Name: WDO Photography
Price range: $$$

Premier Imaging - The Best Camera Shop in Pittsburgh Learn why Premier Imaging is the best camera shop in Pittsburgh from me, your trusted local photography teacher Don Orkoskey of WDO Photography. Premier Imaging is run by some of the nicest people in the Pittsburgh photography community. The entire staff there is super enthusiastic about photography. In this day and age you really need to be in order to work at a photography shop.

Why Premier Imaging Is The Best

Premier Imaging really is the best camera shop in Pittsburgh. There are a few other shops in the area but I avoid them for reasons I've explained elsewhere. There is only one other local-ish shop I'll visit which is in Youngstown (so not really local). Premier Imaging are light-years ahead of the local competition.

The Uncommon Camera Store

Gone are the days of ubiquitous camera stores in every mall and downtown. The internet did a number on retail in general. Specialty shops were especially hard-hit. The steep decline in film processing coupled with the increase in smartphones means camera shops are rarer than ever. Premier is not only surviving but they actually opened up in this decline and are thriving.

Staff That You Can Trust

Premier Imaging has a staff which you can really trust. They're excited about photography, knowledgeable, and truly kind. I love their honesty, willingness to help, and love for photography and those practicing, from pros to new hobbyists they really care about you.

The other day I had a widow call me and ask if I would buy her husband's camera which he loved and took incredible care of. She told me that she's not very savvy about these things so she doesn't want to put it on eBay. She told me a lot of things that I knew might end up getting her taken advantage of at some other camera shops. I told her to call Premier because I fully trust them to not take advantage of her.

Pittsburgh Film Processing

Part of this is their dedication to film photography and processing right here in Pittsburgh. Their staff features many young film photographers who really appriciate the art and craft of film. They also take film development seriously. If you're looking for film processing in Pittsburgh then Premier Imaging is your best bet.

Classes, Shows, and Space Rental

The other thing that makes Premier Imaging the best camera shop around is the wide range of things they offer. Not only can you buy new and used gear but you can also attend a class, show your work or go see others photos, or even rent studio space from them.

As I said, the staff at Premier Imaging are truly committed to the Pittsburgh photography community.

Premier Imaging Is A Trustworthy Camera Store

I know I've already said this but Premier Imaging is the camera store you can trust. After more than 20 years working as a photographer and more than 15 as a teacher I still hear horror stories from students. If you make the mistake to visit one of the very few other shops here in Pittsburgh don't trust them. Verify the prices of what they're trying to sell you, and don't let them be ignorant to you - which they will. This is why I always tell my students to go to Premier and to avoid the other shops.

I promise this isn't a paid endorsement, I'm not getting any sort of discount for posting this. I'm honestly sharing it because they're the best camera store in Pittsburgh. Plus the others are truly bad places to shop.

I've had two student tell me how they were charged a 4 to 5 times mark-up on lens filters. We're talking about price gouging happening at the other camera shops in Pittsburgh. Premier won't do anything of the sort. However, those others happily will. Both these students bought filters they could get at Premier or even on Amazon for less than $20. However at Bernie's they were charged more than $80 in one case and over $100 in the other. I can't understand that. Additionally, they were treated poorly. Don't let that happen to you.