[thechumpen]

Jessops are back thanks to Peter Jones (Dragons' Den). He bought it and I believe is keeping some of the stores open but concentrating on online more. Do a quick Google search.

Hmm, seems Walmart may be worth it for a cultural experience then

[stormtech]

As far as Wal-Mart, I recommend you look at this site before deciding:

Funny Pictures at WalMart

I.....couldn't stop. I looked at a couple pics, then one page turned into another......I'm now on page 71 and I......can't stop!

Oh...my.....I've never seen anything like this!

[p38arover]

Ah, Fry's....

I went there several times whilst staying a few days near LA.

Never saw a Wal-Mart.

[Rupert]

I.....couldn't stop. I looked at a couple pics, then one page turned into another......I'm now on page 71 and I......can't stop!

Oh...my.....I've never seen anything like this!

Yep, and those are real photos! Don't miss Walmart! It beats Disneyland by a mile for fun!

Regards & enjoy your visit!

[photoaki]

I'd say it would be worth a visit. You may not find anything to purchase, but you may see some interesting characters.

Starting with the parking lot -- saw a Rolls Royce there once.
And this guy ...

[Phil1]

When in California you might also try Costco. I personally prefer Costco though not as large as WalMart. Costco's house brand in Kirkland and I have yet to get anything bad there. Meats are particularly good, much better than the average super. Frey's is also known as the "F" store. Lots of electronics.
Enjoy your stay and leave green paper, California is almost bankrupt.

[Winder]

Hi all

I'm travelling to the US next week (California) and noticed there is a Walmart Super Centre near me. Coming from the UK I have an impression that is going to be a huge place that sells absolutely everything. Is it worth a trip for photography stuff e.g. maybe a new sling bag, cheap SD cards, tripods, filters etc? Or is it generally low quality cheapo stuff or otherwise probably cheaper to buy from Amazon? Just trying to figure out whether it is worth trying to fit it into a busy schedule. There is also a Best Buy so would that be better?

Wal-mart is definitely a place to take your camera.

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[Reliant K1000]

A neighbour worked at Walmart here in Canada. He said that training in the camera department was nil and picked my brain when he went there and when he was moved out of there to the computer department. Cheap prices but don't expect knowledge!

[jcdoss]

If you want to see all the worst things about the USA under one roof, go to Walmart. In fact, I'm jealous you know so little about Walmart.

[interested_observer]

Fry's Electronics is pretty good for photo equipment, but not everything. The do carry some Pentax. Samy's Camera I think would be better. The do have several locations around the LA area. They carry essentially everything and do carry Pentax.

[lmd91343]

Here in Southern California, the largest camera store is Samys. The store is four stories tall plus a mezzanine. Their prices run high. They are light on Pentax stock. It is probably a 30 mile drive from Disneyland.

If you are doing sightseeing in the L.A. area, the part of town where Samys is should be the second area on your list (after Disneyland). It has Museum Row: the Peterson automotive museum, the Page (fossils from the tar pits) museum, LACMA art museum and a couple of others. Also the Farmers Market, CBS Television City, the tar pits, Canter's, and other interesting things are there. It is more than a full day.

So if you are doing tourist type activities, a very large camera store is a couple of city blocks away!

[vonBaloney]

There used to be a number of good used camera stores in L.A. where you could probably find used Pentax stuff and older lenses, etc. I remember one big one in Sherman Oaks, and there was a pretty good one in Burbank. Any of those places still there? (I lived in L.A. in the 90s.) There must be a few decent used stores in town -- from everything I've heard Samy's is pretty lame for Pentax (as-is every other new dealer in the city). I think there is a monthly camera show/swap meet in Pasadena -- might be worth checking out if the timing is right...

[Colbyt]

I hope you guys had your AV up to date when you visited that Wal Mart pictures site. Mine just blocked an attack when I went there.

[lmd91343]

There used to be a number of good used camera stores in L.A. where you could probably find used Pentax stuff and older lenses, etc. I remember one big one in Sherman Oaks, and there was a pretty good one in Burbank. Any of those places still there? (I lived in L.A. in the 90s.) There must be a few decent used stores in town -- from everything I've heard Samy's is pretty lame for Pentax (as-is every other new dealer in the city). I think there is a monthly camera show/swap meet in Pasadena -- might be worth checking out if the timing is right...

I still mourn the loss of Studio City Camera Exchange, next door to Sherman Oaks, the best store in L.A. You could get almost anything new or used, if you could find a parking spot! It was only a couple of blocks from Giligan's lagoon, also a memory now (I guess there'll be no sequel)

There was "Frenchy's" in Sherman Oaks. It was a small store. I have not seen it in years. I was last inside more than 40 years ago.

There still are a couple of small still camera stores in Burbank. Neither is worth the effort to go to. One of them I would NEVER go to because of the owner's behavior. There is a giant movie camera store, Filmtools, that is oriented toward the movie and TV industry. They have some stuff for still photographers.

Every time a Walmart pops up, the small camera stores within 10 miles disappear. They kill off the ones that survived the Internet kill off. Where there was 10 camera stores within a 15 minute drive of my home, there is now one.

I have not been to the Pasadena show in a year.

THE GIANT store in Highland Park, Franks, has been sort of gone for years. I remember the monthly 12 page mail order catalog. You had to wait in line to get service there. It is a mausoleum now. Now there is only one small counter where the daughter of the owners sells only highly outdated film, old Kodak data books, and very cheaply made gadget bags. Almost all the store is inaccessible with the stairs to the second story chained off. When I bought my first Pentax there in 1969, I counted over 100 customers. Now there are only about a dozen pigeons roosting in the light fixtures. Very, very sad.

[vonBaloney]

I still mourn the loss of Studio City Camera Exchange, next door to Sherman Oaks, the best store in L.A.

That's probably the one I was thinking of. I was actually not really doing photography when I lived in L.A., so I don't remember too well. I remember one place in Burbank that was small but still had a lot of stuff. The owner was nice -- I only remember it because I sold off a bunch of gear there a couple of times and got generous prices. (Main reason I wasn't doing photography -- I was totally broke.) Back then, there was no ebay or craigslist -- you either sold to a dealer or at a swap meet or used the classifieds (I know "The Recycler" still exists as a website -- I'm assuming it died as a paper?).