Vistek Reviews

A video camera rental in Toronto by Vistek should include the amount of hold on your credit card. Poor attention to details by their staff has a cost to rent a pro camera but not the hold on your credit card. Add a number of rental video cameras and you are in the $10,000 on your card. Leaving your card max out makes paying the hotel an issue.

The ordered Lens was in stock per their Rep and confirmed by email. The amount due was paid in full Feb 28/19 in good faith. Per the Rep's Email" the lens will be shipped". Called several times after the payment in full and emailed the Rep who assisted me in the purchase several times requesting a tracking # and courier name. All my calls and emails were ignored. Vistek could not provide the tracking# and carrier. I am now wondering whether they actually had the lens in stock to begin with despite their email that it is in stock. A call back or an email would have been nice at least to say the date that lens would be shipped, the courier used and a note to indicate that a tracking# will be provided when shipped. Beware! Several other review posts indicate the same problem "not answering customers"

I had inquired about a demo light that I wanted to purchase that was at the Mississauga office. They said that they would send it to the Toronto location so I could come pick it up/pay for it but the light was lost somehow.

I received multiple calls from the Mississauga location saying that the light was ready and at the Toronto location. I went twice to pick it up and they informed me that they could still not find it.

I have emailed the guy that I had been dealing with at the Toronto location several times and have left a voice mail and haven't heard any updated or gotten any emails back.

It's now been a month since I first inquired about the light so I have taken my business elsewhere.

I have pretty much lost all confidence in this company.

I have been going to Vistek for 15 years and there has never been a point where I was disappointed. Every staff member has been more then helpful and friendly. I continue bringing my business here because of that service and suggest it to anyone unfamiliar with their location. I big shout out to Anthony in the pro lighting department as he has been a major influence on my decision to bring all my photography related business to Vistek. He has never pushed me into products I don't need and is always suggesting ways I could increase my level of professionalism without spending large amounts of money. That is a lost trait in many retail stores. Keep up all the great work Vistek!

Our company is having some major issues with a product we've ordered at Vistek. They've had "2 business days" delivery advertised on their website. Well, two months later we still received nothing but a ton of promises about "expedited shipping" and... $24 refund from an order worth $1,187! What's really amazing, is that are not even offering us full refund.
This is really poor customer service and we're considering filing a complaint with Better Business Bureau. Henry's would have already been able to deliver the same product, but we bought into this whole "2 days delivery" promise. Vistek, shame on you! You won't stay in business for long if this is how you treat your customers.

Brutal. Tried to rent a couple of lenses from Vistek Toronto. You have to email them a request and a representative from their store calls you the next day.

They called the next day as promised. The guy (forgot his name, but sounded really young) explained that the lenses I wanted to rent required a $2000 deposit (a little much, but I understand considering how much these lenses cost). I explained that my wallet was stolen on a recent vacation, and that I needed to speak to my bank to transfer the money to my other card. I asked him to call me back in an hour and he agreed. I transferred the funds and waited for the call from Vistek... And waited... And waited. No call.

Instead, I went to their competitor (Aden Camera at Pacific Mall.. Speak to Stephen!) and bought a Nikon 24-70 from them.

I absolutely hate it when companies tell you they'll call you back and don't. I felt like they didn't want my business and was glad to go elsewhere. I have had some friends who have had bad experience with this company as well.

It was great to deal with Mike at the video department. He took his time to answer any of my questions and concerns and was very helpful in helping me get the gear I needed.

I will make any excuse to visit the folks at Vistek. Love the store, so many floors just full of gear. Im also a regular to their rental department, helpful folks always willing to answer a question.

Amazing staff and service. The rental department is always super helpful and ready to make sure you have all the equipment you need for your project.

The pro video team reps in the back are great to deal with.

One of the best selections of pro gear into the city. The rentals desk is well stocked as well and has great friendly service.

Don't buy used!
Bought a used Sony A7S, which they had rated an 8/10 condition. I brought it in as i wanted to see if i can upgrade (after 2 1/2 months use), and was told that there are 2 scratches on the sensor and won't even consider it. Yet they had no problem grading this an 8 and selling to the general public.
Shop at your own risk.

Best Pro Photography Store, good service, free parking.

I buy most of my equipment here and have had a couple of repairs, and the service is always top notch. They told me last week that repairs were behind so I would have to wait a couple of weeks (which was no problem) yet Nathan contacted me this morning (less than a week later) with the issue solved. On top of that he answered my emails back within minutes to sort out my pickup plan. Love this place!

"I have shopped a lot a Vistek and, except for the misplacement of my camera when in for repairs, they were usually good to work with.

This review, however, is based on a recent experience through my place of work.

I won't go into too many details here except to say we placed a very large and costly order with Vistek and were extremely unimpressed with their methods. We had been waiting around a month for our order and when we looked into it we found out just because one item was on back-order they placed the entire order on hold rather than shipping what they had in stock. The point is they didn't tell us anything was on back-order. They didn't tell us the entire order was on hold. We had to find out ourselves by going to the site and we went to the site because we had no responses to our emails to Vistek.
The order was incorrect and one item wasn't working. When we contacted them about the item that was not working, we were told that it was past their 14 day policy because the order was from May. Didn't matter that we had to wait about 2 months to receive an incorrect order. Didn't matter that a little bit of Goodwill would have gone a long way.
So lack of customer service, response and notifications has cost them our business and also mine personally.
It's embarrassing to recommend a company to your place of work and have that recommendation fall flat."

I was helped by Alex. Wonderful, kind service. He helped me find a camera on backorder and thoroughly walked me through my order.

How is this place still operating with its TERRIBLE customer service. They want you to do MOST of the work, if you don t ask they will not go out of their way. Thats difference between a place like henrys or BH in NYC, passionate people, bye felicia

Ill never go there again. Ive had nothing but problems dealing with this company in both the sales and rental department. Last week they didn't want to give me my $5,000 deposit back over a lost plastic USB cap. This week they denied to rent my family friend a lens because it was to close to closing, based on the excuse that it takes to long to pack it.

Ive dealt with a LOT of equipment rentals and can safely say that this is one of the most screwed up rental houses in all of Canada.

Ordered online for a used product listed in exe+ (excellent) condition. Went to pick it up and found its condition to be 6 / 10 and they would not tell me the exposure count. Felt like a very sketchy deal so I cancelled. I bought a new one that same day from another company even though the price was the same. Had you made any offer to correct the error I likely would have purchased from your store still.

They are the worse in the city don t rent from them, they give you a non functional gear and charge u full price on it!!!

I don't understand why the bad comments on customer service are around, I walked in today and the first thing I got was a great welcome. I went to the film floor, and as soon as they saw me they asked if they could help me in any way. They answered all of my questions, were completely friendly, and their prices were very good compared to other camera stores in Downtown Toronto. Would definitely suggest, and am absolutely going again!

Tried to rent some equipment from these guys. They call to confirm the rental and take down my credit card information to "hold the reservation". They call again hours later when I'm right outside the store and tell me "they're all booked out". What was the credit card hold for?

I highly recommend looking elsewhere if your time is valuable.

Extensive selection and excellent help in the video department.

Great service, the staff are knowledgable but not condescending. Lots of selection. I've rented three times from the rental department and never had an issue.

I called in to ask if an item I wanted was in stock and I was told by Peter that it was indeed and said he could put it on hold for me until I got there. I did and I was immediately greeted and Peter helped me with my transaction. He gave me some advice on the product and it was much appreciated. Transaction was pretty smooth.

Highly professional, incredible service, HUGE selection and reasonable prices. By far my favourite camera store in the city. Whether I'm a renter or a buyer, I'm honestly never disappointed. Plus, the staff are experienced photographers and videographers with an endless amount of knowledge. I highly recommend.

Visited Vistek for the first time this past weekend to rent a Nikon 70-200mm lens. The Rental section was surprisingly really spiffy and nice; there is even an automatic sliding door which I imagine is super helpful when you're carrying out a lot of gear. Front desk staff were professional and courteous and answered any and all of my questions. I've read bad reviews about this location but I would definitely visit again. Great first time experience and the rates were cheaper than other downtown stores.

Love Vistek. In this case was renting a camera as a second camera to shoot a wedding. Pickup was quick and easy, online reservation was a breeze, and drop off pretty straight forward. I had a commitment earlier in the morning that prevented me from getting there as early as I wanted to, so ended up in a long line of people returning right at the deadline. The line went quickly though, and they didn't penalize me for being late. Efficient friendly staff.

Actually this is to our customers that deal with Vistek day in and day out. Thank you for always supporting us when we are open & now with what is happening out there for going online to do your purchases.

I have worked here for over 24 years. Some of you I recognize with your voices over the phone or by seeing you when you come in. You are the reason I like doing what I do everyday. But now it is 2:00 A.M. and wanted to thank you all for continuing to be there for all the staff that are at home probably a sleep wondering when we will be back at work.

Sometimes we might forget some of the things that mean a lot to us. But with what is happening I wanted to thank you all across this country we call Canada for all the great relationships that we have had for so many years & maybe not so long. From the Yukon, Victoria BC, Newfoundland & Nunavut thank you for doing what you are to support all of us at home. I know it might seem silly but it is not to me!!!

Miss you all & speak to you again very soon!!!

alisont@vistek.ca

P.S. Stay safe !!!!!

Today I decided to visit this location to inquire about a battery for my Leica camera. The first gentleman was helpful and referred my boyfriend and I to the third floor to speak to Henry. When we arrived to the third floor Henry was very aggressive to us on wear to stand , hey! Move over there.. (he was not wearing a mask) He was on the phone and did not stop for one minute to try to assist us. We ended up speaking to the first man to try to order the battery but unfortunately it was not available. It was a very unpleasant experience, definitely will not recommend.

Great store. Very knowledgeable staff. Lots of products and some great deals.

Rental service was good but terrible that they close on Sundays and then don't open until 10am on Monday and you have until 11:59am to return it. Most people work so it becomes quite difficult to return a rental.

Great selection, rental business is a separate entrance

Knowledgeable and professional staff. Vistek has been able to help order back ordered products faster than any other camera store.

Their is a reason they have a poor reputation amongst industry professionals, but I was willing to give them a shot anyway to rent a screen. I filled out a request form in advance for a projector screen and got an email saying I would receive a call. No call came, their rental department rented out all their screens, and when I called in they said they had not had time to go through their emails.

They really need to change how they do business.

Good if you know what you need in advance. having so many floors has to be a nightmare for folks with mobility issues (update: there's elevators, yay!). Private parking is convenient for rental pickup and drop off.

My one and only choice for cameras and accessories. Best customers service specialy Henry from photo department.

I've rented equipment from Vistek for years and no one is more professional courteous or helpful than these guys.

Always a pleasure to deal with the staff at Vistek. Very knowledgeable with a large selection of photography, videography, lighting and printing equipment.

Plus, they run a great equipment rental operation if you just need something for shoot, for a special weekend's worth of shooting or to try before you buy (always recommended before major purchases!)

If you need anything to do with the photography/videography industry in Toronto, definitely make Vistek a stop. Henry's rightfully gets a lot of attention, but Vistek is absolutely competitive with them (if not more so).

Highly recommended.

I recently visited Vistek after having issues with my online order. They were so helpful and even recommended a better warranty plan and a camera package .Would highly recommend visiting Vistek Toronto

Went here to pick up a new Sigma lens they had on sale. Service was very professional and fast. The worker who I was talking to, Peter, was very nice and seemed to know his photography pretty well! Gave some great advice regarding photography and photography gear. He even got me an additional discount on my lens! Definitely made the drive to downtown vistek worth it.

I came into vistek the other day looking to buy a gift for my wife. Donovan helped me out and was very knowledgeable, he even gave me a few pointers on how to take great shots!

Updated my review. Went in to purchase an item that was cheaper somewhere else. Ask if they matched the price, and they said on some cases. Well they did. I do wish they placed prices on things, but I gotta tell you, they have a great selection.

Staff are incredibly knowledgable, friendly, and patient. The store is massive, a playground for enthusiasts and the product variety is incredible. Products you can't find anywhere else, Vistek stocks it. And the prices are reasonable too. Free parking in the back and beware it's not the easiest place to spot from the street.

Good store with a great selection, but amateurs will feel overwhelmed as they cater more to the pro shooter

Great place with helpful staff. I've rented lenses here a few times and love having them available

Not too shabby. This is often the only store that sells what I'm looking for.

Charmingly obtuse building layout - amazing selection and well staffed. Do not offend the elevator.

Great and knowledgeable staff. Was greeted by a sales specialist and felt like I was having a real conversation rather than just being sold a product.

Brutal!! This is my second visit and both times was a brutally long wait!! No wonder they have a coffee machine for customers. Make sure you have 1hr in hand to wait here.
Henry's have much faster service.

These guys have access to everything just wish they stocked more items so I don't have to wait 2 weeks to get things in.

Best stock and full inventory of any local camera store. Prices often above average, but they're willing to match.

The best camera store in the gta. Peter, the sales representative who's been helping me for over 5 years has been a pleasure to work with, he's always keen to give helpful advice, and recommend the right products. On top of that he's a printing expert and in multiple occupations helped bring my visions to life!

Great customer service here from Henry. Thanks so much!

Customer representative was not really friendly and didn't listen for what I was looking for... make me feel like unwanted in their store

In terms of selection, Vistek is about as all encompassing as it gets in Canada. Basically a baby brother to B&H (which is a compliment). Sales staff, depending on who you get, can be... blunt. Rentals dept is great all around (but also your only choice if you don t carry your own equipment insurance).

The staff is interesting/knowledgable. The building is a treat - sadly no seminars because they are renovating

They ve got a parking lot. Good to know before you pay at the street. Good selection. I think a little better than the surrounding. Purchase was quick and easy but when I asked about another item I was assured they didn t have it even though the sales attendant wouldn t look it up for me. A little effort that would have shown me he cared.

Not a bad place. Get your gear in person if that s what ya like!

Rental department company wide needs work. Not convenient for users and obviously not interested in renting equipment.

Only place around that had the specific gear I needed. Had some struggles with a certain purchased part and was able to resolve it pretty easily with the help of the staff. Good place for camera equipment.

You can buy high quality entertainment equipment here and almost nowhere in Toronto provide such a high quality products.

Worst phone service ever... I am buying a 10 000$ lamp and i've been trying to talk with someone to know where is my order for a week now and got no answer. Jim the Sales Manager said he would call me back and did not. Every time i'm trying to call the Web sales dep. I end up on their voice mail. First and last time with vistek.

WORST CAMERA STORE EVER!!!!

I was recently in the store to buy a lens advertised in their fall catalogue. After the salesman retrieved the lens, confirmed the price and entered my details, he wasn't able to adjust the price on the computer. He called the manager and I was then offered a higher price!!! They were unwilling to sell it at the price in their own catalogue, even though we had already agreed on the price!!! What a scam!

I will never go there again. This place has no scruples whatsoever.

One stop solution for photography , videography, printing. Huge collections, options, and Rentals.

A wide variety of photography equipment you will get what u need.

I'm not one to write a lot of reviews but I'm a returning customer of vistek and I experienced a complete nightmare when it came to purchasing a new printer.

I initially contacted them and asked for recommendations for a wide format printer for art prints. The printer I was sold was incompatible with the paper I was also sold by vistek, then when I asked to exchange the paper they told me it would just be a few days which turned into over a week (at this point I had customers waiting for prints), and it turned out to be completely different and lower quality though I was told it was "virtually the same" paper - quality is obviously really important when it comes to selling art prints.

I asked to return the printer since the paper was incompatible with it and it wasn't made for printing artwork like I mentioned to her in the beginning. The return process was a hassle, the woman who sold me the printer made it sound to the store manager like I was the one changing my mind when in fact she sold me a printer that wasn't suitable for what I needed. So they tried to charge me the 15% restock fee and I had to explain that I didn't just "change my mind".

Everyone in store was nice and helpful so I will give them credit for that, and the team from the store in Toronto was helpful when I asked about a replacement printer. But it's been over three weeks now and I still haven't received a refund for the printer. I paid ahead of time for the new printer so in total I've given them over $3k for both printers and I haven't received a refund for the one I returned.

I'm disappointed in the way they handled this whole situation and it's been very stressful. I hope they send me a refund soon, feeling a little ripped off at the moment.

Great customer service from Stuart at Vistek rentals. Knowledgable and friendly. The whole process was smooth and hassle free so I could focus on enjoying taking photos with the equipment I rented for the weekend.

Staff are amazing. This is by far my favorite camera store.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great selection. A bit pricey, but you pay for quality. And watch for amazing special deals!

You can get almost anything related to photo & video.

Think twice before you buy anything from vistek.
They don't offer price drop protection. Should have bought my stuff from Best buy.

Multi-floor layout can be confusing. The rental service here has not disappointed.

wide range of equipments, friendly staff but very slow pace. they need to improve their speed coz millennials don t like to wait long.

Knowledgeable staff, a wide variety of rentals available to try before you buy. Always have a good experience when organizing rentals.

Great staff and product selection. Free parking in the back. There is also a rental department, which is great for trying out camera and lenses before committing to the purchase. They're also dog friendly!!

Although i leave 4 stars these guys --from my experience&last few visits lended a 7-star job!!Because of the associate (Alex) who handled my pathetic inquiry in which I lost important text for a complex VR Head.Completed my vr hardware journey (at least my first.. ).I intend to be a good deal more responsible with important documents, in the future. He let myself bring the components and the right tripod in at my convinence - in order, to kindly assemble every single part (also explaining measurement!) of the rig RIGHT onto my tripod. He was supercool and the staff kindly put up with my nervous gitter-gatter with very much kind respect. Sometimes I feel intimated when entering this Mass Video /rental emporium and i felt somewhat (earlier) put somewhat off by these guys.. so I feel I should notch down their experiece to a very modest four stars... .But can you believe the staff willingness-craftness-and patience ALL AT NO CHARGE! Thanks, a good deal!

I have been dealing with Vistek for 10 years and the staff are friendly and helpful. I would gladly recommend them!

Our print and frame studio have been doing business with Vistek for the past 5 years or so. One of the best element in our experience is our one on one contact with our dedicated sales rep Peter. He has been amazing at assisting with acquiring new products and dealing with manufacturing issues and etc.

Oh well... that was the last time I gave these guys a chance.

Twice I've been put on the ignore list from them after placing an order online.

Their website says their products are "In Stock" so you think the item will ship the next day at worst.

Wrong!

They make you wait a week and when you decide to call or write they tell you the product was not in stock and they had to order it.

This second time they said my billing address was not correct (I triple checked and my order confirmation contains the right address).

No phone number in the customer service email they sent you.
They don't want to deal with you.
It's almost as if they are telling you to go buy elsewhere.

Well this is exactly what I'll be doing next time.

In my book, Vistek will:
- Lie on their stock quantities.
- Make you wait for your shipping confirmation (or have you call).
- Just don't care about customer service.

How can they survive in today's online competition?

I'm not sure... but their website looks like it dates from 2001...
So they are definitely not investing in their web presence.
That says a lot about how their business is doing.

I run a production company in Las Vegas and needed to purchase a HD for a remote filmmaker in Canada to ship 1.5TB of content to me.
Vistek declined my online order because the address I wanted the drive shipped to wasn't MY billing address.
So I called them to make the order happen and they again refused to help me get a drive purchased.
What an absolute joke of a company.
I do this all the time with remote content creators all over the US and Europe. But Vistek in Canada doesn't seem to understand how their industry works.
Multiple creatives in Canada have warned me to avoid dealing with Vistek...I now completely understand why.
Don't waste your time, money or energy dealing with this company.

Vast collection of photography and videography equipment. Rental is available at reasonable prices!

I called to get some information on the Canon 77d (camera I wanted for quite sometime) Victoria was incredibly helpful in sourcing the information I needed. She even called me back to let me know that it has been discontinued. Thank you so much for going the extra mile :)

DO NOT go there if you have any questions about anything. I went once years ago, staff look down their noses at you, figured I'd give it another try today and nothing has changed. The staff are really inconvenienced by any questions or even by just a purchase. The staff gossip to each other and such while pretending you aren't there. It's a very uncomfortable place to be. I'm only there for the camera gear but upon entrance on the main floor staff move to avoid eye contact. Everyone who works there is better then you and you are not worth their time. I'm generally not a critical person and I don't think I've ever given a one star review. The good thing is they have a parking lot. Go to Henry's which is 5 mins away, the people at Henry's do an awesome job at getting you what you need. I think Vistek does a great job at online orders, I've also had good experience with rentals. I'm sure the Vistek staff are quite knowledgeable which gives them the better then you attitude.

Had some issues with my order, but eventually their customer service seems to have come through to fix it...

Came to Vistek for an Osmo battery charger because I had misplaced mine and needed one for a shoot that day. Unfortunately they didn t have the one I was looking for. Although they couldn t sell me the one I wanted they were tremendous help. They had a store charger and offered to charge my battery for me and I could come back later. Brian and Nihal were amazing help trying to find me a charger by calling other stores around city. I would 100% recommend coming to these guys to anyone for your camera needs. They were professional, very friendly and did the best to help me solve my problem when there wasn t much I could do.

Outstanding customer service. Be sure to check out their annual conference too.

While online outlets will be cheaper, this is the place you go if you need it today.

I look forward to going into Vistek. They have great variety, and knowledgeable staff. Any time I need to pick up anything related to my photography needs, Vistek is the place. It is also great to have the rental option right in the same location too. If you have never been to Vistek, check it out. I highly recommend it.

Large selection of photography and videography equipment housed in a three storey shop. The repair and service centre located on the third floor is obscure to find but not obstructed with the staff there quite knowledgeable and helpful.

The products sold here are more gear towards professional photographer rather than enthusiast. There is little selection towards people with active lifestyles (action cameras). The video floor level focuses mostly on professional equipment and niche drone markets.

The entire building is wheelchair accessible but the repair and service centre might be a tight turn for anyone with a motorized chair. For those bipedals, you have access to a brightly lit spiral staircase with banners covering a lovely view over the railing.

In short, it's a camera store that would rival other local shops. However because it's mostly pressing mid and high range equipment, not the best place for a beginner and economical shutterbugs.

Terrible staff who just don't care about your needs, I asked 2 staff members about flash brackets and just kept getting the cold shoulder and passed around. Eventually one stuck with me and kept trying to upsell me this $1000 package, telling me how if I want to be a pro I should buy it. When I told him I was not looking to buy a whole new set of flash and soft box he questioned my ability as a photographer and brought me to another sales associate to confirm that the new flash and softbox combo was amazing and ju. Eventually I kept trying to drive the conversation back into what I need but the idiot sales kept suggesting that I should definitely look into buying this brand new flash his store just got. After about the 3rd time saying "no thanks, I really want to get something that suits my current set up" he just goes "ugh fine" rolls his eyes and turns his attention elsewhere. I frankly never had such terrible customer service.

Pushy sales, ignorant staff just trying to make commission without ever really addressing your needs. Steer clear from this store despite their selection. I'll be taking my business elsewhere from now on thanks.