I took in a Canon 50D with a broken pin in the memory card slot. Bill fixed it for a very good price and fast service without an expedited price, and then went above and beyond by cleaning out the rest of the dust in the body itself. I bought this used camera from eBay and Bill (Chicago Camera Specialist) cleaned and polished the body without me asking. He also explained to me how to prevent damage from happening in the future. Lastly, he let me try my own SD card to make sure everything was functioning properly before I paid. I will 10000% come back here for any of my camera needs, and I suggest you do too.

Very skilled and straight to the point, Bill is an expert and he helped fix my 1970s Mamiya without issue. Hopefully no camera is gonna be broken but I will definitely come back to this establishment. Honestly, there probably is no one else in Chicago who can fix old 35mm cameras like Bill…

Very knowledgeable, reasonable, and professional. Got the work done as promised (there was some delay due to difficulty of finding a specific part, but that was explained). Not open every day - be sure to call ahead.

He not only repaired my two 35mm cameras, he gave both a complete cleaning of the internals and viewfinder. One did take a lot longer (some months) than the other (within 2 weeks) but he explained the issue was the sourcing of parts. I appreciated the dedication to getting these parts in and working through an uncommon camera brand. On top of that an all around knowledgeable man. Even with a slight understanding barrier, he provided me nothing short of expert, professional work!

An honest and knowledgeable camera repair man. Great service!

The owner helped me quickly figure out the issue with my Canon 518 super 8 film camera. Highly recommend this repair shop, fast turn around and very friendly owner! Thanks again!

WORST experience. I called to ask if they had an original Nikon charger for my camera and the owner said yes. I went to the ATM and get the cash since they don’t accept credit card. I got there and he showed me a battery that is not Nikon and the box was already opened. I swear I’m the nicest people - I’ve been working in the service industry my hole life, but the man got so mad because I didn’t want to buy that battery and started yelling at me to go and order it myself. I nicely said I wanted to buy it from him that he should just tell me how long would it take for the battery to arrive. He kept yelling so I left. I honestly couldn’t understand half of what he was saying, I really don’t get how they sell with that attitude... is really sad because I even insisted on buying it from him after giving me that attitude. :( bad, bad, bad....

Just picked up my Super 8. The owner went above and beyond to fix and clean all the complex inner workings. The viewfinder is clearer and works better than before. I also needed a quick turn around and got it fixed in just a few days. Highly recommend!!!

This place is amazing! They were able to repair my camera in 24 hours so I could take it on a trip up north. I highly highly recommend this shop to anyone who is in need of camera repair.

Did a great work with my lens all the time.. saving me a lot of money..

Nice owner, fair price and quick turnaround

This Owner has no respect or professionalism at all caught an attitude because he tried to take 3-4 months to fix a simple LCD monitor. I repeat DO NOT BRING YOUR CAMERA EQUIPMENT TO THIS ESTABLISHMENT. INTERNATIONAL CAMERA UP THE STREET WAY BETTER SERVICE AND BEHAVIOR. IF I HAD THE CAPABILITY I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS PLACE CLOSE ITS DOORS FOR GOOD.

Great help/work each time! highly recommended!

Nice guy! Didn’t have the non essential accessory I needed as I have a very new model (less than a few months) but had a good chat about cameras. Knows his stuff.

I was extremely pleased with the freindly service and very prompt 36 hour turnaround for the service I needed. I was visiting family in Chicago and do not have access to this type of service where I live.I had requested an inspection and cleaning of my lenses and camera,I was very grateful for the excellent job performed

Excellent repair job on my vintage camera.

This is my first experience with this shop and this review could have either been one or five stars. I gave it five since my camera was repaired and he did a good job. However, if you are looking for someone that is going to hand hold you etc and what not then this place might not be for you. Once when you get past that then it is fine place to go.

I came to the Chicago Camera Repair Specialist today and had a wonderful experience. Not only did the owner I spoke to fix my camera, he also gave me great input on how to properly use it and load film (I am a beginner!). The owner was very kind and helpful. I also found out he sells used cameras in his shop. I highly recommend checking it out because he personally looks through every camera before it is for sale. If you are in Chicago and looking for quality used cameras, look here! I will for sure be back to purchase my next camera soon.

I was stuck in Chicago today due to a flight cancellation and I discovered that my Canon A-1 wasnt firing. I went around Wabash checking out the camera shops and I was referred to Chicago Camera Repair.I got in about 2 hours before close, explained my issues, and the owner checked my camera. He told me he would call me if there were any more issues, and that he would do a rush job to get this finished for me because I leave Chicago tomorrow morning-- he said he would stay late if necessary. It turned out that there was another issue with my camera, and he managed to not only have the tools and parts to fix the corrosion and wear/pieces in my camera, but he also managed to finish before 5:30.It goes without saying, this was absolute stellar professionalism and genuine kindness. I am beyond grateful to have my good-as-new, working camera ready to shoot some film for my vacation. Thank you so much-- I will be referring all of my film community friends to this business if they need any niche repairs.

My shutter curtains broke and after looking up a few places to get it fixed quick and being quoted 3 to 8 weeks as a turn around time I walk into Chicago Camera Repair Specialist and he tells me one week...I didnt have to lose out on any work and didnt have to borrow a friends camera for an obscene amount of time because of this place and the fact that they do repairs IN SHOP not sent out...the estimate was also free! its a quick in and out if you have someone sit in your car to not deal with insane parking rates....also they dont accept credit cards but he was upfront about that and I knew to have enough money when I picked up my camera (no money exchanged hands before that).

Service was completed successfully but there is no professionalism to this business. Large language barrier. Original quote was completely off from what I was charged later. (3x!) Was not given an itemized receipt or explained charges. Quoted 1 month to fix and continually kept calling back in to check after a month -- he would always say, oh yeah, ill call you tomorrow but literally kept my camera for 8 months. I would not recommend this place as a reliable place to do business.

I had a Canon D70 with broke hot-shoe and flash that wont open up. I live far drom Chicago, I called the guy and he was willing to repair and ship it back. I wanted my camera back in 1 week. He repaired and shipped it back in 2 days after receiving it. Also I sent him a check of $205, but he later told me he charges $250 for D70 (he thought it was DD70 when we discussed on the phone). I offered to pay him the difference but he said dont worry about it.Camera was cleaned, looks new again, repair was solid. Guy is honest, prompt and professional.

I brought my camera in to this shop today and the guy was able to quickly figure out that my issue was only a weak battery. He suggested the kind of batteries to get and sent me on my way without charging me anything. I appreciate his honesty and fast service. I purchased the batteries and the camera now works fine. I highly recommend Chicago Camera Specialist for any of your camera needs.

Nice place to find parts and older things you cant find !

I film for a living at least 5 days a week. When my gear breaks down and I am in a panic I go to these guys. They are fast and have parts on hand for anything canon.They have saved my behind on several occasions. They even stayed late to make sure I didnt miss out on work I could not reschedule. Bill (the owner) is a saint. I leave him a small tip everytime I get work done and feel like I should have tipped him more after I realize how much he has bailed me out by fixing my gear fast and the right way. No one else in Chicago can get your gear back and fixed as fast as these guys.

Repaired my camera. But turned out it did not needed repairing of the first place. Took my money anyway though. Alice was nice, though.

Dropped off my new camera to have the low-pass filter removed. Upon return, multiple buttons no longer work. He proceeded to try and “sell” me that I must have bumped my camera. I guess he forgot he played with those exact buttons when I dropped off the NEW camera! During the discourse he kept repeating that it was no big deal that my up directional button and delete button no longer worked and it would cost a couple hundred dollars if I wanted it fixed. Oh, and they lost a screw - found this out later. Thanks for nothing. Unbelievable.

Went in for an LCD screen repair. The screen still worked but the glass was cracked. Owner had my camera for SEVEN weeks, before I received anything back from him. He ended up ordering a replacement unit from the manufacturer. I had to constantly call about updates. I was extremely disappointed about the lack of professionalism, as I was 1) not kept informed all, 2) he ordered the replacement - which was 90 dollars over what he quoted me for the repair - without asking me if I wanted to go ahead and do that. (I couldve had TWO working cameras, if I went ahead and paid a little more for another brand new one. Made no sense to send it in for an exchange at that price) and 3) finally, he was unapologetic about the entire situation. His final comment was that he made no money off of me because he had to order a replacement. Well sorry, camera specialist - if youve ran a business for as long as you have, being the professional and all, holding someones camera for 7 weeks for repair/replacement does not warrant any profit at all. You should have apologized about the entire situation. I didnt even have the camera for my summer trips - which was the entire intent of the original purchase. Needless to say, this was a one-stop-never-shop-again situation.

Dropped a lens (Canon 24-70 L) when working in Chicago, and they had me fixed up OVERNIGHT at a really reasonable price. Can’t recommend highly enough!

It was a little difficult to figure out where to find the shop (It’s on the 10th floor), but once you do his shop is right out in the open. Free quotes for repair. Affordable prices. My $2,000 lens had damage that I was sure would cost me $800 or more and it only cost $235! Repair was perfect, no issues at all! Couldn’t be happier.

Bill (the owner) was an enormous help. The mirror on my Canon 5D came loose and he fixed it quickly and for a very reasonable price. Hes been doing this a long time, and it shows! (NOTE: He only accepts cash or check.)

Sent my Zeiss lens (SEL55F18Z) for repair which I accidentally dropped. It stopped working entirely electronically and was physically broken. If you are into photography you’d know that Zeiss lens are notoriously difficult to repair. After asking and looking around I decided to visit him.The owner proposed a very reasonable price for repair after the FREE inspection (unlike the nearby camera store that would ask inspection fee up front.)The whole process took about one month (inspect+repair), but I just walked out with a fully functional lens that I had only small hope that could be repaired. He even went as far to replace the barrel so the small dent on the surface from dropping is not there anymore. Incredible.The only cons are that the owner does not speak fluent English and the store is very old and small, but generally it’s a good sign that you just walked into the right place due to the location and how long the shop has been opened for.5/5, would recommend to anyone and would definitely visit him again if anything needs repair. Thank you very much kind owner.

The owner is actually really nice, and his service too! would recommend to my friends

Needed to get a stuck lens filter removed. Other places quoted me $40 and at least a week turnaround. Chicago Camera charged me $20 and did it in under 20 mins. I would highly recommend if you need a quick turnaround.

Convenient location. Excellent service. On-time completion. Fair pricing. And good advice.

Fixed my camera up to be back in perfect shape after a long 2.5 years with lots of problems. such a nice guy, very reasonable prices

My 85mm suddenly stopped working so I brought it into Chicago Camera Repair Specialist. He had it fixed for me in just a few short days. I went out and shot with it last night and it was like it was brand new!!

Great job!! Will go back. Nice man, very honest on price and timing to repair.

Building is a bit out of the Twilight Zone. Worth a visit for just that. Service was great.

Was on holiday in Chicago. Unfortunately I crushed the protective lens of my wide angle and had some broken bits of glass inside the lens system. Got immediate and effective repair at a reasonable price. Thanks a lot.

Speaks broken English, but fluent in camera repair. The shop was not what I expected, but they knew what they were doing. They were fast, confident, and polite. I would go back if I ever need any additional repairs.

Dont let the small shop fool you. This guy is good. I had a motherboard problem with my D600. He identified the issue and repaired it quickly and affordably. He even cleaned my sensor!! Ill be taking all my stuff to him now.

Incredibly patient and friendly. They Provided in-depth analysis and second opinion on my Hasselblad 500 c/m. A bit hard to find but worth the effort!Ill be using Chicago Camera Specialists for all my photography repair needs moving forward.

Problem identified immediately and the lens was repaired within a week, even though he had to order a new part. The repair was a little high but given the overall cost of the lens (one of my favorites) it was well worth it and significantly cheaper than simply getting a new one.

So glad these guys are still around. Just learned something new about my old 35, which I’m about to pick up some film for:) thank you!

Really nice guy. Im happy with the service.

I dropped my Lumix DMC-ZS19 on some volcanic sand in Iceland and after that the lens would not close and the camera gave error messages when turning it on. I tried all the simple tricks suggested on the Internet to shake the grit free but nothing worked so I took it to Chicago Camera after reading a few reviews online. The shop is in a slightly odd building on Wabash, but worth the effort to find. The guy said that it should repairable. He estimated $125 if it could be done by cleaning the lens mechanism but warned that if that did not work, new replacement lens often could be several hundreds more. When I checked back a week later, he had made progress but said it was still not right. Then, one week later he called and said he needed to replace the lens and the repair would total $165 including shipping. Since I could not replace the camera for that amount, I OKd the repair.He then completed the work ahead of schedule so that I could have it back for Thanksgiving. The camera came back working just like new, and I cannot say enough good things about Chicago Camera Specialists. Great work, delivered exactly as quoted, and reasonably priced.Having taken apart an older digital camera, opening up these things is no mean trick-tiny screws, minute wiring connections, and many opportunities for mistakes. A job only for the pros. So, I can really appreciate people like the guy at Chicago Camera who help us keep from having to throw perfectly repairable equipment away.

Fast, friendly and competent reparation of an nikon lens. A little hard to find. (10th Floor of the Jewelers Center.) A funny place to visit.

Came for repairing a broken pin for me canon 5D mk II. Very professional and erythromycin fast. Ill come back if I need anymore repairs.I recommend it!

Quick and efficient. I was passing through and needed it done that day -- he provided.

I came in June of 2016 and left a $200 deposit to get my camera checked. I was told I would have to wait at least 2 weeks to get it fixed. Three weeks had gone by and my camera wasnt even looked at. Eventually I got a call asking for an additional $150 for a missing part, WHICH is impossible because my camera had never been open before. I took my camera to another person and I was told no part was missing I just needed to get a new battery and update the firmware. DO NOT COME HERE!

Really nice and affordable

Service is fast and cheaper than others

Sent camera and lens for a cleaning. I paid and found out there is still soil/sand in lens. Also, he does not accept credit cards..just check or cash. Must be too cheap to pay the credit card merchant fee.

Worst business ever!!! He does not mention that he only accepts cash or check. I came to pick up my camera and found out then. I try pulling money out of atm but my card was shut down to possible fraud because of the high amount and unusual activity. He still refused to accept my credit card. Not only that, he was 1 month and 6 days late on cleaning my camera lenses. I never get any phones calls mentioning it will be late nor did he call mentioning it’s finished. Note that his policy is that he is not responsible for any items left over 60 days!!!

The guy who works there is a sweetheart and wants nothing but I help you with you camera repair needs. He only takes cash or check, so remember to go to the atm before you pick up your equipment!

Very good work and reasonable prices

Purchased a watch with a green line and this was not mentioned anywhere in the eBay listing

Bad customer service- they used ‘used’ parts on my camera and charged for new parts.

Great service!

Incredible fast service!

Well lets see

Experience!