The Camera Store's Founder on Film Resurgence, Camera Sales, and More | The PetaPixel Podcast

[@AngeloRyanMaalat]

Without Peter, there isn't Chris and Jordan! Thank you Peter!!!

[@logtothebase2]

The huge innovation of the Camera Store is the KZbin video, I think there was only DigitalRev with a KZbin presence/personality at the time, and it has taken a while for other Stores to catch up, but now every camera retailer has to have it.

[@MrRoosterx]

Totally agree. I used to live in England when I got hooked on photography, and even I knew about the Camera Store and DigitalRev, I even bought my Nikon D7100 from DigitalRev, nowadays mostly for digitizing old 35mm negatives. :)

[@PhotoTrekr]

A few years ago I flew into Calgary on my way to Banff, Lake Louise, etc. One of the places I wanted to visit was The Camera Store. I loved the mom and pop camera stores that we used to have in my home town. But, sadly, they are all gone now. It was nice to see that there are still local camera stores. Even if they are few and far between which makes them even more special.

[@Cariboukid]

The segment with Peter is a quite timely segment for me as I just purchased a new Voigtlander lens from The Camera Store this afternoon, the day of this airing. Within 2.5 hours of them receiving my online order they sent me a tracking number with delivery date. Now that's great service. Thank you The Camera Store!

[@ginonix7267]

Got to say in the beginning I was ambivalent about Jaron but now I have come to appreciate what he brings to the table every week.

[@aldiosmio]

Astrophotography gang shoutout! From growing up watching space documentaries on Discovery Channel, to actually taking photographs of galaxies with my own camera. My younger self would have been blown away!

[@GrandRiverMusic91]

these intros are getting more and more unhinged and i love it

[@punkrachmaninoff]

He's still on painkillers.

[@dillank3240]

Honestly, The Camera Store is the best camera retailer in Calgary. I live there, and I am their [small] customer. It's obvious that they dominate the market here. The place is always busy. All the other dealers in town have very similar pricing, but The Camera Store is much busier. It's the service that makes the difference.

[@jaydanielstech]

Fun to see this interview with The Camera Store owner. Love the stories!

[@PhilThach]

We visited Banff in September, but made sure to stop by the camera store and pick up a T-shirt while we were in Calgary. 😎

[@Hyper88]

What a fantastic episode for this week. Amazing discussion and fantastic banter!

[@fistfulloflenses]

Loving the channel😊 fascinating insight of the camera industry, in the UK I've so many camera shops close down, I can see why, with all the challenges you face

[@AadidevSooknananNXS]

Physically flew to Alberta in May to buy my Z6II specifically at TheCameraStore!! (from the Caribbean)

[@jjsilver23]

I don’t live in Calgary but buy gear from TSC online because of the you tube channel. I really appreciate Jordan and the other guy(forgot his name Christian or something like that) and the new D AND E team. I respect the effort and will continue to support TSC. This strengthens that commitment. Ironically I have bought all my peak design stuff from them so I guess they had to dust it off :)

[@Alliance758]

Chris’s hair is already perfect

[@HesselFolkertsma]

The X-M5 looks like an interesting proposition for people that like shooting streets with wide angles stopped down. The hot shoe sits nicely above the lens mount, a good position for an external VF. Thank homer it kept the mechanical shutter!

[@REZrblde]

Oh man TheCameraStore brings me back some memories of how i first found Chris and Jordan from TCSTV youtube channel. Was googling for a Panasonic ZS200 review at that time.

[@bobcunningham9469]

Whenever I am in Calgary, a stop at The Camera Store is mandatory. If you live in Canada and don't have access to locally owned camera store, I urge you to consider ordering from TCS, which I have done and was very pleased.

[@costafilh0]

Thanks for the reply. It's always good to hear your insights.

[@MrWiseinheart]

Hope the Camra Store thrives, enjoyed hearing from Peter.

[@johnehman8685]

Thanks for talking about your technical skills in action. Very interesting! Also, I agree that there can never be too much emphasis on customer service for in-person camera stores, including offering an atmosphere of shared enthusiasm for photography. (You can’t get that from an online store.)

[@paulhancock]

I loved hearing from the owner of The Camera Store (Peter). Great stories and insight. I always say you choose a company to deal with based on the people, and I try to support independent businesses wherever I can... Unfortunately I sometimes can't afford not to buy from Amazon occasionally and always feel guilty when I do! Just on the new Fuji not having an EVF... Why does no one do modular detachable EVF's any more (although I think Leica do on one model)? I had a Lumix GX1 back in 2011 and an EVF was available as an accessory which just clipped into the hot shoe. The camera was tiny and compact and a detachable EVF was a very elegant solution but no one does it any more which is a shame. A truly modular compact mirrorless camera would be superb (I know cinema and box cameras are)... With different size grips, EVF etc being detachable/replaceable/upgradeable... But maybe that's the point, manufacturers want you to have to buy several cameras which each have their own set of fixed features, not a modular 'jack of all trades'.

[@Pete292323]

Best guest so far!

[@williamburkholder769]

Interesting interview with Peter. I was in PMA/PMAI for years in the 1990s-2010. Yes, there were some CRAZY things going on at some of the conventions. But nothing as crazy as that Konica helicopter story.

[@KCCadillacGuy]

I wish camera stores existed like this, in any serious quantity, in the US. Not sure how it is everywhere but there is only one store near me and it's owners just retired. Luckily a minor chain bought it so it lives on for now.

[@MrFL08]

Absolutely fantastic episode, loving this podcast

[@angelamaloney4871]

I was watching the podcast and fell asleep. Then I had a weird dream in which I started dating Jordan and Jordan bought Chris and Jaron to my hotel room while I was traveling. The hotel room looked like something garish enough to come from Trump tower and had multiple rooms. It came time for me to check out, but the three of them kept talking about various ways that the industry, especially Canon, had started treating camera stores worse and worse over the years. I couldn’t get them to stop. Finally I had to have security chase them out so I could vacate the room. But then they started talking about it over the phones, which were like phones from the 1930s that you’d see in an old movie. It was really weird.

[@DimbleWally]

It's fascinating how reality and dreams can mix together. Sounds like the perfect date!

[@angelamaloney4871]

@@DimbleWally Well, I’m happily married and I think Jordan is too. So I’m not sure it would be such a perfect date for either of us really. Not to mention that I’m an American living in Australia. Definitely a weird dream though.

[@1225KPH]

It's easy to fall asleep watching a testosterone-free podcast. Yawn Canada!

[@barryscully1820]

I'm happy that you guys mentioned the Sigma 120-300 as I wrote a blog article on that just a few weeks ago (to be seen by approximately no one). I have bought Sigma's 500 f/5.6 which is a nice light lens but a new large aperture zoom that is reasonably affordable would be perfect for the lower light nature photography that I do much of the year. Maybe Sigma will listen a bit more to "famous" people like yourselves :)

[@groghunter7403]

To amplify Chris's point, as a recent photography convert, it was absolutely the control & difference of using a "real" camera that actually drove my interest. i was never really interested in photography using a phone, or even a point & shoot, but the experience of learning how to work with exposure, of having to think about what my shutter speed or aperture should be, of having this tiny world of my own in this viewfinder, that was entirely mine to succeed or fail in, is what i ultimately found compelling. I don't think, at least for me, that an easier camera would have had the same draw, as, for me, it wouldn't feel like the same experience if failure or success wasn't so entirely based on things i have responsibility for. That said, there's lots of different people with different desires. i doubt Taylor Swift is shooting in manual mode.

[@RichardoBrit]

I’ve purchased a few lenses from The Camera Store because of Chris & Jordan

[@ScottJWaldron]

42:00 "(Better) products that cost more" does seem like the trend sadly. Very cool interview! I'd like to see more from him.

[@Dylan-Vassar]

Regarding the Fujifilm shortage, I was in Japan in July. They had Fuji slide film in all of the major used camera shops. When going to the Fuji website for Velvia 100, there’s is a note stating in 2021 the EPA had a ruling banning PIP, a chemical found in very trace amounts during development of Fuji slide film. The EPA effectively banned processing and distribution of Velvia and in July 2021, Fuji pulled Velvia from the US market. I’m assuming they also pulled much of their other films as well except for the Fuji 200 you find everywhere. The only way to get it now is to bring some back from Japan like I did.

[@jeejbeej]

Here in Europe it's also available

[@photonspark]

Re Renee's comment on processing JPEGs in camera. I shoot RAW + JPEG on Olympus and process RAW on PC. Having said that, Olympus native JPEGs are very good, natural colours with good denoising and sharpening, more often than not they're ready to go.

[@ThroughJoesLens]

The Internet sales of online camera stores and Amazon has resulted in the closing of every local camera store in my area. Digital really accelerated it too because you don’t even need somewhere to drop off your film for processing. I used to split my purchasing between online and local to support them. Plus I enjoyed going in and just looking around. It’s not an option anymore here unless you count Best Buy as a camera store. 🤷🏻‍♂️😡

[@wernerbrodbeck6111]

Great episode guys! Loved the interview.

[@SomeUnremarkableGuy]

1:07:00 That's a great question Jaron. Thanks for bringing this up.

[@a_deep_breath_in]

I love the points of view and opinions in these podcasts

[@chrisw443]

I could kick butt on the old supermarket sweep!

[@marklaurendet1861]

The CameraStore Intro was very good, would love to see more of this type of thing. To me the intro's are getting a little too unhinged, but is probably my age.

[@Spearmanmark]

I enjoyed this very much. Your old boss seems like a straight shooter.

[@donwhite332]

The camera store really does excel in warm service, there is an energetic vibe not often seen in other stores. I would suggest trading in the Keurig coffee machine for a mini bar with little scotch bottles; sales would take off!

[@botch3936]

Regarding weight discomfort from the Apple VP: I started riding motorcycles at 45 and the weight of the helmets killed my neck, even on my 15-minute commute to work. By the end of the first summer I was doing 9-hour days with no discomfort whatsoever. The neck muscles just don't get used that much (unless you still get your water from the village well) and it doesn't take long for them to toughen up. Love the podcast!

[@daveb7975]

FYI vertical integration is not the same as a monopoly or mean that a company will become a monopoly. A monopoly is a company that owns 75% of an industry (according to the Sherman Act), but in some cases you need a higher %. Many companies are vertically integrated and have only relatively small portions of a market.

[@johnyoung1606]

Always Great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

[@ScandinavianCoward]

Great points from all of you on the AI aurora.

[@9Mtikcus]

The problem with AI is that people don't care until it effects their jobs... Right now, AI is coming after the creatives. I know from the real world their are a number of people that don't think photography is art, they just see pretty picture that a camera took, so they don't care. "You must have a good camera" I use portrait photography to tell peoples stories... AI will make up the stories.

[@AnthonyKongSYD]

lol. this is a very fun episode 🤣

[@joeyc923]

Such an interesting discussion on manufacturers disinter-mediating their resellers. I was very interested in a Nikon Zf at launch, but I wanted a green one. When I found out Nikon was only selling colored versions directly and I couldn't buy one from my preferred retailer (Pixel Connection), I decided not to buy one at all. I'm sure Nikon USA doesn't care about little old me, but there are many of us who value the community that brick-and-mortar resellers build.

[@POVwithRC]

Loving the new set, Christopher.

[@realvandelayindustries]

I literally cannot imagine what lenses those silhouettes represent

[@giklab]

If you brighten the Canon announcement image, you can see the "long lens" says 70-200 on the bottom.

[@DRAYN0]

On the topic of Calgary…. I stole the Boun Giorno first date idea 😳. Camera Store is the best as a student too, they always are so helpful and don’t push the most expensive gear on you as an amateur 😊

[@ymn9738]

3:40 I was just thinking that Chris would do NUMBERS on GameChanger. Jaron, I now neeeeeed the PP x Dropout crossover episode. It would be SO silly.

[@PetaPixel]

They're a much bigger deal than us, they probably don't even know who we are haha

[@ymn9738]

@@PetaPixel surely there's a bunch of camera nerds in the cast and/or crew. And surely news of Chris' bits will have travelled to their studios

[@chuckl7713]

+1 on the camera variant of the Lego set.

[@gordonjames8811]

I remember Peter and Julien working at Cam Tec camera ,a which was the busiest camera store at the time ,i wish they at talked about that scenario ?

[@short_bar]

I am a fujifilm shooter and what I wish for photo editors is that raws can also have the film simulations settings attached. Not baked in but there when you transfer it to your photo editor but removable and adjustable. Sometimes I want to sharpen a picture but that loses me the simulation and colors I liked. Maybe I just need capture one haha

[@williamgabriel6041]

36:00 The big zoom lens is totally a 70-200 (ii) f/2.8 Z w/ internal zoom. There’s been leaks, and it looks just like the 24-105 body. I’m very excited by this. The RF 70-200 has a terrible zoom ring and I anticipate this will fix that.

[@Sneaky-Sneaky]

Chris, where do I get a tubal ligation for Susie my goldfish ?

[@chrisw443]

I cut my hair recently too, and its styled with Loreal paris studio line 7 style rework, Chris's hair styling secret. ;)

[@PetaPixel]

One of us. One of us.

[@chrisw443]

Hehe love yall

[@Maddin1313]

Haven't shot film since 2007 or something. Now I got a Bessa R3M in the mail and some Ilford HP5. I'll need some stuff to develop it myself too.

[@ricknicholson5894]

I have Canon and Fuji cameras. My one frustration with my Canon 5D mk4 is going into a menu, even if using touch screen, to adjust EC. This just seems dark ages to me, I love, love, love, the EC dial on my Fuji cameras. I bought a used Canon 7D mk2 about 8 months ago for the Canon 1.6 crop factor when using my Sigma 150 -- 600 Sport lens. I forgot it didn't have a touch screen so that user interface seems so dark ages compare to my other three cameras but PS: I love the 7D mk2, even today with all the other mirrorless goodies out there.

[@kevinkelly6524]

I’m going to disagree with Jordan. Canadians kick ass regularly on Jeopardy.

[@hroemer53]

My favorite store to shop live in winnipeg but go to Calgary to visit family and the camera store

[@bodyweightbob8669]

Why don’t cameras transfer raw files via Bluetooth or WiFi to their apps i.e. imaging edge? Hope the new .jpeg formats allow for higher quality transfers if the new cameras support it

[@PookySharif]

Best Buy was selling a camera for $300 below your cost? I'm shocked that a manufacturer had $300 of margin in any camera, ever. Is that a play to make the body a loss leader and hopefully make it up in lens sales? Or are/were cameras just way higher margin than modern consumer electronics (or at least my understanding of them)?

[@IanButterworthyyc]

New lens not internal focussing, so will it be good on a gimbal? It is lighter than the older lens.

[@cmiller7299]

I'm very sad Fuji stopped making Pro 400h and C200 (note the "C" in C200, the new Fuji 200 is just rebranded Kodak Gold). I still have some cold stored and it'll be a sad day when I have to fully switch to Portra. My guess is Fuji thinks the film resurgence is just temporary. Regardless, I do see how it would make better business sense to just make X100's

[@georgedrick2627]

I worked for the world’s largest camera store, Altman Camera in Chicago, from 1973 until Ralph Altman shut it down in 1975 rather than let the Teamsters organize his 100+ employees. If anyone qualified for a good time at the expense of camera companies, it was Ralph Altman. But Ralph’s wife, Lillian Altman, oversaw the store’s accounts. I’m certain that Ralph couldn’t have gotten away with anything without Lillian eventually finding out, and anyone who knew the wrath of Lillian would know that Ralph had to take a pass on all good-time-benefits.

[@Volcano_oso]

What were the gunpla kits was he able to get?

[@msaunds83]

I'm surprised Sony hasn't put something with the Xperia phones into their cameras when it comes to a phone setup on a camera.

[@PHOTOBUFFEDDYed]

Nice job 😅cheers

[@krishnakumarr9619]

35:04 ngl i can appreciate a shorter 35mm 1.8 that i could use on the s5.maybe canon should've been my better choice (R8 wasnt out yet tho)

[@borassictime918]

I suspect the bottom line for Fujifilm film shortages is the bottom line. The volumes/margins don’t support capital investment cost.

[@SilverHalides]

Not going to have AI create Aurora backgrounds in any of my photos… but was *so* hoping to get C2PA in firmware version 3.00 for the Sony A7R V. Instead, we now have the option of buying a license to customise grid lines 😂

[@photonspark]

Company who could possibly rework the typical camera interface controls/user experience : DJI

[@cyrilhamel8289]

Canon's guess : 70-200/2.8 with internal zoom, 24/1.4 and 50/1.4 with identical size than the recent 35/1.4 😎

[@adrianmcgrath1984]

I don't really see why Fuji would want to encourage film sales, when they want people buying their cameras. The less lines they have to carry the better (for them) and per square foot of factory, camera manufacturing has to be more profitable and doesn't require the same environmental responsibility that handling chemicals requires. I left working in photo stores as digital was emerging, but I can't imagine that film is that widely used except by some tedious hipsters? And I can't imagine the economics for a photo store are very good either? Well into the '90s, if your store had a decent turn over, the film manufacturers would pretty much give you C41 processors and print machines in exchange for a contract to use their paper and chemistry. The same for some of their other equipment - enlargers etc. that were all in one machines with a screen at the top, a slot for your negatives and chemicals in the bottom half. They had an interface that could be set for customer or staff to use. And that was where the store made its money, camera sales were not nearly as important - except to encourage film sales and build relationships with people whose printing we could do. Competition amongst film companies was so great that you'd hear store owners discussing going "yellow or green" as an independent store, you could do a deal with Fuji or Kodak for your store front. (Agfa were doing deals on C41 equipment then, but i'm not sure they were on storefronts?) Kodak and Fuji would give you all sorts of shelving, cabinets and the like, they'd give you a portion of your advertising budget, displays etc. and all a dealer had to really do was have their film on the first shelves as you entered the store and go with their regular promotions. Film is never going to come back, and it will never reach the economy of scale and never become the fierce competition that subsidized all those stores for so many years.

[@shred3005]

It’s clear to me that if Fuji releases an X-E5 it will be a big jump in price from where the X-E4 was at. The new X-M5 is virtually the same weight (355g v 364g) and only millimetres smaller (while being thicker) has same X-Trans 4 sensor (but upgraded processor for the video), has no viewfinder yet they are charging the same or more than the X-E4 when it was still in production less than 2 yrs ago. Fuji really is pushing into premium pricing across the board and has stopped being reasonable value. So you’re buying the concept (film simulations and X-Trans sensor hocus pocus) rather than the product. I’m a Fuji user by the way, well invested in the system with a couple of bodies and a bunch of lenses.

[@POVwithRC]

The Sims and the Sensor ARE literally the product, not a concept. You literally give Fuji money for those tangible things.

[@shred3005]

@@POVwithRCbut every digital camera has colour profiles and a sensor. But Fuji markets them at a premium as something special they have. I contend that they are no different Colour profiles are a subjective thing and sensors vary. Fuji has made a clever marketing thing of their history as a film maker into naming their colour profiles as such but they are really just that. It’s just a marketing concept of their colour profiles and convinced some buyers it’s a desirable premium thing to buy. Sorry, I’m a Fuji user for years and Fuji film simulations are just another colour profile. And moire reduction and perceived sharper image benefits of the X-Trans sensors started to disappear after cameras moved from that 16mp (like my old X-E1) to 25-26mp and higher resolution and the Bayer array cameras all ditched their low pass filters almost a decade ago now. And X-Trans brings as many issues as it solves). I know Fuji fanboys and X-Trans aficionados love waxing lyrical about the ‘look’ and the ‘colour science’ (which is a misnomer) but they bought that marketing hype and in blind tests many people cannot tell the difference between Bayer and X-Trans originated images. My teenage son has a Fuji X-T200 (Bayer and in Fujis cheaper line) and I’ve got an X-E4 (X-Trans 4 same at X-T4 with same processor) and to my eyes, I prefer the look of the images from the cheaper Bayer sensor X-T200. It’s a subjective thing but people will buy the marketing think that paying more for the X-Trans camera is buying them something better. And it isn’t. As I said, all cameras have sensors and colour profiles for output if people choose JPEG. But with X-Trans and film simulations, Fuji have turned them into a marketing concept you should pay more for. You shouldn’t pay more - nobody is going to notice or can tell when they look at your photos. But if the other features of the camera, the look, the feel, the handling, the tactile experience excites you to use the camera and create, that’s what is important because that might help you create memorable images. Not some film simulation.

[@jimmay8627]

25:00 Same thing with the "No CGI" bullship of the last couple of years - in movies with *lots* of CGI.

[@xjuanx92]

I think the AI label from a social media standpoint is less to do with artistic integrity and photography. It’s more based on the intent, a form of labeling false information where people can be gullible into believing what they are seeing. Less about correcting any photo fixes, I see how the label and your channel can lean on that conversation. But the intent is cover a broader scope.

[@FilmRepair]

never underestimate the story

[@FilmRepair]

KONICA WAS BAD ASS!!

[@nazukeoya]

Booth Babes!!! E3 always had those chicks and it was glorious. Got my photo taken with a few Booth Babes in 2001 at E3. 🥰

[@JasperBunschoten]

Fujifilm has been winding down film production. C200, Superia 400 Xtra, Proh 400H, NPS 160 all have been discontinued. Their current C41 films are just rebranded Kodak stocks. And sporadically they have a bit of slide film.

[@chcomes]

A small camera, made for holding, no IBIS... really? micro-jitters galore! Lumix made that error with their "only lens stabilization" until a few years ago and it just does not work well.

[@ZappaBlues]

Game show ... SPOT THE BRAIN CELL !!

[@9988RedefinedD]

What is your relation with the camera store

[@jaydanielstech]

They used to work there and I believe run the KZbin channel years ago.

[@9988RedefinedD]

@@jaydanielstech thanks, I was curious. Im following them on KZbin more than 6 years

[@a_deep_breath_in]

The Camera Store has always treated me great……

[@a_deep_breath_in]

Film boom!!! 🤯

[@a_deep_breath_in]

The magic ingredient of the camera store, hands down customer service… I’ve stepped into the local competitions store for the first time and I’m a big dude ie FAT lol but I was instantly mocked by staff treated like I had no right to be there they assumed a lot about me simply because of my size! The only saving grace was the efforts of one cool human that works there and they treated me with respect; the first time I walked into the Camera Store I heard deep conversation about camera systems there was no difference between how people were treated I felt instantly confident and comfortable, the used sales department was epic and very accommodating! The Camera Store is my favourite space for gear

[@bobcartledge5250]

FIPS, Jaron? I see what you did there...

[@TYUIO11111]

I own Peter's zeiss canon lens

[@johnc_]

I would so love a smartphone with a griii style pocket apsc sensor camera on the back, I dont understand why no one has done this yet

[@bargh70]

Panasonic Made the CM1 but it was a flop. Too expensive and not good enough as a phone or a camera.

[@badshoes]

It’d be a large phone

[@WhoIsSerafin]

Curse that thought!

[@TravelerNick]

Not sure if I want to say you guys sound like 12 year olds or like a bunch of old men. We've been sliding down this path since Kodak started the "you press the button we do the rest" thing Unless you're going to suggest people go back to hand coating glass plates you're just drawing arbitrary lines. AI creating images is only on step further down the path. I'm fairly sure I remember arguments that all digital images should be labeled digital to avoid people claiming they were photographs.

[@breadandcircuses5644]

Top 3 Germany 2024 YTD: Camera €: Sony Canon Nikon Camera pcs Sony Canon Fujifilm Lenses € & pcs Canon Sony Nikon

[@a_deep_breath_in]

How about………..just watching the northern lights, snap some photos and chill take it in, stop faking colours and putting out false expectations

[@FerventAstronomy]

This. So much this. Meta wants you to spend every waking hour on their platforms, so they give you the tools to fake the experiences of the life you aren’t living. EXPERIENCING the Aurora is the point

[@bimmerfan2126]

slr luxotica, the destroyer of good design… totally ruined rayban, and every other brand they sell with cheap product that is way over priced

[@lippylee947]

Ooooo

[@akhyarrayhka4048]

first

[@SPLSE]

Canon has already made matched EF lenses, and everyone forgot about them. Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM