What Else Is Adorama Good for Besides Cameras?

Adorama's lighting, audio, computer, drone, used and rental departments, ranked, plus how to pay less with used grades and trade-ins.

Picture a spare bedroom being turned into a studio. There’s a desk, a decent laptop, a mic arm still in its box, and a ring light that turned out to be a bit weak. The person setting it up probably owns a camera already. What they need now is everything around it.

That’s where Adorama is easy to underrate. The New York retailer’s name is tied to cameras, but its site is organized into separate departments for lighting and studio, audio, computers, drones and musical instruments, with a used department and a rental company running alongside. If your shopping list has moved past the camera body, those are the aisles to walk.

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Lighting and studio comes first

If you only browse one non-camera department, make it this one. Lighting is the upgrade that changes how everything looks, and Adorama’s Lighting & Studio section is laid out the way a working photographer thinks about a set. It’s split into Monolights & Strobes, Continuous Lighting, Flashes & On-Camera Lighting, Light Modifiers & Reflectors, Light Stands & Mounting, and Backgrounds & Supports.

The strobe aisle carries Profoto, Broncolor, Hensel, Godox and Photogenic, and it also carries Flashpoint, which is Adorama’s own brand. Flashpoint has long been the budget-friendly route into studio flash, from on-camera units up to the XPLOR location strobes, and Adorama’s brand page notes that the gear is compatible with Godox. So you can build out a kit over time without being locked into one system.

One small thing to watch. Many strobes have an LED modeling lamp, which helps you preview the light but isn’t the same as a continuous LED for video. Adorama lists both, so check which one a product page is describing.

Audio, and podcasting in particular

A video with good pictures and bad sound gets clicked away. Adorama’s audio department leans into that, with ready-made lists such as a podcasting starter kit page that groups microphones, headphones, audio interfaces and pop filters in one place.

The names are the ones podcasters already know. You’ll find USB mics from Rode and Samson for a simple desk setup, the Shure SM7B for people who want the broadcast sound, and Focusrite’s Vocaster interfaces, which are built for podcasting and sold alone or in bundles. There are also separate lists for compact audio interfaces, USB recording interfaces and portable podcast gear, so you can shop by the problem you’re solving rather than scrolling one giant category.

Musical instruments sit in their own department too, which is handy if the podcast setup doubles as a home recording corner.

🎙️ Build a podcast setup at Adorama

Computers and drones

Editing is where a lot of creative budgets end up, and Adorama’s computer department is built around that. It sells Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the Mac mini and Mac Studio, alongside storage categories for drives and SSDs. Some listings come bundled with a monitor and keyboard, which saves a second order if you’re kitting out a desk from scratch.

The drone department covers consumer flyers from DJI and Skydio among other brands. For businesses and public agencies, Adorama Business runs a separate drone program that it says includes professional and DOD-approved drones from makers such as BRINC, Autel and Freefly. Drone availability shifts, so check the current lineup on the category page.

The used department and the rental house

These two are where Adorama feels most like a specialist shop and least like a big-box store.

Used gear. Every pre-owned item is inspected and graded, according to Adorama, on a scale that runs from Open Box and Mint through Excellent Plus, Excellent, Average, Well Used and Heavy Use. Items marked Flawed work but have a known fault, and For Parts items are final sale. Used gear carries an Adorama warranty, and the length depends on the category, so it’s printed on each listing. The used help page also describes a 30-day return window on used items.

Trade-ins. You can send old equipment in with a free shipping label. Adorama says most evaluations are done within three business days, and you choose payment by check, direct deposit or trade-in credit. Turn the offer down and the gear comes back at Adorama’s expense.

Rentals. Adorama Rental Co. has been renting gear in New York since 1988, with a Manhattan location and a Brooklyn location that opened in 2017. It handles still and motion cameras, lenses, lighting and grip equipment, with pickup or nationwide shipping. Its Rent-to-Buy program credits 100% of your first week’s rental toward buying the same item, with conditions: the purchase is made at the NYC flagship and you need your rental invoice within 60 days.

Paying less at Adorama without settling for less

The cheapest way into a bigger setup usually isn’t the lowest sticker price. It’s buying the right grade of the right thing.

Start with the Deals & Specials pages, which Adorama runs by department, so there’s a specials page for Lighting & Studio and another for computers. Prices change often, so treat any number you see as today’s number.

For gear that takes a few knocks anyway, like light stands, modifiers and older strobes, a used item in Excellent condition is often all you need. Put the savings toward the thing that does the most work, which in a home studio is usually the key light or the mic.

If you have an old camera or lens sitting in a drawer, get a trade-in quote before you check out. Trade-in credit turns gear you’ve stopped using into part of the new setup. And if you’re in New York and torn between two big lights, renting one for a week first, then putting that rental toward the purchase, is about the smartest way to make the decision.

🔁 Browse Adorama’s used gear and deals