About 2 months back I finally decided to dive into the Canon world, and since Precision Camera had a new store which was closer to me I decided to visit. Here is a summary of my experience, which included some negatives but overall had a great result that I'm happy to share. First off, I arrived at a time when the store wasn't too busy, and after announcing my intent to buy a 7D for sports photography several of the salepersons joined me in a spirited discussion about various alternatives. I was impressed by their passion, and while I ended up buying the 7D that I originally wanted (several days later,and from Precision Camera), their comments and suggestions forced me to consider some alternatives and to refine my thought process about why I was buying this particular body and lens (Canon 100-400). The salespersons were knowledgeable about the products in a way that only an enthusiast can be, and in fact several shared recent private and professional work they were involved with including some example photos of Longhorn football. Pretty cool to be impressed by a salesperson like this.... At purchase time I was presented with a great deal that reduced the price on a Canon printer (Pixma PRO-100) so much that it was a no brainer to add it into my purchase along with the 7D and lens. There was a significant ($400) rebate involved which led to the negatives ..... Once I was home and filling out the rebate form it became apparent that there were multiple bar codes on all three of the boxes. The rebate form gave instructions about which barcode they were looking for, but in the end I apparently chose the wrong one(s) and 3 weeks later I received a terse form letter from Canon saying my rebate was rejected, with no accompanying instructions about how to proceed. The negatives here are mostly against Canon. Their rebate process was confusing overall, but Precision Camera contributed to the problem by their practice of adding their own barcode labels to the boxes. I was partially to blame for not waiting until I could call Precision Camera to clarify what Canon was wanting. Long story short, I escalated through a few supervisors and store managers, and with a minor amount of my whining and demanding that they assist me in resolving the situation directly with Canon, they did just that. It took several phone calls over the next 3-4 weeks, but they strongly advocated my cause directly to Canon and I was ultimately successful in receiving my expected rebate. In the end, the management and salespersons at Precision Camera justified my faith in using a local, experienced camera seller instead of purchasing on the internet. The provided excellent advice prior to the purchase, informed me about a fantastic opportunity to pick up an excellent printer at a great price, and then helped resolve a rebate fiasco that would likely have been unsolvable without their assistance. 5-stars to Precision Camera for getting the most important things, technical expertise and followup support right! read more

I love the level of customer service here! I work in retail, so I know what is reasonable to expect and I was still blown out of the water. On my first visit, Tamra was nice and courteous and gave me a break down of the initial cameras I was considering. Following that I came another day and Sara Strick just blew me out of the water explaining the benefits of the camera I was wanting to purchase. I sell cameras, and I am the kind of guy who does a lot of research, so having someone who was able to answer my very in depth questions was fantastic! I came in wanting the K-50, and I made the happy mistake of bringing up the K-5 II. Turns out there was a recent price drop and they were only slightly more expensive. She let me try the demos out and walked me through all my lens choices and I really just cannot say enough about how much this helped me in making my decision. Not to mention creating a very palpable feeling of loyalty to Precision. In fact I am about to go there again today to look at a few Telephoto and Macro lenses. The service was kind, courteous, and above all else KNOWLEDGEABLE. I knew I could rely on Sara to steer me in the right direction. I knew this from the first 5 minutes of conversation. Being able to rely on the salesperson's advice gives me a HUGE amount of trust that I am getting the right thing. As it was I called back the next morning and had her place a 48 hour hold on it saying I would be there Monday. She let me know that she was off Monday but someone else could help me out, so I quickly drove down there that morning so she could ring me out. I had to be at work, but more importantly I had to get my new camera and I wanted to get a chance to thank her for everything she did in making my dreams of owning a better camera a reality. I ended up getting a Pentax K-5II with a Protection Filter. Having had the weekend to play with it and put it through its paces, I could not be happier! Well, I could, but not for a sub-1000 dollar camera. Anyone going back and forth between Canon or Nikon you should include Pentax in your musings. What a great camera. So fun to shoot! Up until now I have always sent people to you when my store did not sell what they were looking for. Now I have a tangible experience that tells me I am doing exactly the right thing. Thank you Tamra and Sara for your time and help in making my decision. This is my first and only yelp review and the only reason I will ever do a yelp review is if someone goes above and beyond and that is one way I can share the experience. I will see one of you in 6 or 7 hours about that lens! -Isaac T. read more

Yesterday I was in Austin for other reasons and I decided to make use of my trip to see if I could get my 50-250mm lens repaired. I was upset because it took me a year of saving to purchase that lens, and with one drop my son managed to mess it up. I've been holding the lens in place to take pics for months now. The lens was fully functioning but the little tab that made it hold tight in the camera was broken. I cannot afford to replace it, and several people I consulted said it was likely not repairable. My instincts said if I could just find the little piece, I could fix it. I searched Amazon and Ebay for the little part, but I didn't have any luck finding it, partly because I didn't have a name for the piece I was seeking. With seven kids at home, my budget is really stretched, so I only wanted to buy the part, and I was prepared to do the labor myself. Usually when someone isn't making money of you, they don't really treat you like a priority customer, but I was given the complete opposite response by their assistant manager. Mr. Nikki Banda quickly showed me what I needed, and he told me what I was looking for is called the "mount", which I might need to know for future reference! He found the part I needed in his stash of used pieces, and he saved me from having to make an additional trip back to Austin. I couldn't be more thankful. I noticed a great selection of pre-owned lenses and I plan to make a trip back soon. Precision Camera has won me over as a customer thanks to their repair department. He really got nothing out of our encounter yesterday, but he saved the day for me, and when someone does something for nothing, that's when they deserve the biggest return in my book! I believe you should try to fix things before you replace them, so if you're having an issue with your camera, go to Precision and let them take a look! My Cannon Rebel might be my most treasured possession because it's captured some of the most precious moments in my life- and now I know where my next set of lenses will be coming from! read more

I am a pro photographer here in Austin, and I consider Precision Camera to be a TREMENDOUS asset to Austin. Having a LOCAL store that I can deal with when purchasing equipment and supplies is a huge plus. Also, they have been very helpful when equipment fails (and believe me camera equipment does fail from time to time). I'd much rather deal personally with a local store than impersonally with some NY online store who doesn't know or care who I am. Precision Camera is very supportive of the Austin and Central Texas photographic community, and I am also very grateful for that. People are so tempted at times to just price shop and find the cheapest place on the web to buy equipment and they tradeoff SO much in doing so. It is a HUGE advantage to be able to drive down to their store and actually TRY out equipment, to look at it, to hold it, and to talk to a sales rep right in the store. If we were ever to lose Precision Camera, we would really be at a loss. Sometimes their prices are VERY competitive, and sometimes they're a little more expensive than the cheap NY stores. But it's totally WORTH most any price difference to support this LOCAL Austin store. Personally, I can't praise Precision Camera enough. They have helped me out of several binds with equipment problems etc. As a professional, it matters a lot to me that I have a store I can count on and trust. I am more than happy to give them my business any time! I highly recommend them. Even if you are buying a camera or printer that you can also find at the other electronics superstores in town, I'd suggest you make SURE you check out Precision Camera as well, and consider supporting them instead. read more

I have been going to Precision Camera since 2015. I bought my first DSLR camera, the Nikon D7100 online, but I purchased several lens the next 2 years from Precision. they have always been courteous and very helpful. I have had a couple of times where I had to wait, but they have a number system you can pull it and then you just wait for your turn and take your time and look around. I've had two favorite Sales people, but most are very helpful. One of them went on to work with one of the camera companies (good for him) and the other, well she is popular and I pick a number, but if it comes up, I like her so much, I tell them I'll wait. I might try someone else, because she's so good and knowledgeable that everyone seems to want her too. I'm sure whoever I try will be just fine. You may get someone on a bad day, but that is "rare" and don't judge them by one bad experience. I've had so many good experiences with them, that I drive about 45 minutes to get there from Georgetown, Tx. I've taken several classes and they have all been well worth it. I traded in my Nikon D7100 and all my lens for it to get the Mirrorless Sony a7RII with one lens, the 24 to 240mm. It has helped me take portraits, distance shots, and macro shots. I'm saving up for a long distance lens, and I will go nowhere else but here. Oh, and we purchased my favorite Canon printer there, the Canon Pixma Pro 10. And their used equipment is well worth looking at. All in all, I really like this store. read more

To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this letter as a formal consumer complaint against Precision Camera, located in Austin, Texas, and owned by Phil Livingston. Precision Camera accepted my payment for an order they agreed to process. After taking my money, the business refused to process the order and failed to deliver the goods or services promised. Despite attempts to resolve the issue directly, the business did not provide a satisfactory explanation for refusing to fulfill the order after payment was accepted. Accepting consumer funds and then refusing to complete a transaction raises serious concerns regarding deceptive or unethical business practices. This conduct caused unnecessary difficulty and required additional effort to address a problem that should not have occurred. As the owner, Mr. Livingston is responsible for the business practices of Precision Camera. Based on my experience, I am concerned that this conduct may affect other consumers. I respectfully request that the Office of the Texas Attorney General review this matter and take any action deemed appropriate to protect consumers. I am prepared to provide documentation, including proof of payment, order , and correspondence, upon request. Sincerely, Roger Dunbar read more

Well here we go again, another great visit. I called 4 hours ahead of my trip to Precision, and talked to Ian. I wanted to see if the had a Tamron 70-200 lens for my Pentax. They one left, and they offered to put my name on it, until I got there. I showed up at 5:30 PM, and was greeted by Mark, with a smile and a handshake. Mark went and got the lens, and allowed me to test it out and just play with it for about 20 minutes. I never felt any pressure to buy, in fact we spent more time talking about my Macro lens, that I had purchased. After another 10 minutes went by, I bought the lens. He even recommended, I use the 77mm filter I had bought for my Sigma 135-400 for the Tamron! They know I am not made of money, and I am not going to spend thousands of dollars on Nikon, or Cannon. I love my Pentax, and they have NEVER said one bad word! On this lens, it cost close to what it would have cost on line (799). I could have gotten it for about 750 from other places (Canada) but I got to try it out, hold it and test it on my camera. Plus I know if there is a problem with the lens, they will help me get it taken care of. That plus awesome treatment of me, is well worth the 75+ mile drive to get something. Thanks guys!!!! read more

I LOVE Precision! I wouldn't go anywhere else. For many years, they have always been more than helpful and I've never left disappointed. Tonight, I wish I could give 10 stars. I came in to get some advice on my flashes, which I could not figure out how to make them fire at the same time. I assumed that I had one of them set wrong. I started with Shelley Preston. She tried everything that we could think of and no luck. Sometimes they flashed together, sometimes they didn't. Then Joseph Sims tried to help. He tried many different solutions, including updating the firmware on both flashes as well as the transmitter. Still no luck. Finally, the manager, Mike Luxenberg, tried to help and decided that one of the flashes was just defective. They tried a new flash with one of my old flashes and they worked perfectly. Every time. So Mike gave me the new flash and kept the old one since it was defective. I did not ask for this, but was very happy! Especially since I needed both of them for a job tomorrow. They worked together for over an hour to find a solution for me. That's incredible customer service. Thanks guys! read more

I don't often care to write reviews, however the customer service I have gotten from precision this last year has compelled me to do this! I started buying all my equipment from there a few years ago, since i'm a local business I want to shop local... I have had to many photographers in other towns say they don't have a camera store, so I want to take advantage of having this great one! The sales men never pushed me to buy anything, answered my questions, gave me advice, helped me with problems. Always wonderful to work with! Yesterday I went to their brand new store, which is BEAUTIFUL, and has plenty of parking! From them fixing my camera, to the customer service I got from a salesman and the manager Mark Cooper blew me away! There was a point I wanted to have a break down or cry, but they helped me and fixed EVERYTHING for me! I am so thankful for a local business that still believes in customer service! It means the world to me! I'm so thankful I bought my camera, memory cards, and everything here so that when things are not functioning like they should, I can take them in! Such a blessing! Thanks Precision! read more

I'd like to write about two individuals whom I don't think I could have done without, in my camera shopping experience. If you need friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging people who can make you feel okay about what you don't know, and help you figure out what you need to know, then ask for Tamra and Jessica. I'm a long time VFX guy, who has decided it's time to make my own indie films, but in doing so, I had to admit that there were gaps in my understanding of how to shoot with DSLR cameras. What was worse, was that I had very little money in my budget, and had to buy used. These two wonderful women took the time to understand my needs and limitations, and helped me get the absolute best gear that I could on by budget. They never talked over my head, but helped me to learn about and understand what I was buying, what quality I could expect for the money, and how to maximize my results. Thanks to them, I am now shooting video that has exceeded my expectations on almost every level. I can't imaging going anywhere else for my camera needs, before heading to see Tamra or Jessica at Precision Camera first. read more