were I to go in looking to buy something. read more

They took 200 old fotos from my family and scanned them in. 2 days for a great price . The thy helped me make several USB sticks of the fotos. Super helpful and super nice! read more

I went here to see if they could recover some photos that I'd accidentally deleted while downloading pictures from my camera. It was a risk - $60 and no guarantee that anything would be recovered - but it paid off well. ALL of my photos (and a # of older ones) were recovered. Graduation pictures well in hand. I am SO grateful! read more

In my opinion Embassy Camera has quite a lot of potential. It's conveniently located just north of Dupont Circle and they have much of what you need whether it's equipment for anything recreational to professional. The one thing bringing the place down is one of the younger and quite unprofessional male employees. You will notice him, he's the one with the black baseball cap and shorts, grumbling off in the distance, waiting for the right moment to interrupt his coworkers as they try to help customers short on time, wanting to buy something, like me. While a younger female employee was answering some questions regarding lighting equipment, he walked up, scoffed and called her a name, and didn't even offer to help me. He was extremely rude to me and then to my friend when we went to the store on separate occasions. What could have been a pleasant and professional experience was disruptive and unprofessional. Reminded me of a lamer version of "High Fidelity," without John Cusack or Jack Black, but rather a 27 year-old ill mannered young male adult, spreading negative energy, inappropriately expressing a sense of cocky ownership over the store. I'm sure he isn't the owner. If he were the place would be out of business. I would also venture to say he probably doesn't even practice photography, but rather sits at work memorizing catalogs all day to fill the void of affection his father never showed him, instead of helping customers. I've been working as a professional photographer since he was 5, and whoever owns this place should read and act on these reviews, because mine isn't the only complaint about him. Tell me the days this kid doesn't work and I'll consider visiting the store. Presently, I won't go back. read more

I had a great experience at District Camera and Imaging! I cannot speak for all of the staff, but Marvin was fantastic. He went above and beyond helping me and making sure I had all the equipment I needed. My background is in videography, but I mainly used my university's equipment, and now I work independently overseas and Marvin made sure I had everything I needed to be successful. One of the biggest items on the list was a new camera bag and we went through bags for at least an hour making sure I had something that worked for me. I didn't have my equipment with me, so we used items from the store to make sure all my equipment would fit and be protected. For someone to go through over 5 bags, rearranging equipment and asking about my individual needs meant a lot. He is also extremely knowledgeable in a humble way. I appreciated someone who was willing to explain things to me in a normal and human way. read more

I can't get over how good this store is! First off, they do not try and rip you off like Penn Camera and charge you 760 for a lens that is 659 online. They will work with you on finding a reasonable price. Luckily for me, and maybe its policy but they matched B & H prices! So if you don't want to wait to get a product or pay shipping and handling and still get a good deal, then this is the store for you. The staff is knowledgable of the products they sell and very friendly. The boutique they have in Dupont Circle set the ambience of a homely ambience that makes me feel welcomed and relaxed to casually shop around. Once you purchase they take care of the warranty information so you don't have to hassle with it later on. In comparison to the other camera stores around, they are the top store and I will only go here for products. I have yet to check out there printing but I did find there passport service fast and informative enough to make sure you are not showing anything that will have the photo rejected. read more

I had twenty posters (30 X 42 inch) to be mounted on foam-core. They did a fantastic job, they were friendly, on time and the job was reasonably priced. I will use their service again. read more

Why we buy on line: Late Saturday afternoon, I visited the Dupont Circle store to shop for a new SLR Digital camera. The clerk did an excellent job of explaining the pros and cons of several cameras (all in the $800 - 1300 range) and I narrowed my choices to 2 cameras. After thinking about my options, I returned to the store Monday morning ready to buy a $1249 camera. Surprise, surprise, they didn't have it! The clerk called the other store, nothing there. I asked how long it would take to order one, and was told this was impossible, and he said I should have put a hold on the camera on Saturday. This was not suggested to me at the time. Who knew the inventory was this thin. The clerk said nothing could be done...so.....I walked out, went home and bought the camera at Amazon. So much for trying to support local businesses. read more

I wish I had read all of the reviews before I went there. They could not fix my 1978 Olympus SLR, they were not interested in buying my 1978 Vivatar lenses and they did not have any digital cameras under $400. A waste of my time. read more

I had a great experience with them. Their location is perfect (really central in downtown DC). I went to get both a 120 and 35 mm film developed. The price was decent, service good and the pictures were ready the next day already. They came out great and the people were helpful in helping me explain (since I'm not an expert in film) why some pictures came out the way they did. read more

I was very disappointed. VERY disappointed. The chemicals they have for sale are old, and they charged me extra to develop a roll of film that did not require additional work. When I challenged them on that point, they fed me a line, and I thought that was very disrespectful, not to mention dishonest. I checked with other stores in the area, and their price to do the same work on the film was without an extra fee. I won't go back to Embassy. read more

Outstanding store and it's great to have a place that develops 120 film in the DC area. The store itself is pretty small and cramped, but the service is good. read more

Embassy Camera used to provide wonderful service (purchased from them many times over 20 years). Today my opinion changed. First, the clerk sold me a battery pack for a camera, when he saw I already had the same item. If he had been smart, he would have asked me if it was still working and sold me a battery charger instead (the battery was 3 x the price of Staples or 3.5 x online). When I recognized my mistake, he refused to give me a refund and sell me a charger instead. I asked him to charge the new battery--other wise I would have walked with a battery with almost no charge. When i went to pick up the battery, the clerk was too busy to look for the battery in the charger and expected me to wait for the clerk who had orginally waited on me. Thus the goodwill that I had for this store for over 20 years was destroyed by two 30 somethings that should not be waiting on customers. I will order online the next time I need an item for this camera and will never buy from Embassy Camera again. read more

lame. equipment broken down, never called to say that my order would therefore not be ready when i was scheduled to come to pick it up. one hour's trip for nothing. handled the situation in a hopeless way. i am glad these people are not working for me. better stick with the professionals at penn camera downtown (penn quarter). read more