I headed for Jessops after a bit of a camera crisis this morning. I'd been out taking photos of…read morecentral Birmingham when my main camera lens cap decided to get jammed. I needed to take more photos so posted a panicky message on Facebook. Ling, one of the other local Yelpers came to my rescue in seconds and suggested Jessops. Anyway, from the top of the Cube, I headed over to Jessops with a few diversions. There was a greeter on the door so I asked if anyone could help with my lens cap problem. The greeter then took me over to one of the counters, fiddled and prodded the lens for a while, looked perplexed then tried again giving it a huge tug and off it popped showing no signs of damage. This made me very happy as I'd only had the lens a couple of months! Top scoring for a quick and cost free service. PS I must go back to Jessops and have a look at their equipment later.

Very knowledgeable and helpful guys, the stuff is premium and is a long established independent…read moreshop up Mill Street. They can do passport photos, develop photos, and are happy to give advice. They sell lots of brands and a selection of frames as well. Check out their website http://www.peterrogers-photo.co.uk

From the owner: * Stafford's longest established wedding photographer. *…read moreCompact, SLR, and mirrorless digital cameras. * Passport, driving licence, visa & ID photography. * Portrait photography in our studio or on location. * Photo printing services including instant prints, canvas prints, photo books and photo gifts. * Old media including cine film & video transferred to DVD. * Old photos copied and restored.

Between myself and my other half, we have quite a lot of camera equipment that cost us rather a lot…read moreof money. We know nothing lasts forever, but that said - we need to be able to rely on our equipment, and make it last as long as we can before replacing. Lots of places offer servicing of cameras - but normally they're mail order services where you post your camera off and cross your fingers it'll come back in one piece. (Yes, I'm paranoid!) We've been lucky as (touch wood) nothing serious has ever happened.. so as yet, we've just been in need of sensor cleans to get rid of those annoying bits of dust that can get trapped inside the body. That's where HPC comes in - when we discovered this local place where we can take the equipment and see who we're giving it to, it was a massive weight off our minds. Over the past few years we've regularly taken our cameras for sensor cleans here, and everything has always come back as good as new! Brilliant!

As you do, my partner and I both failed to do anything about getting our camera fixed for a long,…read morelong time.. But with our holiday fast approaching, we realised we had to get it fixed, quickly. I'd only heard good, if not brilliant things about John and the Halesowen Photo Centre, so I decided to head on down with my camera, having no idea why it was being so temperamental, to see if John could fix it. With over a week before we left, John politely asked if we were in a rush and to rate the urgency of the matter. Despite admitting it wasn't of the up most importance, he had it fixed in a few days and I collected it, yet to experience any problems four months later. Everything about this place is fantastic, anyone with a camera predicament, see John.

Ag Photographic operate as an online shop - however for those eagle eyed brummies who want to save…read moreon post and packaging, you can go and visit them in Aston where you can browse through the hefty range of film and developing equipment available to buy. The two blokes who run the shop are really passionate about photography, full of advice not just on the products they sell but on where to go for other services such as processing. They also take a genuine interest in what you're working on, and if they're not able to help when you next visit they'll be full of questions about how you got on. Example stock - 35mm film, 120 film, wide range of papers to print onto, chemicals to develop - basically anything an analogue photographer could need. They're currently in the process of developing their own darkroom facilities, and rumour has it they may offer membership to those who're interested in using such a service. Eg - ME! Exciting! (Hurry up, I'm impatient! :)

Been using their film developing and printing services for over a year now and have never had a bad…read moreexperience. The prices are very low, the quality is excellent, communication is friendly and helpful, and the turnaround is always very fast. I would recommend this business to any photographer, they will not dissappoint.

The sort of local camera shop every town should have. Although very small and tucked away they have…read morevery knowledgeable staff who have always been able to help. They offer a range of second hand as well as new camera equipment which can be great value as you wasnt to extend your range of camera equipment. They also offfer a repair service although your camera may need to be sent away. Friendly and helpful

Recently discovered this firm when I was searching about online for deal prices on a new camera and…read moreI'm really glad I did - not only did I get a better price than any of the high street electronic "chains" were offering, I've discovered they offer a level of knowledge and after sales service said "chains" can only dream of. I live over 300 miles away from this store, but I won't hesitate to use them again - highly recommended, no matter where you live...

The Flash Centre is a national chain with a shiny shiny website. But wait, by 'national chain'…read morewhat I really mean is they have just three shops - 1 here in Birmingham, 1 in Leeds and 1 in (unsurprisingly) London. They stock all kinds of camera equipment and related paraphernalia (lighting, bags, tripods etc.) and I have no idea where they keep it all, as both the London and the Birmingham branches feel like overburdened camera caves, with stock piled all over the place, and with anyone visiting relying on staff to go and dig out what you're after. The plus side is, the staff are awesome and helpful. I've only been in the Birmingham branch 3 times now, but already they remember me and say hello, and ask how I'm getting on with whatever we've bought or borrowed (they do rental too! Canon 5D mkIII - hello there!) Basically, think Jessops - then think Jessops but with awesome educated passionate staff and an added bonus of a rental service.

Is it possible to review the flash centre and not talk about flashes and what they really offer?…read moreNo. I smash lights all the time on photo shoots, now I own my own set of elinchroms and a portable battery I'm a little more careful but before then rented ting was my only option. Renting is why people go to the flash centre, that and their frequent photographic work shops with will know people in the industry, talks that you will never find any other establishments hosting. I have a business account with TFC so if I never need an item, I call up, tell them where I am shooting in Birmingham and they ship the item over in a taxi for me. If your shooting a lot I recommend setting up this account. None of this equipment is cheap and it will never be cheap. But they always have a used item section (sometimes ex-rental, sometimes exchanged for cash items) that have been served and are in top quality so it's always worth a look. Just as DSLR filmmaking grows in popularity, so do camera merchants stock lists. The staff and stock have everything a dslr filmmaker would need for great setup including lights and camera stabilisation rigs. Check it out, or if it's too much out the way the website lists everything much better than the shop displays them.

This a great little place to get your photos re-printed and fun in the process. You take the photos…read morein that you want copies of and use the self service re-print scanner, where you can crop and adjust your photos the way you would like them to look. If you get stuck there is also a friendly staff member who will help you to sort out what needs doing. I went into get a re-size copy of my wedding photo and for only 44p I could pay by card and pick it up the following day. This place is really good value.

Great place to get photos processed. knowledgable staff. Great selection of basic comaeras to the…read moremost advanced digital SLRs. Great location. has been there for years!