Precision Camera has maintained its status as an Austin original since 1976 when it opened as a camera repair shop. Founders Jerry and Rosemary Sullivan grew the business into the largest camera store in Texas, the oldest camera repair shop in Austin, and the most trusted retailer for photography equipment, classes, and print services in town. The store is known for its stellar customer service and talented staff of salespeople. General Manager Gregg Burger says, “Everyone who works here is incredibly knowledgeable about photography and cameras. And they are all really nice people, too.”
Recently, the Sullivans retired and handed the reins over to new owner Phil Livingston. The previous Oakland Raider (he was a Super Bowl champion in 1981) relocated from Boulder, Colorado to Austin to run Precision Camera. Burger says, “There’s a renewed energy in the store. We’re offering the same great service and equipment, but now we’re taking our expertise out into the community. We are going to New Braunfels, Fredricksburg, Houston, and outlying areas so customers who usually come to us can take classes where they are.” Among the free and paid workshops Precision Camera now offers outside the city limits are basic how-to-use-your-camera classes as well as Flash Fest, a three-day event that teaches photographers about off-camera flash techniques.
Some things are changing while most others stay the same. Precision Camera continues to sell cameras and equipment for the same price as online retailers and big box stores. The difference is that when you shop at Precision Camera, you gain the tremendous benefit of the staff’s expertise and guidance. Burger says, “When you shop here, you get to play with the equipment, talk to a professional about it, make sure you are getting exactly the right camera for your needs. We have deep knowledge about what is going on in the industry. That means we can let our customers know, for example, that it might be better to wait a month and buy a camera that’s just coming out if the one in the store doesn’t suit them.”
That kind of value is hard to find, and it’s what Precision Camera does best. In addition to selling cameras and photography equipment, and offering top-notch classes, the shop does photo restorations, including transferring your old movies and videos onto memory sticks. Burger says, “We do everything in-house, so you don’t have to worry about your memories getting lost in the mail.”
Visit Precision Camera & Video at 2438 West Anderson Lane, 512-467-7676 or www.precision-camera.com today.
—Story and photo by Ann Guidry