Kaimuki Camera — Local services in Honolulu

I've been a customer of Kaimuki Camera for nearly two decades now. Myself and many, many other professional photographers rely on Kaimuki Camera to have the things we rely on for a living. The service isn't as polished as, say, the Apple Store, then again it's a quirky little Mom & Pop with the BEST Canon and Fuji inventory on the island. Period. Need a Canon 600 f/4, 85L, and a 1DX body last-minute? How about a Fuji X-T1 and a few prime lenses? Well this is the only shop you can walk into and hope to buy all of these things on the spot. It's a special order at every other shop in the state.

I don't understand the negative reviews, especially that genius who gave 1 star because Kaimuki Camera doesn't carry Nikon and didn't know of any shops that did. If they're a CANON and FUJI dealer ONLY (the big ass Canon signage in the window, and the lack of Nikon signage should have been a clue as well), why the hell should they know where to find Nikon stuff!? Talk about being an entitled, terrible customer. FYI there are no Nikon dealers on Oahu as of 6/2015 either, unless you count the big box retail stores so again I'm not sure why anyone would complain as they weren't lying when they said they didn't know of any shops. There are none. As for those who felt they were treated rudely, I've never experienced this in the shop. Not in two decades. Now the service isn't super amazing especially when they're busy, but it's also because it's a tiny shop and if they are with other customers, sometimes you've gotta wait to be helped.

The only time I've seen a customer treated rudely was when they walked in and tried to interrupt an ongoing conversation that staff was having with another customer. And rude customers like that get treated rudely in return. I don't disagree with that policy. Neil & Patty are very up-front, and if their questions may seem blunt at times they don't mean to be offensive...but some don't like that approach. I've never had bad advice from them, and their honesty is what has kept me onboard as a customer all these years.

Their pricing for cameras/lenses/tripods are on par with Amazon pricing, accessories are a little pricier. Yeah, they aren't gonna offer the same worry-free returns as Costco but is that really surprising!? Duh they ain't Costco. Kaimuki Camera is locally owned and the "last independent camera shop standing" in Honolulu. If you're a pro who needs something higher-end like TODAY, or if you need something esoteric like a 40.5mm UV filter or a cable shutter release (remember those?), there is literally no other...

I have never experienced such poor customer service in any retail store let alone a camera shop. I called asking about the pricing and availability of a Canon zoom lens and the person on the phone was curt and made it obvious that they had no time for my inquiry. I thought it was a fluke (I understand that sometimes it's busy or you get a poor sales person on the phone) so I decided to visit the store in person. There was only one other customer in the store besides me and it seemed like he was having a personal conversation with the vendor. I stood at the counter for no less than 10 minutes before they stopped their conversation just long enough for the vendor to shout across the store what it was I wanted. I asked about the Canon zoom and the vendor literally eyed me up and down before declaring the price as if the very mention would send me scurrying out of her store. The look she gave me when I asked to try it out was absolutely withering. I fail to understand how this store can stay in business.

They gave me absolutely no reason to shop at their store: Their pricing was not competitive when compared to other retailers like Best Buy and especially when compared to an online vendor like BH or Adorama. Contrary to what others have stated Kaimuki camera had very poor in store inventory but would offer to order any equipment you wanted if you paid in full with a no return policy! Their manners and customer service is the absolute poorest I have ever experienced.

I regularly make it a point to patronize local stores over online vendors or retail giants even when the pricing is more expensive. If Kaimuki Camera excelled even a little in any of the areas above I would gladly give them my business - unfortunately I don't intend to waste any more time with them. Their business will go under eventually, it's a wonder they've...

I’ve been to this tiny shop a couple of times on previous visits. My only complaint is simply about the size of the place. The itty bitty storefront has maybe fifty sq ft of customer space and due to the current Covid restrictions (Oct 2020) only one customer is allowed in at a time. There is hardly room for more anyway, but oh well. I called about availability of the R6 body only and they had them on hand, while CanonUSA was back ordered on them. Pro camera also had an R6 but only the kit lens version. I stopped by to get the R6 and all was good; they also had the R5 which was also b-o at Canon. They also had the RF100-500 L in stock AND the RF extenders. I was quite surprised actually that they had this inventory. As far as service is concerned I had great service. I did get a little of a “rushed” vibe from the lady but not from the fellow, who answered my barrage of questions regarding the R6 vs R5. I was moving up from the EOS R but not certain which to get for my usage. After a bit I finally realized that the hurry sensation was purely legitimate as they were closing shortly and there were two customers waiting outside! If anything, I owe the shop an apology for not seeing that I was...