Norman Camera is a must-see for anyone involved or interested in cameras. The store itself is easy to find and conveniently located across from the Woodland Mall. The staff may be the most knowledgable, kind, patient, and helpful people I've met. Brennin and Khoa are two people that I have worked with for several months now. They work with you on making sure you can get whatever you need to accomplish your goals, stay in budget, and that you understand what you're buying. I never feel that I'm being upsold or steered in the wrong direction. I recently took Brennin's photography class and she was an absolute wealth of information. She is a phenomenal concert photographer and has a genuine willingness to help any and all photographers in the scene. I would definitely recommend coming here if you're interested in cameras or photography. read more

Nice camera shop in the Kalamazoo area. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, with a good selection of quality new and used equipment. Prices were a little high, but not unreasonable for a specialty camera store. read more

I have just started to get into wildlife photography in the last few years and wanted to upgrade to a better zoom lens before our trip to Alaska. On the recommendation of a few photographer friends I checked out Norman. They had a great selection of products. The staff was very helpful. They were very knowledgeable about the products and I did not feel pressured into buying an outrageously expensive lens. I have been very happy with my new lens and was still able to stay within budget. The only challenge was they do not offer their own financing you have to use PayPal. If you are in the market for a new camera or equipment I would recommend stopping by Norman Camera. read more

I had an issue with my camera i walked in and was helped immediately, I was in and out. Very nice workers, highly recommend!

The folks here are amazing. They went above and beyond for me and made me feel like I was family.

I know very little about cameras, so I needed patience, knowledge and time. Norman Cameras gave all three with abundance and had great prices. They explained all I needed to know and set up my camera for me. read more

I am new to the camera world. I went into Norman Camera a few weeks ago and had the pleasure of working with Daniel. I thought I knew what I was looking for, but camera lingo is a whole new language. Daniel took the time to sit down with me and really learn what my needs and wants were. He matched me up with the perfect camera and lenses, and gear to go along with it! He even took the time to show me how to use it. I've been having a blast learning it, and know I can stop in any time for some guidance. Thank you Norman Camera and Daniel. read more

I can say my experience was as positive as any retail experience I've ever had. My customer service contact Adam far exceeded my highest expectations. Adam is extremely knowledgeable and a true professional. I'll make the 300 mile round trip for pro level service and an amazing inventory. Kudos to Norman Camera for their well trained professionals. Adam represents your brand well... read more

I had purchased equipment from Norman Camera 10 years ago on our trip to Alaska. I had not been used my telephoto lens since then. Jake provided me with a refresher on how to use and helped me figure out needs for my next trip. Great customer service. I would highly recommend using them for photographic needs. I would not hesitate about using them for future needs or recommending them to others. Sharon L. read more

Hello: I recently purchased a Camera and I received it within a few days. I was not happy with the camera, it was to small. I called and left a message and although I did not get a return call, I did get an E-mail, explaining what I should do for returns along with a RA#. I am impressed. Especially, when you can reach a company and the employees are help, understanding and NO ATTITUDE! I will buy from Norma Camera again. read more

Norman Camera is absolutely the best shop in west Michigan for your photography needs. Regardless of your level of experience, their friendly staff that make shopping for cameras and equipment truly a joy. I also find they have the best availability of printer ink anywhere for my Canon printers (regular and photo) and can find any specific refill within seconds. I will never go anywhere else for my camera and printing needs. read more

Came here before a safari trip to Africa and found both service and advice incredibly helpful. Bought some things I did not think I needed but ended up being glad I had on the trip! They were thinking ahead on my behalf. read more

Love Norman Camera. Always tried to visit when I was in Michigan and now that we moved back I can drop in any time. Great store, great selection and nice staff. Thanks guys!! read more

When I was quickly searching for a place nearby where I could buy a camera case, I whipped out my BlackBerry and did a Google Maps search for camera accessories. This place had exclusively five-star reviews. I told myself "No place can possibly have all five-star reviews. I'm sure half of these were posted by the owner". Let's just say that when I got here, I quickly understood why the ratings were flawless. When we came in, we were instantly welcomed by Dan (yes, he introduced himself by name). We told him that we were just browsing for a camera case--just to see what was out there. He showed us to the cases and gave us his brief two-cents on which cases he liked best, then let us look on our own to decide for ourselves what we wanted. This guy was just about the least pushy salesperson I have ever come across. Very low-pressure, he gave us his opinion and then let us make up our own minds. Sure, he did point out the more expensive case, but he also explained why he thought the price was justified. He also stopped by again at the right time to see if we had any questions after we had time to look through the selection. He was very knowledgeable and--as I can not stress enough--very low-pressure (which I loved!). They were well staffed, too. Something like three or four people working at the time. I'm no big camera buff, but it seemed like they'd have anything that you could possibly want there. They also had a good selection of used equipment (they also buy used equipment if you're looking to sell). This is the kind of place I'd trust to buy used equipment from--the staff are very down-to-earth and friendly. Prices were reasonable. Maybe the case we got was a few dollars more than the one at best buy, but you get what you pay for, and the quality of the case we got here was very good. I feel like you also pay for the help of the knowledgable staff, which is something I don't mind paying a little extra for. I'd definitely stop by here again for any camera needs I have in the future. read more

I live in Houston, TX. and I was in the market for the new 5D MK lll camera, which was delayed in shipping from Canon. After reading a blog online that NC had received some in for immediate shipping, I was excited and nervous. After a mental debate with myself, I called the 800 number to make my order. The guy, pnorman, took my call with friendliness, and courteous answers to my questions. My camera as arrived as promised and ordered, so based on this experience, Norman Camera gets a 5 Star rating from me. Thank you NC and pnorman ? lol. read more

Extraordinary customer service at Norman Camera. Brandon gave me excellent film recommendations and really helpful tips. Plus, he told me about a short beginner photography class they offer, which is exactly what my mom and I have been wanting to do for years now. I normally feel silly asking camera/photo questions, because I'm not very experienced ... but people like this help make it way less intimidating. read more

Really good selection and knowledgeable about the products. Can find cheaper stuff online, but to see the items is worth it for the smaller higher prices, which often isn't even as much as shipping costs. Also sells good warranties for items. read more

Very helpful and friendly whenever I go in there. Also always have had a nice big selection to choose from of all their products. At least whenever I have been in there. Definitely recommended. read more

The staff at Norman was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about the products and photography in general. We will definitely return for future purchases. read more

I brought two rolls of film in to be developed on August 23, 2011. The signage at Norman Camera states that developing takes 3-5 days. I waited 6 days and didn't receive a phone call. I called and asked what was going on and was given the run around about how a machine broke and that they'd be in early the next week. No phone call again the next week, so I called again. This time I was told that my film was sent somewhere else and should be in within the next two days. Again, no phone call. I called again and was told that there was problems getting chemicals in for the black and white developing machine. At this point, I told the person on the phone I would not be paying for these since it had been over three weeks. After 3 1/2 weeks of waiting, calling, and complaining, I finally got a call saying my film was ready on 9/20. I went to pick these up and calmly told the cashier that I was refusing to pay for these since it had been a month. He went and talked to someone in the back and came back and said that they couldn't do anything for me. Then I started to get a little louder and tell him that it had been a month since I brought them in, I could have gone to CVS and had them done in an hour, and there was no possible way I was paying for them. Again he went in the back and came back and told me the best they could do was give them to me at cost. Cost, for the record, is supposedly $8.50 per roll. Since I was going to be late for work and couldn't argue any longer, I paid, and left. These people are completely awful at customer service. Are not willing to apologize or make good on their mistakes and will not own up to their problems. After complaining at the store, I was told that someone called and left a message on my voicemail at the beginning, which never happened. I recommend not wasting your time or money with this place. B&H Photo online is much better and I'm sure their prices are better too. Complete jerks and awful business. read more

My husband and I both are photographers and Norman Camera is really the only place in West Michigan we have found that stocks a decent selection of higher-end cameras and lenses. We have spent thousands of dollars there, between the two of us, as we prefer to support local businesses whenever we can, rather than buy online. We were very excited to see that Norman Camera recently started to do lens rentals right out of their store. We normally rent from online companies, which we have been more than satisfied with, but again, we wanted to support a local business. We arrived at Normans about 2 weeks before the date that we needed to rent lenses, which is when we inquired about lens rental. When seeing that they had lenses in the case that were for rent, we asked what the price to rent each lens was. We were told the prices of renting the lenses, and we thought the prices seemed fair and in-line with other online rental companies. My husband then let the salesperson know that he would like to reserve 2 of the lenses for a specific date, and the salesperson wrote down my husband's name. That is where the paperwork ended. That should have been warning sign number 1. The day before the wedding, I called up Norman Camera to ask if I could pick up the lenses that evening before closing so that we wouldn't have to rush in early on Saturday morning before the wedding (we live about 45 minutes from there, one-way). I asked if I would get charged for an additional day, and the woman said yes. The phone call was very brief and no additional information was given. Considering both lenses rented for about $50 each per day, I wasn't going to pick them up a day early, so that I could pay $100 for 4 evening hours. So, we headed on down to Normans on Saturday morning before the wedding to pick up the two lenses we had on hold. A young man assisted us, but he seemed like he may have been relatively new there, as he had to ask managers for help when my husband asked him about replacing a broken tripod that we had literally purchased 2 weeks prior. Another woman working there went to check the computer system for our receipt, but said that they had recently updated systems and couldn't find out information. This was a shock to us as every time we had been in they took down our information and put every purchase under our names. Once we were even told that they could easily look us up in the system if we had a problem with anything. So, being in a time crunch already, we couldn't take care of the tripod issue because they couldn't find our last name in the system. We were also informed, while there, that we would have to wait until the associate could get into a specific computer there that they used for rentals. There was a man already using that computer assisting a gentleman whom I assume was renting lenses. We waited for at least 15 minutes for them to finish up that transaction while my husband mentioned more than once that we were in a big hurry to go shoot a wedding. It was while we had already been standing there for a bit that the salesperson informed us that we would need to put down a deposit for the total value of BOTH LENSES in order to rent. We were NEVER informed of this when we initially inquired about the rentals 2 weeks prior during our visit to the store. Had we known that it would essentially put 3-4 grand on our credit card just to rent two lenses, we would have just went with one of the online companies that we normally use. However, this was not mentioned to us so obviously we were in a pickle and panicking at that point. My husband was beyond pissed, and he's normally a pretty level guy, and he told the salesperson that this was a huge problem as he was never informed of the deposit fees. The salesperson then went to get the other salesperson who assisted us the first time we were in, and this man essentially accused my husband of being a liar... telling him that he had told him about the deposit while we were in the last time. I said NO WAY. I was with him and trust me, I would remember if someone told me I'd need to deposit a few grand just to rent some lenses. I was actually a mystery shopper for several years so my memory is pretty d**n good when it comes to service people at retail establishments. Anyway, after my husband stated his case, the salesperson said he'd have to get the manager of the store out to see what could be done about the whole ordeal, but we stood there another 10 minutes waiting for a manager to come out while the poor newbie salesperson stood there obviously feeling caught in the middle. The manager never came out to handle the situation, so we left. This whole experience was a massive customer service fail from so many angles. The worst part of the experience was basically getting called liars by the salesperson and the manager doing absolutely nothing about it while we just needed to hurry up and get out of there to shoot a wedding. read more

Was looking to find a new, recently relased lens that was difficult to find, even for the large box houses that I am accustomed to callig on when I need or want something quickly. One out of many large houses had it but they were closed for a number of days in observance of their Holy Holliday..(undertandable) Low and behold I found NORMAN's who not only had it in stock but got it out in the same day and with FREE SHIPPING, I received it within 48 hours- While I am impressed with the lens, I am more impressed with the awesome service provided by NORMANS and look forward to purchasing from them again in the future. Thank you Normans! read more

BEWARE!! I purchased an item that was mis advertised as working on Sony cameras. It did not work on mine (Sony A7ii) so I requested a return. First, I was told I would have to wait to see if Norman Camera would even approve my return (which I found insulting considering they were responsible for the mis advertising) but then they informed me they would not pay for the return shipping AND they would not accept it if I did not return it with insurance and a return receipt. These requirements cost me $15.05 (for a $95 item). Of course, I will not purchase anything from Norman Camera again, and I caution anyone, only purchase from them if you know for certain you will not need to return anything (or have to deal with customer service at all)! read more

I'm a little disappointed with Norman Camera. I've been a frequent customer with them for camera supplies and accessories over the years. Just recently, I decided to make a big purchase by buying a Sony E-Mount from them. Which I have never purchased a lens or major equipment from them before. The person who helped me in the store was sort of friendly and kind of pushy/snobby. I picked out the camera I wanted and was immediately pressured to buy a warranty through the store. Yeah it sounded nice and I would have bought it, if I wasn't told that the insurance I receive through my credit card is total crap. He had then continued to pressure the importance of the warranty again. I asked if I could think about it and was told you only have at this moment to get it. Not necessarily his fault, but kind of rude to just say it that way. After the odd "no I don't want your warranty (said many times)" he went to go get the lens from the back room. He took a few minutes. More than what grabbing one box should take. Made me feel like I was being watched. He returned to the sales desk with the box. I quickly thought about it and asked if the demo lens I was just shown is what I was being sold. He explained yes and that's how our customers like it. For me, I don't like others handing something I'm about to buy. Especially as a "demo" and then being sold to me for full price. I explained to the sales person that is not worth the price and I left. He seemed frustrated. I went on Amazon when I got home and found the same lens. Also for a cheaper price. I wasn't pressured for a warranty and wasn't rudely talked to by the folks on Amazon. I really needed that lens that day, because of a trip I'll be taking very soon. But whatever, I can wait 2-days for Amazon. Norman Camera has been really good to me before, but they've changed a lot. The stores atmosphere reminds me of an upscale jewelry store with an attitude. Not the type of place I want to be spending my hard earned money at. I might return, but this has rubbed me the wrong way for sure. read more

i went in the store with little known facts of digital go pro and walked out with the new nikon 300 wow what a great store and amy was awesome sales person . i will be back for sure so helpful. read more