The Camera Heritage Museum

A wonderful walkthrough of camera history. We had an excellent discussion with the owner, David, who is deeply knowledgeable from both his life experiences in the industry and from curating this staggering and magnificent collection of historical cameras. It's well worth your time to visit for an hour or more.

Amazing museum, featuring one of kind cameras from history’s biggest moments. This is a must see for any history or camera lover. Dave is truly one of the most knowledgeable historians of cameras. I’m glad I finally got to check the museum out. I choose to do the self guided tour so I could go back and listen to the information over again. I ended up spending hour and a half maybe longer in the museum but allow yourself more time cause this museum is 50+ years of hard work and dedication to the preservation of one of greatest art forms ever created. I wish I could’ve stayed longer! If you can donate to this non profit and help them secure a new bigger location which will hold even more history! Thank you again everything!

With only 20% of the museums collection you still get to experience so much history in this amazing place, the history of cameras throughout many significant events in American, Virginia history and the world! Take the curated experience when you come! You can tell the passion this man has for preserving and enlightening anyone interested in photography and the history of photography, worth it a must when visiting! They accept donations and are looking to expand!

Excellent self-guided tour. The guided tour is fabulous, too. Wonderful overview of the history of the camera itself and also the camera’s impact on history. Loved the Japanese camera from Pearl Harbor Attack and the selection of “spy cameras”. Highly recommend. Also important to note, this is not a museum designed to hold attention of young children. I have personally recommended this museum to many people.

My visit to The Camera Heritage Museum was a camer-awesome! The sheer amount of history within this little place is incredible. The curator was a very kind, interesting man as well. He gave us great context that really fleshed out what it was we were looking at. A picture is worth a thousand words, but being there in person is another experience all together. Definitely go and visit!

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this gem of a museum. The museum's collection is incredibly impressive and the history behind the cameras, prints, and priceless daguerreotypes is so fascinating. The collection of miniatures was among my favorite to view. This beautiful collection and history is a must see and well worth a visit. ☺️

My partner & I visited the Camera Museum back in July and agreed it was a highlight of our stay. We were so glad that we asked the owner to give us a guided tour as we only would have had a fraction of the context and details without his guidance. We came away with a much better understanding of the history of photography and a greater appreciation for the technology of cameras. I disagree with the customer who did not like the questioning part of the tour. I found it kept me engaged and helped me to track the history. Delightful time!

This place is definitely well stocked with photo equipment from all eras, but even if you get the self-guided tour the docent will pester you the entire time and is just the textbook definition of full of himsef. He will eavesdrop on any conversation you're having and correct you or interject his opinion and insist you come over and look at his photos of Confederate soldiers like your most embarrassing grandpa at any family gathering. The tour could be much better organized, a lot of the numbers you're supposed to look for are difficult to find. Made more difficult by your tour being frequently interrupted by said docent. Also the pamphlet they give you to read for your tour is formatted like the script of an audio tour which we weren't even offered but would have been nice.

The Camera Heritage Museum is a small gem in Staunton, VA. There are a few options on how to do your tour. You can do a self- guided tour where you are giving a packet and you can read about each exhibit. You can do an audio tour or do a guided tour with the curator, Dave Schultz. We started out doing the self-guided tour but we ended up doing a tour with Dave because he just had so much knowledge and his enthusiasm made all the difference. The collection of cameras is really impressive. If you get a chance, if you love photography and enjoy history, you must go and support the Camera Heritage Museum.

Upon further research research, this individual needs to stick to his camera knowledge, He quoted a number of historical facts in error, Lee and Grant were not in the same class at the Military Academy, Ernst Leitz did not save more lives than Oskar Schindler, some of the dollar amounts of lawsuits quoted were incorrect, etc.

Wow! What a spot! We read online this was a hidden gem and everyone was right! From the first camera ever invented to the last. We were captivated by the floor to ceiling, well organized collection of cameras! Younger children are free and the self guided tour was only $6.00! So worth it!

This Camera museum is truly a gem. They have basically a collection of every camera ever made and many that were owned & used by people that made history! A lot of these camera are some of the only remaining and some were the cameras used to capture iconic events. This museum is worth a visit from anywhere and plan to send a good deal of time. Do take the guided tour as there are so many cameras and history about certain cameras that you would never learn without the guide. Do Stop and Visit!

Oh snap! In this present world of ubiquitous cell phones and selfies, it's refreshing to capture a shot of where it all began! This camera museum in historic downtown Staunton is not to be missed. Here you will find an unassuming small museum, (but quite deceiving from the outside) and discover a treasure trove full of cameras from every era including antique models to modern digital marvels. Their displays runneth over from ceiling to floor with mazes of photographic nirvana! They literally house thousands of cameras in this building. It boasts the only public camera museum in America. Your knowledge of cameras and photography will be "developed" as you peruse the menagerie of Kodaks including Brownies, Nikons, Minoltas, Fujis, Canons, Polaroids and other less popular camera brands. The folks who run the place are focused on making your experience here educational and enjoyable. They will give you a condensed or enlarged history of photography that you won't soon forget. If you have the time, they will share their wealth of information with you! We learned a lot of fascinating facts about the camera world, how the film process has evolved, and the mechanics of these little memory makers. There's a small fee for touring the museum and it's worth every cent. If you wish, can also make a donation to the preservation and expansion of this museum which we happily did in a flash! Truly, I have nothing "negative" to say about this picture perfect place! Zoom in and be prepared for a novel experience whether you're a camera buff or a novice Instagramer as you journey through the camera lens. Now say "cheese"!

Amazing place with an amazing owner. Small but well organized museum that an enthusiast could spend hours exploring. For a regular person with an interest in photography and perhaps the history of photography, this is a must visit for at least 30 minutes. Well worth supporting all the care, love and effort. The owner was a White House photographer!

Let's get the one negative out of the way--they need a bigger space. The exhibit is overwhelming and poorly labeled. If you're at all interested in photography, they have an impressive collection of notable cameras but it is hard to tell what your looking at. I never would have known that the nondescript arial camera next to the blurry photo of warships was used by the Japanese in the bombing of Pearl Harbor unless they proprietor had told us. Which bring up the museum's greatest strength--the passion and knowledge of the owner. HIGHLY recommend the "guided tour", can't say how the audio tour compares, he is an excellent storyteller and really brings the collection to life. He also took our interested but antsy five-year-old in stride. A unique and memorable part of our trip to Staunton. And they told us they're working on getting that bigger space!

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.

Best camera museum I have ever been to. The owner/operator was eager to give us a tour. There are modern camera supplies to buy there. I did not get any then but now that I have started photography as a serious hobby when I go back I will definitely buy there.

Hours of Fun We spent 3+ hours there and are going to go again. it's a must for anybody who loves history or cameras who is near Staunton

As a lover on small unique musems, 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 information Camera from a Japanese fighter that bombed the Arizona at Pearl Harbor Spy Cameras used in James Bond Movies East German spy camera in a cigarette lighter box cameras that were given to all12 year olds in the 30's and the back story cameras used in space micro cameras huge 8 x 10 cameras prints of all sorts of types from the 1800 - 1900 period explainations of the equipment and how it was used original and rare prints and original editions and well I can't remember everything David said. He is friendly, engaging, inspiring, and overflowing with stories, information, and history. He is a treasue and the cameras need his tales.

I am not a photographer, but I am an avid photo taker. I loved this museum for the nostalgia. The sheer volume of cameras should bring you in, the owners VAST knowledge will have you staying much longer than you had thought. I would say to allow 1 hour for this museum. It would be heaven for photographers, but most adults should enjoy. I am 45 and saw an example of every camera I have ever owned even a few I remembered from my grandparents. As a teacher, I would say this is NOT the museum to bring small children. I know they are raising money to expand to a larger space and perhaps adding a kid friendly area would be nice. There is a wonderful ice cream parlor next door maybe the kids would enjoy that while your browsed.

My parents and I stumbled into a real gem in the heart of historic Staunton. The Camera Heritage Museum is a growing and soon to be huge landmark. We were greeted by Dave, the curator of the most interesting and exciting collection of old photography equipment and up-to-date photo restoration. He gave us a comprehensive narrated tour of his treasures, and even let us handle some of the pieces. He was passionate about everything relating to cameras and photography, and told us delightful stories from history. The tour was free (we did leave a donation toward the museum expansion). He is bursting at the seams, and eventually will have a large enough space to properly display his collection, hopefully in the near future. I look forward to returning to his museum and recommend his place to people of all ages.

LOVED this place! There was a LOT crammed into a small shop. The curator is incredibly well versed and very enthusiastic about cameras and their history. Spy cameras and war cameras, mini cameras and cigarette lighter cameras, he has it all! He also gave us some very good information about buying options for today's cameras. We easily could have spent much more time there as Dave seemed to have endless anecdotes to inspire history lovers and camera buffs alike. We will definitely return and will bring our daughter who is a budding photographer.