hash@whuxl.UUCP (HASHIZUME) (10/01/84)
According to New York Magazine and my experience, the best places to buy a camera is Hong Kong and New York City. I did not go to Hong Kong, but I did compare prices in NYC to various stores in Japan and did indeed find that it is cheaper in NYC (tax included). It is more fun to shop for consumer electronics in Japan though. I think for any intelligent consumer should decide what to get BEFORE buying especially anything expensive and in a foreign country (it'll be hard to return it to the store). As far as a 2.25" sq or larger camera, my (inexperienced) 2 cents worth is, that the flexiblity, versatility, and cheaper price of a 35mm camera outweighs the advantage of a 2.25" sq camera. The larger format does not really buy anything until you reach view camera format. I know a few pro photographers and they do not really use the 2.25" sq format camera even though coming out of photography school that was THE camera to use once you hit the pros. The larger format camera does affect the psychology of shooting, i.e. one tends to work slower and more carefully and think more about the shot. Good luck and have a good trip. Mark Hashizume AT&T Bell Labs, Whippany, NJ ..!whuxl!hash
bjm@browngr.UUCP (Barb Meier) (10/02/84)
I am traveling to Japan at the end of October and am considering
buying a camera there.
I would appreciate suggestions, comments, etc. in two areas:
1) If you have had experience buying a camera (actually, anything)
in Japan, I would like to know
where did you get it (city and/or store)?
was it really cheaper (i.e. cheaper than NYC discount houses)
had you decided what to get before going?
was dealing with japanese merchants a pain?
2) I'm interested in a medium format SLR or possibly TLR. Must be
at least 2 1/4" square (could be larger rectangle). Please let
me know your experiences being specific about make, model, and
features.
Thanks.
Barb Meier, Brown University
{allegra, decvax, ihnp4}!brunix!bjmsmith@umn-cs.UUCP (Richard Smith) (10/03/84)
I visited Japan and Hong Kong about ten years ago. Here's how I'd plan my shopping if I had to do it differently: 1. Develop a good notion of what 'good' prices are in the States (i.e. bring along a copy of Pop Photo or one of the other photo equipment catalogs that masquerade as magazines). 2. If you can easily arrange things that way, visit Hong Kong first. If you don't find it in Hong Kong, then you can look for it in Japan. The story of Hong Kong being cheaper was common back then, but it didn't really prove to be true for me: the prices were very similar. This may have changed. My best 'deal' of the trip was a discontinued press camera that one dealer was selling for (then) $100, about a third of the U.S. price. That was in Tokyo on the Ginza. So be sure to look for places having sales. Rick.
joey@felix.UUCP (Joey Tamashiro) (10/08/84)
The prices in NYC and Japan are pretty competitive. It all depends on
how carefully you shop and also on the exchange rate. I have always purchased
my camera equipment and have found that I have always done better than buying
from NYC. At the worst, the price was the same as in NYC but the case was
standard, and the filter was thrown in for free.
You should always make sure that you buy the item at a duty-free price
since you will be taking the camera out of the country. These cameras also
come with a world-wide guarantee should you need to send it to your local
dealer rep for warantee work. But I suggest (good practice for any camera
you buy) that you take a quick 12 exposure roll to make sure there are
no serious defects with the camera. If there are, take it back to the
store you purchased it from and they will gladly exchange it for a new
one.
The two shops which I have used are Sakura Camera and Yodobashi Camera
in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Haggling over the price is accepted at these
stores, even on the duty free cameras. For electronics, go to Akihabara
(haggle over the prices here also).
joey tamashiro
{decvax,ucbvax}!trwrb!felix!joey