Kaimuki Camera

I am a professional photographer and it is hard to find a store that sells pro camera and lighting equipment on the island. That said, Kaimuki Camera is still NOT the best place to go. I'm a long time customer here but will provide the public with an honest review. I find the owners (the only ones who work there) impatient and unwilling to assist their customers. (They will size you up when you walk in the door, trust me). On one occassion the owner bent over the counter and told me a secret--they "can't waste their time helping ameteurs and non-regulars" I was told. (How's that for customer service?). Also keep in mind that they only go out of their way to place orders on lens, bodies, etc for "only our regulars" they said. (but what is everyone else, chopped liver?). Try it--go in and ask for help, assistance or information about any of the products. Neil, the owner, in particular won't give you the time of day. His wife is kinder but both will give you very limited i... Read more

I have been doing business with Kaimuki Camera for as long as I can remember. I prefer to give my business to a local store. I used to work in a camera store when I was in high school. Kaimuki reminds me of that. They have great inventory, excellent product knowledge, they are friendly and are my friends. They tolerate tire kicking and are patient with newbies. Yes it is a family business, but there in lies the charm. If you are price shopping and comparing them with web, forget about it. If you want them to quote you over the phone, forget about it. They are old school. Don't believe the negative reviews, those people just want a deep cut discount and are not loyal customers. Put yourself in Kaimuki Camera owners shoes. If you want great service, real people instead of an anonymous web site the Kaimuki Camera is the place for you. It is a vanishing breed. Support these guys. They deserve it!

Kaimuki Carmera has been around for a decade, and the reason is....they have good connections with Canon, Nikon, Olympus, etc to bring in the latest and greatest products to the islands and us locals and camera geeks just appreciate it! Hey, their photo developing & printing are awesome! Try getting your pictures developed at Costco or Walmart...you can see the difference in qualities at K.C! Locals from everywhere will drive out to shop at KC because they know their stuffs, friendly, and are knowlegeable because they talked cameras all day!

Hard to believe that this store can stay in business with no return or exchange policy. Photography is an expensive hobby with many choices to be made. Once in a while you have to allow for a mistaken purchase. This store wouldn't even let me exhange a camera bag that turned out to be the wrong fit for my camera.

I am a professional photographer who used to shoot the Hasselblads. When digital came out i was injured and did not shoot for a while. My first digital camera was the sony camedia-ugh! My next camera came from Kaimuki Camera when the Fujii Pro S first came out. I now shoot the 1DS Mark 3 which I purchased from Kaimuki Camera. KC is the only camera shop for me. The owners are wonderful, knowledgeable, and supportive of their customers. Yes, it is busy sometimes, but this is good because we want them to stay open and in business. We also learn alot by listening to them explain the new cameras to new customers. I do my printing there, as well, and it is just like a custom lab-outstanding and delivered on time. For those who had service not up to their standards-do you know what "open at 9:00 am" means? Just goes to show you that you cannot please all of the people all of the time. There will always be those few who go down to the beach to watch the tidal wave come in-too bad. ... Read more

The folks at Kaimuki Camera will go way out of their way for their customers, as they have done for me on numerous occasions. They know their business very well, and give freely excellent technical advice, hints and tips on the products they sell. Because they are well-respected and deliver quality service and product support, they get very busy at times. However, the outright majority of customers that I've seen there at peak traffic hours understand that it's a mom and pop store and are very understanding and comfortable with that fact. Because they are a mortar and brick store, they provide face-to-face immediate support, and will service their customer's needs in real time, right then and there, as opposed to buying products on-line, with the inherent time lag, shipping fees both ways, and lack of technical support.

I'm not sure how this place stays in business. Rude and terrible customer service. What are they there for if they are not interested in helping customers or selling their merchandise? I would much rather purchase online or elsewhere in town. Also, parking is a challenge and the shop is small. I imagine that they lose several potential loyal customers due to their lack of customer service. I'm certainly not interested in ever returning.

I have been a regular customer of Kaimuki Camera for 6 years. Pricing, service, and support are excellent. The owner is knowledgeable and very helpful to his customers. He is a former pro photographer himself. I have been to this shop many, many times. From what I've observed, the owner is very friendly and helpful to any customer who walks into the door. I will comment that he is understandably not too generous with his time to people who regularly stop by to handle his display models and then order them online. One guy in the shop actually confided in me outside that he was on his way home to order it online to save a few dollars. This was after he spent 15 minutes trying out a 16-24mm lens and shooting with it on a display body with his own memory card. BTW pricing there is usually very close or matched with online pricing from a reputable seller (such as B&H), but of course not near Crooklyn pricing. It is a tiny shop (with a good inventory in a nearby location), and both own... Read more

I am a professional photographer and have bought most of my Canon gear there for the past 10 years. They are very knowlodgeble and helpful with the best prices this side of New York. They are very busy sometimes though and sometimes I just have to wait or call back but it is worth it.

While I generally like to support mom and pop stores, this one is not worth visiting. They have a notorious reputation for hanging up on customers on phone inquires. I have driven to the store 3 times in the past week during their posted open hours...only to find a "closed" sign posted all 3 times with no explanation! On a different occasion when the "closed" sign was hanging, a man was actually inside sitting behind the counter chatting with his friend. I was standing outside knocking on the window wondering to see if I could be let in to make a purchase. The worker looked at me, didn't budge, and then resumed his conversation with his friend. Others have mentioned that the owner cares more about talking with his friends than serving customers...and in my experience this has been true as well. It's too bad that a local place this like offers such poor customer service. I'd suggest taking your business elsewhere (plus there are always online options as well).

Great customer service; knowledgeable staff; excellent prices --- the only game in town for the serious photographer.

Kaimuki Camera is perhaps the only family-operated camera store left in Honolulu. They're courteous, knowledgeable and they understand the needs of professionals (like myself) and amateurs alike. As a result they carry an impressive stock of quality camera equipment you won't find at the bigger stores. My only criticism are the occasional long lines on Saturdays but who can blame them... as far as personal service, good advice and professionalism, they're the only game in town.

Dont go there!!!! I went there twice and both times they were so rude. It felt like I should be servicing them when it should be the other way around. I live 5 minutes away from there but will never ever again step foot in that store. Anyone who goes in there has to be either desperate for something(which they dont have anything), or willing to put up with the rude customer service. Would not give them any stars if I could. WARNING: DONT GO THERE!!!!

Kaimuki Camera has terrible...i repeat terrible customer service. I called a few times to determine if something was in stock...they were short and not helpful on the phone so I took my chances and drove down there and well...they were even worse in person. I hope that I never have to go back here...for anyone looking for quality equipment its better to buy online nad bypass this store altogether. Its a shame to as we are in need a good camera store in HI. Again I repeat I will never go back or give them my money...their loss

Terrible customer service, especially on the phone. They actually hung up on me saying they were too busy. Even in person inside their tiny shop the owners spent more time talking with visiting friends than with customers. Also, they have a limited selection. Not worth the trip to Kaimuki or the hunt for parking. Get your stuff online or go to Colorprints downtown. They're much more helpful. If you're a visiting photographer, like I was, rent your equipment.