Photo opportunities- Pasadena, California, Rose Bowl Flea Market

Other than photography, flea markets are both me and my wife’s favorite Sundays outing. Today we drove to Pasadena which is about one and one half hour from our home. The temperature was around 70 degrees F, which is so much more comfortable than Montreal’s winters, (where I was born and lived through my 25th birthday).

Here is my wife looking at something we didn't know we really needed.

Here's a reflection of me in an antique mirror, pushing the cart half full with treasures. Does my butt look big in those pants?


Of course we never go anywhere without our Pentax DSLRs. I had my K10D and she had her K100D. I think that the Pasadena Rose Bowl flea market must be the largest in the Country. In about four hours of walking, looking, photographing and purchasing, we only covered about 20% of the grounds.

I swear that you can find just about anything there. There was some camera gear, but I didn’t see any digital cameras. There were a lot of antique cameras and a lot of 35mm SLRs. Unfortunately, it seems that the sellers have not caught on about digital and most were asking way too much for film cameras.

There wasn't too many photographic equipment for sale, but we only covered a small part of the grounds. Maybe there were more.

Taxi anyone? Here is a replica of a replica of an old Taxi pedal car.

I did find a nice case for all my filters and a mini tripod perfect for keeping in the car just in case. I always bring my K10D and the DA 16-45mm lens everywhere I go. By the way, many of you are hesitating to bring such camera in your car for fear of theft. I have an old cooler that I leave in the car with the camera inside. Nobody wants to break in a car with only an old cooler inside. It also keeps the camera from getting too hot.

One more important point, the Rose Bowl Flea Market is always the Second Sunday of every Month which often coincides with the Pasadena Camera Show on Colorado Boulevard. Now there is a great place to purchase all kind of camera gear. If you ever are in the Pasadena area, find out about this camera show.

This is Scott Corbett. Scott and his family have been selling at the Rose Bowl for more than 30 years. They specialize in antique wind-up phonographs.

They carry beautiful phonographs. sdcorbett@earthlink.net

This is my kind of dog. I like big dogs, and this one apparently doesn't bark and is house broken.


After our late lunch, we went to Sammy’s camera, downtown Pasadena. I have to be frank with you all; I was very disappointed with the attitude of the sales people behind the counter. They were rude with all customers, and there is absolutely no reason for that. Still, I waited for my turn to get insulted. I had my K10D with me and I asked if I could try a DA 10-17mm and a DA 12-24mm. He was quick to tell me that they didn’t stock them. He said he could try to order one for me but the market for Pentax is not big enough, hence the reason they do not stock them. They mostly sell to Professional Photographers and stock mostly Nikon and Canon. I guess if you don’t carry but a few Pentax lenses, it would be pretty hard to be successful at selling Pentax lenses. I cannot imagine B & H Photo treating their customers that way. Yes, I could have ordered a lens from them, but I can do that through a friendlier place and for less at: B & H Photo . If all of those sales people are so good and professional, they wouldn’t be working at a camera store, they would be out in the world making money from photography. If they don’t want my business, someone else will.

I love all makes of cameras, but a camera store like Sammy’s makes me wish that Pentax would get real big again…and they might!

Thank you for reading. Keep taking pictures,

Yvon Bourque