Green's Camera World — Local services in Monterey

SUMMARY: Hit or miss with customer service, and their film prices are comically absurd.

So I’ve only been here about 2-3 times to get film, but unfortunately that was enough for me to understand it’s not going to be somewhere I will shop.

First and foremost, there are two younger men in the shop that were helpful and kind whenever I came in. However, for some reason the woman who works there is fairly rude. I can’t tell if she is trying to be rude, but seems to have a bad attitude towards most customers and seems irritated when a customer asks questions for help.

Secondly, their film prices are the highest I have EVER seen anywhere online or in person. For example - Kodak Tri-X is selling for $10 and some change on B&H and other online film retailers. Here they charged me $16 PER ROLL. I only picked up a roll because I was in a pinch but i will never buy film here again. I understand that film is rising in price, but to me this seems like they are directly taking advantage of being the primary film retailer in the area and up charging photographers. Which in my opinion is not at all healthy for the photography community, it’s just healthy for their bottom line.

Overall, If you are on vacation and need help with a camera, or a hobbyist that shoots digital, or anything in between this is an OK place to go, although I would suggest elsewhere. But if you were at all serious about photography, I would stick to online retailers and other stores in SF...

The store is nice, with a lot of good equipment, and the staff are somewhat knowledgeable and helpful. However, if you are looking to buy film or drop it off for development, go somewhere else. To start, their film prices are unreasonably high. A roll of Kodak Ultramax 400 cost me $15, which would have only cost $9 online or at another shop. If you have the ability to buy your film somewhere else I would highly suggest doing so.

When it comes to developing film things get even worse. The price isn’t bad, but the results are well below average. My roll of black and white film was underdeveloped, resulting in flat images lacking depth and contrast. The scans were very low resolution and therefore lacked detail. You might doubt my claims, but I worked in a darkroom and have developed and scanned hundreds of rolls of film. I have also been shooting film for years and I shot this particular roll on a Leica. I am positive that my film was not improperly exposed and that any lack of detail was not a result of my equipment.

I would have loved to leave a good review for this shop. I always try to shop at local business, but I can’t support a service that just isn’t up to par. My review might seem harsh, but I’m just being honest. I just went through a big move so I don’t have my own chemicals set up, but it seems I’ll just have to continue processing and scanning my own film...

On Sept. 19. 2011, at 4:30 p.m., while leaving San Martin, Calif., on my way to stay in Monterey, I was in a panic. I had no workable travel camera to catch images the following morning of a golf visit to Cypress Point. To make matters worse, the NIKON D50 camera I did have was having problems with the digital card. So, I called every available store in Monterey. I started with Green's CameraWorld. A young woman answered in a rush, was cold and did not want to help. She also reminded me that they close at 6 p.m. I went on to find another store in Monterey, Myrick Photography, which had a professional answer and said that they would remain open to help me. I got through the California traffic and arrived at 5:45 p.m. I also purchased an extra camera and got the NIKON D50 fixed while standing at the counter. I felt relieved that someone was nice enough to treat a stranger in need. Myrick did this, and Green's CameraWorld did not. I would not recommend anyone traveling to Monterey to visit Green's for any camera needs, especially near closing time. There are others who may accommodate you, and they are not far...