Where to buy professional video and studio equipment in San Francisco?
April 13, 2015 11:07 AM Subscribe
What's the best place to go to see, learn about and purchase professional quality video production and sound studio equipment in San Francisco? Things like quality cameras, production lighting, studio quality microphones, etc...
If I were still in New York, I would simply go to B&H if I wanted to walk around a store filled with professional production equipment, speak to knowledgable staff, get my hands on potential purchases and then make an informed purchase.
However, in San Francisco I don't know what store fits that bill. What is the equivalent place here?
If I were still in New York, I would simply go to B&H if I wanted to walk around a store filled with professional production equipment, speak to knowledgable staff, get my hands on potential purchases and then make an informed purchase.
However, in San Francisco I don't know what store fits that bill. What is the equivalent place here?
Response by poster: Sadly, I've found that Adolph Gasser, while knowledgable in certain respects, doesn't really have the scale I'm looking for. They're totally where I'd go to buy a camera, but their selection is limited when it comes to other things.
So to be more specific, I'm looking for the entire variety of things a person would buy to outfit a studio for live broadcast. IFB systems, large scale lighting solutions, a wide variety of mics and cabling, audio mixers, teleprompters, video switchers, etc...
So when I said cameras, lights, mics, I probably didn't fully express just how comprehensive I need a store to be. I'm hoping that, like at B&H I can at least see almost any kind of equipment I could imagine needing in a broadcast studio environment.
posted by shmegegge at 11:36 AM on April 13, 2015
So to be more specific, I'm looking for the entire variety of things a person would buy to outfit a studio for live broadcast. IFB systems, large scale lighting solutions, a wide variety of mics and cabling, audio mixers, teleprompters, video switchers, etc...
So when I said cameras, lights, mics, I probably didn't fully express just how comprehensive I need a store to be. I'm hoping that, like at B&H I can at least see almost any kind of equipment I could imagine needing in a broadcast studio environment.
posted by shmegegge at 11:36 AM on April 13, 2015
Best answer: Some video/camera people online have suggested Samy's, but I don't think they're as comprehensive as you're looking for, especially for audio gear.
As someone who has some retail experience and who now works in a similar/related field to you (professional production for live events), I have to say I really doubt you'll find anything like B&H anywhere besides NYC, LA, and Toronto. To have all that stuff in stock would be such a huge cost/investment in gear and space that I don't think a brick-and-mortar store would be sustainable outside of the 3 biggest North American media cities. And tbh I strongly suspect the main reason B&H can afford such a huge well-stocked store is that they got into mail-order & online early and heavily - I've been getting print catalogs from them for 20 years - and this has made and still makes them so much money that they can afford to keep a huge store open in Manhattan. I wouldn't be surprised if the store actually loses a little money every year, but they keep it open for promotional/bragging purposes.
I suspect you are going to have to shop around at a variety of places. It looks like there are plenty of rental houses in SF (who will also do new & used sales), so renting from or visiting those places might be your best way to get your hands on some gear before you buy. But their stock on hand or the number of manufacturers they carry might be limited, so you'll have to visit more than one to get info about a wide range of products.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:11 AM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
As someone who has some retail experience and who now works in a similar/related field to you (professional production for live events), I have to say I really doubt you'll find anything like B&H anywhere besides NYC, LA, and Toronto. To have all that stuff in stock would be such a huge cost/investment in gear and space that I don't think a brick-and-mortar store would be sustainable outside of the 3 biggest North American media cities. And tbh I strongly suspect the main reason B&H can afford such a huge well-stocked store is that they got into mail-order & online early and heavily - I've been getting print catalogs from them for 20 years - and this has made and still makes them so much money that they can afford to keep a huge store open in Manhattan. I wouldn't be surprised if the store actually loses a little money every year, but they keep it open for promotional/bragging purposes.
I suspect you are going to have to shop around at a variety of places. It looks like there are plenty of rental houses in SF (who will also do new & used sales), so renting from or visiting those places might be your best way to get your hands on some gear before you buy. But their stock on hand or the number of manufacturers they carry might be limited, so you'll have to visit more than one to get info about a wide range of products.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:11 AM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by gyusan at 11:16 AM on April 13, 2015