Spartan Photo Center — Local services in Spartanburg

Not sure what I would have done without Spartan Photo Center. I was a professional photographer for 50 years, lugging around a heavy camera bag and tripod on each assignment. Now, semi-retired at the age of 78, I was looking for a light-weight upgrade from the compact, consumer-level digital cameras and smart phones I’d been using in my personal work since joining the digital revolution 11 years ago.

Unlike the good old film days, there are now an overwhelming number of brands and models to choose from. The challenge I faced was finding a brick-and-mortar store where I could hold an actual camera in my hands, and talk with a knowledgeable salesperson familiar with the marketplace. Such establishments are few and far between today, and the big box stores with their limited selections, display cameras that hardly ever work, and inexperienced sales help, don’t quite cut it. For me, online shopping, while great for research, was a non-starter.

That the Spartan Photo Center is thriving in a relatively small market while so many other camera stores have gone out of business tells you something about their expertise, services, and product line. Except for Panasonic, it offers a wide range of new and used equipment, while catering to professionals as well as amateurs. Every Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, and Olympus camera I was considering was on hand for me to look at. I ended up buying the Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark III camera body and M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO lens, both of which met my needs and specs. Cost was competitive with B&H and Amazon.

Special thanks to Brandon who very patiently showed me one camera after another over the course of two different visits, answered all my questions, and eventually came up with the Olympus option when I was about to go home empty-handed. I’m so grateful that SPC exists as the photography place to go in upstate South Carolina. I just wish it would open a branch...

I purchased a camera for my daughter for over $200 so she can take pictures of her summer experiences. It was a Nikon and the last one they had in hot pink. MY daughter was very happy and it worked great. After a week or two, the pictures started to appear blurry. I had my daughter take it to camp for a few days since I figured the camera would fix itself (after all, it was brand new). Well, it didn't and all of her memories were blurry. I took it back to the store and they immediately stated they were going to send it back to Nikon to have them take a look since it was still under warranty (I purchased the camera LESS THAN A MONTH ago!) and explained it could take up to 8 weeks to be fixed and returned. I was so heart broken because by that the summer would be over and I really wouldn't even need the camera anymore! They did offer the ability for me to rent a camera for ONLY $200 deposit and $15 a day. The attendant was kind enough to state that he could try to get the $200 deposit waived, but I declined the offer. I was already out $200 for a camera I could not even use. After thinking about it, I went there again and requested a trade, so that I could have a camera. They had the same camera in other colors, so I couldn't see why they couldn't switch me out and just keep the "fixed" camera once returned from Nikon. In the end, I was told that since it was past the TEN DAY RETURN time frame, there was nothing to do but have me wait. I am VERY disappointed, because I have to use my cell to take pictures. I understand rules are rules, but every good business knows lack of flexibility is a horrible thing. Will not refer my friends or...

I came to this location for an out of town shoot after a rental I had arranged through another provider had an unavoidable cancelation. I made my reservation online and was extremely relieved to have a solution to a very stressful set of circumstances. However upon arrival I was informed that I would not be able to acquire my reservation as I possessed an out of state license. I informed the manager that the shoot was only 20 miles from the storefront itself and stressed the direness of the situation on my end, and was met with no sympathy nor any amount of interest in providing assistance to a customer who was very much in need of some basic human decency. I was offered a refund, which I took immediately as it was an amount of money that is absolutely absurd to charge for the items I had reserved, but was previously happy to pay as I was expecting to have been provided a solution to problem. Do not expect to receive any help from Spartan Photo Center, take your business to other capable photo store that care about the work they do and the customers that use them. I have never had an experience like this at any rental...