# Advice needed! Buying cameras in China, Thailand or Singapore



## photophoto (May 28, 2010)

Hello,

I am new here to this forum so i hope this thread belongs here, if not please let me know.

I am heading to Australia soon and will probably have a 2-3 day stay either in Hong Kong, Shangai, Bangkok or Singapore.

I would like to buy a new Canon 7D or a Canon 550D with 1-2 lenses and the typcal accessories like cards, bag, filters....

So I would like to know where its best (price/quality) to buy in each of this countries/cities. Which stores or malls?

Also, I was wondering if a Sandisk Extreme III 4GB CF 30mb/s. would be enough for HD1080 Videos and RAW/JPG stills for a Canon 7D??

I have searched the inernet but didnt find real answer. Maybe you can help me.

Thanks


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## photophoto (May 30, 2010)

No one???


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## KmH (May 30, 2010)

Nope! No one.

You don't show your location on the planet in your profile, and are not an active, contributing member of TPF.

Though TPF is an International forum, the vast majority of the membership is USA based, and doesn't buy gear in Hong Kong, Shangai, Bangkok or Singapore.

Have a great time on your trip and I hope you don't pay to much for your new gear. :thumbup:


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## photophoto (May 30, 2010)

KmH said:


> Nope! No one.
> 
> You don't show your location on the planet in your profile, and are not an active, contributing member of TPF.
> 
> ...



*As I mentioned I am new here on this forum. So I cant be an active, contributing member of TPF. Is there a minimum of threads before getting help here?? Let me know.

I hoped to get some nice help here but it seems there is some elite attitude here.

Well, there must be at leat 5 members here that bought their gear outside of the US or maybe a cousins friend of a friend who knows someone and that one knows someone who bought its gear there.
*


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## Flash Harry (May 31, 2010)

Singapore or HK will probably be your best bet in getting what you need. H


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## KmH (May 31, 2010)

photophoto said:


> *As I mentioned I am new here on this forum. So I cant be an active, contributing member of TPF. Is there a minimum of threads before getting help here?? Let me know.*
> 
> *I hoped to get some nice help here but it seems there is some elite attitude here.*
> 
> *Well, there must be at leat 5 members here that bought their gear outside of the US or maybe a cousins friend of a friend who knows someone and that one knows someone who bought its gear there.*


 No, no minimum. But you're a new kid on the block and it takes a bit of time to be accepted, it's just human nature.

Also, no one _owes_ you an answer to your question.


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## StevenisWhere (May 31, 2010)

I live in Beijing, so if you were coming here, I could tell you exactly where to buy one.

However, that said, you should DEFINITELY buy it in Hong Kong.  All the expats living in China buy all the brand name stuff (especially electronics) in HK because there are some strange tax laws (that make the prices lower). Otherwise, ask someone in Shanghai where a good electronics market is, and be ready to bargain (I would recommend taking someone that can translate for you).

However, unless you get it on the black market, it won't be cheaper than the US.


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## photophoto (May 31, 2010)

Hey Stevenis

thanks for your answer.

Apart of not knowing any addresses or weblinks to photo stores in Shangai or HK my other concern is that i read in some post on google that there is a chance you get screwed. The seller shows you a new 7D and everything but wehen you go home you end up with a fake or used one.

Arent there some legit dealers in malls or so?


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## StevenisWhere (May 31, 2010)

Yes.  In Hong Kong, you can buy one at a regular store. Again, I know many the expats living in China (and other parts of Asia) go to HK to buy electronics because in the regular mall-type stores they are cheaper.  However, I think they are still more expensive than in the U.S. (I dont' know if you're from the US, so I don't know if that applies).

Anywhere else in China, however, going to a regular electronics store to buy a DSLR is MUCH more expensive than in the US.

I was just shopping for a camera here in Beijing, and so I first went to an electronics store called "Suning" (it's very popular here... kind of like a Best Buy).  A D3000 kit was ¥4500 (~US$660). On Amazon in the US, the price for the same kit is US$469.

So don't buy it in China if you want to just go to a department store and don't want to bargain at a market.

To put in in perspective (with the above craziness of price difference), I recently bought my Nikon D5000 at a market here in Beijing, and yes I had to bargain.
I got my D5000 and the Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8 lens for a total of about US$805, where if I bought the same two items on amazon, it would have been about US$825. So not really much less. It has a Nikon 1-yr warranty, Nikon recognizes the serial number, and for the few days that I've had it, it's been totally fine.

Good luck!


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## photophoto (Jun 1, 2010)

Hey,

I am getting confused with all the info i find about buying camers in HK.

thats so weird cause some website say that street prices in HK for a Canon 7D (BodyOnly) is about 11,500 HK Dollar = 1,400 US Dollars.

And with some bargain it should be at least $200 US cheaper.

So lets say you can get it for about $1,200US thats $400 cheaper then in the US and with $400 you can buy a lot of other gear.

So how come some people only find it much more expensive then in the US where a 7D sells (BodyOnly) for about $1599 US

I wish there was an official list of stores/malls/streets you can trust and a official street price in HK. For me right now reading all these Markets/Streets in HK is very confusing. Some say there its best some say over here.

My simple goal is while staying in HK for a couple of days trying to find a good price for a Canon 7D and some gear instead of buying in it the US and finding some reliable info on the stores and where to buy and not to buy.

http://rolandlim.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/...eet-price-list/


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## IlSan (Jun 1, 2010)

Ok, I'll give it a shot, living in Hong Kong and all.
First off, there is no proper "street price" in Hong Kong, reason being, that all the shops sorta work together. You get a great deal in this shop, the one next door will tell you the same price, but chip in another 8GB memory stick, or a small tripod, or whatever.

The easiest way to get a feel for equipment cost in Hong Kong is to head down to the Holiday Inn Golden Mile in Tsim Sha Tsui, and walk the block. This is where about 60% of all the camera shops of Hong Kong are located, and, this is where the serious ones are. SO you can be sure, you actually get what you are paying for.

If I may be so blunt and say, one shop that I personally use is also located in Tsim Sha Tsui - you can easily drop me a message and I can share some more detail about it, don't want to start promoting shops in the forum.


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## Dao (Jun 1, 2010)

In Hong Kong, you may need to watch out for some stores.  Especially stores that gear toward tourists. Not all of them are bad. 

Also, some stores sell grey market products (they called it water goods) at a lower price.  Warranty of those products need to go through the store you purchase it from.


There are some electronic type chain stores that sell camera equipments as well.

i.e. Fortress
Fortress

The other company is Broadway.  However, it seems that they do not have a online stores.  Here are their retail  store addresses.
Broadway Photo Supply Limited

But their prices maybe higher.


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## IlSan (Jun 1, 2010)

Fortress and the rest are good, plus they have international warranties, but, not sure if you will have much of a saving left after purchasing from them.

Totally agree with Dao on the grey market products. Watch out for them.
Sometimes they are also quite professional in exchanging original parts with lower quality parts - i.e. had a client in the other week, he brings out his new DSLR and turns it on - the first thing I hear is a very strange sound. I ask him to turn the camera off and detach the lens, turns out that the Sony (which he had bought) had some no-brand motor in it.

But, if you are keen on buying from the more "localized" shops, where you can bargain quite a bit, get them to give you a international warranty.
If they cannot provide it, think twice about buying the camera there, as you might have to catch a flight to HK if something goes wrong with the camera, and that will effectively eliminate any cost advantage 

The shop I mentioned earlier is New Sankyo - as I said, drop me a line for details.


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## chaos123 (Jun 7, 2012)

It is not easy to buy a camera in China if you don't know where to find a better shop. Instead, i always buy my stuff on Taobao, it is good to hear that Taobao nowadays have agents for shipping overseas, i.e. smalltao, taobao focus. I think it is better to know the quality and read the reviews before purchase, because not all the taobao stuff are high quality, some of them even fake. For example, if you want to buy Canon camera, you can see the seller level. Compare with the two sellers: http://www.alsotao.com/product/15667244786/taobao and http://www.alsotao.com/product/9236565919/taobao, you can see the diamond level. First one is only one diamond and the other is two diamonds. So you can believe the two diamonds seller is trustable.


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## Patriot (Jun 7, 2012)

I'll just get it online from amazon or another site like canon to be safest. yeah you might be paying more but you'll sleep better knowing your camera is real. That way nit matter the cost I wont buy cheap aftermarket gear or parts. Many people get the cheap grips for the D7K, but I paid the full $250. I know its real and I have a warranty.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Jun 7, 2012)

I myself am Singaporean, but live in Australia. During visits in Singapore, i visited camera stores...they were in every corner!!! they all sell canon, and not much nikon, so you're in luck! It's very hard to find a good store because they are all the same, but look for ones in small shops, they usually are better. Going to a big store will rise the chance of getting ripped off, trust me...I know. So also look for a camera's RRP before buying it.

Thanks,
JoshuaSimPhotography


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