CHINATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A dispute between a Los Angeles content creator and a Chinatown camera repair shop has drawn millions of views on TikTok and generated widespread online attention in what social media users have dubbed “camera-gate.”
Kai George, a content creator and professional photographer, said she discovered her late grandmother’s vintage 1960s Rolleiflex film camera and hoped to restore it so she could use it herself.
“Today I discovered my grandmother’s 1960s vintage film camera,” George said in a TikTok video.
George described the German-made 35-millimeter camera as a meaningful family heirloom.
“I was excited to learn it and to have a piece of her,” she said.
According to George, she brought the camera to Walter’s Camera and Digital Repairs in Chinatown for service. In a TikTok video documenting the process, she said, “We just pulled up to Walter’s Camera Repair and we’re about to see how much it’s gonna cost to get this thing cleaned.”
George said she agreed to pay $450 to replace the camera’s internal mirror and perform a CLA, which stands for “Clean, Lubricate, and Adjust.”
When she returned a few days later to retrieve the camera, George said she believed parts of the camera had been changed.
“I am literally so pissed off… I genuinely feel like he swapped out my parts,” she said in a TikTok post.
George claimed that a serial number on one component had changed and that other parts appeared different. She left the repair shop without paying for the work and without taking the camera.
In another video, George said “you’re not going to sit here and tell me it’s the same camera and try to gaslight me when you literally can see that there are different parts on that camera and I’m just so upset because, like it was a heirloom.”
The posts quickly gained traction online, attracting millions of views and prompting responses from other TikTok users.
George told 7 On Your Side there had been no discussion about replacing any parts other than the mirror.
After speaking with George, ABC7 sought comment from Walter’s Camera and Digital Repairs. Neither the owner nor the employee who accepted the camera agreed to an on-camera interview.
However, the employee referred ABC7 to a statement posted on Instagram that said, in part, “My inspection indicated that some plates and components had been mixed up…I have worked to restore the camera and its components.”
The statement continued in part with, “…I should have listened more carefully when she first raised her concerns. I am sorry that my initial response made her feel dismissed…”
ABC7 observed George returning to the shop Tuesday after she was told the camera had been fixed. George inspected the camera, said she was not charged and took it home.
George said it appeared that original parts had been reinstalled, but she remained dissatisfied with the outcome.
Asked whether she considered the matter resolved, George replied, “No, I do not at all consider it resolved.”
She also pointed to what she described as additional issues with the camera, saying, “The leather is peeling on the sides here.”
George told ABC7 the situation has been especially emotional because of the camera’s connection to her late grandmother. She said the camera is now being evaluated by another repair shop in Los Angeles.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.