HELIX CAMERA & VIDEO

Helix Camera & Video, based in Chicago, Illinois and locally owned and managed, is one of the largest independent photo retailers in the country. Started in 1963 by Paul Schutt, Helix began by catering to professional photographers looking for that special widget and needing a quality, local source for their camera gear. Starting with renting equipment, and then evolving into stocking volumes of photographic products, Helix became a major photo retailer. Historically, Helix has employed photographers who have practiced their craft in many facets of their field. Having this volume of knowledge on the sales floor has been one reason why Helix became the source for most products related to photography. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Speedotron, Pentax, Manfrotto, Leica, Ikelite, Sea and Sea, Olympus, and Tamron are just a few of the major manufacturers represented in the store. Moving to a new 190,000 sq ft home base in 1986, Helix continued to expand their mail order business to local and international customers. Today, the Helix website has become a reference for the photo industry and for a new breed of photographers looking for that widget.