Gulf Coast Camera — Local services in Pensacola

JoAnn and I drove up from Melbourne to visit our nephews and they like to go shopping for plants which bores me to tears so I took this time to visit Calagaz Photo to see if they had any used gear since I’ve been wanting a compact mirrorless camera to use for street photography because my Sony A7iv, which is an absolutely amazing camera, is enormous and torturous to carry around my neck all day. The staff was super helpful and showed me four compact mirrorless cameras that would have all been perfect: two Sonys and 2 Fujifilms, plus an assortment of compact lenses. I loved them all and said I’d think about it and let them know. I’m sure they thought that I was just going to go online to find a cheaper price somewhere, but I had already done my research and knew they were more than competitive. Plus, it’s a mom & pop camera store which is rare these days. In fact, it’s the only one I’ve been in since I got into photography 13 years ago. Although I loved the Fujifilms, I decided on a Sony A7C simply because I could use the lenses I already have. But, it made me seriously consider making a long term switch. The good news is they also rent cameras and lenses so when I’m ready I can take one out for a weekend before I spend $2000 on a camera I’ve never used. I ended up calling them from Tampa to place the order (and added a sweet 35mm lens), paid the invoice online, and they shipped it out the next day. It arrived a few days later, well-packaged and to my surprise it also came with a Smallrig camera cage. I encourage all photographers to make Pensacola a destination, not just for the beaches and bushwhackers, but to visit one of the last and best Mom & Pop photo stores around. Kenneth E. approved!!! HIGHLY...

My experience with Gulf Coast Camera was highly disappointing and frustrating. It took them over ten days to develop my film onto a flash drive, and throughout the entire process, there was zero communication from their side. They never reached out to provide updates or let me know when the photos were ready. Despite personally visiting the shop and asking them to keep me informed, they failed to do so.

When I initially visited, I handed them a 128GB flash drive for the photos. After waiting for 10 or 11 days, I went back to the shop to find that they had returned the film but not my flash drive. Upon inquiry, they informed me that I needed to wait for the photos to be processed onto a flash drive. Finally, they handed me a cheap 15GB flash drive instead of my original one. When I asked about my 128GB flash drive, they claimed to have no idea about its whereabouts—it seems as though they either lost it or decided to keep it for themselves.

Overall, the lack of professionalism, communication, and care for their customers' property left me extremely dissatisfied. I will not be returning to Gulf Coast Camera and would not recommend their...

I usually don't leave reviews on google, but the quality of service I was provided by the staff at this store was absolutely incredible. Pensacola is EXTREMELY lucky to have a camera store of this quality right here in the city.

Some back story...

I've been looking to get into 35mm film photography for a while, but was waiting to pull the trigger until I found a camera I really liked. Calagaz had a beautiful Konica Hexar Rhodium for sale, and I traded in a bunch of gear that was collecting dust to purchase it. They gave me a very fair trade-in and out of pocket expense for the camera was pretty minimal. The camera ended up not working the way I hoped it would, and unfortunately I had to return it.

The return process was very simpleand hassle free. I ended up using the return and trading in some more gear to upgrade to a beautiful Leica M3 with a Leica Leitz 35mm f2.8 Summaron lens. Calagaz cut me a great deal on the camera and lens combo.

The staff was friendly, patient, and always willing to help. I wouldn't hesitate recommending this store to anyone who is into photography. A real gem of a store...