Samy’s Camera

Very thorough and knowledgable camera store with lots of options for those looking for a real camera shop. I broke my camera twice in a short period of time and they were able to quickly assist with solutions. Their knowledge of my Nikon made me very comfortable buying from them. The prices are what you would expect at a camera store in downtown Santa Barbara but the service is exceptional

I’m pretty surprised to see so many good reviews. I really wasn’t impressed. They didn’t have any of the speedlite modifiers I was looking for and most of their products were overpriced limited brands or «Samy’s Camera» brand. I spent $ 25 on a «Samy’s» cable release pretty much identical to the Vello one you can get on B+H for $ 6.99. Was interested in renting a lens and was talked out of the one I wanted and pushed towards L glass, which would have been great if not for the $ 2500 deposit. Next time I’ll just plan better and use borrow lenses. It may be a good place to make real purchases, not just accessories, but I can’t say. Josh in rentals was friendly enough but no one else in the store seemed to care enough to give me the time of day. Whatever.

Josh in rentals went above and beyond to assist me in renting the right camera. He shared his knowledge, took time from his busy work schedule to explain about and set me up with the right camera. Sammy’s is lucky to have him.
Thank you
John Flandrick

Samy’s Camera of Santa Barbara, California deserves an A+++ rating.
We were vacationing in Santa Barbara over 12 years ago when I happened to stop in Samy’s. I was looking for a Nikon Slide converter. I was so impressed. I never saw so many knowledgeable and helpful people in one location. I eventually bought the Nikon from Sonny Boyden. He was very honest and knowledge. It has been 12 years since my first purchase. In the intervening years, my husband and I have bought quite a few cameras. Sonny tells me which one is the best for my purpose regardless of the price. He is more concerned with my getting the right camera rather than the most expensive camera in the store. To get to Santa Barbara we drive one hour, but we feel it is worth the trip. I have since recommended the store to my friends and they find the same help and kindness. The people in this store love photography and many of them are professionals with talents I wish I had.
I always buy Samy’s accident policy. I never had an occasion to use it until 6 months ago. My case worked its way loose and dumped my brand new Sony RX-​100M3 camera on the tile floor. I was devastated. I immediately called Samy’s and they told me to bring the camera into the store. The repair department under Tom Judah sent the camera back to Sony. I thought it would take months to get results, but I was wrong. Tom personally called me within two weeks. He said that I was to get a new camera, because it would cost too much to repair the old one. I was ecstatic. He told me to see him. Tom couldn’t have been nicer. Samy’s camera really honors its commitments and gets results right away. Because of my experiences with Samy’s in Santa Barbara my husband and I will never buy a camera anywhere else.

Great selection and very knowledgable staff. Carter was especially helpful walking me through features on various cameras. Definitely the best camera shop in town!

Great store, equipment, selection, and staff. Larry helped me out and provided excellent service, even going out of his way to promptly correct a mistake that was made from a transaction. Samy’s SB has earned a loyal customer.

If you need help with an Apple Computer Nacho is the best!!! I came in to see if he could help with a pretty serious hard drive problem and he was so great. They don’t do repairs anymore but he was able to do better than any repair shop has before, he diagnosed it on the spot and communicated with me all week about the work he was doing to recover my info. It could have been a huge disaster, but he got all of my stuff back including 14 years of work and family pictures. Thanks Nacho!

My 5D Mark ii decided to stop working hours before I had to shoot a wedding so I HAD to rent a camera. Called Samy’s that morning and they answered the phone the exact minute that they opened. They said they could help me out! I ran in, went to the rental department and, recognizing the urgency, the guy behind the counter helped get everything I needed within 7 minutes. SUCH a lifesaver. Thank you, Samy’s!

I’m not a fan of chains most of the time. Samy’s, at least at this particular location, is different. From my own experiences, the staff is friendly and the film is reasonably priced. Today I purchased two rolls of Portra 400 for about $ 15. Shortly before I drove up to Santa Barbara, I was in Woodland Hills where some run-​down camera store tried to charge me $ 11/​roll.
Anyway, the reason I’m not giving them a 5-​star rating is because they’re selling a used Pentax K1000 for $ 200. This is absolutely ridiculous. I got one, in mint condition with the same lens (also in like-​new condition), on eBay for $ 40.
Obviously they can’t rip you off if you don’t let them. This applies anywhere and everywhere. All-​in-​all, I do like this place. They’ll have my return business but only because I’m not in the market for a Pentax SLR.

Yep. Went in, explained my problem and guys were super friendly. They patiently helped me making my decisions, so thumbs up! Liked it and shall return.

Needed to go here in a pinch because I was in the area. GREAT selection of new and used gear and good prices. However no one helped me. When a woman finally did get around to helping me check out she was pleasant and helpful but that was about 20 minutes after standing around waiting for someone and then helping myself. All in all aside from the wait it’s a great spot for gear.

Carter offered amazing customer service! Purchased an Eos 70D. He was extremely knowledgeable about all of the camera options that would meet my needs and we came up with this choice. He gave me a tutorial with multiple lenses and I found the perfect two lenses to accompany the camera. He even offered to set the date and time, attach lens cap cover, and neck strap for me, so I’m ready to shoot. Go in an ask for Carter if you are in the market for a new camera !

Samy’s Camera has always been a fantastic shopping experience and Mike has always been patient answering our questions and has made great recommendations without a high-​pressure sales pitch. Whether it’s a camera accessory or the full-​blown camera, we’ve been extremely happy with our purchases from Samy’s and we will continue to shop here!

Very helpful! Gave me exactly what I needed for my old camera even though I didn’t know much about it. They even opened it up to make sure it worked and did not try to up sell me on anything I didn’t need.

Amazing value from a camera store anywhere, but especially for one located here in Santa Barbara.
We wanted to upgrade from pocket cameras to a nice SLR camera for an upcoming vacation. Researched options online to learn what we wanted, and went to Samy’s. My wife and I were blown away that they had all the cameras we were interested in allowing us to try them out, and the prices were competitive with Amazon and other online vendors. We bought one and are very happy with entire experience.
They also have classes for first time users, and it happened that the next class was scheduled for later in the same day that we bought the camera. Class was taught by a professional photographer, and very helpful to us beginners.
Samy’s is a Santa Barbara gem, a local camera shop with personal service and competitive prices with internet retailers.

Larry set me up with a great lens for my Nikon. He is knowledgeable and attentive. It’s great to go to a place that has great employees.

Usually go to the one in Los Angeles because i’ve been seeing the same guy over there for years now but was up here for a trip and had to pick up a few things. An employee named Larry helped me and my girlfriend out and went above and beyond to satisfy our needs. Really recommend this place/​Larry if you have any trouble shooting or just trying to gain some product knowledge on your gear! Two Thumbs Up!

There are only very few serious photo stores left and Samy’s fortunately has been able to fight off the internet competition. This is a store for the professional photographer as well as the (serious) amateur. The offer a wide selection of the finest camera brands, accessories, renting services, printing, courses etcetera. Always lots of knowledgeable staff available to help you making the right choice.

Bottom Line: these guys are Pros

Not sure why they moved but this is always the place to go when you have questions, or need a no nonsense plan for something. They are always professional, friendly and get to the dammed point
right on.

Samy’s Camera in Santa Barbara is the best place to buy any camera equipment anywhere.
I am a local Santa Barbara Real Estate Expert and Photographer and being able to film and photograph my own listings is something that I love. Samy’s is my go to Camera store. The staff are extremely knowledgable and have someone in each department who is happy and willing to share expert advice on anything you are interested in from video, photo, photo editing, drone and copter, rigs and mounts, printing, rental and much more.
Samy’s in Santa Barbara will always recommend the best products in the category you are looking for regardless of another item being more expensive. There customer service is 5 star, they truly go out of their way to make sure their customers happy. As the last person stated in their review, I too leave having spent less money then anticipated.
I cannot say enough good things about John, the store manager, either. John always points me in the right direction and knows exactly what he is talking about. He takes care of his customers and treats them like friends. Salute.

I have been shopping at Santa Barbara’s Samy’s Camera for over two decades. Hands down, the best customer service of any camera store I have ever shopped at.
I bought a camera about a week ago. The salesman was very knowledgable, and assisted me in selecting a camera that was perfect for my needs. Several days later I spotted a camera that I believed to be a superior model at a significantly lower price. I was a little annoyed, so decided to visit Samy’s again to let them know that I was unhappy with the deal that I had gotten.
John listened to my complaint patiently. He then brought over both cameras (the model that I bought, and the «better» one that I saw for less). He did a side by side comparison, and explained that the «cheaper» camera was indeed inferior to the one that I had purchased. So, they sold me the best quality camera for my needs after all!
Then John informed me that a store wide sale had started that week. And that he could give me the lower sale price, as I had bought my camera only days before. That gave me a refund of ~$ 140.00!
This store has the experts who can help you with all things camera. They take time to make sure that you get what you need and that you are happy with the purchase.
Some folks like to shop in a brick-​and-​mortar store, and then go online to purchase (which can be very unfair to the store that has to pay rent, utilities, and wages to their employees). I have done that on occasion when store prices were crazy high, or where customer service was non-​extistant. But I always try to buy from any store that provides good customer service. Fortunately, Samy’s prices are very competitive. And the few dollars more that I will spend there more than pays for the one-​on-​one time and followup customer support that they offer.
Thank you John! And thank you Samy’s!