The American Southwest was brutal to my photo equipment. The beautiful slot canyons of Antelope Canyon are like walking into a giant sandstorm, albeit subtle. Multiple bottles of canned air, and a rocket blower didn't seem to help much at all. Continuing on to Monument Valley only seemed to make things worse for my equipment! Upon return from my photo trip, I took all of my equipment in to General Camera Repair, and had them check everything out. They played around with and inspected every one of my lenses, including doing a sensor test on my camera body - to check for any particles of dust that may have gotten on the surface of the sensor. The sensor and the lenses were all ok, with the exception of my Canon EF 16-35 wide-angle. There were some particles of desert sand stuck in the focusing and zoom rings that were not making the rings themselves turn as smoothly as they should. He suggested that I leave that lens with him for further investigation, cleaning and repair. He also assured me that he'd seen worse! About a week later, he charged me about $90 and I had my trusty Canon 16-35 lens back crystal clean with all the rings operating smoothly. It operated like a brand new lens, just freshly out of the box. They do really good work here. They even gave me suggestions and a little tutorial as to how to really take good care of my lenses. They know what they are doing, and they take extra care of expensive and fragile pieces of glass. Lens repair is treated like a specialized artisan craft here, which I like. My equipment is Canon, but I'm sure they repair all sorts of equipment here, old and new. read more

In a throwaway world this place repairs cameras. My dad was a professional photographer from 1935 to 1983 and I was rocking trays in his darkroom from age 8 onwards. He took his cameras to one of two places for repairs - General Camera in Pasadena and Mel Pierce on Sunset Bl near the 101 freeway. I still have a Speed Graphic and these guys keep it going. These guys are craftsmen in a world full of ticky-tacky throw-away. Parking could be better - it's street only. read more

THIEVES!!I left my camera for repair a few weeks ago and spoke with a very nice man who is not the owner. He spoke without an accent and was very professional. The guy I picked up the camera today was the owner I believe. An Armenian looking fella with an accent. He was not friendly and when I opened the plastic they had taken my 8 gig San Disk card!! He got real defensive and said they never take things. I said I don't have a CF card reader and I leave the CF card in all the time since I just plug the camera via the mini USB. I would have called the Pasadena Police but I was unable to stay. MAKE SURE TO NOT LEAVE ACCESSORIES IN YOUR CAMERA!! read more

i came in and asked if they can fix the screen on my camera since it was cracked and wasnt showing anything i bought a screen and tried to fix it , but didn't work, so i brought it in and they said, "just put it in this way dont scratch this particular part", so i bought another 30 dollar screen totaling 60 bucks now and i come in and someone else said no you can buy screens none of them work you have to have us fix it.... (even though the other person working there said its an easy fix on my own) i asked for an estimate and he said he can do it for 160 bucks...i said there's no point i paid 60 bucks extra already might as well buy a new camera and he paused and said well wel fix it right, i said no thank you, and he finally said.. alright il do 80 bucks. that to me is weak, i dont like dealing with people like that. tell me how much it will cost, don't try to rip people off because and then just lower the price willy nilly because someone wont do business with you, shouldn't have to be a negotiation. dont like dealing with people like this and never will again. (by the way, they said it would be a couple days to fix and its been in there for two weeks already) now they call me and tell me they cant fix it and that i should come by and pick it up and they will KEEP the deposit. i said no thats BS, they examined my camera, said i just needed to buy ANOTHER screen and it will work, it didnt so they said to just give it them and theyl fix it, they didnt so now they wanted my deposit? for not fixing it? i fought that and luckily got my refund and left. wont come back. but i will say the lady Sabrina was a nice lady, not hard to deal with, it must of been the other workers or something. not happy. read more

i'd been here before but not realized the magical experience sabrina and marek offer. my canon 7D had been afflicted with two specs of dust in the prism since day two or three. it didn't affect image quality but who wants to see dust in the viewfinder? samy's had nicely promised to try to get them out but the rental department couldn't figure out where the dust was. so they referred me to GCR. i called them and they said that i could bring it in immediately and have it cleaned while i waited. if i only had an audio recorder of the conversation i overheard as sabrina brought the camera back to marek: what the? how the? and away he tinkered for about 5 minutes, after which he entered the front space with a smile on his face and my camera in his hands. total cost: the repair minimum of $20, but i could tell they wanted to charge me less. money well spent -- the viewfinder is now perfectly clear. the three of us chatted for a good 10 minutes before i excused myself. really nice people who are willing to take the time to give perfect customer service. a job well done in a small town, old-school kind of way. bravo. read more

I went in knowing exactly what was wrong with my Minolta SRT-101. They were going to charge me $150 for an overhaul of the entire camera even though it was one issue. ...Then the lady eases me in the direction of convincing me to replace the camera by nonchalantly pointing to the case of $100+ 35mm cameras and lenses they have. This was all along with telling the man that worked (probably the one fixing the cameras) there that my camera was just 'trash' (it isn't). I was also treated like I knew not an ounce about photography. read more

Rip off! Looking for parts and they are asking $25 just for focusing screen for eos 7d. That's double the price on Amazon. read more

Twice now have I gone to this place to have my camera serviced. The gentlemen that looked at my camera said that it would take about 10 days to get repaired, they called me this morning on the 5th day informing me that they've finished and its ready to come home. Flopped out of bed and came right over, again I was very pleased with the repairs and the price was quite reasonable! They're always very polite, funny and helpful but more importantly, I trust them! Thanks guys! :) read more

Had a stuck filter on my L lens. Thought it was just a matter of me having stole these arms from a 5 year old girl, but it was a little more complicated. They offered to remove it for free but then found out it was an issue of the filter being cross threaded into the lens. Had to be cut. Took about 5 minutes, no damage to the lens, $20. Price was a little more than I was hoping, but they were obviously very good at their work and the gentleman was especially knowledgeable and eager to give me a lot of tips on how to handle filter issues. Very very friendly. They handle a lot of old film camera work, too. read more

It was nice to find a small, quaint, old time camera shop in the area. I went in with a fairly obscure issue with a lense bracket. It was fixed and I was out the door within 5 minutes. Very impressed with the repair fella read more

If I could give General Camera Repair more than 5 stars , I would. They not only fixed my focus issue but they cleaned EVERY inch of the camera. The price for all that came out to a fraction of what I thought it would be. So very happy with everything ! read more

Although my equipment took a long time to complete repairs, it wasn't the store's fault. The shipping for the parts took a long time but they were very quick to get it done once it arrived. The employees were also very friendly on the phone and I had an overall great experience! read more

They do expert repair work, this is where Samy's sends all of their repairs. They were very kind to my son who had purchased a camera at a flea market that wasn't quite right. read more

My canon rebel Xsi had a shutter problem with the button and they fix it. The price was reasonable, I think it was less than $100 and the service excellent. read more

I have had problems with my Canon Rebel T2i for a while and I didn't know exactly what was wrong with it. I took it to Geek Squad at Best Buy who said they would charge me $40 just to send it out and get a diagnosis! I even took it to Samy's and they couldn't pin point what was wrong with it (honestly, they didn't even try). So I took a chance and came to General Camera Repair. Maurek was so kind and accommodating! He got back to in several days and said that he was able to fix my camera without having to ship it out to the factory. Best experience! read more

I went here today for the first time just to have my film camera check. I just recently bought and recieve it so i wanna know if theres something wrong with it or not. Anyway, the lady and the guy helped me out super fast - for FREE. They are so accomodating and really helpful too. read more

This place deserves every star. They are not only camera savvy but their first priority is to obviously help the customer with their problem or question. The second is money. The workers here are genuine and honest to the point where I often feel guilty for not buying more. Being the small boutique-esque store that it is, I hope it stays open for as long as I'm near. read more

I was very happy with the service I received here at General Camera Repair. I had a Seagull TLR film camera with a focus knob that was loose and not catching with the internal mechanism. Initially, I went to Samy's, but their days of repairing film cameras are long over so they sent me here. The gentleman and lady at General were cheerful and easy going. They were able to take the camera in right away while I waited, fixed the problem knob and even helped spot a potential issue with the film advance knob. They took it back and got that one nice and tight as well. Grand total was 20 dollars. I picked up some film as well and chatted about some other medium format cameras. They are knowledgable and provide exceptional customer service. read more

Three years ago, the flash card cage in my Canon Rebel XT would not pop and release my memory card. I initially took the camera to the Canon Factory Service center in Irvine however after being quoted over $200 to fix a simple problem, I called around for more competitive repair pricing. On a lark, I called General Camera Repair and they said they could do the repair for half the price. Dropped off the camera and was told that my camera would be done by next day if they had the part in stock. After about 3 hours of leaving the store, I received a call from Sabrina that the part was in stock and they completed the repair so the camera was ready for pickup. The repair job was excellent and have not had any problems with the flash card cage since. Additionally, instead of being charged $100 like I was quoted on the phone, the final total came out to be $80. With awesome pricing, great service, and the fact that I'm supporting a local mom and pop shop, I will definitely be going back again. read more

Great shop. Took my camera in for a filter lens that got broken & jammed into my camera lens on an accidental fall. They were able to get it out, luckily no damage to my lens. Took 10 minutes and only charged $25. Nice people! read more

It's a little bit of a drive for us but definitely worth it. We are happy with their services and the repair was well priced. My boyfriend's camera lens was back in business. Thank you general camera repair! read more

The service is great. Brought my camera for cleaning and michael was so nice to share some tips re: how to maximize the use of my slr.

I came in with a camera with a non working viewfinder. They were able to fix it with a spare part and save me about $100. I was eternally grateful read more

Took in my dslr for a cleaning and left very satisfied. Very nice and helpful staff. I'll be back.

Took my Canon S95 in to have the cracked digital screen replaced. They also had an extra body case to replace the one I scratched good. It took a few weeks to get the part in but the repair was good and the price was under $100 for both. They saved me. read more

I've brought cameras to these guys 2 times before and both times were excellent. They were extremely knowledgable and friendly on both occasions. The first time was for camera that was leaking light around the film door and needed new foam sealing. They said that they would be happy to do the repair but also suggested it would be cheaper for me to order a kit online and do it myself. I still had them do the work, but its pretty rare for people to be that honest and potentially lose work over it in the interest of taking care of you. The second time I bought a used camera with a faulty meter switch at a camera show, they gave me a fair estimate and were able to fix it without ordering parts. One week from the day I dropped it off I had my camera back and in perfect working order. Great communication, friendly service, not cheap but very very fair prices. You definitely get what you pay for from these guys. I'll be sure to bring anything I have back here in the future without hesitation. read more

General Camera Repair is absolutely the best. They offer services just short of SK Grimes. Marek, the tech, knows old cameras and lenses. I've brought everything from my modern digital lenses to my 100 year old 8x10 for repair and conditioning. They know the esoteric oldies. This is a rare find in this day and age. If they're a little tough to get ahold of, be patient. They are very generous with their time and can get backed up a little. read more

I'm very pessimistic now days and I was going to take my camera to the Canon service center in Irvine but due to time restraints I opted to take a chance and have General Camera Repair service my camera. Reasons why you should have your camera serviced at General Camera Repair: 1. I needed my camera sensor cleaned ASAP and General Camera Repair not only cleaned my sensor but also cleaned the entire camera, everything that is accessible leaving my 4 year old camera like new. My pictures look great and the sensor is completely clean again. 2. General Camera Repair was the only place within 50 miles that would completely clean my camera sensor etc. and the turnaround was just one day. Albeit, they were not too busy so I was able to pick it up the next day. 3. It's a family owned business, and it's nice to see stores like this that offer a high level of service still in business. The price was a intermediate, 65 for anything under full frame, that is the price I paid to have my camera serviced. If you have a full frame it will run close to 100. Samy's offers to only clean a sensor under full frame for 35 and of course more if the camera full frame. I think the value of not only having the entire camera cleaned but also having it within 1 to 2 days out weighs the price, it's closest competitions - Samy's that will have the camera ready in about 3-4 days since their techs are outsourced. To conclude my review I do not regret spending a bit more money because it was definitely worth it. It was extremely convenient for me to have General Camera Repair service my 1-D M IV and I will continue to rely on them for all my camera's service and repair. At General Camera and Repair - you definitely get what you pay for. read more

Great place! I would recommend this shop to anyone. Just keep in mind that they do close for lunch. I had a problem that they were able to fix right away. I am so thankful. read more

I was going to drop off some 1980s era slr's for CLAs. I asked what it cost for a CLA on cameras of that era. The woman at the counter pulled out their price list: $120-$180 just for a basic CLA on cameras from this era (Ricoh XR-7, Nikon FG, etc.) Methinks I shall continue to use Walters Camera Repair on Caesar Chavez Ave in downtown LA. He charges about half as much. read more

Wow. This place is a true gem. I was actually referred to them by Samy's Camera, who didn't want to send out our digital SLR to Canon directly due to the instant minimum charge that would be more than the repair itself. The guy at General Camera was super friendly and the repair was quick and thorough, not to mention totally affordable. read more

In short, this place is a hit or miss. Read on to find out more... Update: My original review, which can be seen below, gave this place a 5/5. I am dropping the review down to a 3/5 based on my recent experience at this establishment. This place is now A-OK in my books and I probably won't be back. I took in a Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f2.8 vintage lens for a helicoid re-lube. Marek quoted me $65 and said it was a fairly easy job to do. I got a call from him towards the end of the week with a re-estimate of "$150 or more" because the lens was 'complex' and had 'too many little parts.' Seemed like he didn't feel like working on it once he opened it up/wanted to charge me a good 'ole sum if I insisted on him fixing it. So much for keeping his word... I took the lens to Walters Camera Video and Digital Repairs in Los Angeles and got the 'complex' lens with 'too many little parts' fixed for $45. Original Review: Great mom n' pop business! I brought in a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestor 100mm f2.8 vintage lens for a cleaning. Beforehand, my go-to guy attempted to service the lens but after finding out the optics had a case of separation, he closed it up and didn't want to touch it. I got on Yelp, read a couple of reviews, and decided to give this place a shot. Sabrina greeted me with a smile and a couple of minutes later, I was talking to the guy who would bring my lens back to life. Marek is a class act! He spent a good 15-20 minutes inspecting the lens and discussing the concerns I had. Marek reassured me that that the cleaning could be done (without affecting the current deteriorating condition of the lens and optical elements). A couple of days later, having paid only $15 more than what my go-to guy charges me (and $40 less than what someone else wanted), I got a call for lens pickup. Marek, Sabrina and the team at General Camera Repair did a job well done and I couldn't be any happier. These folks know what they are talking about as evident with their workmanship and perseverance to get, what some other people deemed next to impossible, DONE. I will definitely be back! Thanks and Happy New Year! read more

i have been waiting for my lense for over a month when they said its going to be ok in a week. lady yesterday told me she would call me but still no phone calls. sorry not getting my attention here. read more

Great service even for a small problem. I also had an issue with 4 of 9 screws that hold together my Kodak V705 camera gone missing. I called around hunting for a place to get the screws. They told me it would not be a problem, they would scavenge some screws from camera bodies in the back room. I went in, and 10 minutes later was on my way for a $2 charge. Awesome. read more

I dropped my camera and, as a result, the lens would no longer retract. They were able to make the lens retract, but my poor camera would no longer focus. Even though the guy said he spent a lot of time with my camera, he said it was no charge since he could not fix it. Honestly, if he had tried to fix it, the repair might have cost more than the camera. Although I would have loved my camera fixed, I would go here again and recommend their service. I really feel like their treat their customers fairly. read more

Needed minor equipment repair which was done while I waited...reasonable few..very pleasant owner

glad they were able to repair my M43 camera shutter. they are pretty expensive, but if you really want to get your camera fixed right the first time this is where to go read more

The owner Mike was a great guy he fixed my nikon D90 that was out of focus within 5 days and there price was good compared to other places I had looked at before going overall the service was quick and easy. read more

I had a timer attachement for my DSLR with a connection problem. They diagnosed the problem on the spot and for free. These folks know what they are doing. I'll be back! read more

Took my two pentax lenses in for repair. Two weeks later after ordering parts, they were both repaired like new. Awesome customers service.