Focused In on Savings : Woodland Hills Photo & Images offers cameras, binoculars and other items at discounted prices and for all levels of interest.
There’s a camera store in Woodland Hills that’s been serving the San Fernando Valley since 1952, drawing camera buffs from all over Southern California. I first heard of Woodland Hills Photo & Images from a frugal friend who lived in Santa Monica and who thought nothing of heading to Woodland Hills for any camera needs.
Last week when I revisited the store, I found not only good prices on cameras, both new and used, but some excellent buys on binoculars and telescopes.
The list price on the Bushnell zoom binoculars 8-24x50 is $323. Hardly any dealers sell at list prices anymore, but many are selling this model at $199; the price at the Woodland Hills camera shop, however, is $99. A pair of binoculars by Pentax, the 7x20 compact model, sells here for $50 and at other discounters for $99. It lists for $160.
There were also some excellent deals on telescopes. The Bausch & Lomb 345x power scope with tripod sells for $89, instead of other discounters’ average price of $149.
Another Bausch & Lomb scope, a 565x power with tripod and equatorial mount, which lists for $363, can be purchased here for $145.
In the camera department, I looked for the latest in cameras that any neophyte can use and still come up with a decent photo. The Yashica Sensation auto-focus camera kit with case, battery and one roll of film processed free seems to fill that bill and is a comfortable $75, considerably less than its $145 list price.
Or how about the Olympus Trip Jr. compact camera at $49, less than half the list price of $100?
A more accomplished photographer may be interested in the camera rated No. 1 in Consumer Reports magazine--the Yashica T-4 compact camera with a Zeiss lens at $149; list is $299.
For those of you who still want a camcorder, I found an excellent deal here on one by Yashica and another by Ricoh, both very similar to each other and to the Sony TR2000. These both list for $1,950, are offered by some discounters for $1,500, but sell at Woodland Hills Photo for $1,150--a savings of $350.
Should you want to rent a camcorder for a special occasion, the shop has a full line of rental equipment on hand in VHS, Beta or 8-millimeter at $24 for a 24-hour rental. Weekend rates go from Friday afternoon to Monday morning, and the rental is $40. Video repairs are done on the premises with fast turnaround time and very reasonable prices. Many camera repair services charge more than $100 per hour; the labor charge here is $50.
Top-quality used camera equipment that has been thoroughly reconditioned and has a 90-day warranty is an economical way to go. For example, a Canon AE-1 is $150 (no longer manufactured but sold new for around $350); a Minolta XG-1 (new one retail for $300) is only $98.
The staff consists of four very knowledgeable (and very patient) photography experts who encourage customers to come back again and again if they need further help.
Where and When Location: Woodland Hills Photo & Images, 5348 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover. Call: (818) 347-2270.
