Calumet Photo Rocks!

Photo credit:   Calumet Website

Yesterday, in the middle of the blizzard, the awesome rental guys at Calumet Photo set me up with a Canon 7D for the weekend, so I can do Bluegrass and Blues Fest justice at Auditorium Theatre tonight.   We'll be shooting tonight and again next Saturday at Congress Theatre.

I can't tell you how stoked I am to check out this camera in action.   I've been shooting for 30+ years for fun and then for work, and shooting shows steadily for 2.   And I've been ogling this sweet camera for years!

We'll have a photo filled CBB Fest feature up soon and a camera review as well. Wish I would have had it for Led Zeppelin 2 at House of Blues last Saturday, when I shot over 8 gigs of stills.   We'll have those edited & posted in the very near future.

Calumet has two Chi-Town locations and I've been impressed with them every time I've come in.  I bought my most recent Canon lens there and the staff is knowledgeable and helpful.  Their tag line "Calumet, It's Where The Pros Go" is true.   My husband has worked in location sound, in the TV/film industry, for 25+ years, and the local cameramen and visiting crews shooting here all frequent Calumet.   I'd love to write more, but we've got a show to shoot. 

From Calumet's Site:

About Calumet Photographic
Calumet Photographic is the top drawer in the photographer's toolbox. Whether you enjoy the slosh and spill of chemicals in the traditional darkroom or prefer the immediacy of the digital darkroom, Calumet has what you need from cameras and cables to studio lighting and computers. Photographers around the world have been depending on Calumet Photographic for over 70 years because they know where to go for the equipment they need and expert advice they can't get anywhere else. Our sales associates know the photo industry inside and out; we're here to answer questions and offer advice so you can make informed buying decisions. Whether you shoot digital, video or traditional, it's our commitment to help you get exactly what you need when you need it.
 
History
In 1939, Kenneth Becker formed Calumet Manufacturing Company in Chicago. Originally, he sold sporting goods and just a few cameras through the store. Eventually, Calumet began to manufacture stainless steel developing trays and other darkroom equipment.

In 1955, Kodak decided to get out of the view camera business, selling Calumet the rights to its Master View 4x5 camera. It set the course for other photographic innovations by Calumet in the 1960s, such as the Caltar large format lens line, the C-2 roll film holder and the nitrogen burst film and print processors.
In 1980, after 40 years of manufacturing and selling its mostly large-format proprietary product lines, Calumet became a full-line supplier of professional photographic products. The result was the first photo supply catalog. Calumet sells high-quality products. We never sell "gray market" products, products that are not kept within the manufacturer-to-distributor-to-dealer network. For example, we sell only fresh film and paper.

"Calumet makes purchasing equipment and supplies, as well as equipment rental, extremely easy. Since it is a nationwide network, I usually pick up supplies for a shoot when I arrive if the location is near a Calumet retail outlet. Otherwise, I have Calumet FedEx whatever I need to wherever I am," said Daniel Peebles, a Calumet U.S. customer.

With the uniting of Calumet Photographic in the United States and Keith, Johnson and Pelling, a retail chain in the United Kingdom; Netherlands, Belgium and Germany locations followed. The company developed a global focus. This global focus expanded further in 1998, when Calumet launched its website and moved the company into the digital age. With more than 70 years in the business, Calumet continues to grow, adding products and services to our stores and warehouses every day. Currently, we have more than 25 retail stores across the world.  

Chicago
1111 N. Cherry Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642
312.440.4920  

Oak Brook
1600 W. 16th Street
Oak Brook, IL 60523
630.860.7458  


*Calumet Photo loaned me a 7D for review purposes.