Canoga Camera Rocks - plain and simple. Had an issue with the delivery of a camera lens (Nikkor 70-300mm VR) and Chris stepped up and handled things for me. End result was that I received my lens and it's in great working order.  
 
This is truly the place to purchase your items. Fast, professional service and you get to speak with a live person - how cool is that?

This review was modified by its author, lyndee3113, on 10/16/09 4:12 PM.

This experience deserves a complete review. I've been a long time B&H customer...that all changed last week. I've been waiting for B&H to get the Canon 400/2.8L IS lens in for over a month. So, I decided to start looking elsewhere. I found the lens on Canoga's website. Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first because their price was over $300 below Canon's retail price.  
 
I emailed the folks at Canoga and asked if the lens they show in stock was actually in stock and they replied within an hour saying it was in stock. I emailed them back and asked if they could possibly hold the lens for me until the following day. They emailed me back and said they would be more than happy to hold it for me.  
 
Here's the most important part of this review. Canon raised the price of this lens a few months ago from 6500 to 6800. I spoke with Chris the following day to confirm this was a USA warranty rather than an import warranty. He confirmed it was the USA warranty. Get this...he said this was the last lens they bought at the lower price before Canon raised their prices. So, instead of raising the price of something already in inventory Canoga chose to keep the price of this lens inline with what it sold for before Canon raised the price. That has to be the most ethical thing I've ever heard of a company doing. Very impressive!  
 
Chris, Canoga, you have a new loyal customer!  
 
TC in GA  
ps I ordered the lens through their website on Friday August 29th. I used 3day UPS. Remember this was a holiday weekend. The lens arrived today (Tuesday Sept 2nd). WOW!

This review was modified by its author, jtc11, on 9/14/08 4:25 PM.

EXTREMELY SATISFIED - I have ordered on countless occasions from Canoga Camera, for all of our photographic needs. I do a great deal of research on the Internet, and am aware of prices and service of a great number of retailers. Canoga Camera has always had the best prices for anything I needed to buy, and service has been exemplary. I enjoy working with Canoga because it's like having a friend in the business. You'll never have to deal with any funny stuff, just honest people working hard so that you can buy with confidence each and every time.

This review was modified by its author, stuart12447, on 9/2/08 7:21 PM.

Short story: they send me a demo item BUT they shipped it on time and good packaging.  
 
Full story:  
 
The Good Part:  
I ordered a manfrotto ballhead 488rc2 from canogacamera on monday at 10am, and in the afternoon I called them to make sure they shipped it on that day because I'll need it by Friday. They're very helpful and they shipped it at monday night.  
On schedule at Thursday around noon the package arrived, the packaging was great, they put the ballhead box on a big package with foam around it.  
 
The Bad Part:  
After all the excitement, then comes the problem. My ballhead is scratched in many places and looks used. I wonder if they send me a DEMO item?  
If I need a demo item, then why would I buy a NEW item? Is this a deliberate act? Don't they check the item first before sending it a customer?  
Very very disappointed.  
 
Update: the owner, chris is very helpful and apologetic in helping me return the item.  
He gave me full credit for the item, plus the return shipping.

This review was modified by its author, donkhani, on 9/17/08 10:54 PM.

I have to say that this is the 2nd time Chris ( Store Owner ) has been rude to me as a customer who had bought several items from them and this is also the 2nd time I have the exact same experience with them. He had apologized to me on our first bad case. I don’t think he will ever apologize this time.  
 
I simply wanted to get my order tracking number because I wanted to ask UPS if they can re-attempt the delivery at the same day or if I can pick it up, for some reason, the delivery guy didn’t give the correct UPS InfoNotice at my front door so I can’t trace the package at all – Btw, Canoga website didn’t provide anything about the tracking number, their website only showed the shipment progress and it was not updating as fast as UPS website. I spoke to Chris, when I asked him about the tracking number, Chris came up with millions of reasons and Chris never stopped talking ( I asked politely to him if he could stop talking for a second, and let me talk so then I could explain what I want to do with the tracking number, but he didn’t give any chance at all for me to talk. I asked more than twice, he still didn’t want to let me talk and he seemed to be raising his voice. I decided to hung up and call them again and ask for Kathryn ), rude as if I have no experience with lens, tracking number ( which he was not willing to give it to me, I spoke to Kathryn right after I spoke to Chris, within 10 seconds, she was able to give the tracking number ).  
 
I mean how hard it is to just send me a simple plain email about the tracking number or call me directly to my cell phone number? Don’t tell me that it is for security reasons, technical difficulties or whatsoever, it is my personal email and cell phone number that I used for my order. The bad part was not just Chris’ rude attitude, when I opened the packaging; I found out that they sent me a used-demo item, a very used item with lots of scratches here and there, I don’t think the condition of the item was like “that” from the manufacturer. My head was about to blow when I saw it is a used item. I have done everything I could to get the item on that day ( I did manage to get it on that day ), but it turned out to be a major disappointment. I called them immediately for arranging a return or exchange, not sure if I want to exchange it as it has happened to me twice, I’m just no longer willing to put my trust on them. I spoke to Jamie; he’s very helpful and willing to do what’s necessary to fix it. He’s also very apologetic and polite. They did manage to give my money back, but that’s not what I expected, if they wanted to satisfy a customer, they should have treated them as one and shipped the “correct item” on the first place. Let me tell you, I bought several items from Canoga Camera because a big camera dealer at NYC ( where I bought most of my camera gears ) did not have the items in stock and Kathryn ( store manager I believe ) seemed to be a very nice person when I visited their store during my West Coast road trip last year.  
 
Read these comments from mysterywhiteboy and donkhani : http://www.resellerratings.com/seller_info.pl?seller_id=1322&comment=396730#comment396730  
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller_info.pl?seller_id=1322&comment=403397#comment403397  
 
My experience is very similar to them ( I’m not the only one who has experienced this kind of treatment ) except I was willing to talk to them and replying their email if necessary.  
 
Oh and, before that, I bought a Gitzo tripod from them, I simply asked them what the tracking number is, Chris replied that they did not provide tracking number at that time which I understood, and within 30-40 minutes later, Kathryn replied with the tracking number. Huh?? Weird as if Chris simply did not want to give it out which is a very similar experience to my comments above.  
 
So, so far, I have 2 bad experiences ( not a coincidence as it had happened twice, same case, same attitude ) & 1 so-so experience out of 4 experiences. I will never buy anything from them again.  
 
If you ever want to do business with them, don’t ever bother speaking with Chris when you call them for any reasons, ask for Kathryn or their other employees ( Jamie ), she is the only reason why I still have respect with Canoga. She has been treating me well – explaining about the shipment info, with a very nice attitude, and honesty. In contrast, Chris has no respect to me and not willing to give any help at all. I’m not asking anything from writing these comments, I could have written everything I have experienced with them, comments above are a short version of the entire saga; I wrote this hoping they could improve their customer service, start shipping the “Correct Items” and start giving respect to customers like me.  
 
Edit :  
**When you called us...**  
See, this is a true example of how you ignoring my comments above, you clearly did not read it. I called for the tracking number because I NEED it.  
 
** When you called us back a few minutes later, I directed **  
That's not the case, I called Canoga immediately and asked to speak with Kathryn directly after I hung up with you and she was able to give out the tracking number as usual.  
 
**I certainly did not intend to be rude when you called and I apologize for not handling your call in a manner**  
Well, why didn't you give me a chance to talk and explain why I wanted the tracking number? You kept talking, ignoring me as if I didn't want to give an explanation, and you even seemed to be raising your voice so then my voice won't be heard. I mean, that was plain rude.  
 
I was very very dissatisfied and still very dissatisfied, I didn't give the worst rating because of Kathryn's nice attitude and services.  
Who wouldn't be pissed if same case, same attitude happened twice.  
Considering all the efforts that I have done to get it on that day, "used" item when I opened it and your "bad" attitude. I think you deserve the rating. I'm sorry.

This review was modified by its author, woot, on 9/24/08 2:51 PM.

I was worried about ordering from Canoga Cameras. We always ordered from B & H Photo in the past. I contacted B & H to try to get them to match Canoga's lower price on the Sigma AF 24-70 mm Lens. They refused. I got on here and read the reviews from other customers and ordered the lens last week. We just received it. The box was new and in perfect condition. We are now Canoga Camera customers!!

After having problems with shipping from the New York City "big guys," I decided to order from Canoga. For example, I once ordered a $1100 lens from one of them, and it arrived in a large box with one crumpled sheet of paper in it, so the lens box was rattling all over the place...fortunately, it arrived undamaged. From Canoga, every thing I order is ALWAYS packed with at least 2" of padding material on all 6 sides, so the ordered items are held in place and cannot move. This is just one example of the outstanding service I receive from Canoga. Since my first order from them arrived, Canoga has been my camera dealer of choice. They're not always the least expensive, but I truly believe that we get what we pay for, and to me, at least, Canoga is definitely "the very best." (Sometimes, they ARE the least expensive, as well.) Thanks, Canoga!

I ordered a Gitzo GT2530 tripod. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The only worry I really had was, "are they going to tell me they ran out and I will have to upgrade if I want a similar tripod?" That was not the case. They did exactly what they said they would do. I received the tripod within 4 days by UPS ground and it was in a new box just as though I had picked it up at the store. I am impressed with the quality of the tripod which is due to the manufacturer. I am also impressed that a company - especially an online store - simply does what it says it will do.

***this is an amendment to an earlier review***  
 
the delay in my response to mr. chase's inquiries was due to me being unavailable during this time period. i am only now able to properly address this situation.  
 
first and foremost, i must say that my shipment did eventually reach the recipient. and i while i do appreciate the effort made to remedy this situation, i take exception to mr. chase's statement, "We invested much time to accommodate the customer’s special needs prior to even shipping this order." much time?!? really?!? because the items i ordered were a gift, i simply asked that the shipment be sent to someone other than myself and that the statement/receipt showing the price be sent to me instead of the recipient. not an unusual or "special" request by any means. it probably took all of 5 minutes to handle.  
 
this could have all been avoided had the gentleman who took my order stated the truth--that they were experiencing "difficult technical problems over the past couple of weeks that...led to the hard decision to stop automatically emailing or providing the UPS tracking numbers until these technical issues are addressed and resolved." instead, i was told--as i mentioned before--that i could not be given my UPS tracking number "for security reasons." when i pressed for more information as to why, i was told my only recourse was to use the tracking feature on their website. but nothing in this conversation indicated that this was a temporary or transitional aspect of their service. it was if it was business as usual. very awkward to say the least...  
 
i am glad to see that canoga camera has since remedied their tracking policy. however, as i said before, i will never order from this place again...

This review was modified by its author, mysterywhiteboy, on 8/9/08 1:09 PM.

If you place an order with this people be aware that they WILL NOT not provide you with the tracking number from UPS, you have to follow what they show in "their tracking system". It means that you can not give special instructions to the carrier who does the delivery, Canoga doesn't provide you with this option. Rate: 5  
 
7/30/2008  
Yes, nobody is perfect. But when a company in addition to his excellent process for sales orders, recognize a mistake with a customer and with effort try to correct it. This company deserve to be rated with the top honors. It is "easy" to take an order, process and send it to delivery, but when things go wrong and a JD customer who already place an order, is dissatisfied, it is not common to find a company that does what Canoga Camera did, recognize the mistake and correct it. For this reason I would like to express my satisfaction with the attention to customers that Canoga Camera takes. You can find in Canoga Camera, a company that you can rate, and I am rating, with a 10.

This review was modified by its author, teriyaqui, on 7/30/08 8:39 PM.

I searched for the best price on a Tamron 18-250mm lens for my D40 and found the usual ripoff sites selling it at a highly discounted price. When I saw Canoga Camera had it for $50 less than the going street price (even after paying sales tax), I checked their ratings here and decided to take a chance.  
 
I was amazed -- these guys are awesome. After ordering online, I decided I wanted to remove an additional lens filter I placed on my order, so I called their 800 number to see if it was too late. I was transferred to a nice guy who said it was no problem because the order was not sent out yet, and quickly changed my order to exactly what I wanted - just the lens. The next day, a box showed up on my doorstep with my lens! Is this better than Newegg or what? How can I not shop here again?  
 
Note: I received the USA warranty version packed in a lots of packing in an outer box, so it arrived in perfect condition. No gray market, no BS about out of stock, no up-selling. I used the standard 1-5 day UPS delivery, but I live close to the store, so it arrived 1 day. I paid less than I would from the other top rated resellers, but I wouldn't mind paying more for this kind of service. Definitely buy from Canoga Camera.  

First purchase from them. Courteous, helpful, good price (got rebate I didn't even know about) speedy shipment, good followup. I'd recommend this store to anyone.

Ordered a Canon xti and 100-400 lense. Price was right and service was great. I would recommend this store to a friend.

This review was modified by its author, morganrh, on 6/7/08 3:01 PM.

This is a fantastic store with great people.  
 
I purchased a Gitzo GT 2530 tripod. They had the best price and an additional 10% discount plus the rebate everyone else was offering.  
 
I made a mistake entering the order and it was placed without adding the 10% discount.  
 
When I realized I made the mistake I called to see if I could fix it. No waiting, I was put through to a super nice person named Ghada who fixed the problem in less than a minute.  
 
I got the discount and they still shipped the same day.  
 
A great experience !!! Excellent prices, great people and same day shipping. I will definitely purchase from Canoga Camera again !!

Great deal, and great correspondence, ordered Canon 5D with 24-105L lens, and B&W poloraizer filter. Not only was the cost 600 dollars less (when you figure in sales tax) then the best deal I could find locally, shipped same day order and received promptly via UPS.  
 
Chris, called to confirm order and no pressure to upsale on anything. All of my future orders will go to to Canoga Camera.