A true gem if you love photography. You should get the guided tour for the full experience and all the details that can be found here. Lots of rare and unique items you likely will never encounter again.

Its a neat spot! The guy that runs the place is super knowledgeable! The displayed collection is huge! From one of the first photographs to Cold War spy cameras, this place has so much crammed into a small place. If youre into cameras this is a spot to visit!

Unbelievable collection of cameras and accessories!! Owner is very friendly and eager to show visitors around. His knowledge of the various makes of cameras is quite impressive. Will definitely go back for a follow up visit.

This is an awesome place, and a very underrated piece of American History. I highly encourage a visit. The staff know a lot about cameras, and there is so much history here, you can loose yourself for hours in such a tiny place.

My girlfriend and I love museums and she works in the field. We however think this place needs a major overhaul. The docent is rude and talks your ear off. He is very informative but too arrogant to gain any serious information from. We paid for a self guided tour but the docent wouldnt leave us alone. There is so much on display it is overwhelming. There are interesting pieces but they are hidden by all the extra and less significant pieces. There collection is over 4,000 objects but they are all on display gathering dust and acquiring light damage. The labeling is equally poorly done. The text is too small to read, especially when there are objects stopping you from getting close. It can be cost prohibitive for a small place. Try greeting with a hello before cost comes in the conversation. Thats a good place to start.

Fantastic museum. Highly recommend the guided tour, we learned so much about the history of cameras, film, the manufacturers, etc.

My daughter brought me to this museum after seeing it featured on the Mysteries of the Museum television show. Davids tour which explained what we were seeing made each camera come alive. I had no idea of the story behind many famous pictures; I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and am amazed that I hadnt heard of it sooner. (I would have given the museum 5 stars, but the number of cameras in a relatively small space was initially off-putting - until the stories began!

Quite an array of cameras, some things for sale.

Wonderful experience. Went in to just check it out but was mesmerized by the incredible, amazing quality and condition, complete history behind the photographic équipement present. You will not be disappointed weather you are a career photographer, amateur, or simply love history of technology. Definitely recommend and will be bringing people I know to have a tour. THANK YOU!

Housed in an old camera store. Boris was more knowledgeable about photographic history than anyone Ive ever met. Thanks

Fascinating and informative! Well worth a visit!

Cameras in the museum are a real treasure. But I believe the true treasure is David. His knowledge, passion for film and cameras, and his willingness to share all of this is amazing. In about 30 minutes he got my 39 year old Olympus OM-1 with a frozen advance mechanism (at least 20 yrs in disuse) working again. His enthusiasm and skill are truly infectious. If you are a still camera lover you will truly enjoy time spent at the museum and with David.

What a wonderful place, filled with such fascinating history. And boy, what a marvelous collection they have on display! Even if you are not a camera nerd (like myself) there is much to be learned from this place. If you visit Staunton, I highly recommend taking a tour of the camera heritage museum.

This camera museum is small but has a lot of history inside. They have different models from the 1800s till now (maybe). The actual history behind some of the cameras they have in their collection is pretty cool. Have a few things on sale and the staff are very knowledgeable about the items inside. I have been back.

The Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton, VA is a gem that should not be missed! After recently discovering this fascinating storefront museum, I knew that my 12 year old, a tech-interested kid who has recently begun to explore photography, would love it. For a modest fee, self-guided tours and audio tours of the well-organized but crowded space are available, but I highly recommend the modest splurge for a “curator” tour. Hours of animated sharing have followed our fascinating trek through the development of cameras and their role in our general history. David Schwartz has been involved with photography for over 50 years and his knowledge base is so thorough that he can easily adjust his delivery to meet the needs of any visitor from those casually interested to fellow aficionados. If you are not able to visit The Camera Heritage Museum, please consider supporting their effort to rehouse this amazing collection in a larger, locally-available museum space. Both monetary donations and in kind donations are appreciated. Visit the website and “like” them on Facebook! Next time you are in Staunton, be sure to visit. Although I did not have my frequent companion with me this time, I appreciated the sign on the door welcoming well-behaved dogs. Thank you, Mr. Schwartz for a wonderfully stimulating and informative outing!

A great find. As a camera hobbiest, this appealed directly to me, but my wife also found it interesting. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only camera museum. Take the time to do the private tour it is well worth your time and money.

Some historically significant cameras but poorly displayed .

Excellent. David spent an hour explaining the cameras and the history of photography. Fascinating. This is a non-profit organization please donate as much as you can.

Amazing collection, unparalleled knowledge from curator. Needs better facility to display such a vast collection.

Lots of really cool history and the guide was super informative. Definitely worth checking out

We made the trek to Staunton, VA for the sole purpose of visiting the Camera Heritage Museum. With a little help from Google Map we found our way without any problems. I really did not know what to expect to find.What we found was a very cool museum with a variety of cameras! The folks that run it are very knowledgeable on cameras and the history of photography. We started out with the audio tour, but soon found the owner and curator giving us a more in-depth tour of the museum. It was incredible.This place is a camera lover’s, or photographic historian’s, dream location. The have thousands of camera and photographic equipment on display. There are several unique and one-of-a-kind pieces on display. We spent a great deal of time there and David and Boris provided all kinds of information. I think I found a home for my collection if I decide not to take it on our next move.They only have a small portion of items on display, but it is bursting at the seams. They are working on getting a larger space, but that will require time and money. I would encourage anyone interested in the cameras and photography to visit at least once. I am pretty sure we will be back. It was a lot to take in on our first visit. More information on their fundraising for a larger space is provided below.There is the largest collection of Leica cameras I have seen in one place. The entire collection has some very valuable pieces, but several plain and basic items are on display as well. David provided stories behind various pieces without being snobbish about any of it. We were impressed. It was also nice to speak with others that understood the language of photography and photographic equipment. Many of the pieces would have ended up in the landfill if not for the efforts of those here and the supporters of the museum.

Wow! What a fun place. These guys have so much stuff and are so knowledgeable you could spend hours there talking about cameras.

Wonderful camera collection and nicely displayed. Made the trek from NC, and it was well worth the trip.

This is a one of a kind collection that anyone with an interest in photography should see.

As a lover on small unique museums, this one is a real puzzle. This man has collected cameras for 40 plus years and has so many it is overwhelming. If you come to museum and just look at the displays, It will probably have little meaning. If the owner talks with you and does a tour, it will be one of the most fascinating museums you have ever seen, David Schwartz has more stories to tell than one can imagine. He will walk you through camera history, specialized cameras, and so many types that your brain will boggle from the stream of incredible information that seems to be endless.Some cameras I can remember from the over flow of informationCamera from a Japanese fighter that bombed the Arizona at Pearl HarborSpy Cameras used in James Bond MoviesEast German spy camera in a cigarette lighterbox cameras that were given to all12 year olds in the 30s and the back storycameras used in spacemicro camerashuge 8 x 10 camerasprints of all sorts of types from the 1800 - 1900 periodexplanations of the equipment and how it was usedoriginal and rare prints and original editions andwell I cant remember everything David said.He is friendly, engaging, inspiring, and overflowing with stories, information, and history. He is a treasure and the cameras need his tales.

Really beautiful

This man is am amazing encyclopedia of knowledge...and the museum has thousands of pieces, dating back to the 19th century

A lot of Cameras nice Heritage

Such a treasure!! Right here in Staunton!!

Very interesting.