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| - At the ripe old age of 3, it's time for my previous review to take a siesta. Over the course of that three years, Tempe Camera's only gotten better. The selection's improved (finally finding a happy medium between film and digital), the prices are even better than they were, and I dare say service on the retail side's kickass too.
TCR is now my go-to photo supplier as a working pro. They've either got what I need or can quickly get it, they still know their stuff, and they support both local photographic education and the local photo industry. They're also the only dealer in the Valley that sells Think Thank Photo products, which are best damn professional camera bags ever.
And if you're an amateur, they've got plenty of friendly, knowledgeable staff for you too. Don't be afraid to ask for someone else; like almost anywhere, they employ people of varying personalities. There are sales staff I don't click with at TCR, but I wouldn't classify anyone as distinctly rude. (If you want that, you'll have to try B&H or Adorama.) If you need lots of hand-holding, the ASU crush probably means you'll either want to shop at off hours or go to Photomark--TCR tries, but the crowd to counter ratio just isn't favorable at peak times.
Repairs are still something they do very well at excellent prices. When I've had equipment serviced, it's been turned around quickly, relatively inexpensively, and works like brand new. Evaluation of your equipment is still free, as it should ideally be at every repair shop (but often isn't).
The lab's added a bunch of cool new services, including damn fine plexi mounting, and is doing a considerably better job with film than their old reputation for free scratches with purchase would suggest. Hundreds of frames processed with nary a scratch to be found.
Rentals I'm a little more ambivalent about. They've thinned the herd out considerably (about half the rentals inventory has taken up residence in the used equipment case) and the selection of lighting equipment is basically unchanged, but they've got the latest Canon and Nikon bodies, and everything's well-maintained and in good shape. Rates are good for what they do have--the question's just if they have what you want.
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