Is there anything worth buying in HongKong?


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rochkoh

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Feb 8, 2002
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Going to HK next week. Any good cheap bargins up there? Camera related and non-camera related.

Heard from me friends that SM (well, storage media in general) is much cheaper there, but there're tons of 3rd party imitations with no warrenties. Caveat Emptor.

Will be checking out the 1hour chargers too.
 

well it's those imitations that we're getting at normal prices here...
they are overrun chips OEM... it's just that it's easier to import them in retail boxes.
 

this forwarded email had help me when i went to HongKong :

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It was very very difficult to seperate the some what honest dealers to the crooks. Most photo dealers in HK are out to screw you, especially the ones in high rent areas on HK Island near Lan Kwai Fong and tourist areas. They kisses every tourist butt but ignores the locals. Worse still if you are a Singaporean. They will think you are from mainland China and give you a valuable acting drama lesson of how to put on a scorn face.

The more reputable dealers seem to be located along Stanley Street in Central (near Lan Kwai Fong)and Kimberly Road on Kowloon side (just off of Nathan Road) and out in Mong Kok just outside the MTR, on and around the Yeung Choi Street and Tung Choi Street Area and in Yau Ma Tei. The prices in Mong Kok are typically at least 5-10% less than the prices in Central. However, it may be easier for visitors without much time to find the shops in Central and on Kimberly Road.

Personally, if you are looking for new camera gear and have the time, I would recommend taking the MTR out to one of the following:

-Kowloon Photo (in Yau Ma Tei)

-Wing-Shing (in Mong Kok)
66 Sai Yeung Choi ST., Mongkok, Kowloon
Tel: 2396 6881, 2369 6961
Business Time: 10am - 8pm
Take the MTR to Mong Kok Station and exit via EXIT D-3. From there it is easy to get to both MAN-SHING and WING SHING.

-Man Shing (in Mong Kok)
106, Tung Choi Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel:
2396 2996, 2395 6684 Fax: (852) 2395 2127


I think you can get the best deal with these guys and the risk of getting ripped off is very low, if not non-existant.

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These are some REAL decent camera shops in Mongkok known by most local photographers called "Man Shing" and another one called ."Wing Shing". Just go check out their prices and you won't find anywhere in the world cheaper than theirs. Moreover, they are honest (service not so good though) and won't cheat you. "Wing Shing" sell mostly 135 stuffs. "Man Shing" sell both 120 and 135. Try not to go to these 2 shops at night because will be very crowded and sales attitude not very good, they won't entertain you. These 2 shops are cheap but rude.
Just don't go to those so-called "camera shops" along Nathan Road and you won't regret for that.

manshing.jpg
wingshing.jpg



Sometimes, Mongkok Camera Centre and Cheer Power offer extraordinary low price for photographic stuff, you can go and check out yourself. However, don't expect too much about product knowledge from their staff. If you are in Mongkok, you should ask price quotation at Mongkok Camera Centre before proceed to "Wing Shing" and "Man Shing".
mongkok.jpg


You might want to look up some second-hand gear. Go to the ground floor of this building called Champagne Court, which is located at the junction of Kimberly Road and Carnarvon Road in the district of Tsim Sha Tsui; it's jammed packed with second-hand camera shops. Don't buy anything from Champagne Court.

1) Cheer Power Camera & Audio
Hung Kei Mansion, Queen Victoria Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 2877 1511, 5369 8822
Business time : 10am - 7pm
-What do they sell: New equipment
-What's worth buying: Everything, especially special-offer items
-What's good about them: Fixed prices; waranteed products (not grey imports); prices generally among the cheapest in Hong Kong.
-What's bad about them: Don't try to bargain (it's fixed prices anyway) or ask too many questions, the sales people there can be quite crabby.
Sometimes, Mongkok camera centre and Cheer Power offer extraordinary low price for photographic stuff, you can go and check out yourself. However, don't expect too much about product knowledge from their staff.


2) Kwong Tai Photo Supplies Co. Ltd.
30A Stanley St., Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2522 8648
Business time : 10am - 7pm (close on Sunday)
-What do they sell: New equipment -- regular as well as grey import items
-What's worth buying: Grey import items
-What's good about them: Well stocked; reliable merchandise quality
-What's bad about them: Not particularly customer-friendly (but they'll provide you with price quotes if you ask politely)


3) Photo Scientific Appliances Ltd
6 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2522 9979
Business Time: 0900-1900 (Closed on Sunday)
-What do they sell: New equipment
-What's worth buying: High-end stuff that're hard to find, such as Billingham bags What's good about them: The only local shop I've come across that stocks the full range of Billingham bags.
-What's bad about them: High expensive prices.

4) Stanley Photo Supplies
Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2525 2290
-What do they sell: New and used equipment
-What's worth buying: New accessories; e.g. Soligor power winder for Nikon FM/FE/FM2/FE2 and Canon , Capital DIIIB CdS incident / reflected light exposure meter (badged as Jessop DIIIB in the U.K.), and vinyl camera bags (HK$ 15-20 in S, M & L sizes)
-What's good about them: Good prices
-What's bad about them: Check carefully what you buy

5) Mirama Camera & Hi Fi Co. Ltd
25 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong
tel: 2525 0501
Business time : 10am - 7pm
-What do they sell : New & used equipment
-What's worth buying : Camera bags (seems to have the best prices)
-What's good about them : Fixed prices
-What's bad about them : Again, not the most customer-friendly.

6) Salon Camera & Radio Co.
Groundfloor, 3 Lchang Street, Tsim Sha Tsuim Kowloon
Tel: 2376 0906
Business time : 10am - 8pm (Closed on Sunday)
-What's good about them : Friendly and helpful service

7) All Best Camera & Watch Co.
Ground floor, Shop 4 Champangne Court, 16 Kimberley Road, Kowloon; tel: 2739 1826
-What do they sell : Used equipment
-What's worth buying : Nothing pops up in particular
-What's good about them : Friendly and helpful service
-What's bad about them : Hit or miss reliability with the quality of their merchandise (I suspect) -- you need to know something about buying used cameras and lenses to shop there.
allbest.jpg


8) For used equipment, go to Tin Cheung Camera Co. in the shopping arcade of Tung Yin Building, 100 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; tel: 2368 7518 (Tung Yin Building is adjacent to Champagne Court) .
Good service, need to bargain price. The most well stocked shop for new/used Leica. Well-stock in 135, 120, 4x5 cameras and lenses. They also carry brands like Gitzo , Manfrotto, Domke, Tenba, Lowepro. This shop offers very good customer service.
tincheung.jpg


9) Kowloon Photo Service
Groundfloor, 5, Woosung Street, Yaumati, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel: 2384 9302
Good selection of Photo gear. Prices are at least 5-10% less than the best prices of the shops in Central. Personnel are typically polite. Carry Lowe Pro Bags, Darkroom stuff as well as Nikon scanners. Take the MTR to JORDAN station exit from Jordan Station and walk up NATHAN ROAD ( away from Victoria Harbour). Kowloon Photo is off Nathan Road to the left near the Jade Market.
Business time : 11am - 9pm

10) Foto Photo Supplies Co.
G20 Hung Hom Sq., 37-39 Ma Tau Wei Rd., Hung Hom Kowloon
Tel : 2363 0179
Business time : 11.30am - 8pm
http://www.glink.net.hk/~npc/foto/index.html

11) Matsuya Camera & Video Centre
Shop 15, Tsim ShaTsui Mansion, 83-97 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel : 2724 0893
Business time : 10am - 8pm (Close on Sundays)
http://www.matsuyacamera.com.hk/
-What do they sell : Used equipment
-What's worth buying : used stuffs
-What's good about them : Friendly and helpful service , cheap price

12) Zhao Xiang Guan
Shop G36, Tung Ying Building, 100 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel : 2722 0068, 2722 0161
Business time : 11am - 8.30pm (Close on Sundays)
-What do they sell : Used equipment
-What's worth buying : used stuffs
-What's good about them : Friendly and helpful service , cheap price.


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Professional Photo Labs in HK

1) East Asia Professional Photofinishing Lab
- 8 Floor, Portion A1 & C1, Hop Shi Fty, Bldg., 29-31 Lee Chung Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
- Groundfloor, 76 Wellington Street, Central, HK
- Groundfloor, 29 Swaton Street, Wanchai, HK
Tel : 2889 3168 , 2525 9169 , 2575 1745
Business time : 9am - 7pm
http://www.eastasialab.com.hk/

2) Holy Crown Ltd
Unit B, 3/F Internation Ind. Bldg., 501-503 Castle Peak Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon.
Tel : 2394 8847
Business time : 11am - 9pm
http://www.glink.net.hk/~npc/holycrown/index.html

While you're in Hong Kong, get hold of the contact number for the local Consumer Council (you'll get that in in the tourist info booklet at the airport or your hotel. In case you got conned or over-charged, they are the people who can really help you.
 

Hey Ninja,

This is simply amazing! Thanks a ton!

Will be going to BangKok on Thursday too, so info on camera shops in BangKok will come in most handy.

Thanks in advance!

regards,
rOCh
 

Man, this should be archived....
If you have similar info on Bangkok, pls share! Thanks!

..NuTs..

Originally posted by Ninja
Hi Rochkoh,

I forward this email to you. It really helps me in saving my precious shopping time when I'm in HK. I'll be in Bangkok next month, hope to find some bargain used lens there. If you want info on camera shops in Bangkok, I have it too.

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I'm going up to KL in Benginning March 2002. Does someone knows where there are used camera shops or shops that retail new camera stuff? Pls share your recommendations.
 

Originally posted by Ninja

Selangor Photographers in the Pertama complex is highly recommended in KL. They definitely have the biggest selection and the best prices in KL. You can expect to pay less than either Singapore or the US.
Hmmms, may be we should have a SEED there, hehe.;)
 

Originally posted by nuts
Man, this should be archived....
If you have similar info on Bangkok, pls share! Thanks!

..NuTs..


Absolutely. Adam, know anyway we can store these permanently? A shopping/reviews/articles section from the main page perhaps?

Tim Sum? Yeah, well, okay. If it stays fresh.. :)
 

Originally posted by rochkoh


Absolutely. Adam, know anyway we can store these permanently? A shopping/reviews/articles section from the main page perhaps?

Tim Sum? Yeah, well, okay. If it stays fresh.. :)

I dun think u can cross the Singapore custom with Tim Sum... if only u put it into ur stomach before entering S'pore. :dent:
 

Ninja,

Thanks once again for them summaries of place in HK and BK. They proved to be well and accurate.

MongKok's the best place to get (almost) anything. Everything's nearby and close to each other, and offering THE best price in either Kowloon or Hong Kong. Prices of SLRs and DCs are close to or between 5-10% lower than Singapore's. Some, however like the F707 are more expensive. Avoid the shops along Nathan Road - unless you've done your homework and love to hangle (read: am patient, extremely fluent in cantonese and have lots of time on your hands).

OEM products are even cheaper. HK$359 for 128MB SmartMedia. That's around S$85 for a 128MB chip. Cheap. But no international warranty. :)


Fotofile in MBK has an impressive array of new and used equipments at very competitive prices - friendly too (read: the cute salesgirl kept smiling at me). And Chinatown proved be pretty reasonable too. Got Provia 100F and Elitechrome 100 and comparable prices - gotta be willing to ask for discounts though.


Morale of any shopping trip, haggle, haggle, haggle. :)
 

Yo...People,

Just came back from KL yesterday night. Thot of sharing some insight on the places that one of you guys recommended previously on this thread.

Yes...there are many shops selling camera stuff in Sungei Wang & Bt Bintang Plaza. But alas, they all have a common feature: They DON'T sell 2nd hand camera stuff. Shops like Edar, Fotochem, Foto ShangriLa all do not sell 2nd hand camera or lenses.And also, if you tried shopping there on weekend, you'll expect to be overwhelmed by crowd of people.

Also, compared with Singapore, the average prices of the camera & digital cams there are generally 10-15% more expensive than if u buy in Singapore. Example a brand new NIKON 28-105mm AFD lens costs S$590 in Singapore (CP) while they charge abt S$650 over at Shangrila. So, Maybe Bangkok or Hong Kong is a better place to shop for such stuff.

When asked is there any 2nd hand camera shop there, most are not really willing to tell or simply tell u "NO". But they claimed that they've customers who have this or that item for sale and if u want they can make an appointment for u. No time for that...la.

But haven't try the other places like Pertama (SOGO KL) though.
Just some of my feedback.....
 

Wow... very useful thread... we should include this in one of clubsnap.org's articles.
 

Originally posted by willyfoo
Wow... very useful thread... we should include this in one of clubsnap.org's articles.

Well, anyone want to tidy this up, so i can put it in the articles section of ClubSNAP ?
 

i just got back from KL this morning and I must agree, the prices are generally higher. For example, Foto-Shangri-la on level 4 of Lot 10 had a huge in-store discount. I enquired abt two Manfrotto tripods, the 390 and 190DB.
Here's the comparison:
390 - MR$265/after 20% discount=S$132 ($110 at Cathay Photo)
190DB - MR$263/20%=S$130 ($115 Cathay)

Photo edar and the others in Bukit bintang and Sungei Wang seemed like those Lucky Plaza shops to me. Not generally well-stocked, but carry most consumer items like F55 etc. (And with those "what do you want" looks when you enter the shop) . A lot of tokina lenses, though, strangely enough.

At Pertama Complex was Selangor Photographers. Not bad, generally more well stocked than the rest, however, a tad messy. Prices were ok, not fantastically cheap though. They didn't have the Kenko 2x Pro300 TC i was looking for so didn't enquire much.

In fact most shops didn't have the TC, but there was this little quainty shop along Jalan Bukit Bintang who had some kenko TCs, but it was the MC4 version and he wanted to sell me that for MR$399!

One strange practice I found while developing film was that one fixed price was charged for no matter how many prints you made. I developed a roll of 36 and was charged MR$30 (S$15), irregardless of whether the roll was half empty, or full. This was at Fotokem at BB. They printed on Fuji Crystal archive paper. APS was $28 for 25 exposures. Is the practice at the other shops as well?

All-in-all, I would still say that the shops here are not as well-stocked as our peninsular shops.
 

I'm going to HKG next weekend and will properly check out the IT and camera haunts. Any good advice?

Perheps a cheap microdrive, image tank, CF etc. Or some HDD..etc.
 

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