Photo Darkroom

I’ve gone in for sensor cleaning on my Canon T2i several times as I use it daily for video purposes. Bob is a very nice guy and a pleasure to talk to every time I go in. The work is usually done very quickly and ready to pick up next day or the following at the latest. I would highly recommend them for minor repairs and maintenance.

I was looking for a place to make a print out of a 60 year old slide. All the places I found wanted to send the slide out to a third party. This being my father’s only slide of him as a child there was no way i was letting someone send it out. Finally we found this place. I was ecstatic to find that the owner Bob would be printing this himself and there would be no 3^rd party involved. I went to pick up my print and Bob is a very kind and extremely helpful man. His professionalism is way above 5 stars! I left a photo with him for restoration and cannot wait to see it! I would highly recommend going to Bob for these special memories to be restored and printed as well as everything else photography related. I will be back for other projects. Than you Bob you are the best!!!

Time and time again does this place solve any camera issue. They are well experienced and always willing to do whatever it takes to help answer any problems i face. Lucky to have such a sincere and complete camera store in my area

Brought 3 paintings in to be photographed.
One of the large paintings was on a deadline to be shipped to Poland. When I picked up the paintings, the two small paintings were face down on the big one, and there were 4 graphite/​charcoal smears. He photographed the painting WITH the smears.
He refused to acknowledge that he smeared the piece, he offered only to give the painting to a 3^rd party for an analysis (?!). The painting is late for the show in Poland and will not arrive in time as a result.
DO NOT BRING YOUR FINE ART TO THIS BUSINESS. No money back, no apology. I had 12 more paintings to be photographed, but now I will be bringing them elsewhere.
Take responsibility for your mistakes Bob. Thanks for ruining one of my biggest opportunities as an emerging artist without so much as an apology.

Bob and the Photo Darkroom have made me very happy! I took in three, very old, large negatives from the mid-​twenties. They digitized these negatives of an old family photo, combined the three negatives and produced the most excellent photo for me. It is clear and a priceless family photo. Bob was honest with me about what he could and couldn’t do and I came away a very satisfied customer. I would trust them with any of my photos. I just can’t say enough about this business and how wonderfully I was treated. Can’t wait to pick up the framed piece and take it back to show them how beautiful it turned out.
Thanks for your dedication to your customers’ needs!
CelesteY

AVOID!!! HORRIBLE SERVICE, UNTRUSTWORTHY, MISSING PARTS, BAD REPAIRS!!! Towards the end of May, I took my canon camera and two lenses to Al at Photo Darkroom. Aware of Al’s lengthy repair times, I allowed adequate time to get my equipment serviced. I needed everything completed no later than July 21. A few weeks passed I emailed Al asking for an update. He told me the problem with my lens and asked me if I wanted him to proceed with the repair. I told him yes. A couple more weeks passed. Now I am getting called by the owner of Photo Darkroom telling me my camera is ready to be picked up. I asked him if the lens was also ready as I didn’t want to make two unnecessary separate trips. He said he would find out and call me later. No call. I let a few days go. I emailed Al a couple times asking the status of my Canon L lens. He finally gets back to me saying he now needs to send it out, a couple days prior to me needing it. At this point, he has had a ridiculous amount of time and NOT ONCE during this period did he contact me to let me know, I ALWAYS had to contact him. I let him know I will be in July 19 to pick up everything. I pick up my camera only to find it filthy! IN ADDITION, my lens is missing the lens hood, the camera is missing the eyepiece, and the strap is not mine!!! The strap is barely strapped on and is absolutely filthy and my camera is covered in particles/​dust of some kind. What kind of shop are they keeping??? He then proceeds to tell me I’ll need to make another trip to pick up my missing parts. I am meticulous with my equipment and never have I had my equipment in such horrible shape. Worst part, he was to repair my control dial on my camera, well, this ‘repair’, left my camera un-​functional (which Al admitted himself). The control dial does not glide, manual is stuck on bulb, Av only controls the shutter speed, Tv is stuck on 30″. Today, July 21^st, I went in and spoke with the owner. Al was late getting there and the owner told me he was embarrassed and we needed to confront him on these problems. Al arrived and after I told him all the problems with the camera, he proceeds with the following comments: «Isn’t this just your back up camera?», «You didn’t pay that much», «You didn’t pay for an overhaul.», «Camera is older anyway». Who is he to devalue the importance of my camera? He was paid to repair it. So apparently I paid him $ 200 to for a bad repair because in his eyes it isn’t that much and I get what I paid for? A more expensive problem? Because now I have a problem far more expensive than I ever went in with because of his «repair service». Side note, the owner didn’t even say a word, great management…

Took in my camera for repair; 3 pick ups latter and maybe it is actually fixed. Besides the lengthy repair time I also was not satisfied with their photo printing services. I had two 8×10 photos printed of a photoshop picture my daughter made. Not only were their rates 4 times what other photo studios charge, but there paper was no better quality than what I use to print at home. I simply thought since I had made multiple trips to pickup/​drop off my camera I would give them a try. Once I looked at the prints and had visited another photo studio by SDSU and saw the quality of their prints and the ease of ordering (Photo dark room acutally had to take my thumb drive off site as they don’t seem to be able to handle digital files in the shop or download them from the net) I asked for a refund. I was rudely dismissed. If the owner had simply met me half way I would not be writing this review. All in all, the service was poor and the quality of the product and ordering process mediocre.

I have had camera repair work done here on several different DSLR cameras and every time I was happy with the work they did. The thing that I like is that they gave me an estimate of how much it was going to cost me to get fixed and this helped me decide if I should try to get my camera repaired or just save money and purchase a new one. The owner Bob is very nice and courteous and he is helpful when I call with questions too. One of the biggest reasons that I like the Photo Darkroom is that their service is fast. I dropped my camera off on a Tuesday afternoon and they had it ready two days later. I am constantly taking photos and the thought of going a long time without having my camera is unthinkable for me.
If you are in San Diego and are looking for a camera repair service, I highly recommend the Photo Darkroom!

Took in old photos to have restored for Christmas gifts. They did a fabulous job and my entire family was thrilled with their gifts. Picked up their price schedule for fine print work and it is very reasonable.
The owner, Bob, is very straight forward and honest and will ensure that all of your needs are met. He didn’t try to over sell me on anything but gave me some wonderful creative ideas in the process.
Can’t wait to use them again for a variety of services. Am hoping to get some old family film footage from my Mom to take in to them and have transferred to DVD.
Great local professional lab!

This place is great!
If you have questions or need help this is the place to go. They know a lot and are willing to help you out. Good prices in comparison and well worth it. They do all sorts of stuff there from Camera repair to photo restoration. Small family businesses are the best and we should support them!

This place is great. I took my Canon 50D here after I accidentally made it bounce in a La Jolla parking lot for some repairs. With the camera not working and no idea what it would cost to fix it, I went to Photo Darkroom after a referral by Calumet in Escondido. I was quoted on the spot about how much it would cost to be fixed and was told to pick it up the following Monday (after dropping it off for repairs on a Thursday.)
Fast service, reasonably priced, and knowledgeable.

Totally reasonable prices and completely honest. Al cleaned and serviced my camera and lens for a fraction of what (the gougers at Pro Camera) others charged me before. Super service and great prices. This is a place worth going out of your way to get to.
1102 Industrial Avenue, Escondido, CA 92 029
(they MOVED from Simpson Way)
Open M-​F 9:30 to 5 and Sat til 1pm
760−741−0051

Great service.
I was in a pinch with a camera repair and was sent here by Calumet Photo in Escondido. Nothing but positive things to say about the Photo Darkroom. They have a great attitude and a willingness to answer questions (complete opposite of Calumet).
They also do wedding photos.

I bought an extended warranty on my camera; the lens broke and I was referred to Photo Darkroom for repair. This was 2 months ago and I still do not have my camera. Last time they had me mail it Indiana, and I had it back and working in less than 2 weeks. Now it is 2 miles from my house and they have had it for 2 months! I have called dozens of times and not once has someone called me back. I finally got a hold of the owner today who stated «oh, yeah, Ive been meaning to call you back. I started your repair today and hopefully will have it done by Wednesday» It took him 2 months to even start it!!! Basically I spent a great summer camera-​less; and those that know me know I am a photo freak! So for repairs I would highly not recommend this place…

film is for real. not many places that can take care of your b&w film needs. this is the place, friendly and knowledgeable, they will take care of you.
plus, if you need some work done on your camera, you can bring you gear there as well.