Camera stores in Hong Kong

There are at least two threads on this topic in the archives.

Hi Raymond,

Do your camera shopping at Stanley Street in Central district on Hong Kong Island (in case you don't know, Hong Kong is made up of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon peninsula and the rural New Territories). Almost all of Hong Kong Island's camera shops can be found there. Go from shop to shop to check prices first before buying. If you're tired of bargaining and shopping around, go to the nearby Queen Victoria Street, and look for a very large shop called Cheer Power Camera and Audio (that's the shop's name, I kid you not!), which is opposite the Central Market and close to the junction of Des Voeux Road Central. Everything there is fixed and reasonably priced, and they only sell waranteed products not grey imports -- I usually buy my equipment from there.

I'm not familar with camera shops on the Kowloon peninsular side (since I live on Hong Kong Island), so can't help you there. Generally, it's not a good idea to buy new gear from shops located in the tourist district of Tsim Sha Tsui. They're almost always way over-priced.

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. I recommend two of the shops there. The first is David Chan Co., which is about the most reputable 2nd-hand camera shop in Hong Kong. They're very scrupulous with their merchandise, so you can buy with confidence. The bad news is that they're also more expensive! My advice is, go to David's when you're buying expensive collectibles. The second shop is All Good Friend Camera Co. (I know, camera shops here seem to have strange names), they're cheaper than David Chan, but the people there, although honest, don't seem to be as professional as the people at David's. But if you're not buying working equipment and not valuable collectibles, that shouldn't be a problem as long as you check the stuff you want to buy carefully first. I have recommended friends to shop in this shop and I brought my Nikon FE2 and Nikkor 24-50mm zoom there with no problem. I much prefer the people at All Good Friend, who are friendlier and less snobbish than David Chan's. 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, or pick one up at the Tourist Promotion Office at the Star Ferry pier at Tsim Sha Tsui. In case you got conned or over-charged, they are the people who can really help you. Hope the info helps, and have fun in Hong Kong!

Hello Raymond, smart move for deciding to buy camera in H.K. To me,the shops mentioned above are good except the XXX power shop in Central. I personally had a very bad experience with the good gentleman shopkeeper there. There are two other "good" camera shops in Mongkok (just these two). Ther are: Wing Shing camera shop(57, Sai Yeung Choi Street Mong Kok) Mong Kok Camera Centre (Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok), another known as Man Shing camera shop is now under decoration work. Sorry, I don`t know the exact address of Mong Kok camera centre. Don`t try to buy camera or even enter other camera shop in Sai Yeung Choi Street, they are pirate. I will also send a official Nikon AF lenses price list to you, beware that the retail price should be 20- 30% less than that offical prices. Just for your reference.

Hi Eric, thanks for filling in the Kowloon part of my mini camera shopping guide. Now Raymond has the complete list! Your Kowloon info is actually very useful for me, since I never knew where to go for camera gear when in Kowloon, except for second-hand ones. I didn't know there's a Mong Kok Camera Centre; is that a shopping mall filled with camera shops (like that notorious computer mall in Shum Shui Po) or just one shop by that name?

Achtung Mr. Wee Kheng Hor (you must be a Singaporean), If you're reading this: I have received your request for the grey-import price of the Canon 300mm. I'll try to find out for you; give me a couple of days. Did you saw my input in this forum? I don't have your e-mail address and I assume that you want me to post the answer here (I've post my comments all over the place, I'm assuming that you found me here since this is the only place I mention grey-import). Let me know your preferred way of communication.

Hello everybody! I am sorry it should be "Mong Kok photo supply co." rather than "Mong Kok Camera centre". It is not a shopping mall, just a big video and audio shop. It should be noted that there may be other good camera shops present in H.K. apart from the above, simply I/we have not yet come across. However, the general rule of thumb for camera shopping should be: (1)ask and compare prices in more than one shop if you have time. (2)should be familiar with the stuff you are interested.e.g. what accessories are included. (3)if the camera shop don`t has the stuff you wanted, leave. Don`t allow cross selling. (4)you should have a expected range of price for the thing you wanted (usually the prices there are 20-30% off from your countries if the price lists printed on the amature photography and the photographic magazines are correct as I never come to UK or US and I just used these price lists as reference). (5)better to buy from authorised dealer, the price difference between grey and authorised markets are usually minimal. Hope these can help!!

Regarding Mr. Hoyen Lee's advice on purchasing used equipment in Hong Kong, as a long time photo junkie and resident of Hong Kong, I have two simple rules for buying used equipment in HK: 1) buy mail order from the States; 2) but if you must buy it in HK, for the love of god stay the heck away from David Chan.

To answer Raymond's question regarding Nikkor AF lenses, get them from B&H. Consumer lenses are not that much cheaper in HK. You save 15% at the most and no warranty in the US. Come to HK to shop for high end equipment such as Leica, top of the line Nikon, Canon L, medium format, etc., but for regular stuff, shop at home and enjoy the warranty.

Ray,

Don't get too excited about Hong Kong photo equipment prices. The HK$ is pegged against the the US, so it has not dropped as much as the Thai Baht, etc. I was there in May and walked all over Hong Kong island shopping for equipment. For the most part it was the same or slightly higher than B&H.

Also consider that you still only get a $400 duty free deduction on items brought back into the US. After that you pay a 10% duty. (I have written Mr. Bill in the oral office several times to try to get him to support legislation to increase the deduction to $1,000. Anway, that is another story.) The point is that you can spend a lot of time shopping for something that you will pay the same price for after duty that you can get delivered directly to your door.

Better yet, that the ferry to Lantau island and seen the Buddah, spend the time up on Victoria Peak, shop for junk on Cat Street, or take the Star Ferry across to the jade market and get a deal that you will never see in your life time in the US. All while you are taking great photos.

Raymond: Currently you can save some money here in Hong Kong on photo gear(as compared to the US).You will save more on the higher-end stuff (i.e. don't expect to save anything on a low end point-shoot).

The key is to find a shop that is not going to rip you off.

For more info, take a look at:

http://www.bubbachan.com/photoshopHK/shophk.htm

Good luck.

Raymond,

As mentioned before, the HKD is pegged against the USD, and has not depreciated at all.

I'm not sure what country you are in, but if it is the US then I have lived in both HK and New York and bought camera gear in both places. Buying a camera in HK can be a real pain (finding a trustworthy sales person and store) and doesn't really save you much money. Now if you were in the UK or Australia that would be a different story...

I'd second Michael's suggestion- just see the place and enjoy it. If you have time and are into landscapes, you could even take a trip to Guilin/Yangshou in China.

Oh, if you _are_ set on buying a camera whilst over there, I'd strongly recommend Hing Lee Camera on the corner of Lyndhurst Terrace and Gage Street which is a five minute walk up the hill from the Stanley Street shops in Central. The guy who runs the place seems to be one of the few camera salesmen more interested in cameras than making a sale. The place is a little pricier than the rock-bottem stores but IMO worth it for peace of mind.

Also- search the archives as all this has been covered before.

Hi, I live in Singapore and before the currency crisis hit the Asean region, the cheapest place for me to buy my photographic equipment is in the United States. As some posters pointed out, HK$ is pegged against US$ hence you do not enjoy any special bargain shopping in HK. But if you are in Singapore, your US$ definitely will get at least extra 20% mileage compare to HK. If you are going to get an expensive gear, I say you come to Singapore and the saving will pay for your trip from HK to Singapore.

Cheers.......

Hello Jeff, I know the reason why you said one can only save 15% (max) for buying camera in H.K., it is because you choose Hing Lee. They sell a Japanese made used contax 135mm2.8 at HKD$2,200 while I bought it new for HKD$2,400 with a muticoated warm up filter from one of the shops we mentioned.

Ha Ha you`re a sucker Jeff Lam. Buy at Hing Lee and you surely get a royal treatment but once you leave the shop he`ll laugh behind your back. He`s one of those asians that treat foreigner`s with extra niceness but he`s a crook. They`re all crooks.

I fully agree with Eric. There are only two dealers I absolutely trust in Hong Kong for new photo equipment: one is Wing Shing in Mongkok as mentioned by Eric. Wing Shing sells "authorized" products with full warrantees (check whether they are covered in the US); they will not screw you and you don't need to bargain down. The other retailer is Cameron Photo on Lock Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Cameron sells "grey" products. They source from all over Asia so prices fluctuates with the market. I picked up a new Mamiya 7 w/ 65mm lens from Cameron two weeks ago, just before the Yen bounced back. It was exactly 60% of the B&H price. Again, for low end stuff you will not save enough to justify wasting a day shopping.

I some what agree with the post above. Most photo dealers in HK are out to screw you, especially the ones in high rent areas on HK Island near Lan Kwai Fong. Places like Photo Scientific on Stanley kisses every tourist butt but ignores the locals. I am a native English speaker and understands Chinese so I know what they say behind your back.

I'd like to thank everyone who has responded to my thread. Now I feel like I can go into HK fully armed with ammunition. As I am only looking for lenses in the $200-$500 range right now, I'll most likely take my time to shop in the States at B&H or Camera World of Oregon and enjoy myself sightseeing and picture-taking in HK. But if I find an extraordinary deal at Wing Shing, Man Shing, or some of the other reputable stores you've mentioned, I'll take the chance and make the purchase.

Thanks again, Ray

Oh wow, Raymond, ain't you in luck with all these useful info? As a photography-addict running amok in Hong Kong, I've benefitted from these info, too (oh thank you people!!). For those coming from the U.S. to shop, I think it's a good point to bear in mind that the HK dollar is pegged to the US dollar.

Raymond, before you leave for Hong Kong, here're some updates and corrections to my earlier camera shop lists. First, it wasn't All Good Friends I had shopped in; it was All Best in the same building. Second, someone has e-mailed me his bad experience with David Chan, and I see there're several postings that give David Chan the thumbs-down; so . . . better strike it off my recommendation list!!

(Ray Tai, thanks again for sharing your experience; would you consider posting it on this forum for our learning benefit?)

By no means a complete or definitive list, below is a listing of some the camera shops I've actually bought things from more than once and am satisfied with what I purchased. I must emphasize that the limited listing is strictly based on my perosnal experience. I'm neither related to or acquianted with anybody from these shops, nor do I make money out of photography or photo equipment (oh man! I didn't even grow up in Hong Kong; I'm just an architect hopelessly addicted to photography):

1) Cheer Power Camera & Audio; Hung Kei Mansion, Queen Victoria St., Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2877 0604 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 I've come across 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 (see Eric Ung's posting dated 1 Oct. 1998)!

2) Kwong Tai Photo Supplies Co., Ltd.; 30A Stanley St., Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2522 8648 (ask for Eric) 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 (the grey-import lenses I bought from them work fine) 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 St., Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2522 0871 (ask for Tony or Adrian) 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: Prices definitely not the cheapest; also see Jessica Lam's posting dated 3 Oct. 1998 (Jessica, I speak perfect Cantonese and can pass off as a local; my experience with them has been pretty good)

4) Stanley Photo Supplies; 30 Stanley St., 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 (dunno for what models, sorry, gave up Canon for a long time), 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 (to be fair, they readily exchanged the faulty lightmeter I bought with a good one)

5) Mirama Camera & Hi Fi Co. Ltd. (strange, I don't see any hi-fi equipment in this shop); 25 Stanley St., Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2525 0501 What do they sell: New & used equipment What's worth buying: Camera bags (seems to have the best prices; bought my Domke bag there) What's good about them: Fixed prices What's bad about them: Again, not the most customer-friendly shop (salespeople here seem to have major attitude problem compared to their counterparts in the US or Canada)

6) All Best Camera & Watch Co.; Ground floor, Shop 4 Champangne Court, 16 Kimberley Road, Kowloon; tel: 2739 1826 (ask for Ms. So or Mr. Ho Wai) What do they sell: Used equipment What's worth buying: Nothing pops up in particular What's good about them: Friendly and helpful service; the Nikon camera body and lens I bought from them work perfectly 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 (then again, it's always 'buyers beware' for buying used photo equipment anywhere, except perhaps for Grays of Westminster in London)

Specially note: Ray Tai e-mailed to advise to stay off shops in Champagne Court. For used equipment, he recommends 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). (Thanks again, Tai!)

There is one more place that I think deserves high recommendation, a camera repair shop with which most serious amateur and professional photographers in Hong Kong should be familiar: Panda Camera-Repair Service; Penthouse, Double Building, 22 Stanley St., Hong Kong (take elevator to 22nd floor and walk up one flight of stairs). The camera repairer is one Lee Cho Tat who I heard is almost legendary in Hong Kong's camera-repairing field. Anyway, he was recommended to me by a pro and I have been extremely happy with his charges and service.

Ray,I've just returned from HK shopping trip (for Rollei not Nikon) and I strongly recommend Tin Cheung Camera Co, in Tsim Sha Tsui (see above comments for address). The folks there were extremely knowledgable and helpful. Incidentally, they were recommended to me by the Rollei distributor in HK as being the only official retail outlet for that product(you might try the same level of source info for Nikon!). Tin Cheung has a large number of excellent condition 2nd hand equipment (inc Nikon) as well as all their new stuff (not all on display,as smallish shop space).

Pricing was at least comparable to B&H in New York (some of it a fair bit cheaper), but I live closer to North Asia than to North-East America! You will find my further comments re this shop under Medium Format Digest. Best of luck, there are a lot of suggestions above to follow-up,and I am certain you will enjoy looking around.

It is so great that ultimately somebody said something positive for camera shopping in H.K. apart from Lee and me. I am not a H.K. tourist embassador and I just find the price list on the oversea photographic magazines(mainly UK and USA) ridiculous. Tin Cheung -- the camera shops mentioned above is the best place for Contax shopping, I can tell you. Let`s compare the prices of some hottest Contax stuff.

1) Contax AX, from Petersen`s Photographic, it costs US$1600 after less $300 rebate in B&H. From practical photography, it costs even 1,420 pounds in Jessops. The price in Tin Cheung is HKD$9,420.

2)The new 28-70mmf3.5-4.5 zoom. The price in B&H is unknown to me as they did not print it out. But the price in Jessops is 549 pounds with "price promise". Ha Ha!!!!!! The price here is HKD$3,xxx.

I feel so glad to be a Contax user and particularly to be a contax user in H.K..

BTW, I would suggest _not_ getting second hand lenses in HK as the humidity is really high for a lot of the year so fungus is a concern.

Carmen, Jess about Hing Lee: yeah, I also understand Chinese but speak English natively so I know what they say behind my back- it was fine. Being introduced to the owner by a pro probably helped though.

Cheers

Minor correction to my 4 Oct. posting. What's worth buying in Stanley Photo Supplies: it should be vinyl lens pouches, and not vinyl camera bags. Get them before prices go up due to sudden increase in demand!

Ray,

in terms of pure profit, I think it all depends were you are living. I am from Belgium, Europe and until the end of august the US $ was very strong against the Belgian franc. But when Bill was losing credit and the crisis from Asia hit the stock market, the US dollar was going down like a stone (15% in one month). So as for me and many Europeans, it will no doubt be cheaper to buy that (low priced) plane ticket to New York and buy that shining lens I'm dreaming off. Ivan

I just visited Hong Kong and I did read this thread thoroughly before heading over to Asia. I shopped both ends of Hong Kong. Hong Kong side and Kowloon side except for the real rip off places but it was very very difficult to seperate the some what honest dealers to the crooks. Conclusion it`s really not worth buying photographic things here unless it`s high end stuff. Also try to get a local friend to help you so you know that they`re not talking behind your back. It just not worth the aggravation in shopping for consumer end camera stuff here in Hong Kong . I did purchase some high end stuff and it was nerve wrecking even with a local friend. You see unlike good old America once you`ve handed the money you`re on your own and the receipts says no refund or exchange from alot of shops. The service sucks and they don`t smile and in comparison the New York mail order houses they are alot friendlier even Cambridge seems more honest and friendlier to the camera shops in Hong Kong. I`m not kidding. It was rather funny there was a t.v. commercial telling the locals to treat the tourist nicely and to smile more. HHmmmm if it`s not common sense to be nice to fellow human beings yet alone to a paying customers. Just visit this place unless you plan on buying medium format or other high end stuff. Very interesting place and lots to photofraph i.e. people shots, candids and new and old buildings. Man what a place.

As a professional photographer from Australia who has visited Hong Kong many times, I am a bit concerned with the reports on David Chan. I have bought a lot of equipment from David and also Man Shing (Mongkok) and would strongly recommend both stores. I had a minor technical problem with a Contax 645 once and mailed it to David Chan's from Aus and it was repaired and sent back promptly. I suggest to all your readers (particularly those interested in Leica and other collectables) to try David Chan. He has a large stock. It may pay to actually deal with David though personally. He has even loaned me tripods while I was in HK for night photography. By all means form your own opinion but I have walked nearly every street in HK and always go back to these two stores!

Neil

Hi, anyone have the e-mail direction of the shops that you recomend?

Thanks

Roman

This thread has had along life! I too am off to HK (but from the UK) in a day or two and hope to buy a mid-range digital camera. I hope to have a non-photographic local (a lawyer, yet!) for company on the shopping trip... Does this thread's info still hold?

Wing Shin in Mongkok is as good as ever. if you want to talk to the staff it's best to go during weekday business hours - the shop is usually mobbed evenings and weekends.

hi, would mail order to these camera shops be possible from u.s.? i know what i want but do not know where to shop and if mail order is an option. thank you

Can anyone help me with 30mm filters? normal, polarize and ir-pass filter? do you guy where i can find this kind of stuff here in Hong Kong? where can i find hard to find filter in Hong Kong?

Definitely Man Shing in Mong Kok (Tung Choi Street), two blocks from Wing Sing. To get best attention and service, avoid evening hours, say 5 - 7 pm.

I bought a Canon 10D there, but discovered that it had the autofocusing problem. I had to choose between a refund and a brand new one. To be fair, I chose the latter. The second also had a front focusing problem. I brought a laptop and demonstrated it using Canon's file viewing program. The problem was Canon's and not dealers'.

The Manager (K K Chow) was very kind and gave me a refund without a complaint, which is rare in Hong Kong. I think all Hong Kong stores should follow Man Shing's example, and life in Hong Kong would be much better.

Prices are reasonable, and do not waste time trying to bargain. I would not hesitate to buy lenses or cameras there, and I bought a Canon lens there also. Also, do not throw away anything which came with the camera or lens, not even packing foam. If there is a problem, you need to return everything.

Hi I am off to Hong Kong later this week and am going to be looking for a Canon 10D. Is there any way that I can test in the store for the focussing problems that seems to be affecting some 10D cameras? And any other advice on International warranties I should ask for etc (I am from the UK) welcomed... Thanks

Hugo, both Man Shing and Wing Shing will let you try the camera and include the international warranty. I've made many purchases in these stores and have never had a problem with either one (they're owned by the same family). On the two occasions I bought defective equipment from them I was immediately offered a replacement, no questions asked. But as Kwan Choi says, don't go during the evening, and don't go on a Saturday afternoon as both stores get extremely crowded at those times. Check the bubbachan link above for the address and telephone numbers.

Many thanks. Hugo

Hi! First i have to thank You all! I have learnt a lot just reading your answers about this camera store question. Im interested in this Hong Kong subject because i will travel to Hong Kong in April 2004. My purpose is to increase my lens collection (just three lenses so far; Canon USM 28-135 IS, Canon 50mm/1.8 and Sigma 105mm/2.8 macro) with good telezoom lens. I have tried to search price level for Canon USM 70-200 IS in internet.

I'd be very happy, if somebody coud tell me, how much this lens cost in Man Shing or in Wing Shing camera shop.

Thanks!

-Jukka Lassila

Raymond, what ever you do, don't buy from a store in Kowloon on Nathan Road called Rainbow Digital City. I am a first time digital camera buyer that had done some research on cameras but apparently not enough. I was in Hong Kong on business doing some shopping for relatives when I got the dumb idea to look for cameras. I wished I had read these photo net responses before I went because this store basically lied at every turn and ripped me off. Now I am stuck trying to deal with the credit card I used to try and get my money back. I don't understand why Hong Kong can have so much shopping and appreciate earning money from consumers, yet their electronic stores have no business sense to treat foreign consumers with respect. (Especially after the way SARS effected the economy) I am going to do my part to make sure no one will shop at Rainbow Digital City so they don't get ripped off the way I did. Good Luck!

contrary to popular believe your typical consumer Nikons and Canons are not much cheaper in Hong Kong. If you are from the US then buy from the US. The 10 or 15 percent you save by buying in HK will cost you the US warranty. Check out B&H and Adorama first.

Jeff, sorry to hear about your experience with Rainbow Digital City. Unfortunately, this is an all-too-common occurrence in Hong Kong, especially in Tsim Sha Tsui. One thing you could do (although I'm not guaranteeing results) is to lodge a complaint with the Consumer Council through this page:

(link)

Hope this helps.

Hi, I'm a German and will have to spent about 3 months in HK and mainland China for business reasons. Due to the holy age of this thread I would like to know if there are any updates on shopping photogear in HK that I would have to know. I will go to HK next time in the mid of October... The stuff I'm planning to buy is the brand-new Sigma 2.8-4.5 24-135 for Canon. Any further recommendations on shopping sites as well as any experience with that lens?

Thanks a lot, Andreas

Andreas, I can't imagine that Sigma lens being that much more in Europe.Ask one of your colleagues in Hong Kong to take you to reputable places or e-mail me if you wish. Shopping in high tourist traffic areas will be high risk. And never give anyone your credit card until you have inspected the product. The typical scam is for them to bait you with a good deal and then ring up on your credit card. Later this same item will be conveniently out of stock forcing you to buy a much higher price model at inflated prices. Too bad they will say because we have already rung up your credit card and can't cancel! By the way the HK Consumer Council is run by a bunch of spinelss idiots. Call the police if you run into any trouble.

I'm just back from visiting Hong Kong and still in Australia before I route to South Africa. The two stores that I recomend is in Mong Kok, Kowloon. Wing Shing Photographic Suplies co. & Man Shing Photographic Suplies co They are sister shops with basically the same pricing policy, though I found Man Shing to be slightly cheaper on certain products. All their goods are new in the box and carry an international guarantee. Products range from consumer end digital to Pro-digital and all the makes of 35mm film cameras to a wide selection of medium format, including Bronica, Contax, Mamiya, Pentax and Hasselblad. They also carry a wide selection of accesories and lenses, although their battery grips for the Contax 645 that I was looking for was sold out. Prices are about 5% lower than in the USA and a lot lower than what I saw anywhere in Europe, so it wouldn't be worth traveling there for shopping only, if you're from the states.

Last but not least. If you want to shop in Hong Kong - do your homework. Have a map of where you want to go, before going to Hong Kong. Know EXACTLY where you want to go, what you want to buy and what should be in the box. Check all contents. Pack everything yourself after purchase and be prepared to approach the shop assistants yourself, greet friendly in English and speak clearly.

The people of Hong Kong speak Cantonese and do not know what language you speak and therefore would not like to walk up to you and greet you in English just to find out that you are French or German and loose a sale, or even worse - loose face. (They do have enough command of english to help you with any purchase) It's a cultural thing and if you can bring yourself to enquire rather than be served, you will be a lot more sucessfull.

And now: The adresses.

Man Shing Photo Supplies Co. Ground Floor 106 Tung Choi street Mong Kok Kowloon 23962996 (They are closed on sundays)

Wing Shing Photo Supplies Co. Ground Floor 66 Sai Yeung Choi Street Mong Kok Kowloon 23966886 23966961

for any further info e-mail me at hendrikvr@absamail.co.za

Good Luck!!

hi.. i based in singapore and was advised to get cameras in hongkong. trying to get a nikon D100 or a finepix S2 pro ...? anyone knows the price ? and which is an ideal place to shop or ordered online how much are the lenses nikon 50mm and a nikon 20 - 105 mm ? whats ur comments .price really that cheap ? cheers .hope u could help guys

I have bought a lot of equipment in Hong Kong in the past (Kwong Tai in Stanley Street) but is there a reliable shop that takes equipment in part-exchange that anybody could recommend?

Thanks Ian

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all information listed before.... Actually I used to live in HK however at the moment I'm in Toronto working....

I really would appreciate someone help me out!!!!! I want to get a canon s50 digital camera.. I have a friend who checked for me and it's $3200 hkd water goods...I would like to know if someone could help me check for cheaper/better prices and also for second hand prices. My friend said she couldn't find canon s50 model in second hand market but I believe there should be... Thanks so so so much!!!!

canon s50!!! thanks!!!!!! looking forward to any replies!!!!! JOJO

I just got back from HK & Kowloon last week. If you folks are looking for 35mm SLR, then try Mang Shing or Wing Shing in Kowloon's MongKok area.

But if you are looking for Hasselblad & Leica, then the 2 guys above are just plain useless. They don't carry a limit supply of Hassy or Leica, then are very unhelpful as to whether they can order for you or not. They just simply give you a stone faced look. Such customer relations tactics should not even be given a chance to make money. DON"T even waste your time with these jerk idiots in MongKok for Hassy or Leica items.

My recommendation is Cameron Photo just behind Hyatt Regency in Tsim Sha Tsui. They are located on Lock Road just behind Nathan Road. Easily accessible using MTR & take exit E if my memory serves me right. This guy, Mr. Chin, & his father had been in the business for 50 years. If he doesn't have it, he'll try to get it for you within the hour. Now, that is what I call "A GOOD CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP". Any questions, please drop me a line.

Hello all-

This is not so much a response, but a desperate attempt for help in regards to photography stores in Hong Kong. This site came up and everyone seemed so willing to help others I thought I could throw in a question! Here goes:

I have a photography crew traveling to Hong Kong for work in about two weeks (it is 11/24/2003). We need a photography store that could supply film and possibly rental equipment. I have ben searching the web and emailed some people, but to no avail. Does anyone out there have any leads for me? Any information would be very greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

-Audra (audra@paulelledge.com)

Hello again-

I have a change already. I was now wondering if there is any knowledge out there of any photography store in Hong Kong or Tokyo that would carry a 9 foot background sweep. Any advice out there? Any tips would be great.

Thank you! -Audra (audra@paulelledge.com)

Audra, you could give Rent A Pro a try at (852) 2838 6328.

Their website is: http://www.rentaprohk.com/

Yes. I did get Rent a Pro Limited info somehow in research, thankfully! I appreciate your response.

Unfortunately, I have had little luck finding a photo store in Tokyo. We are now still looking for a supplier for two black 9 foot backgrounds sweeps with delivery as well as Polaroid Type 669. If anyone out there has any tips, please send them my way. I will continue to check this site for at least a week or more up until December 9th.

Thanks for everything! -Audra audra@paulelledge.com

Hi All, ok...there is a lot of information here about camera stores and that is Excellent. I am going to HK in December and I also wanted to buy a top of the range digital video camera and a good digital camera. I am living in australia so i don't have any idea about the prices in US, UK or HK, but i think they must be cheaper than in au.

So what I have decided is this:- 1) Cheer Power Camera & Audio; Hung Kei Mansion, Queen Victoria St., Central, Hong Kong; tel: 2877 0604.

2) Wing Shing in Mongkok.

So could you guys please correct me if i am wrong....

hello?! how much is casio exilim ex-s2 in $hkd? pls. i need d answer asap bec im going to hk nxt week. thnks. i was hoping that it would be less that $hkd 1500. so what do u think?

With great interest I have reviewed all provided information since 1998 when the first question was posted. I am travelling to Hong Kong for business next week January 7 and would like to buy a Nikon Coolpix 5700 or Minolta Dimage 7HI. As I do not have the time to shop around I would appreciate some advice on the best reliable shop at Hong Kong Island and what price level I would have to expect versus the Europe price level and the US price level. André Goedée

Hey Andre,

I too am interested in the coolpix 5700 and am trying to find out price information on the camera in hongkong. I am in china in the moment and have searched high and low through many stores and electronic markets to find good prices. I can tell you that here the cheapest I have found that camera is at 7000 RMB (approx USD 850) and the average price for it here in Dalian where I have been based for the past 6 months is about 8000 RMB (970 USD). From what I can tell these prices are seriously over priced compared to how much you would pay on the net.

so if anyone can give me a rough idea on price for this mocel of camera in hong kong it would be a great help.

Thanks Tristan

Does anyone have any websites for camera shops in HK ?, I am chasing the Sony F717 Thanks Norman

I'm just back from a trip to Hong Kong. I used the information from this thread to narrow down my search to a few likely key areas (Mong Kok, Stanley Street and a few others).

I was looking for a Canon EOS 300D kit (i.e. camera with a lens).

Very few places had prices in the window for this type of camera - if they had any prices at all, they were for the low-end models, and I don't know enough to say if they were good value or not.

Without prices in the window, I had to go to lots of shops asking the same questions. My experience was that most shops were quite unhelpful and when it came to bargaining over the price, nobody wanted to move one cent. When I mentioned to the higher places that I had found the camera cheaper elsewhere, the usual response was to bad-mouth the other shop.

The price range I found for the 300D kit was from HKD $12000 to HKD $7800, though the average was around HKD $8200. In general, shops in Stanley Street were pretty expensive. Avoid the tourist shops in Tsim Sha Tsui! The best place for prices was in Sai Yeung Choi street in Mong Kok - check out Wing Shing and all the other photo/av shops there!

Fortress have branches throughout Hong Kong and is a useful reference point for prices (HKD $8600 for the 300D)

Very few places stocked the Digital Rebel (Japanese version?) of the 300D.

I was very surprised to find that the prices for high-end video equipment were pretty reasonable, at least compared to the United Kingdom.

A Sony DSR-PD170P had a ticket price of approx HKD $28000. I also saw a Sony PD10P for approx HKD $16000. They also had the consumer versions, like the VX-2100P at similarly good prices. If you're looking for this type of gear Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mong Kok is THE place to go.

I couldn't find anyone who had a web site in HK - I guess they really don't like to advertise their prices.

Hope someone finds this useful!

Hyph ers,

Im also looking at the 300D. You mentioned an average price ~ 8200. When you were obtaining these prices, did you check that it was the complete camera ie lens, batteries etc included?

Not doubting you, but a number of posts suggest that is how some of these shops scam. Reason i ask is that 8200 is roughly the same as the prices i was looking at in the US. i was close to ordering over the net as australian prices are so high. Im just a little hesitant to order over the net. But My aunty is currently working over there, so i may as well take advantage of that.

Can you shed any light on the issue of international warranty? is it just a case of asking and paying for it?

"Hope someone finds this useful!" (Hyph ers , mar 25, 2004; 07:49 p.m)

Thanks hyph ers it was helpful

Tony

Hi,

I am travelling to Hong Kong in June and I'm looking at buying a Canon Digital SLR 10D. Does anyone know what the prices are like for this particular camera. Im also after some Canon L Series Lenses. Can anyone please give me some advice where to go and how much they would be.

Regards Rooboy

I sent an email to tony leung( reply next day), inquiring about the Canon EOS 300D, EF 75-300 IS & some accessories. He came back with a total of AUD$2200 approx. This compared to AUD$3300 approx in Australia. Even with shipping and import duties/GST id be saving around AUD$600.

The only thing now is to confim that they have the international warranty, and are complete. Lucky a family member is over their working and she can check it out for me.

Thanks to the numerous replies (over the last few yrs) above. At least one of the suggested dealers appaer to have withstood the ravishes of time. Im still going to get my aunty to check out Man Shing & Wing Shing.

Tony

Hi!

I came from Hong Kong two days ago. I read all the forum considering camera stores in HK. I visted in Man Shing and Wing Shing shops and i also checked the "neon light" stores in and near the Nathan Road. There were no big difference in prices in Nathan Road shops and in those professional shops in Mongok.

I had very good experiences of these Man Shing and Wing Shing shops. There know what they are doing. They have very skilled personel and you can find almost everything you need in those shops.

Of course i was interested what kind of offers the "neon light" shops can make. I was looking for Canon USM 70-200/2.8 IS lens. In Man Shing and Wing Shing shops the price was about 1350 HKD. One of those kind of "neon light" shop made me offer 1100 HKD. The box of lens was in the desk. I asked to see a lens, but they asked me first was the price ok? I said Yes and then they opened the box a little bit. I saw part of the lens and packing materials. They didn't open more. They ask me to show my credit card. I asked why and they like to see if it is "alive". Finally i gave it but all the time i saw that they didnt do nothing criminal with that. Then they opened the box all open. I set the lens to my camera and try to focus and zoom with it. It was all right and it seems to be a new one. Then i try to switch IS on when i noticed that there was no any IS switch in the lens!! The lens was earlier and cheaper model of Canon 70-200/2.8 USM (without IS). The box said that there was IS-model inside. I asked what is this but they was no answer. The great scam was unsuccessful.. Monkey business as they say.

Always chech what is inside in the box!

If you are in Hong Kong and you are able to recheck this (and humiliate them:), you can find this store from Mody Road (Kowloon). Its on easter side on road 150 meters from Shangri-La hotel to north-east. The name of store is something like "..photo and video" and the its located in Tsim Sha Tsui Centre in street level. There are no other camera stores nearby.

Yours,

-J. Lassila

Sorry, i forget one 0 of the prices. The real prices were 13500 HKD and 11000 HKD.

Yours,

-J.Lassila

To Tony Zdroykowski...

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you Tony - work dragged me away from home again!

To answer your questions:

Q1 - Did I check if the price included all the items that should be in the box?

Answer - YES! I was looking for the 'kit', not just the camera body. I had read about the guys who try to sell you the bits that should be included with the camera. I didn't find much of this, to be fair.

However, at the Cheer Power shop they did caution me that for the best price I said I'd been quoted that it would be the body only. They don't entertain price haggling, but they were very happy to show me what I would be getting. Their price was HKD $8200, which was bang on the average. I was amazed that Fortress (major chain outlet in HK) was only slightly more expensive - over here the chains are usually a lot more expensive.

Q2 - HK Dollar price is comparable to the US?

Answer - Well I'm not overly familiar with US prices, though I did a quick net search before I went to HK and I found the Digital Rebel (aka EOS 300D) at US $800 (around HKD $6300).

Amazon.com (US) are selling it for US $899 right now (kit!) - I'm sure they're not the cheapest! Given the weak US dollar, I could buy one on the web and import it to the UK, paying the taxes and duty, much cheaper than buying it here. It made the HK prices look steep, in my opinion anyway.

Q3 - International warranty.

Answer - Nobody was offering an international warranty, at any price. The warranty with the 300D was HK only, while there was no warranty with the Digital Rebel (grey import in HK) at all. I didn't feel like taking that big a gamble. So, if I'd bought the 300D on a HK warranty and it broke, I'd have to send it back to HK for repair.

Most of the shops seemed to think this was a great bonus - it wasn't, compared to the standard international warranty I got on my Olympus 35mm kit in Japan 15 years ago, which I did have to make use of.

I'm kinda glad I didn't buy the EOS 300D now... I've just seen the Nikon D70, which looks even better. I'll never buy a new camera at this rate!!

Glad to be of help!!

Hyphers.

Hi eveyone, I come across this forum and noted the discussion about buying photo equipment in Hong Kong continues for quite a few years! Since I am a Hong Kong local and in this hobby for over 20 years, I would like to share my experience for your reference:

1. See the link http://www.bubbachan.com/photoshopHK/shophk.htm I don't know the person who wrote it but even after several years what being described in this article are still true.

2. I subscribe to the Popular Photography so I roughly know the US price. I would say the price in Hong Kong may not always be cheaper than US. However, it is definitely cheaper than Europe, UK, Australia, and other Asian countries. (may be due to tax free in Hong Kong)

3. I always buy my equipment from Man Shing (Wing Shing is also owned by the same person) mentioned in the above article. If you have time do go to places like Stanley St and compare the prices. My experience is that Man Shing has a high chance to be cheaper. Man Shing also only sells proper import goods (no grey market). It opens Mon-Sat (Wing Shing is 7 days). Do go there on weekdays and before 5:00pm. Otherswise they have too many customers and the customer service will start to degrade.

4. Never go to shops in Tsimshatsui or Causeway Bay, unless you really want an adventure or waste your time.

5. There are other big chain stores in Hong Kong that you may come across, namely Fortress, Boardway and Citicall. The first one sells mostly proper import goods but the price is always higher. The next 2 also sell grey market goods so you need to be careful. These chain stores are good to go in and have a look. They have nice stores and friendly staff. However, they may not be as professional as those in Man Shing or other photo stores so don't believe what they say unless you also know the answer.

6. The grey market goods in Hong Kong can be much cheaper, the difference may be over 15%. Since the warranty you get from the proper imports will be of no use when you go back home, buying grey market goods may be attractive. Unfortunately there is no reputable grey market shop that I can recommend. Therefore insist on throughout testing before buying. After all, it is higher risk - but higher risk, higher return!

7. It is tradition here that shops seldom advertise prices so you have to ask. Also, shops do not accept credit cards for photo equipment. Those do for sure are asking for a higher price that has already taken into consideration the additional credit card charges (roughly 2.5% for Visa/Master, higher for AE, Diner)

I hope the above are useful to anyone who plan to come to Hong Kong and buy photo equipment.

Just been to Hong Kong so here is the take !

Tough to get Velvia in a regular Fotomax chain though they do have Sensia & maybe some Elitechrome 100.

Visited Tin Cheung at Nathan Road. He has a lot of used and new Medium Format stuff as also Billingham, Tenba & Lowepro bags. They have Nikon lenses. I saw Gitzo and some other tripods as also used MF, 35mm bodies and lenses. They have no film. I got a Lowepro mini trekker HKD 632. Enquired about a Nikon 500 F4 AFS which was out of stock but was approx HKD 57000. No problems buying there.

Also visited Wing Shing at Mon Kok. They have the 35mm and compacts. A D70 kit was at HKD 10280 . The Nikon 70-210 VR was at HKD 11000. They too have tripods, bags, cameras including digital , Canon & Nikon Lenses, filters, Hakuba dry boxes, Pelican cases and yes Films all formats including Velvia! Velvia 100 was at HKD 47, Kodak 100VS at HKD 42, Provia 400 F at HKD 54, Cokin Graduated ND filter at HKD 171. May post a pic later taken at the shop.

The D70 at the airport dutyfree was at almost HKD 13000

For Hong Kong photography tips.

Hit the central area in the morning for some architecture photography and the Tim Sha Sui looking at Hong Kong Island at dusk for the classic Hong Kong Night skyline. Also an evening trip to Victoria peak would be good too !

I'm travelling from Canberra to HK in the next few days. Can anyone please help me with the price that I will have to pay for a Canon A80 digital camera in HK. Local retailers don't have in stock.

Here is the picture I shot Wing Shing, Hong Kong.

Does any one know a good digital camera repair store in central? or elsewhere? i have a sony.

I am visiting Hong Kong next week staying at Lantau Island for one night. So I am only in HK for 24 hours. I am wanting to buy a digital camera there but I am a little hesitiant after reading some of the above posts. DOes anyone know if there are any good digital camera shops in Lantau Island and if it is worth me buying one there, as I dont have alot of time there. Or if i should buy one here in New Zealand duty free before I leave. And also if there is much of a price discount with digital cameras in Hong Kong.

Cheers guys

I've started looking at buying a D70 and found these prices in Causeway Bay:

D70 (body+lens) HK model ~ 9500HKD (small shops on top floor of Times Sq.)
D70 (body+lens) HK model ~ 10,280HKD (Fortress - big electrial chain)
E300D (body+lens) HK model ~8400HKD (Fortress)
D70 (body+lens) HK model ~ 7500HKD (top floor of Times Sq.)

Has anyone come across better prices on HK island?

Thanks

Chun

Sorry... this line:

D70 (body+lens) HK model ~ 7500HKD (top floor of Times Sq.)

should read:

E300D (body+lens) HK model ~ 7500HKD (top floor of Times Sq.)

Lantau is a developing area in Hong Kong - downtown is mainly the airport plus surrounding. There is a shopping centre called Citygate near the airport (10 min by bus) and a shop called Fortress World at Level 1 of Citygate. Fortress (www.fortress.com.hk) is a reputable retail shop in Hong Kong. They are hornest and their shops are spacious. However, their price is usually higher (but they accept credit card with no extra charge) than others but should still be much cheaper than UK, Australia and NZ.

If you have time, then go to those shops in Mongkok as recommended in my posting above. They typically offer better price.

There is a price to pay if you buy in Hong Kong - you cannot enjoy warranty when you go back to NZ.

I would like to buy a Canon MVX250i from Hong Kong. It costs about $1500 here in Aus, does anybody Know what approx it would be in HK?

Hi, I'll be in Singapore and Hong Kong the next 2 weeks and I'm looking to buy some lighting equipment for portrait and product shots. Can someone help me to locate a store? Does Man Shing Photo Supplies sells Photoflex or other brands? How do the prices compare to the US?

Thanks a lot,

Brian.

Great to read the advice guys! We're going to Hong Kong in the next few weeks and want to buy some camera gear (body+lens):Canon 10D or 300D with Sigma 12-24, 70/80-200/2.8 L IS, Canon 50/1.8II

If anyone knows of rough prices and what they think of these combos, please let me know! We're kinda green so help is appreciated!

Wei and Lei

There are two issues to be careful of when buying an expensive digital SLR in Hong Kong: international warranty (avoid the grey market and ensure the camera you buy is distributed by Nikon Hong Kong if you want an international warranty), and credit card payment. Stores will quote a cash price, and will add 2-3% if you choose to pay by MasterCard or Visa. They will assume cash payment unless you specifically say "credit card". They don't like Amex and won't take Diners. Wing Shing Photographic Supplies Co (66 Sai Yeung Choi Street. Mong Kok) and Man Shing Photographic Supplies Co (106 Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok), both mentioned earlier in this thread, offer grey market examples of the Nikon D70. They do NOT offer international warranties. There are lots of other photo shops on both sides of the harbour that will quote a good price but with Hong Kong warranty only. Three shops offering international warranties, and the prices they wanted in early July 2004 for credit card purchase of the Nikon D70 kit with AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED DX lens, are: Cameron Photo Co, 16 Lock Rd (under the Hyatt), Tsim Sha Tsui - HKD9,500 Echo Photo & Audio Ltd, 28 Hankow Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui - HKD9,282 (ie HKD9,100 plus 2%) May King Photo Supply, No 7A O'Brien Rd, Wanchai - HKD9,282 (negotiated down after an initial ask for HKD9,350). May King had the SB-600 flashgun (HKD1,580) in stock and was able to get the ML-L3 remote (which is hard to come by in HK and therefore costs, HKD230). They also supplied the AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED lens for HKD2,242. Nikon Capture V4.1 software cost HKD800 and an additional EN-EL3 battery HKD234. Compact flsh memory cards are cheaper at the computer centres (which can be found at Wanchai, Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po) than in camera stores. A SanDisk Ultra II 1Gb Compact Flash card cost HKD 1,660 and a 512Mb card cost HKD840.

I like to clarify 2 misunderstandings:

1. Man Shing (and Wing Shing) NEVER sell grey market stuff. They promote this loud and clear.

2. There is no such thing as international warranty vs local Hong Kong warranty. All the offical photo equipment importers (e.g. Canon, Nikon, Minolta etc) offer only ONE kind of warranty for each product. Whether it is international or local depends on their policy. Because of the frequent travel, some companies will offer international warranty which you can take the product to the appointed overseas agent for services. However, these overseas agent will ask for proof that you live in Hong Kong when you want free service. This is to prevent people buying products elsewhere and request free service locally. Of course you may want to take chance that they don't ask and just provide you the service with an international warranty card issued in Hong Kong.

If any shop saying they offer international warranty while others offer local warranty for the same product then it is scam.

If Nikon Hong Kong offers only one kind of warranty, then it is difficult to understand how some retailers offer an international warranty backed by the Nikon Hong Kong card while others offer only a local Hong Kong warranty. My advice to international buyers is, only buy from a retailer offering a genuine international warranty. Both Wing Shing and Man Shing are upfront that they do NOT offer an international warranty on the Nikon D70.

Anyone who does NOT believe that Nikon Hong Kong NOT offering 2 kinds of warranty for the SAME offical channel product in Hong Kong can call them up at (852)2902 9000. Their office hour is Mon-Fri 9:00am-5:00pm, Sat 9:00am-12:00pm.

Likewise, you can call up Canon Hong Kong at (852) 2170 2888. Similar office hour as Nikon.

Then you know those shops saying they offer international warranty while Man Shing offers local only are scam.

Hi there, I'm heading off to Hong Kong in September and whilst there hoping to take the opportunity to buy the Pentax Digital SLR. Can anyone recommend an authorised dealer of Pentax gear and am I likely to get an international warranty on it? It is priced at around ?999 in UK for body only - any idea what price it might be in HK?

Would be grateful for your advice. Thanks. Christine

So I've heard Wing Shing and Man Shing and Cameron mentioned as places that carry Hasselblads. Can anyone tell me specifically where are the best places to get USED HASSIES in H.K.? Would the three stores mentioned above suffice? Am I missing any other names of places? I'm only in the market for a used hasselblad system. Thanks in advance!

Am travelling to Hong Kong within the week and stay there for a week. Would like to know where is the best place to get a d2h? or a d70? is it still wing shing or are there new places now? would anyone know the current prices?

Thank you in advance..

Anton

I have been looking up a D1X in Hong Kong, and the place I have been in touch with does D2H at 1550pounds which is 1200pounds less than UK Address is Shop G11, Tung Ying Building Shoppint Arcade, 100 Nathan Road TST KL, Hong Kong. If you go, could I be cheeky and ask you to look at the D1X and see if it does include batteries, Quick Charger, Strap, and software. If you click on ebay and enter D2H they should come up. as UR Galaxy Regards

Margaret

I have been looking up a D1X in Hong Kong, and the place I have been in touch with does D2H at 1550pounds which is 1200pounds less than UK. Address is Shop G11, Tung Ying Building Shopping Arcade, 100 Nathan Road TST KL, Hong Kong. If you go, could I be cheeky and ask you to look at the D1X and see if it does include batteries, Quick Charger, Strap, and software. If you click on ebay and enter D2H they should come up. as UR Galaxy Regards Margaret

Hi, i'm also going to hong kong in december and i would like to konw if it's a good idea to buy some old non Ai nikon lenses over there. thanks Armand from Paris

Look for David Chan Company in this article: http://www.bubbachan.com/photoshopHK/shophk.htm

They have a good collection of used Nikon lense. Beside this one there are a few more shops in the same shopping arcade also selling used camera equipment so you can have a look and compare. Same as buying used equipment elsewhere you need to test it thoroughly before buying.

Please note that most camera shops (selling new or used equipment) do not acceptable credit card, unless you are willing to pay additional. Those do have already marked up the price to include the charge.

This thread is great!

Other than photo-equipment, I am also planning on buying a camcorder (Sony PC330 nice and small) there, unfortunately I haven?t found any good threads on buying camcorders in HK ... Is there anybody out there who knows a good shop to buy such a mini-DV camcorder? I have read good stuff about Cheer Power Camera & Audio in Central Hong Kong... Do they also sell camcorders?

Thanks a lot!!

Here is my write up from my recent trip to hongkong about buying a camera there.

http://www.photo.net.ph/shopping/hongkong/

thanck you David i'll run to this shop !

Wing Shing and Man Shing also sell camcorders. Wing Shing will have more choices as their shop is larger. There are also a no of other AV shops in the same area selling camcorders, such as Boardway, Citicall and Fortress. See my post sometime ago in this thread for comments on them.

Most of the stores in mongkok sell video cameras.

I suggest figure out what you want before you go there or they will force you to buy stuff that you dont really need.

If you want the contact details check my write up above...

Anton

Does anyone know here when the CANON EOS 20D will be available in Hong Kong, and where will be the best place to purchase it from? An extra bonus question: anyone want to take a punt on how much the 20D might cost? This camera will soon be the hottest thing on the market, is my prediction. Thanks again.

The Canon 20D will be launched here in the Philippines on September 15,2004 no price confirmation yet. Will probably cheaper here than in hongkong.. will keep you posted..

Just returned from a flying visit to Hong Kong. I went in search for the Wing Shing store as recommended and indeed is an excellent place to buy your photographic equipment. Better prices and deals. Had no problems with them. Unfortunately, they do not sell Sigma lenses which I was after. There are 3 stores. I recommend the one on Sai Yeung Choi St as I find them more friendly and helpful.

I went down a few stores to Hollywood AV to look for my Sigma lenses. I suggest you stay away from this store. Got fleeced more than HKD1000 (overcharged). I went back and asked for a explanation and they quoted me a different price that was initially discussed (more than HKD300 more). Even with the price difference, they still overcharged me HKD700 more. I asked them to itemise the bill (which they didn't) and to cancel and re-charge my transaction. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to shop around and had to just correct the charges and put it through.

Suggestions: 1. Ask for the itemised bill. Its not enough to have a total at the bottom. 2. Calculate the total yourself as well. 3. Make sure all the accessories are included (e.g. cover or manuals). 4. Try out the item (if possible). 5. If purchasing a large amount (mine was > HKD4000) ask them to waiver the 2% credit card transaction fee. They did this in both the stores.

Saw the Canon Eos 20D being sold almost everywhere. Unfortunately I didn't pay attention to the price.

I'm desperate for the Canon 20D and are hoping to buy aboard (not London) and are keen to find the cheapest place in the world to travel to, and use the trip as an excuse for travelling! Can anyone suggest where and possible prices? Thanks

I can recommend Digital Cam World, shop 222, 2.f, Sim City, Chung Kiu Comm. Building, no 47-51, Shan Tung Street, Mongkok. It is a very small shop, but the owner is very polite and gives you a good service.

I have also succesfully shoped at Mongkok DV Pro Shop, g/f, 81, Sai Yee St. Mongkok, where Raymond gave me god prices and an ok service.

I am leaving for HK in 4 days and will be looking for a DVCAM Sony PD 170 or the new Sony hdr-fx 1e. Any goog ideas where to buy.

Claus.

All this information has been usefull. I am going to be in Hong Kong, from Australia, in about 2 weeks and trying to decide if it is worth purchasing a digital camera before I go or wait till I get there. I am looking at purchasing the canon s70 but am finding it hard to find prices for it in Hong Kong. Can anyone give me an idea how much it is there?

In response to Gary -- if you buy your 20D in Hong Kong, you will have a warranty that is only usable in HK and nowhere else -- keep that in mind.

I have lived in HK for 25+ years, and London for the last 8. I bought my 20D in London and am heading to HK in a couple of weeks for lenses, which, in my experience, require much less (if any) servicing.

I am guessing that you will save around ?150 or so buying a 20D in HK. For me ?150 extra for the UK warranty is worth it.

On a slightly different note, does anyone here know if digital camera memory is more or less expensive than in Canada? I'm in the market for a 1GB Sandisk Memory Stick Pro and I'm be in HK over the new year.

Any help provided will be greatly appreciated.

Hi everybody.

This is a nice thread and helps to answer some nice questions. I am personally travelling to both Hong Kong and Singapore in a couple of months. An where therefore wondering if someone out there know, where there is cheaper photo equipment, HK or Singapore? Thinkking of buying one of those square format rolleiflex, maybe used. and some lenses for my 35mm cameras old canon av1 and eos 300v..

Hello, does anybody has experience with buying Canon D20 in Hong Kong? I would welcome any recommendations, street prices, etc. Thanks & rgds, Jakub

Hi Raymond. Im leaving to Philippines next week but will go for a short trip to Hongkong when I have found my ticket there. Im also interesting in buying a Canon 20D+2different lenses,accessories,flashetc. Maybe we could hooked up together and press the prices down a little because of we are 2. I called as well Canon here in Sweden and the answer they gave was that all lenses are worldwide garantee but not the camera itself.......HOWEVER...there is a goodwill to help all canon-owners if they have problem....which means???? In my opinion they are willing to help. But why should the cameras over all...."crash"???? I have had 3-4 Nikons higher classes before but never need to have service. Contact me if you like to gget hooked up together Thomas Bergelin

I found the many comments and recommendations about HK stores helpful, BUT I have bad news. With all the pointers to Wing Shing, I phoned for prices and confirmation of availability before going to HK. I got quotes on a Minolta A2, its battery pack, and a 2GB IBM/Hitachi microdrive. I was told that the 1GB microdrive I wanted was not available. At the store Wing Shing said the Hitachi microdrive was not available, and supplied instead a 2.2GB Magicstor drive. I now find from the Magicstor website that the drive is not compatible with an A2 camera. It is not performing well, is slow to write data, and skips some frames.The Minolta forum of DPReview has a number of comments from photographers in various countries who have had trouble with Magicstor drives and recommend avoiding them. Magicstor is a new Chinese technology company which according to its website started up only two years ago. Its drives are copies (reverse- engineered?) of the Hitachi microdrive, and the range now includes a 4.4GB drive. Clearly QC is not up to standard.The experience casts some doubt on the reliability of Wing Shing. IBM Hitachi drives are freely avilable all over the world. "Not available" is a lie, and can only be put forward as an excuse to push the Magicstor drive. Also, despite what has been written, the warranty supplied with the A2 is an international warranty, which will not be honoured in Australia. As everyone knows, "international" camera warranties from HK are not worth the paper they are written on.This was not a concern, but it does show that Wing Shing is doing what many other Kowloon stores do. I am taking up these issues with Wing Shing, Magicstor and Minolta HK, but it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm

Sincerely

Jerome Gublin

Since I will be in Hong Kong only 2 hr I have a question. Has any one had a chance to have a look at camera prices in any of the air port duty free shops in Hong Kong? I am interested either in Nikon d70 or Canon 20D. Thanks

Except for a few items such as liquor, perfume, etc., all stores in Hong Kong are duty free, inside or outside of the airport. Those so called duty-free shops at the Hong Kong airport are a gimmic to attrack tourists, except for the items I mentioned above.

I am not sure about the 20D, but D70 prices in Hong Kong in general is about the same as that in the US. In other words, if you can get a D70 in the US, there is no advantage to buy in Hong Kong. However, if you are from Europe, Australia, etc. where prices are higher, it may be an advantage to buy in Hong Kong.

Hi! I'll be in Hong Kong for a brief period in March. I'm looking for good prices on the EOS3+PB-E2. At Tin Cheung's the price is HKD8660 - quite a bargain compared to Europe pricing! But I've read this hread thorougly and it seems that the Man Shing and Wing Shing could offer better deals. 1 - I can I check prices? I've searched and they do not have a website; 2 - How far from central Hong Kong is Kowloon? 30 min? 3 hours? Taxi? Boat?

If anyone has some information please reply!

After my holiday in Vietnam (really great country!!!) I've stayed for 3 days in Hong Kong. The photos I took in Vietnam, were the last (I think...) that I made with my Nikon F70. In Hong Kong I bougt the Nikon D70. After visiting all the camerastores mentioned on this site (and loads more...!), I finally bought my D70 at "Broadway". Broadway is a chain of electronics-stores (although, it looks like) like "Fortress". After all they offered me the best price: Nikon D70+Nikkor 18-70: $HK 9,000 and a Hitachi 2GB for $HK 1,099. At Wing Shing (been there 3 times, despite all the good reviews, the people there were not that friendly) -same street- the best price for this package was $HK 11,639 (and 1GB instead of 2GB)!

At Nathan Road the lowest price I've got was $HK 8,300; but after all the warnings I decided to pay some more to feel safer!

p.s. Broadway (www.ibroadway.com.hk); Shop D; Bank Center; Sai Yeung Choi St. p.p.s. the price for the Hitachi 2GB was a special offer, I had to give an old memorycard to get this special price (I bought a 32MB-flashcard @ Nathan Rd. for $HK 50) p.p.p.s. Wing Shing has moved a bit: 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi St.

Hi there all! I am intending to ask a friend to help me get a Nikon Micro 60mm f/2.8 in HK early next month. Anyone knows on a rough estimate on the cost?

I'm situated in Singapore, and the cost of a D70 kit (with lens) costs around S1750 (at Alan Photo / Cathay Photo). Prices have just dropped.

So, the cheapest to get a D70 kit is now in Singapore... :) Thanks guys!

I'm going to HK in December and am looking to get a Nikon 70-200 2.8 AFS VR. Are there any shops in HK that do email quotes like Cathay Photo in Singapore?

Further to my earlier post about Wing Shing Photo and Magicstor microdrives, I can now report complete satisfaction over the problems encountered. After researching the Magicstor company and e-mailing it from its site, I received an immediate admission that their 2.2GB microdrive was not compatible with the Minolta A2. I then wrote to Wing Shing, and received an urgent e-mail of apology. Within a week Wing Shing had e-mailed me the Hitachi 2GB drive instead of the Magicstor, and also obtained and sent me the USB cable for the camera which was somehow missing from the box. Whatever happened at the front counter, the company's response could not have been more courteous and responsive when my letters of complaint arrived. So if you are in HK, check around, make sure you are comparing identical items (not new with repaired or old stock, e.g. out of date firmware) and scrupulously check the contents of the box and that it's all put back after checking. It's much more bother and cost to sorft out problems later. Caveat emptor!

Hi - I'm also looking to buy a Nikon AF 70-200 2.8 G ED-IF AF-S VR lens while in Hong Kong (on the 20th December).

Can anybody recommend any places? I've tried Tony Leung and he informs me they are out of stock at the moment.

Thanks, Chris

Hello.

I`m going to Australia to spend my holidays there. And so I bought a Canon EOS 20D a few weeks ago. Now I recognized that I have to by some new lens. The older lens I have are not satisfied.

On my way to Australia i`m going to have a stop over in Hongkong for one Day. MAy you can help me ? Where to go to find a good dealer with international warranty and good prices.

Thank`s a lot

Andreas

I`m interested in the CANON EF-S 17-85 IS USM and Canon EF 70-300 IS USM. Can anyone help me.

This thread has been running for years, some of the later questions in 2004 have been answered back in the earlier years, however, its great to read. I have lived in HK for 10 years and used to shop around mainly in Stanley street on the island as I thought all the merchants on the Kowloon side were crooks, having had bad experiences in the early years in Tsim Sa Tsui (Nathan Road).

I have since been to Man Shing and Wing Shing with a friend who is native to Hong Kong. He said that he has shopped for cameras Mongkok for about 15 to 20 years, but prefers to shop in Man Shing. It is easy to be ripped off in Hong Kong, but as always, its best to do your research before coming here. I would rather shop in HK than most other places, coming from Australia, anything electronic is a dam site cheaper!

I bought the Hitachi 2gig micro drive in Fortress for HK1599 which is about US205, but that was about 6 weeks ago (the 4 gig was out of stock). The D70, last time I checked, is about HK 7,800 to HK8000 for the kit in several places which is about USD1000, this kills me because I bought it for HK9,500 in August to take pictures for my daughters birth. I can not complain as I have taken hundreds pictures that I would never have got around to taking had I planned on using my F100 and its a hell of lot faster and sharper than taking shots with my trusty old 995. Just note that the prices for the D70 have been droping rapidly to compete with the Canon 300D or Digital Rebel in the US. I also bought the 80 to 200 AF ED IF lens for about HK6,600 (this might be cheaper in the US. I saw the price for the 70 to to 200 VR lens for about HK$11,500 in Man Shing and 12,5K in some others, but I am not saying that Man Shing is the cheapest, I have seen better prices, but they are the only one who have ever said bring it back if you have troubles. In HK, shops really do not want to know you after you have bought it, that's a bit of general statement, but I can tell you now, if you take something back you are nobodys friend ie: if you can ever get you money back, its an absolute pain in the ass. So don't buy anything unless you are absolutely certain!!!

I think that I saw the Canon 20D body for around HK12,000 or thereabouts, I am not sure about the lens prices as I do not shop for Canon. I bought the Nikon 50mm f1.4 for HK1,880 New Years Eve, it went up to about HK 2,100 in some shops.

Here's some other various prices that I was checking out at Man Shing; Mamiya 645AFD Kit HK$18,800 Lens are from HK$5,000 to over HK$6,000

Contax 645 Kit HK$21,000 Lens from HK$10,500 to HK$11,500

FM3A - HK$ 3,880 for the silver and HK$4,080 for the black.

When I have called on the phone, I have been given a certain price, when I have gone to the store and asked, I have sometimes received a slightly lower prices, mind you, HK20-30 dollars cheaper is just a few bucks US but it makes you feel bit better.

A lot of the shops sell grey goods, sure be sure to ask, its not much point getting a one year shop guarrunty if you are not living here, but note that as mentioned before, Man Shing give a Internation guarrunty. I am not trying to sell Man Shing, I have had bad service there before, when any shop is busy or doing well, they don't like to entertain someone researching a price, but it was enough attitude for me to by the 50mm f1.4 in another shop.

Last few words of advice; nothing is static in HK, prices change and good salesmen move on to other jobs, a good experience in one shop can be a nightmare on a return visit, but if you buy something, its cheaper than in your home country and works like a charm, then don't bother if the other shop was a few bucks cheaper, just be happy that you got a good deal and not a bad experience.

A question in return - where in Hong Kong do they sell electronic portable studio flash kits. I would like to check out the prices for 2-3 head flash set with stands and umbrellas and look at a soft box as well. It does not appear to be very common here, though I have seen many tungsten sets. If someone can post the shops names, addresses, contact details and prices it would be greatly appreciated.

rgds John

Hi all; From Texas here; going to Hong Kong and Manila in May, and want to buy a Canon EOS 20D; should I buy it here in the U.S. or in HK or Manila? If you have a chance, email me: bishopkenneth@sbcglobal.net. Thanks.

I will be travelling to Hong Kong and Singapore in February 2005 and am looking to buy a small digital compact possibly Nikon or Olympus and a Canon 300D. My partner and I already have a Canon 300 and Canon 30 between us with quite a few lenses. So are really looking just for the body and possibly a Macro lens. We are from Australia so either place will certainly be cheaper. Any ideas as to which place will be cheaper and more reliable? Thanks, Kim

Hi

I'm heading to HK in two days. I'm looking at buying a Canon EOS 20D and a couple of lenses.

I have called Canon Australia and the lady told me how "International" warranties work.

1. Lenses have international warranties. They require the same criterea as other warranties, a store stamp and keep your reciepts etc.

2. The Canon EOS 20D body does NOT have an international warranty. They have a local 12 month warranty only UNLESS you purchase in HK, Sing or Malay, in which case you opt for a 6 MONTH TOURIST WARRANTY instead of a 12 month local warranty. The camera dealer will have this documentation and Canon require the store stamp the warranty card, and YOU have to send it off.

Me? I'm opting for the 6 month TOURIST warranty. I'll let you know my findings regarding stores in 7 weeks when I get back.

Just wondering if anyone has ever contacted an E-Bay seller to arrange purchase and pick-up in Hong Kong. That way you have the benefit of buying at Hong Kong prices, the security of buying from someone with a good e-bay rating (instead of just walking in of the street in Hing Kong), and you avoid paying the ?40 odd quid for postage and insurance. I'm going through Hong Kong in a few weeks and I'm looking at buying a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 - to buy it in the UK costs about ?450, on E-bay its ?280 (+?40 postage and packaging). Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with this???

I'm from the UK and i'm wanting to buy a new digital camera but i'm trying to find out whether it'll be more worthwhile to hold off till I pass through Hong Kong? I'm going to OZ for a year so if I don't buy it before I go I'll have to get it in HK or OZ and camera prices are definently higher in OZ. I'm thinking of buying a Panasonic DMC-FX7, Canon IXUS 500, or Pentax Optio S5i which are priced ?260UK, ?242UK and ?223UK respectively. Which works out as $3,809.64HK, $3,546.16HK and $3,267.74HK. A lot of people have said that its worth while doing it if you're coming from the US and I think the UK? is stronger than the US$ so would make sense to be cheaper. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Chris

PS - ? might come up as a question mark instead of pound currency sign just incase your wondering what drugs i've been taking.

There are good prices to be had in HK, far better than Australia, but I have no background on the Singapore prices. Sometimes the US prices are better, but HK is a little better than the UK for eg: from a local shop like Fortress or Broadway, the Pentax S5i is about HK3,500 with bag, 128 card and other bits, it probably less now because I bought one about 2 months back. However, I bought mine from a Grey goods shop with a 12 month shop warranty for about HK2,700 with 128 card, battery, clear film protection for display and then bought a cheap bag off the street HK30 made from leather. The bigger discounts are on the high end equipment as opposed to the point and shoot products, but there are still a few good deals if you shop around and barter the price down. Some of the professional shops don't like this as their prices are fairly reasonable and the margin is not so great, they tend to make their profit on selling as much as possible. As this thread has stated several times tostay away from the tourist traps in Tsim Tsa Tsui but Cause Way Bay is also bad. In fact, any camera shop that does not have a price in the window is dangerours, they get you inside, group pressure you to buy and try a lot of cross selling and all you end up with is a grey market good with half the stuff missing out the box and a fake receipt, so don't even bother going back with the authorities, most of the time there is nothing they can do to help. These kinds of shops are run by criminal organisations. The details for several decent camera shops are listed above ie: Man Shing and several others, I have Just been to a new one called Tin Cheung Cameras. These guys are in TST on the infamous Nathan Road, but further away from the dangerous shops. They have some Grey goods with international warranty products, just ask and they will tell you what is what. The shop owner is Mr Cheung. When you arrive in HK, buy a local camera magazine, its all in Chinese, but the shop contact numbers and addresses are in English or you can get your hotel staff to help direct you (but show them the magazine). Again, look back through this thread, they are many, many suggestions for camera shops, if you are too worried about getting ripped off, then stick to Broadway or Fortress.

If you are not comfortable and the little voice in your head is saying 'somethings up' then make an excuse and leave. A trick in TST is they ask you to show your credit card and then they hold on to it until you make the deal or you sit in the shop for about 30 minutes until their buddy runs around HK trying to find a similar camera to what you want. They say the have to get it from a wharehouse, but this is a con, they could be going to get a second hand one or worse stolen... in regards to this, I am talking about some of those places in TST.

Cheers John

From my own experience, I normally shop at Chung Pui and Kwong Tai Photo Supplies along Stanley Street, Central, near the escalators. They have been there for probably over 40 years, these two shops are getting smaller and smaller as they used to sell enlargers, chemicals etc in the 70s. The down side is that prices are not displayed, so we still need to have a good idea before handing over the cash. I later also found out that the shop along Queen Victoria Street mentioned earlier sold Hoya circular polarisers 72mm HK$100 cheaper than those in Stanley Street. This is an excellent shop for Fuji Superia films as they sell by batches, costing about HK$140 or less for a packet of ten 36 exposures; as well as miniDV cassettes with memory by fives. When I was there two years ago, prices were tagged, so no surprises. For memory cards, I will get them at Golden Computer Centre at Shum Shui Po, which is cheaper than the one in Wanchai and has more varieties.

I'll be off to Hong Kong in mid-February to try to get a Nikon D70. I will recount my experience then. I do think it's wise to stick to those two mentioned above in Mong Kok (with which I've had no experience) and the two or three in Stanley Street. In general, never buy anything in Causeway Bay, the few shops in Central along the tram line, Tsim Sha Tsui. Fortresses are more expensive, have less choice but they fo accept credit card without the extra 2 or 3%. Broadways are more popular but different branch has different prices depending on the districts. So Broadway at Time Square in Causeway Bay is likely to be more expensive than those in Mong Kok.

I would just add before paying for anything, check everything and make sure that it works, don't forget the charger for the correct voltage. I got ripped off once by one of the shops along the tram line in Central for a Panasonic Walkman, once I handed over the cash, the salesman told me I'd have to buy a transformer for another HK$50 as the voltage was 110V, for Japan or the States, and not 220V for Europe.

Hi I'm passing through for a couple of days and was wondering for a recommendation for a shop that can clean the CCD on my Nikon D100 quickly (i.e. preferably same day turnaround) and importantly well!

Thanks, Mike

Mike, for cleaning, I wouldn't go to anybody else apart from Nikon. Last year, I brought my 25-year old FM to their Service Centre to remove a very annoying eyebrow on the focussing screen and have the sponge underneath the mirror changed. They did that in half an hour. But this is about the only service they would carry out straightaway. For HK$80. Nikon France returned the camera to me with a pretext that there was no more "stock".

The address for Nikon Hong Kong is : Room 1001, 10th floor, Block 1, Tai Koo Shing, 1111 King's Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. Tel 29029000; Opening hours : Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 12 noon. Try to be there in the morning, less queues.

The building is not particularly easy to find, Quarry Bay is on the Island side, between North Point and Shaukeiwan. The district is a mixture of residential and commercial buildings. So try to be there early if possible. I hope this helps.

I plan to visit Hongkong in second part of February. Specially interested in Canon D 20. Where is the most suitable place to buy and what price? Is there any "factory store"?

I'm a Hong Kong local living in Australia.

Why is there so much hype about Wing Shing? I went to HK in December and bought my Nikon D70 with the AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G DX for $7980HK at a chain store called Citicall (there are several in Mongkok). There the service was excellent, and the price was obtained without having to bargain.

I later (in January) went to Wing Shing to ask for the price of the AF-S 12-24mm f/4.0 ED- IF DX lens, and there they told me $7200HK, whereas at Citicall I immediately received the price of $6600HK without showing any interest in purchasing anything.

Give Wing Shing a miss, I say. It's crowded and the service is mediocre. Try Citicall instead.

Brian, I wish I had received this notice a few days earlier!! I am an Australian currently living in Guangzhou, China (southern tip of China - 2 hour train ride to Hong Kong). I used the information from this forum and other areas on the web to check out some stores across Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok. I was on a very tight 4 hour schedule. Reason being I am about to head off to Xian & Beijing for a 2 week holiday and was desperately after a number of key items: Canon 16-35mm f2.8 lens, Manfrotto 055MF4 tripod, EF 2.0x II extender, TC-80 n3 remote control and more. Judging by the popularity of Wing Shing on this forum, I decided this would be my last stop, as I didn't think any place would be better. I began in Tsim Sha Tsui, as it was close to where I arrived by train. I quickly checked out the prices of the Canon 16-35mm in some of the 'grey market' goods shops. Admittedly, the prices were quite cheap (ranging from $HKD8,000-$HKD9,000). However, the fact they did not have an International Warranty and you're not sure whether you will receive a genuine receipt if you have problems is a bit of an issue. I then checked out some Stanley St stores (in Central). The range of products wasn't all that great and the prices were higher (Canon 16-35mm lens $HKD10,580). I finally made it to Wing Shing. It certainly was busy, but I rate that as a sign of respect for the quality of their goods more than anything else. I found their service to be reasonable, but annoying in one particular instance. Firstly, if you think you can negotitate with these guys, forget about it. They simply will not budge. I must have spent around 15 minutes trying to get the smallest of discounts.

I managed to find most things, but the issue came with the tripod. They only had the Manfrotto 055MF3, which I decided to take. However, they had lost the box, so I asked for a discount which was perfectly fine. What they offered was nothing short of a bad joke. The tripod was RRP $HKD2,300. They offered the tripod for $2,250!! And to make matters worse, I was about to purchase $HKD16,000 worth of additional goods for which they would not give 1 cent off! The icing on the cake was I agreed to purchase the tripod if they would ensure I received a 12 month guarantee with it. They offered 7 days only for the tripod. I had a small argument with the boss, who was a bit of an arrogant man and told them not to worry about the tripod.

Unfortunately by this stage I had run out of time and had no choice but to purchase the remaining items. For those interested, the shopping list was as follows (all prices in Hong Kong Dollars): Canon 16-35mm f2.8 lens ($10,380), Sto-Fen Omni Bounce ($190), Canon EF 2.0x II extender ($2,750), Canon TC-80N3 Timer ($1,030), Manfrotto 141RC (Bogen 3030) head ($390), Heliopan 77mm Circ-Polarizer filter ($680), Heliopan 77mm UV(MC) filter ($580).

I was fortunate enough to find a Manfrotto 055MF4 in another shop within the "Ocean's Store" complex in Tsim Sha Tsui for $HKD2,500. Given they managed to rush this in from somewhere in less than 30 minutes, I was impressed and happy to pay a little more for it.

My tip for anyone is if you have the time, try and look around. With Wing Shing you can be assured to buy quality products with international guarantees, but don't expect a discount. If you want to check any of their prices, you can contact them on (852)2396 6886.

I only wished I had heard of Citicall earlier. That's ok, because I know where my first port of call will be when I purchase the Canon 70-200mm IS USM!! Cheers, Ivo.

PS. Compared to what I would expect to pay back home in Australia, I still managed to save in excess of $AUD1,200!! That's more than half of what it will cost to get that 70-200mm lens back in HK! So still definitely worth it.

I'm thinking of selling off all my Hasselblad kit-50MM FLE-500F8 + LOADS MORE To Return to Nikon 5or 6 & maybe a Mamiya 6, if any around still? Where in Asia to shop for such equipment-Anything brought would have to stand to the rigours of Pro work! Been reading comments on Hong Kong shopping & Singapore as well both seem to have reputable dealers, though would need authentic warranty's Any 1 please Also would love to spend a bit of time photographing there-So perhaps as long as price's could accommadate expense's a bit-Great Thanks

Can anyone help,

I am heading to HK for a few hours on a stop over.

Was wanting to buy a couple of things from Wing Shing, such as filters and Pelican Cases.

Can anyone help with an email address for Wing Shing in Yeung Choi Sreet,

Also opening times as I will be there in the afternoon on a Saturday

Thanks

Hi there, wondering if anyone can help. I am in need of a new CF card and am currently considering both Lexar 80x and SanDisk Ultra II.

I will be going to HK in a few weeks and wondered whether anyone had an idea of prices for 1GB or 2GB cards.

The alternative will be to get something on eBay from the US.

Thanks for any help

Visiting Hong Kong in two weeks time, currently living in Shanghai where there is limited availability of some lenses for Canon cameras. I'll probably phone ahead but does anyone know if I can get a Canon 85mm f/1.2 L lens or is unavailable there too. You can only get the 85mm f/1.8 here. I plan to look for other stuff too such as lens hoods and filters.

I go to Hong Kong twice a year on business and our local guy always uses Man Shing and he took me along. I have always found them very helpful but, as in any shop, different guys have different knowledge.

AS far as I am aware, they don't sell grey stock, only official stock.

I also found that they were more receptive and helpful, the more often I drop in! (and definitely honourable and trustworthy in my opinion!)

I believe that Wing Shin is family related to Man Shin but they operate as separate entities.

It is very true that many items only have HK warranties but that is not the fault of the shop but of suppliers such as Canon HK.

Personally, although it cost me more, I chose to buy my Canon body in the UK (or Europe would have worked too) to preserve the full twelve months warranty but accessories are a different story.

Ignore ALL those camera/electronic shops with shining neon lights (sometimes even said "Tax Free") along Nathan Road and in Causeway Bay, 99.99% of them are FRAUD. GO TELL EVERYONE who is preparing to visit Hong Kong, Thanks!

And yes, Man Shing and Wing Shing are from the same family, Chan's brothers. Man Shing generally stocks more professional products. Another shop worth a look will be the "Kowloon Photo Supplies", that little shop is in 3 Woo-sung Street, Jordan, just next to the famous temple street market, its service is better than Manshing I think. Don't expect to get any discount as they sell official goods only.

If you are looking for offers, check out "Tin Cheung" at ground floor of Tung Ying Building, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim-sha-tsui (TST). There are two smaller shops their worth looking, but beware as all three sell both offical and grey market goods.

If you are into Germany glasses, try the two shops at the back of Hyatt Regency Hotel in TST, I forgot their names ... one is like Fujiya-something and the other is.. forgot! Well its on the Lock Road side of Hyatt and you can't miss it as they display all kinds of classic Leicas and Hasselblad on their windows. They sell grey market goods only, while the price is suprisingly good, could be 15% lower then those in Manshing.

MR, It is very true that many items only have HK warranties but that is not the fault of the shop but of suppliers such as Canon HK. Well, you can ring the suppliers of Canon (that applies to Nikon as well) and get an international warranty card for free (as I remember).

Enjoy, Sam.

Forgot to mention, I have yet to find good camera shop on the Island side, those shops in Stanley Street, Central used to be quite good, but now they tend to be quite over-priced. Good bargaining skill needed .... : )

Hi, every body. Do you know if is it possible to get tax back, if I buy camera in Hong Kong

Hi Sam,

I actually live in Causeway bay, and have noticed the two camera stores near Sogo, on the corner with Paterson street. They both give the impression of dodginess to me, what with the neon signs, lack of prices, and bored looking men hanging round. I actually ventured to ask on prices though, and having been served very badly (they assumed I was a tourist, so treated me like an idiot - they're too stupid to notice I walk right past their shop twice a day!) I managed to find out their prices are phenominally cheap.

The thing is, how do they do it? I can see how a shop like that survives on Nathan Road - a load of gullible tourists who will be out of the country before they spot a problem. But Causeway Bay is full of Hong Kong Chinese.... Even if the old 'bait and switch' and 'the charger costs $1500 as an optional extra' tricks get them too, when they find the problem they can return a few days later with a police officer. Or bad word of mouth would drive them out of business - there's simply not enough 'fresh meat' (i.e. tourists) here to keep them going.

What's the deal?

P.S. Where should I get my Rebel XT / 350D from? I am leaving the country, so will settle for a grey import if it's cheaper, as I lose the warranty either way. I've bought from Wing Shing etc. before, but their prices and bundles seem fixed, and I was hoping to get the 17-85 IS instead of the kit lens.

Thanks,

Ollie

Jakub,

There are no tax on anything in Hong Kong except on cigarette/tobacco, wine/sprit, cosmetic and cars!

Ollie,

As far I know quite a lot of these shops are of the same boss, they close the shop when they have had too much troubles and open it in a new name, don't forget there profit margin are very very high, and obviously there are more gullibility then smart people out there, especially those with BIG cash from the mainland China!

About grey imports, there aren't much chance as the local distributor is pricing quite aggressively, grey imports may be about 5% lower only so most people don't bother to get a grey import. Check out "Tin Cheung" and the shop opposite (forgot the name) at ground floor of Mall of Tung Ying Building, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim-sha-tsui (TST). I've been told that you won't lose the warranty for leaving Hong Kong with offical imports, just call Canon HK (2710 2888), tell them you need an International Warranty, I think that will cost you around US$25.

Regards

Sam

This is the latest first-hand information I can give regarding purchasing cameras in HK.

I bought a Nikon D70 on 16 February 2005 with Chung Pui Photos Supplies at Stanley Street, Central. The price is HK$5900 (590 euros), with a one-year Nikon Hong Kong warranty (the charger is multi-voltage 100-240v, so no problem for North America, they even swapped the detachable lead for me for use in Europe); a SB600 flash for HK$1590 (159 euros); an extra battery for HK$250 (25 euros). By this time, I'd spent a total of HK$7740 and got a good quality super rubber blower for free! The prices are indeed a lot lower than those in France where the D70 is sold for 828 euros (internet) and the normal price at big department and specialist stores is 1099 euros; the lowest price for the flash on the web is 280 euros.

One important point I noticed is that on the D70 which I bought, the label "Made in Thailand" is missing (contrary to those I saw in France), it only says Nikon Corp, Japan. The manual is in English. The SB600 comes with a manual in Chinese, other languages can of course be downloaded from the Nikon website. I tried to register these two products on the Nikon France website for technical support, it accepted the flashgun serial number whereas the Nikon serial number was not recognised as such. And I suspect Nikon France has a way of checking if a camera is from their official stock.

As I was a bit of an idiot, I dropped my camera with my old 28-200D zoom because the strap was not tightly attached. It is a bit scratched on the bottom but the autofocus works fine. It seems that the zoom barrel is now a little loose at the 200mm, and I can't remember if it was like that before, I'll need to have it checked later on! As a result of this incident, I lost the rubber viewfinder cup. I went back to Chung Pui for another one for HK$65. I found out later that three shops next door, Kwong Tai Photos Supplies sells the same eyecup for HK$35, and the D70 and the flash for the same price as I had paid. I subsequently bought a Nikon soft suede pouch for HK$250 at Chung Pui(originally HK$290 and I managed to bargain it down as I already got the price from CitiCall at MongKok - CitiCall sells the Nikon rechargeable battery for HK$320). I have the impression that Kwong Tai gave me a decent price without the need to bargain. Both shops have good reputation since they have been there for a long time.

My brother-in-law bought a Pentax Optio X for HK$2900 (330 euros in France) at Chung Pui and my brother bought a Ricoh Caplio R1 (4 megapixels) for HK$1890 at Kwong Tai (HK$400 cheaper than at Chung Pui and 237 euros in France).

Other prices I managed to jot down : Nikon D70 kit for HK$8000 at Photo Scientific, Stanley Street (prices in this shop are normally higher than others along the same street as there are more tourists, and they sell Billingham bags). Nikon L1BC Skylight filter 72mm for HK$470 at Kwong Tai. Hoya Skylight 1B HMC 72mm for HK$380 at Kwong Tai. Nikon AS15 flash sync for HK$160 at Chung Pui. 1Gb Kingston CF card for HK$530 at Golden Computer Centre at Shum Shui Po. 1Gb Sandisk CF card for HK$590 at Chung Pui, Central. 1Gb Sandisk CF card for HK$525 at Golden Computer Centre. 1Gb Lexar SD card for HK$590 at Golden Computer Centre. A pack of 10 Fuji Superia 200ISO for HK$125 at the largest shop along Queen Victoria Street (I forgot the name), five minutes from Stanley Street.

For those who read the Nikon specialist on www.bythom.com and who are not put off by his review on the Apple iPod, be it 20, 40 or 60Gb, iPods are a lot cheaper in Hong Kong, almost half price. Check out the shop I mentioned along Queen Victoria Street. I bought a Creative Zen Touch 5Gb for HK$1890 at Golden Computer Centre where the usual price is HK$1990, but it does need an adapter for Europe.

All in all, I am very satified with the purchase despite the heartbroken incident. Buying digital compacts is not particularly interesting, but if you're looking for upmarket bridge cameras, the Canon D20 or even the 350D and up, it should be very advantageous. The guy at Chung Pui was courteous, there was the D70 behind the show window, and he didn't want to show me one out of the box before we could agree on a price (to avoid finger prints, I believed him). Once the price was set, he showed me one, put a battery and a CF card in it to make sure everything worked.

Sorry for the messy message a little disorganised, but I hope it helps.

For those who want to check the price in Hong Kong, here is the link:

http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm

The price list is updated quite frequently and most of them are accurate. At least can serve as a reference.

Hi, every body. Have you some ideas if is it better to buy tripod in HK or in Europe?!? Thanks very much. John

Here is another list for Canon Equiment (and 3rd party canon lenses as well) in Hong Kong, I think this is more updated : )

http://www.dchome.net/viewtopic.php?t=77887&start=0

Jakub,

I think it's a little bid cheaper to better to buy tripod in HK, then in Europe.. say here in the UK, a Manfrotto or Velbon Carbon Fibre Model is about 20-25% more due to the exchange rate issue. I bought a Velbon Sherpa PRO CF-530 (it is sold in the far east in the name 'NeoCarmagne 530') for HK$1400, with a free 3-way head! The cheapest quote of the 530 I have got is 149GBP.

Regards. Sam

Hi, I have just got back from a trip to hong Kong where I moved through the list of camera stores that I had read on this and other sites to try and find what bargains I could find.

Well...things really arent that much better and in fact in alot of cases prices are quite a bit more expensive. Prices here in New Zealand have gotten very competitive over the last year and we now have pricing that rival and betters places where it was notoriously cheap to buy gear.

Anyway, if you are into 35mm systems and looking for secong hand bargains there is stores like I havent seen before with mammoth anounts of equipment. Most of these can be found in and around Kowloon district around Nathan Road.

The only shop out of all that had pricing that was even worth considering was Tin Cheung and the shop opposite at ground floor of Mall of Tung Ying Building, 100 Nathan Road. A good selection of gear on hand and good pricing.

I know I was looking around online before I left for an insight and I hope this helps you also. Bottom line is if you are looking for top priced gear and your down under it would be well worth checking out New Zealand as prices are good, and items like the 1dsII and 7d are possibly the best in the world. You also know that you are getting legitimate products. Hong Kong isnt what it was and its not necessaraly worth putting up with the Chinese lack of knowledge and rudeness to save nothing.

Hi, I am currently living in London, but heading to Australia in 2 months via Hong Kong for a few days.

I am planning to buy the following: - Canon 350D Kit (with 18-55mm) - Tamron 28-300mm Di Lense - 1GB 80x Lexar CF Card

I have bargained hard on Tottenham Court Road in London and the cheapest I can get the lot for is GBP 833 Duty Free.

I would like to know if I am likely to get a better deal in HK and if so, is the difference worth the hassle?

Thanks in Advance, David.

I am going to Hong Kong on 16.4.2005 and I'd like to buy a teleobjective converter and a wideangle lens for my Fuji Finepix S7000 camera.

I am preferably after a Raynox DCR-2020PRO 2.2X tele and Raynox DCR-6600PRO wideangle (http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/digital/egfujis602.htm) or Olympus TCON-17 tele and WCON-14 Wide angle lenses.

Could you please recommend good shopp in HK. Unfortunately I won't have much time to shop around.

Regards, Bela Pecsek

I'm going to HK next in May, does anyone know how much the new Canon Ixus 700/Ixy 600/SD 500 is going for? Any recommendations of where to pick one up? Thanks for all your help.

Hallo, I plan to sell digital cameras in Poland. I'm searching for Hong-Kong's main distributors to cooperate with. If anyone has any contacts please e-mail me. Thank you. I think we can make a great deat together.

Rafal

Hello,

I an going to be in Hong Kong shortly and have read this tread to get informations about Hong Kong reputable shops. One thing that I'd like to get some advice on is where to get used equipment. Considering the risks of buying used cameras and lenses I'd like to have some advice on what shops are reputable and offer good selection. Also if anybody knows, what type of discounts from new prices can you expect to get on good Nikon gear (eg F5, F6, 17-35 F2.8, 80-200 F2.8 etc).

Thank you for your replies,

Luca

Anyone know the price of 20D in Hong Kong? Thanks.

For those of you interested in obtaining an international warrantee: the following is the answer I got after I wrote to Canon (HK)

Regarding your email, there is no international warranty for the digital camera buy in Hong Kong. However, you can exchange an limited international warranty which the warranty period will be only half years.

You are suggested to bring with you the original warranty card and invoice and come to our Centre to exchange this warranty card, the address is as below:

18/F., The Metropolis Tower Metropolis Drive Hung Hom Kowloon

Our office hours is Monday to Saturday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm and we will close at public holidays.

Regards Customer Services Department

Good Luck shopping everyone, Mark

Hi, and thanks for all your answers, they will probobly come in handy when i go to hongkong in august.

There are however tvo things that i would like to ask you guys about 1) i am planing on buyng a couple of cf cards and i am wondering if the major brandes(known to me) such as lexar and scandisk are available. Since i know them and thrust and am not willing on taking more chances than i have to with memory cards.

2) the other thing i am wondering about is i am trying to find a store where it would be likely to be able to buy an epson p-2000. And if you have any idea about price that would be nice as well

Best wishes K?ri

Hello, anybody could help me to find a place where I could rent digital camera or digital back in HK. It appears that "rent a pro" doesn't have any digital equipment on their online catalogue. Thanks in advance

I've been to Hong Kong recently and I wanted to buy a Nikon 17-55/2.8DX lens. I read this thread before going, and toured all the recommended shops in Mongkok. They offered only 1 year HK warranty and their prices weren't that great. I was lucky to get a recommendation from a friend who purchased 2 top nikon lenses from an eBay seller from Hong Kong. The seller's name is Anthony Lee and he's also an authorized Mack-Camera dealer. He offered me the lens with an international 3 year Mack (professional) warranty, for the best price, and it was even delivered to my hotel room. I also purchased from him a Lowepro bag and an Epson viewer that was hard to find in HK; Again for the best prices, and it was delivered to me in less than 2 hours after asking for it. I've found that Mr. Lee is a great person, very reliable, and his service is fast and superb! He sells all top brand photo gear. Mr. Lee's email: sales@accphoto.com His website: http://www.accphoto.com

Regards, Gil Azouri gilazouri@hotmail.com

Just a general comment on cameras in Hong Kong. My wife just retruned from HK, she was there with a church group. She decided she wanted a digital camera and I told her to check out a Nikon 5900 and at least stick with a name brand. The salesman at Rainbow Digital City on Nathan Road in Kowloon showed her the Nikon and asked why she wanted that inferior camera when he had a much better one. Needless to say, he saw her comming. He sold her a CHEAP digital video recorder called a fujitac (not a camera)for a lot more money. He also sold her a MP4 player (no such thing) for four times what it was worth. I have disputed the charges with my credit card company for what thats worth. Every time I call Rainbow Digital City, the guy I need to talk to is not in or they just hang up on me. My advice, keep your money in the U.S. or wherever you live. There are crooks and liers in HK, especially at RAINBOW DIGITAL CITY on Nathan Road Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

Hi All, I'm going to have 36 Hours in Hong Kong, Sunday and Monday at the end of August . I'm after a Dynax 7D camera body and a Microdrive. Can anybody suggest a good store? I'm assuming that Man Shing and Wing Shing would be good choices.

I'm also after a Sony Playstation portable to take out to my son (in Australia) any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also can someone suggest a reasonable hotel? I don't mind spending money, but on the other hand I don't want to spend a fortune, I'd rather spend money on camera stuff!

If anybody wants to email me privately rather than on the list for any reason, the address is mtiller@ntlworld.com

Thanks in advance.

I have compared prices for Nikon SB800 Speedlite and Nikkor 70-300mm G lens between B&H, Wing Shing (Mongkok, Hong Kong), Tin Cheung (on their website: www.tincheungcamera.com.hk), Cathay Photo (Singapore), and the Camera Workshop (Singapore). The order of prices (low to high) is as follows: Tin Cheung, Camera Workshop, B&H, Wing Shing and finally Cathay Photo. Since I'm living in Singapore and the difference is not much, I intend to buy from Camera Workshop and not having to worry about shipping and international warranties.

If anyone is interested, I can put you in touch with the Camera Workshop and see if they'll ship overseas. (Personal, not for commercial use please!)

Cheers!

Hey All,

I am going to Hong Kong @ the end of the year & wanted to know if there are any good Leica Retailers that offer the Digilux 2 at a good price. I have read a few other posts though I havent come across anyone selling the Leica range. I appreciate your time..

i have shopped at Cameron Photo Co on Lock Street Tsim Sha Tsui since many years. they are pretty honest and will uphold their promise to fix any faulty gear. Nikon gear comes with a Nikon original warranty valid for HK only. I had bought a D2Hs which had some problems a few days after purchase. The shop changed the camera for a new one immediately. No questions asked. I then had some problem on the newly exchanged body. The shop person was very helpful and referred me to Nikon HK. I took the camera to Nikon HK for repair under warranty,a nd it was fixed very quick for free by them. If you live out side HK, you would have to personally take any equip back for replacement or repair under warranty... thats the down side of buying outside of your country.. but I just wanted to post my good experience with this shop and with Nikon HK.

Everytime when I pass by a Neon Light Photo dealer in Tsimshatsui Hong Kong and see overseas tourist inside, I really wonder why no one does any search before coming to Hong Kong? Nowadays it is so easy to get information from the Internet.

If you buy from one of these shops do not complain. You just did not do the right homework.

Amazing thread. It's true, the internet is a brilliant resource and people really should take the time to do a bit of research, which is exactly what I'm doing.

I'm off to Hong Kong in October/November and am either going to buy a digital camera there or from the internet. I'm not after anything amazing, just the ?200-?400 range for a nice dig-cam I can carry around with me with ease. Carrying my SLR around can be a bit laborious at times but it's always worth having a camera. Will I make much of a saving buying from Hong Kong as opposed to the internet, considering the price range I'm looking at?

The previous should read 200 - 400 GB pounds. For some reason they came out as question marks.

Great thread and running for so many years... Simply amazing!

I compared a few Canon lenses on the tin cheung's web site

(http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/index.php?cPath=1_21&sort=5a&filter_id=6)

with the Wing Shing prices shown at

http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm.

This comparison supports the previous post that tin cheung is cheaper than Wing Shing. The difference is not huge though (less than 5%). I intend to give Tin Cheung a try. This is twice as convenient as he is just next the Holiday Inn Hotel where I'll stay.

Does anybody know if the 'grey' imports refer only to cameras or also to lenses? And if yes, is it likely that Tin Cheung's lenses would be some lower quality clones as opposed to the high quality originals that Winh Shing sells?

Also, does anybody know if these stores have all the lenses they advertise in stock? I want to buy a Tilt/Shift lens TS-E 24 for Canon, but I only have one morning in HK this time.

Thank you all for a great and very very useful thread, Sorin

I am going to Hong Kong next week, interested to get Nikon SB800, not sure what will be the latest price I can get? Where is the best place to get Nikon stuffs there?

Thanks in advance!

Hi, Read whole thread and found few web addresses only. But we are in WEB! I am NOT going to Hong Kong but would like to buy digital camera from them. Would anybody recommends a place where I can compare prices from different stores? It would be very helpful. Thank you.

Hi Ray, I have been to Hong Kong only once, but having travelled all around the world, I have a habit of hunting out what I believe to be reputable photographic equipment suppliers. The company I had dealings with in HK was New Sankyo Camera Co Ltd run by Tony Leung. They are situated in Kowloon. I have bought some high quality enlarger lenses and Nikon gear from him and although not the cheapest supplier, he was not the dearest, but he appears to be honest and reliable. I don't know if anyone else has dealt with him, so those that have may also offer an opinion.

All the best.

Mike

Two of HK's leading second-hand dealers have moved recently, so I thought I'd post an update and partial summary of this amazingly long-lived thread.

The update:

1. Tin Cheung, who used to be on the ground floor of the Tung Ying Building, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim-sha-tsui (TST), have moved to another location in the same neighborhood. They are now at Shop 5, ground floor, 6B Carnavon Road (roughly three blocks south of their original location). They have a map posted at www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/map.php. Tin Cheung has a wide range of new and used equipment at what are often the best prices in HK. (Wing Shing and Man Shing are highly competitive.) Their service is friendlier than Wing Shing, though I myself find the people at Man Shing quite friendly. (Friendliness and helpfulness typically depend on how busy the staff are and on whether you speak Chinese, I think.) Tin Cheung may assume you want grey market stuff (no guarantee card from the HK distributor). If you don't, be sure to specify that you want the guarantee card (I suggest you do this). The price will be higher, of course. Tin Cheung is also interested in buying second-hand gear.

I myself prefer buying bodies and lenses at Wing Shing because I think Tin Cheung's grey market prices are only a tiny bit lower than Wing Shing's prices with the guarantee card. However, Tin Cheung sometimes has gear that Wing Shing / Man Shing don't keep in stock, such as the Gitzo G1325 and a line of Bessa Voigtlander bodies and lenses.

2. Zhao Xiang Guan, which used to be a neighbor of Tin Cheung in the Tung Ying Bldg, has also moved around the corner. They are now at Shop 501C, Level 5, Kimberly Hotel Shopping Arcade, Kimberly Hotel, 28-38 Kimberly Road. This is the next block north of the building they were originally in. Go in the door of the Kimberly Hotel and you'll see them. This place is all second-hand stuff. Seems pretty reliable, but I have no experience buying from them, only selling to them. They have all kinds of items -- Nikon, Canon, Leica, Hasselblad, Linhof, you name it.

The summaries:

If you're in Tsim Sha Tsui, definitely check out Tin Cheung. If you go to Mongkok, check out Wing Shing and Man Shing. Wing Shing seems to have plans to set up a website at www.wingshingphoto.com (it's on their business cards) but they don't seem to have done it yet. They are less a photo supplies shop now than a consumer electronics center (cell phones, etc.). (In Chinese, their business cards now read: "Yesterday, specialist; today comprehensive; digital life product center." All part of blending in with the neighborhood, I guess.) But they will generally have a full line of Nikon and Canon bodies and lenses in stock. (Sometimes they sell out and ask you to come back in a week.)

Man Shing has more medium-format equipment and feels like more of a "pro shop." Wing Shing's two shops are at 91-95 Fa Yuen St and 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi St. Man Shing (run by the members of the same family) is at 106 Tung Choi St. The storefront of this one is much smaller than the two Wing Shings.

Wing Shing and Man Shing do not sell grey market stuff, will not cheat you, and will often allow you to exchange items bought within a few days for other items of equal value. Everything has a guarantee card and they will make a point of confirming with you that the serial number of the item you're buying matches that on the card.

For high-end stuff like Hasselblad and Leica, as one earlier post says, there are Cameron Photo and Francisco Photo on Lock Road behind the Hyatt Regency. They seem to deal mainly in new equipment, not second-hand. I've heard people say good things about Cameron.

One other place people have mentioned in this thread is Kowloon Photo Supplies, 3 Woo-Sung Street, Jordan. Take the MTR to the Jordan stop and have a look at the map in the station to find Woo-Sung St. nearby. This is another reliable place, a bit smaller so probably less stuff in stock. Service may be better than in shops like Wing Shing because it's not crowded. This one also has more of a "pro shop" feel.

On HK island, by all means, stroll down Stanley Street in Central (just down from the Lan Kwai Fong bar district) and compare prices at Photo Scientific, Chung Pui and Kwong Tai Photo. (Of these, Photo Scientific has the best location but is probably the least friendly or helpful.) I don't know these shops well myself.

The reason I mentioned the "feel" of the shop a couple of times earlier is that most "camera" stores in HK are really just consumer electronics shops with maybe one D2X box in the front window (who knows, the box might even be empty) and a few D50s, D70s's, and Digital Rebels in stock. Most of their business is point-and-shoot, mobile phones, ipods, etc. Stay away from these, and stay away from anything that looks like what one poster above called the "neon" shops, which are clustered on Nathan Road. (You'll recognize them easily.)

For popular mid-range items like a Nikon D50 or D70s kit, really almost any of the big electronics chains in HK -- Citicall, Fortress, Broadway -- will offer prices competitive with, or just marginally higher than, the specialist camera dealers. They might even be cheaper, if the item is on special. Dealers like Wing Shing will usually give you a larger-capacity memory card with the kit than the chains will, and the chains may have the kit only -- no other lenses or filters. But if you don't need those items, the chain stores are very convenient, since they are everywhere.

Finally, if you don't live in Hong Kong, I suggest you reconsider whether you want to buy camera gear here at all. Generally speaking, these days prices for new equipment in Hong Kong seem to be slightly, but not necessarily significantly, cheaper than elsewhere. Sometimes, but not always, high-end stuff such as Leica and Hasselblad is much cheaper here. For Nikon and Canon, if you live in North America and can conveniently order from B&H or Adorama, there's no big advantage to buying gear in HK. It will be perhaps 2% or 3% cheaper than B&H's "imported" price, but less convenient to buy or get repaired, if you ever have a problem. I understand that prices in Europe are often higher, so the situation may be different for people visiting from there.

Chris

In line with Chris' answer earlier, I would like to say that from the point of view of someone living in Australia, HK prices are significantly cheaper.

A few examples from the Canon range (prices in Australian dollars):

1. EOS 350D one lens kit: 1500 (AUS) vs 1100 (HK),

2. TS-E 24 f/3.5 L lens: 2000 (AUS) vs 1400 (HK),

3. EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM 3000 (AUS) vs 1900 (HK).

Lenses especially are about 30% cheaper in HK than in Autralia! And also they have valid warranty in Australia. I rang Canon over here and they told me that cameras bought elsewhere are not covered by warranty in Australia, however lenses bought anywhere in the world are covered!

Also, Chris was talking about Tin Cheung selling grey market stuff. I presume this only applies to camera bodies etc. and not to lenses. Anyone knows if this is true?

Sorin

Tin Cheung will generally offer you grey market lenses, too. I suspect that they may try to sell grey market goods without giving you the full grey market discount. The main point is to be careful in dealing with them, that's all. Make sure you are getting exactly what you want at a price that you've confirmed is fair (e.g., by comparison with Man shing). I have read a few complaints about them, but also praise from people who dealt with them regularly and were very satisfied.

There's been a lot of discussion of HK shops and prices in the "Shopping for Leica" forum over the years. You can find it here:

(link)

A number of people recommend Anthony Lee, of Accphoto, who can be reached by e-mail at sales@accphoto.com. People have also recommended www.hksupplies.com.

Best wishes finding what you want at a fair price!

I just returned from Hong Kong where I intended to purchase a Canon S2 IS. I went to nearly all the stores recommended on this forum and more. Only 4 stores had the S2. The initial pre-bargaining price was always very high. Even after bargaining hard I ended up at a price that was so close to the lowest prices in Switzerland to make any purchase useless because of lack of warranty or risk of defect-related hassle.

Therefore, if you live close enough to Switzerland, I'd recommend you give a look at www.toppreise.ch. A good store in Zurich where you can retrieve your goods directly is Digitec.ch and their prices are among the lowest. Even though Switzerland is an expensive country for day to day goods, the low 7.6% VAT makes it worth the trip for expensive goods.

FYI: A friend just bought a Nikon D2X at Wing Shing for the equivalent of US $3861. This was a 5% discount off the initial price they quoted and is an "official" import, not grey-market. Clearly this is significantly cheaper than the price advertised at leading North American dealers. On the other hand, he also bought a 70-200mm f2.8 VR zoom for a price slightly higher than B&H's "imported" price. We were told this was because Wing Shing buys D2X's in large bulk, whereas supplies of the 70-200 zoom are very limited, only about three lenses per month.

Chris

Hi There

Just brought a web site in the UK and due to the fact that jessops are doing their best to wreck the UK digital market im going in search of HK and asian suppliers. i would be grateful if theres anyone who knows of any RELIABLE suppliers in Hong Kong it mite be worth approaching

Thanks

Rich

Will be going over to Hong Kong soon and am looking for the sigma 70-200 F2.8 EX APO HSM DG for canon mount. Found out that the only reputable store that carries it Tin Cheung camera is OOS. Is there anywhere else i can get the lens?

Anyone knows the latest (dec 05) price for Canon 350D w/lens kit and Nikon D70s w/lens kit? I'm in Shanghai and the prices are HK$6720 and HK$8352.

Does anyone know of a good and cheap place to print digital photos in Hong Kong? Thanks! Emily

Hi.. I'm be coming to HK on the 22nd Dec and i would like to know how much is Canon D350 cost? I'm a Malaysian and i can get the camera with battery grip and a 1G memory card back home for the price of HK8200. Can I get this cheaper in HK? thanks

Hi Khong,

I'm Patrick and I'm now residing in Shanghai. I'm also thinking of buying either a Canon 350D or 20D, maybe even Nikon D70s. Is HKD8200 (about RM4000) the best you can get? In Shanghai, the 350D with lens kit cost about RM3300 without the CF card and battery grip. Any idea what the Nikon D70s costs in KL? My e-mail is patrick8lee@gmail.com.

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can find Lastolite Cubelite Kits in Hong Kong?

Thanks, Ingela

I would first of all thank everyone on this fantastic thread for providing all these important informations!

I have been in HK last week to buy some Nikon lenses and I would like to share my experiences with you.

I have read every word in this thread and have been to the most important shops. My advice: If you don't have plenty of time: just directly head for Wing Shing and Man Shing in Mong Kok. Although I expected Man Shing to be the more friendly and "quiet" professional shop, these people were quite arrogant. When I arrived there in the morning, they said (after reassuring on the phone) that they still had one 17-55 mm 2.8 lens in stock. When I came there three hours later to buy the lens, they said, that they already had told me that the lens is out of stock. So I bought my equipment at Whing Shing. To my surprise, the 17-55 mm lens was nowhere available in Mong Kok and in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Tin Cheung could not help, neither did Cameron Photo, who moved to another place in Tsim Sha Tsui (I think it's called the "Mirror House", you'll find it on the map provided at the airport for free).

Only in Stanley Street on Hong Kong Island, the lens was in stock at Photo Scientific as well as at Chung Pui. I bought mine at Chung Pui, because they were much friendlier. The lens was 400 HK Dollars more expensive at Stanley street than it would have been in Kowloon. But I had no choice (9.600).

Anyway, prices were MUCH better than in Germany. I bought the 70-200 mm 2.8 for 11.600 and the 85 mm 1.4 for about 6400, I think.

To my surprise, the 10.5 mm fisheye was really nowhere available in the whole city. There was not a small chance to buy it, so I ordered it in the USA. The D 200 is also not easy to find in HK. You could buy some greymarket D200 cameras for example in Stanley street for approx.14.000 HK Dollars.

I hope, this information is of interest for you.

Cheers, Uli

I just wanted to add my comments to this very useful post. I read through all of these comments before coming to Hong Kong on business trip with plan for purchase of Canon Speedlite 580EX and Canon 100/2.8 macro lens. I was very lucky to have a work collegue (local Hong Kong resident and also camera enthusiast) who offered to come with me. We went to Stanley Street area and visited World Camera and Citicall. The staff were helpful at both of these. Prices competitive but a little higher than we knew we could get in Mongkok stores. When I mentioned to me collegue about the suggestions on this post that Man shing and Wing shing were good, he agreed straight away and said that normally he himself would go direct to one of these and not bother too much on shopping around as the equipment is genuine and prices always very sharp. We went first to Man Shing (10.30am Sat morning). The store is quite small (but they were doing building work when we visited to expand). It was fairly quiet and we recieved excellent service. You do need to ask for help. My collegue did say that at times, he has recieved very poor service at Man shing although that was not the case when I was there. Obviously, the service level is variable from the descriptions in some of the above posts. English was no problem although my collegue discussed the items in Cantonese. Prices are fairly much fixed. We asked for discount to buy the several items but best he would do was HK$50 off. In any case, the list prices were quite a bit cheaper than the Stanley St stores. Eg 100/2.8 macro was HK$3900 vs around HK$4150 at the others. We checked out Wing Shing (much larger store - but busy). The prices were identical to Man shing. Went also to Tin Cheung Camera in Tsim Sha Tsui. I had an advertised price from their web site on the 580EX flash which was quite a bit cheaper than anywhere else we'd seen. Found at the store that this was for the grey import. If you wanted the warranty, it was around the same price as Man Shing. Tin Cheung were asking a little more for the 100/2.8 but we didn't bother trying to negotiate down so I'd expect Tin Cheung would be also quite good pricing compared to the others. Overall, my HK shopping experience was very positive. I have purchased genuine Canon products with International warranty hundreds of dollars cheaper than at home in Australia. (be careful, you cannot get the warranty on the camera bodies but lenses or other accessories is no problem - I checked this with Canon Australia before I left). If you have limited time in HK, I also would suggest to head straight for Mongkok to either Man Shing or Wing shing where you can be assured to get genuine, quality gear at very good prices. Be sure to know exactly what you want before you head out and have a good idea of the price you should be paying through a little bit of shopping around as I did. You will find that the above stores selling genuine non-grey market items will be all quite close in price.

Cheers Brian.

Ok i'm after the Nikon 70-200mm VR. Looking at the tincheungcamera.com site its like $11,445.00HKD which is like $1963 Aus.

question has anyone got any better deals for this model, online or a particular store or is Tincheung the best

There's a huge cultural difference between "them & us", isn't there? If you've made it this far through this thread, and you're still interested, then you like to take chances! For me, it's proof that it's worth spending a bit more not to have to mess around. I recommend B&H NY but UK prices are not that much higher anymore.

(Disclaimer: I've lived in Hong Kong since before this thread was started.)

Rudeness is pretty much par for the course from a Hong Kong Shop assistant. I wouldn't worry much about a shop assistant who doesn't fit your image of the polite Asian. If he's about as rude as a typical New York camera shop assistant, don't worry about it.

The danger signs for the 'Neon Shops' on Nathan road are: - no prices on anything in the window - no Chinese people in the shop except the staff - They won't let you look at a product unless you buy it first. - the shop is on Nathan Road

Pay attention to the first three: they're the most important. If there are no prices on any of the things in the window, DO NOT GO IN. In particular, if number 3 happens, WALK OUT RIGHT AWAY.

(I had that happen in a digital camera shop in Wanchai recently: we walked out straight away and the shop next door was quite willing to let us look at and play with the camera we wanted to see.)

The secondhand places in Champagne Court (where David Chan's shop is) are generally OK, you just have to know what price you're willing to pay for whatever you're looking for and you should test it out first. I've bought stuff from nearly all of them with no problems.

I was buying something in David Chan's shop, when one of the assistants started some line of bullshit about how good the product (a motor winder for a Pentax ME) was, but I glared at her, and Mr Chan glared at her and she shut up.

Those guys are more than happy for you to make up your mind if the product is ok or not, so know what you're looking for and know what it does, then test everything. Bring along a body, if you're looking for a lens, or a lens, if you're looking at a body. Test it as much as you can. If they won't let you do that, walk out. If you look like you know what you're doing and you're respectful of their stock, they will treat you well.

I've bought many lenses and bodies from All Best camera and Matsuya Camera (over on Lock Road, past the "Suit Sir?" Indians), both 35mm and Medium Format and I've never been sold crap (apart from when I bought the Sigma lenses, but that was my own fault) or been ripped off.

Always check extremely carefully for fungus, however. Hong Kong is a very humid place during the summer, and that can be a big problem.

And as for Citicall, in Mongkok, I picked up a *istDS there for HK$4800 November 2005, which was a reasonable price (under US$600, with no bargaining, but I told him I was going to pay cash, or EPS (local debit card, which established me as a resident)) and the guy was very helpful and even threw in a few extras.

I think this is probably the longest threads I have ever seen around here.

So, I also am going to hong kong soon, and would like to buy some camera equipment. To be more exact, I am interested in buying either a large format kit, or a studio strobe kit (with soft box, etc..).

I could not find anything about this in this thread. Any recommendations about good stores to find this stuff in the Hong Kong area?

Regards,

Shay

I purchased the following Nikon equpimet at Delon Photo (323a in Ocean Center, TST) from Elmin Sit (2730-0214), very knowledgeable and will take as much time as you need. I had phoned up Nikon HK and this was one of the dealers they had advised, and were the only ones that were carrying the lens i was looking for. All from Nikon HK (matching serial numbers between equipment and warranties). I suggest phoning ahead and asking for prices to set a starting point.

D200 � HKD 12,000 (made in Thailand) AFS-DX-17-55MM f/2.8G ED � 9,500 (made in Japan)

Hi there,

I don't live in HKG... Earlier this month, I bought a Computrekker AW Lowepro camerabag and a polarizer from MAn Shing. Very happy with their service.

Early AUG I planned to go to HKG again.

Would anybody know if one of the shops have the MARKINS Q-Ball Q3 BALLHEAD or the Markins M10?

If yes, please where can I find these pro-ballheads?

Brgds, Bjorn

Try visiting a small shop called Suntekco at Haiphong road, nearby the South Entrance of Kowloon Park. My friends and family have been buying electronic stuffs from that small store (ipods,PS and DSLr cameras, underwater casing, etc)without any problems. Recently we bought an ipod video and I believed it wasn't in its A-1 condition so I brought it back had it replaced. They noticed that it had scratches already but they accepted it anyway. I also observed that the manager, Mr. Tony Mak is very accomodating to foreign clients. Well, this is just my observation.

hi all, I woilud like to buy D70s or D80, where is the best place, HK or Thailand???

tnx all

Enjoying this posting! I'm from the uk, and always find it cheaper ordering from across the globe somewhere. I'm currently after a Nikkor 18-200mm lens, there's a serious shortage it looks like in europe, can anyone advise me where to shop for one? japan, hong kong or thailand? any suggestions will be appreciated. hs_rai@hotmail.com

I am also going to HOngKong this Sunday for four days and would be very grateful if anyone could advise me on the best place to purchase canon L lens and compact flash cards. ANy replies would be greatly appreciated.

First of all thanks for all the info provided in this topic, I found it very usefull. I would recomend everyone going straight to the wing shing stores, I visited the one next to nathan road. Evening hours and mid day hours are better because there are less customers in the store and you get better service. We bought, ixus 800, sony alpha, nikon d200 and lot�s of lensses and other accessories. Service is great and fluid, and you get test your gear before you get charched. There was no extra fee for using a credit card. They even walked with us and showed the way to the sony customer service for international warranty, and we even didn�t ask. The prices are pretty much fixed, but you do get great bundle prices for memory cards and stuff. Somebody mentioned that they don�t carry sigma, thats not the case anymore.

So great prices, good selection and good service :)

Highly recomended

i'm wondering if the NIKON D80 digital SLR camera and the NIKON 18-200mm VR lens are already available in Hong Kong? does anyone know of the price of d80 and the nikon 18-200mm lens? need some help for people based in HK. is there any HK website where we can get information for prices and availability? thanks a lot and hoping for your response soon.

Hi Guy?s I was lucky to leave on holiday from 8th to 22nd of September. Had my eye on the launch date for the D80 and was determined to get one in the east. Bangkok did not have, Singapore had some, but all were grey ones from HK (priced at around R10 000, or 2150 Singapore Dollars for D80 Kit)). I took a gamble and decided to see what?s available in HK. Kowloon turned out to sell Bodies but no Kits. Got myself a D80 body for (HK$7100) Spend another 1800HK$ on 2GB high speed SD card, spare battery and a Sigma 18-55 lens.

Next day found Stanley Street on HK Island and prices were slightly lower. Very happy with camera, except that I should have bought a prime Dx lens. My Nikon 50 mm f1.8 manual fits on the D80, but zero light meter. :)

Wow! This post has been going on forever. I see a lot of people talk about "great equipment" but my impression is that they're talking about 35mm and digital cameras. What about large format?. I was hoping to find a Shen Hao 4x5 in Hong Kong while I visit this week, but it looks like I'm out of luck unless I go to Beijing.

It's really a hot discussion :)

I will go to HK at the end of this month and one of my purposes is to buy some needs of analog photography supplies.

I hope some people here could hel me to point which stores are giving best offering (price and range of products) for my needs?

Here're the detail of my needs:

1. I have a Minolta CLE (http://www.cameraquest.com/cle.htm), but I don't have a lens.

Do you know where I could buy a "second" Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm/f2?

2. If I can't get a Rokkor, my second plan is to buy a Voigtlander Lens -> Nokton 40mm/1.4. I've found that Tincheung provides the lens. Does the Tincheung provide the best price? How is about the Man Shing / Wing Shing?

2. Where is the store that provides wide range products of film, esp. 120 film. I wish I could get the Tri-x 120 and some slides in HK.

That's enough for now. Please help me, I'm really new to HK :)

Thanks in advance :)

I'll be heading through HK in a couple of weeks. I was wondering if anyone had word on the pentax k10d? Where a reputable place with a world warranty would be available. Are the prices better/comparable to North America? [~1000US] for body and 18-55mm lens. Thanks. James

I always buy my personal stuff from Man Shing (purchased a D80 kit 2 months ago) as the service is excellent.

Besides Man Shing, there is a camera shop on ground floor of the Wan Chai Computer Center called Coxell. They sell mainly grey products I think because the warranty provide is shop warranty. However their prices are generally good, polite, and friendly. They let you test the product. Found them to be reasonably knowledgeable as well.

Some prices of things I am helping to buy for my overseas friends not particular about warranty (from this shop)

1) Canon 300mm f/4 L IS lens - HKD9170 2) Canon180mm f/3.5 macro lens - HKD9970 3) Canon S3 IS prosumer - HKD2780 4) Tamron 18-200 lens HKD2780 5) D80 body - HKD6680 6) D40 kit - HKD4980 7) 400D body - HKD5780

I can't find any shop in HK selling Nikon 70-300VR lens yet. Any tips??

Hi,

I am going to Hong Kong during Christmas!!! I am plannign to buy the Canon EOS 400D. I have seen the answers which are totally confusing...I would like to know if there are specifc shops (time has changed from 1998) could you please let me know on that. Can anyone tell me how much would the Camera cost, the actual price and the price in Hong Kong. and what lens would be good for the body.

Thanks Saroop.

Well, this incredible thread rolls over into 2007 -- its ninth year!

Thanks everyone for the contributions, they were truly helpful. I'm just back from a trip to Hong Kong during which the things I learned here proved priceless.

Having bought a second-hand Canon EOS10D from a friend, I was looking for a wide-angle zoom and very inclined to buy the Canon EF 16-35 F28 L USM. I went to a number of stores listed here, including Fortress and Broadway.

I finally bought my lens at Tin Cheung for the equivalent of EUR 850 (gray import). Int'l guaranteed item would have cost an even EUR 1,000. Just for comparison, European prices range between EUR 1,500 and 1,900 for the same item. I also bought assorted stuff (including a Sigma flash unit)at almost half the European price. The lens carried a HK seller's guarantee valid for 10 days. As I was going to hang around and shoot hundreds of pics, I figured I'd soon find out if the lens was flawed. It wasn't. It's truly an awesome piece of equipment!

Staff at Tin Cheung are no hard sellers, nor is there room for bargaining. You want to buy a given item, fine. You don't, it's also fine with them.

Once you know the ground rules, this place cannot be beaten. I dealt with a Sales Exec called Jerry Chan Kwok Chi, but -- frankly -- you're likely to get the same degree of attention from anybody else.

Teerex

Wow the same questions have been around since 98 and once again it repeats itself...in 2007... Where in Kowloon side should i go for buying canon macro lens.Is wing shing still around in Mong Kok...I live in T.S.T. and i agree the prices there are far more than what i see online. I bought myself a EOS 400D and a Speedlite 580 EX from Fortress but for the lens(looking for macro lenses for food photography) and other items like umbrellas, reflectors....dont know where to go.Still very new at this i can very easily be cheated and would'nt even realise it. So this may sound wierd but is there someone who is willing to go Lens shopping with me or atleast guide me to the right place???I'd be a gr8 help and maybe if u know anyone who shares similar food photo hobby in HK i can get a few tips...

Kate.

Kate,

Wing Shing is still there in Mong Kok but I recommend you visit Tin Cheung in TST. I did a quick survey of HK vendors and in my opinion Tin Cheung offered the best prices.

Teerex

Thanks Teerex, will definately cehck him out..just were exactly shud i look in TST ? Kate

Kate,

You'll find Tin Cheung at 6B Carnarvon Road, TST. If you come from the Nathan Road, they're on the left-hand side a few steps after the road angles left.

Happy shopping!

Teerex

Thanks Teerex...I'm not in town now ,but shud be there by 13th of feb...just in time to buy myself a valentines day gift...my new lens.

I am not going to HK but my friend is. I am in the market for a Nikon D200 with and 18-200 Nikor lens. I need to know if it is worth the hassle to ask my friend to buy me this in HK. Can anyone tell me about how much I should expect to spend in HK? I can get this at B&H for $2200. Will I save very much in HK? Also, my friend knows nothing about cameras. Thanks, Ann

Personally I found HK prices even lower than B&H (but you must often accept a grey import without US warranty).

Take a look at Tin Cheung's site

http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/

(HK store address in a previous post)

HELP ! Does anyone know where I can buy an underwater case (housing) for a Nikon coolpix 7900? It has to be able to go at least 30meters underwater. I've seen the Fantasea brand, but heard that Ikelite is better. In either case, would it be better to go to a photograpy shop or a scuba shop ? I'll be in HK tomorrow and only have a day to get it. THANKS A MILLION ! PS; Quality AND Price are important. I'm looking for less than 1500 HKD

I was wondering how safe it would be to purchase a moderate Nikor or Sigma lens for my Nikon D-70 fom HK. I chekced the www.tincheungcamera.com.hk website and their prices seem pretty competative compared to the european ones.

US$200 is really very cheap for underwater housings which typically cost a simliar price to the actual camera - or more, or a lot more ! Ikelite (check their website) make great housings but are more expensive than the likes of Fantasea. Canon / Nikon/ Olympus / Sanyo etc. all make their own housings (or more accurately have them made for them) and these can often be found on the maker's own websites and all over HK. Try the 4 or 5 dive shops (mainly in Wanchai & Causeway bay area) if you have no luck in the camera stores.

A few year's back I got a great deal on a housing for an Oly 3040 and later an Oly 8080 from HK but recently I bought my latest housing for my Sanyo HD1 (video & stills) via the internet from a small dealer in Taiwan. Excellent service and the product was exactly as advertised.

I must say that this topic helped me a lot in finding the shops in Hong Kong, but so far I did not find a good second-hand shop. Is it possible to list out some of the shops that can be trusted for buying second hand equipment?

I don't recall the name of the individual stores, but you may want to take the Carnarvon Rd in TST from Nathan Rd. Before it angles to the left, there's a building on the RH side with a small shopping passage and you'll find at least a couple of such second-hand stores there. Also, if you read thru this never-ending thread you'll find references to the stores you want somewhere.

Teerex

hey guys, just want to check on the price of Tamron lenses F18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di II LD Aspherical (IF) in Hong Kong... strange thing is they are not selling this model in Singapore... apparently, the so-called "latest" model here is F18-200mm...

greatly appreciate if you have the answers to the aforesaid model... many thanks!

I just purchased a Canon EF 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 DO IS lens from Kenefoto Limited on Stanley Street, Central, HK.

There are lots of store here, of course, and the stories will vary. I could have paid about 100-150 HKD less than I did today at several locations, but what I noticed was that the zoom ring on the lenses in many shops tended to be a bit sticky, which I assume is attributable to the humidity here. Watch out for this. I found a lens without those problems at this shop. The staff was very helpful and professional, whereas the staff at some shops in Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon) can often be pushy and arrogant. By and large, you are better off in Central, unless you come here frequently and know your way around a bit.

You won't save much money vs. US prices on new stuff, but you'll find what you want. I paid 8700 HK for the lens with an international guarantee, and saw prices up to around 9500 during my search (which could be argued down to around 8900). But the best stores are the ones with firmly set, reasonable prices (Kinefoto was this way) - the others are trying to rip you off if you are weak enough to let them, so why reward them for the insult even if they do reach your price? If you pay with a credit card, add 2% to whatever price is agreed.

Hi There

Im visiting Hong Kong Next week and was wondering if anyone knew if any stores have the new Arca Swiss Ballheads (P1 & Z1) and Gitzo GT-2530 tripod.

Thanks Ziyad

This thread is so informative, thanks to all the posters! I'm going to HK in July and just want a point and shoot camera (Canon IXUS 850 IS). I normally just buy electronics from Broadway and Fortress to be safe. I was wondering whether I would get a better price on a point and shoot at Wing Shing and Man Shing, or are the discounts just for the higher end stuff? I was born in HK and speak Cantonese, although with an accent, if that helps.

Also, are the prices from http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/ a good estimate of what I'll be paying when I get there, or would it be bit cheaper?

Thanks!

Hi Clara

If you visit their store, you will find that cash prices at Tin Cheung Camera are somewhat lower than advertised on their website. You also have a choice between a "local" warranty and the international one (in which case the price is higher).

Teerex

Skip Wing Shing terrible staff they all have bad attitudes. I went into Wing Shing on Fa Yuen St intent on buying a lens. I ask the guy beyond the counter do you have lens "ABC". The first words out of this jerks mouth were "You want to buy!?" Stupid question. I say yes and he goes and gets the lens. I ask can I fit the lens on my camera so, I can check out the lens and make sure it's a good one. Guy says "no way you can only look not mount on camera!". Maybe the rest of you folks buy your lenses or cameras without looking through them first? If you're into that I have a good car to sell you! Wonder if they sell many cameras this way? I walked out went next door to Citicall and bought my lens (they let me look through the lens). .. Which by the way was cheaper than Wing Shing. I can not imiagine dealing with Wing Shing if I had a problem.. As for Hing Lee in Central.. Hing Lee was only 100HK higher in price very freindly and knowledgeable. Oh and they let me fit the lens on my camera too!

I live in HK. My advice if you live in Europe maybe you can find a deal here. If you live in USA or Canada buy at home. The prices are the same if not higher in Hong Kong. Compared to N. America there really are no real bargains here. Oh and if your used to US and Canadian shops note that in HK pretty much all sales are final. So you buy a peice get on a plan a few days later and it breaks.. Yep you're out of luck. Come to HK to see am amazing city and take lots of pics but don't buy here.

Response to Camera stores in Hong Kong(Category:Travel) I just purchased a new Nikon D40X. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40x.htm

The best bargains in the world buying cameras can be found in Hong Kong.

My Advice to anyone considering buying in Hong Kong is this:

1. Know exactly what you want. Do your research first. The staff can be impatient and unhelpful in Hong Kong. They are generally not into spending an hour discussing and explaining things to you.

2. Walk down the main electronics road in Mong Kok , go to every camera shop and start asking for best price. Go to several shops, get a feel for the average price, and then start negotiating. It got cheaper and cheaper as I walked down the road, and I did not even try to get it cheaper.

I ended up buying a nice new Nikon D40x from Citicall and there are many of these chain type stores. Usually one every few hundred metres. In the end I got the best price from Citicall, and went to another Citicall and asked if they are the same price, they further discounted, and with a few small lies I said the other store would throw in various extras, and exaggerated the extras they actually offered. They agreed to match it and dropped price further, He then offered extra batteries and other extras which must have been cost price. (Genuine Nikon and I could not find cheaper even on eBay)

Basically I got a brand new Camera, in the box, they set it up for me and I tried it out (after agreeing to buy it), and it was cheaper than anything I could find on the internet, or eBay. And I spent the previous week, searching. Manual and instructions were in English

The only drawbacks. 1. Comes with Hong Kong Warrantee. (I live in Hong Kong so no problem) if you live out of Hong Kong, take a risk it does not break, or be prepared to pay for postage to and from Hong Kong if you have warrantee issues. I am sure there is an international warrantee you can buy at extra $$$$ ?

Best of luck!

p.s The camera is AWESOME. Perfect for my needs, and takes stunning shots. Now I am keen to go to Mong Kok and try and get a cheap lens 18-200mm VR http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18200.htm

Hi Can someone please suggest names of a camera stores on Stanley street and perhaps some web addresses?

I'll appreciate, as I'll be in Hong Kong in September and would like to buy a Nikon D80

Regards

Jay Murray you say you purchased the Canon 70-300 DO ISM did you happen to notice the price without the DO? What currency were you converting and at what exchange rate, as seems that at the present currency exchange seems rather pricey, but of course perhaps the lens price has also dropped in the time?

Jay Murray you say you purchased the Canon 70-300 DO ISM did you happen to notice the price without the DO? What currency were you converting and at what exchange rate, as seems that at the present currency exchange seems rather pricey, but of course perhaps the lens price has also dropped in the time?

Hi, I am from Australia and passing through HK and want to buy some new canon equipment. What exactly is a grey import? what do I need to be wary of in Hong Kong with grey imports?

anybody that know if D300 is already available in Hong Kong and what price and also which address ?

thanks

Are there stores in Hong Kng that buy used DSLR cameras?(I would like to sell my Canon 10D before getting a new one). I wander if stores like Wing Shxng buy used equipment.

I'm planning on getting someone to buy a Nikkor lens for me in Hong Kong. If the lens is purchased at Wing Shing or Broadway, it is true that it comes with international warranty (i.e., I can get it serviced at any Authorized Nikon Service Stations around the world free of charge if it's still under warranty)?

got two more weeks before hk. so i'll check out the shops in M.K. and tincheungs. And i'll be getting accessories to the lenses, stay tuned! i'll be ther for a month so anybody want to tag along let me know and we can meet there.

They won't be out till november.But i mite get one if i still hav money after my lens spree! And maybe d200 will drop in price and i'll get that instead!

Everybody interested in updated cameragearprices in HK, you should go to www.ygdragon.net Click on Lensprice List.

Thanx for the price list!!!! But is the street price the "water" price?

Checked it out and the price list needs an update! Tin Cheung's is still cheaper!

Hello everyone - I've read large chunks of this thread but I'm still having problems getting in touch with anyone in HK who'll give me a quote and availability for Nikon equipment. I'm after the D200 and the two new zoom lenses - 14-24 F2.8 and 24-70 F2.8. If any of you Hong Kong readers have a buddy who owns a camera shop and who would like my business, please feel free to get him/her to quote me for this! In addition accessories such as filters and carrybags... Thanks in advance, Josh

No really. Maybe you should go by Mong Kok

I'm going to China in December and will be spending one day only in Hong Kong. I need to buy a Canon EOS 350D, which costs about ?350 in the UK. Any recommendations please, as to where to buy one - it's for my son who lives in China. Thanks

Last week I went looking for an ultrawide zoom and an extra camera body. I bought the Sigma 10-20mm at Wing Shing in Mong Kok, and after checking several other stores, I bought the Nikon D40 set at Coxell (also called Cam2) located at street level in the Golden Computer Arcade building in Sham Shui Po (entry is from the street, not from the Arcade). Service at Wing Shing was just acceptable enough to keep me from walking out -- I really wanted the lens and didn't want to search further. Coxell's price for the D40 was far lower than any of the places I checked in Mong Kok, Central, Tsing Yi, Tung Chung, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, and the service was really excellent even though it was Saturday afternoon with lots of shoppers present. I was able to test the camera and lens before purchase(with the loan of a charged battery and a memory card), which Wing Shing was very reluctant to allow. As Manish pointed out in an earlier post, Coxell offers only a one year, in-store warranty. But I have used many cameras over the past 60 years -- mostly Nikon -- and have never yet had a problem that developed during a warranty period, so I'm willing to take that risk in return for a much lower purchase price. That's an observation, not a recommendation, and it might not work for you. Coxell charges 2% more for credit card payment rather than cash. (Both camera and lens are working fine so far, by the way, and they make a great combo for street photography.) Overall, I have not found a price for any equipment I wanted that was lower in Hong Kong than the lowest discount prices advertised in the U.S., though they can match them. However, there is an advantage in buying equipment that is immediately available and can be tried, rather than waste a lot of time ordering stuff that might not be quite as advertised on the net. Conclusion: If I need more equipment in HK I'll go first to Coxell at least for a low price reference point even if I plan to search further.

well the D200 will drop in price cuz the D300 is coming out before christmas. i don't know how much those lenses cost but wen i bought my lenses from tincheung's i knew that they'd be "water" prices and the warranty will only be valid in hk. i'm still in hk for a few more days and my lenses havn't stuffed up. i took it up to the great wall and through my chech-in luggage(if u want to risk it). definitely get yor bags and accessories from tin cheungs and go up to m.k. to maybe buy lenses there, eveen though you'll be paying more, but at least you can get the international warranty! The D200 body u can get for less than $10,000HKD now. My experience with shopping in hk is do it early and not on the weekends that includes friday! if you're buying alot of stuff from one shop always ask for a better price and what they can throw in, but never put all your eggs in one basket! Sorry i can't give u a quote on those lenses!

Since you're only in for one day my advice is don't look desparate cuz they can sense that and i'm sorry i don't use canon but check out some of the recommended sites here, and just ask for the price, this way they think u know what you're talking about and what u want. Be patient when going to alot of camera shops and avoid the neon light looking stores. Go to the major brand stores or camera shops that hav done business for over 10yrs. i know it's alot so just chekout the sites and ask for a better price in-store, it's just part of business there.

I got a question. I am going to Hong Kong in the coming monday and will be looking for a camera.

I just want a compact digital camera something like canon IXUS 860IS (was told 3080 HKD), IXUS 960IS(was told $2650) HKD or Fuji F50(was told $2590HKD).

My budget is around $2100HKD and i dont mind purchasing grey market products as long as it is within my budget. Besides Tin Cheung are there any better places? I visited Tin Cheungs website but none of those models were available.

THanks heaps! Chung, Australia

Review on HKG camera shops

Like to put my two cents on this forum as I have find some great information that I could use myself during my recent HKG visit .I normally buy cheaper in SIN but this was not on my itinerary now.

Must confess that I am a camera maniac , free lance professional work and buy only the best but wo risk, so don?t like to buy anything here wo Inl. warranty Scrolling first trough many camera shops on Natan road , checking out Canon lens and compactflash pricing , I did not like the rudeness attitude from most vendors and there product range is mainly focused on quick selling items , I took a taxi straight to Wing Shing Photo on Sai Yeung Choi Street 66, Friendly staff here , no bargains or deals to be made and no added cost for using a credit card for these items , .bought Compactflash at : Ultra 2GB 300hk$? a Sandisck 270$ , at other shops up till 450$ - A ultra 8Gb = 820$ , other shops till 1080$ ; Extreme was 8GB at 1580 but its faster and better . A Canon 5D was 16300 , that?s a 1000? less than what I paid 5 weeks before in Europe include intl. warranty , I was in need for a EF 16-35 ?F2.8 L II USM canon lens (II = latest version ) but waited till next day , they asking 10600$ .(forgot to ask the Amex % charge )

Scrolling trough the shops near the Ocean terminal and Harbor city the price for a 16-25 was 10800$ or 10900 and all very rude attitude when I asked what there best price was , just walked out . Nobody till now could quote me on EF 300-f2.8 L USM IS and nowhere stock .

Tried again 2 shops in Haipong RD between Natan and Canton , asking 10600 and 4% extra for Amex or 3% extra for Mastercard and they have to get the lens from somewhere else , don?t like to buy from unfriendly staff as I have a weak stomach and all the fake Rolex sellers on the street have been making that feeling even worst LOL.

Finally wend to Tin Cheung Camera on 6B Carnarvo Rd (R side from Natan Rd ) price was 10500$ cash , 10710$ for Mastercard and 10815$ ( 3%) for Amex and I bought . The friendly guy ( Kenneth Tam )at the desk opened the box for inspection , showed me everything that was inside the box include the Intl. warranty papers , he took a Canon body , fitted the lens on it and let me try the AF wo me asking for it . great service and all open for trust . The EF 300-f2.8 was 30 500$ wo Intl. warranty and 35 500$ with , explained me clearly where the difference came from , only parallel import and not trough the HKG Canon importer that as to deliver the documents , the box and product are exactly the same .a flash 580 EX II was 3450$ with Amex paid.(see internet site ) Received all items packed in a nice carton shopping bag , not just a thin plastic thing . Told him that his company received good comments on Internet and he thanked me 5 times and gave me also a latest Canon catalogue (still wet from printing LOL )

Warning , do your homework on pricing and model (type and specs ) that you want before heading to HKG as some trying to tell you that a lens with II is the same as w.o. the II or convincing you to buy a cheaperf4 ( off course ) instead of a f2.8 lens .

Only one negative point at Tin Cheung is that they wait a week or so to answer your Email but many others even don?t answer on it . Hope this as been helpful

Eddie

Hello everyone, I have a question. I want to buy Olympus E-510 in Hong Kong. Can you tell me if there is any good Olympus shop and what is the price of this model? Thanks Anna

Hi Anna, I will be going to Hong Kong as well and just like you I was wondering what would be a good place to start with. A Billy Ho whose excellent website you can find here: http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm is a knowledgeable gentleman and a local too. I wrote an e-mail to which Billy responded almost instantly with plenty of information so I am passing this info in here for future reference. First it seems that not everything that is cheap is good to buy in HK. Lots of scams and lack of warranty seem to be the most common issue. Everyone in here seems to agree that Tsin Shui is no good (too touristy and high prices). You need to decide what you will sacrifice (for instance I do not care to buy grey as I will always buy Canon and Canon has little to no issues with their cams and lenses. So here it is (as I understand - and also based on a 5 hours internet research on my own as well):

1) Citicall - http://www.citicall.com.hk/index.asp (is the best quality price and I understand has a good stock - which sometimes stock seems to be an issue see above the prior answers). Only trouble for me with the website: no English version - I wish I spoke Cantonese but for now all I could do is stupidly look at the image and see the price and perform an educated guess ;)

2) WING SHING and MAN SHING - has a website but won't reference it since it is just a page with their address - which by the way is 106 Tung Choi Street (Mong Kok) for Man Shing and 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi St. (Mong Kok) for Wing Shing. NOTE - the nice thing is that CITICALL is close by Wing Shing on Sai Yeung Choi St.

Follows the what I understand to be the STANDARD stores very reliable with no bad surprises, those being:

3) FORTRESS - http://www.fortress.com.hk/fortress/jsp/sys/Sf_render.jsp - this was the website address at the time of this reply and if it changes just google it and you should find it easily under (Fotress Hong Kong). Site has an English version. Prices are much higher but so it your peace of mind.

4) BROADWAY CAMERA - http://www.ibroadway.com.hk/ (site doesn't seem to have an English version) but you can get an idea of the prices by browsing. Broadway is considered one of the major AV Photo stores in HK. Again prices are higher but I understand they have no problem to let you test the material before buying.

5) Tin Cheung - http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/ - site is very clean and easy to browse and has an English version. The prices are a bit deceiving as you will find in many instances match the prices in the US or are even higher. Tin Cheung is not as reliable as Broadway or Fortress.

There are also few others where you may find occasional deals (but according to this thread suffer from shortage of stock), and these are:

6) DC FEVER - http://www.dcfever.com/ - site doesn't seem to have a dedicated English version but is a good source of info if you can navigate around by guessing ;)

7) DC POWER - couldn't find the site - same as DC FEVER

And if you look for memory cards or computer related items you may want to look at

Sham Shui Po GOLDEN COMPUTER CENTRE MONGKOK COMPUTER CENTRE

The website is full of information with respect to Hong Kong. Here are few websites with info that may be helpful for your trip:

http://www.12hk.com/ - a wealth of info and the guys tells it like it is :) http://www.hong-kong-travel.org/

The official HK Tourism Office: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/login.html

Lonely Planet is also interesting and of course all other websites such as: Frommer's, Conde Nast Traveller, TripAdvisor etc.

Billy Ho whom I already mentioned that has the YGDragon website (full of info as to camera and lens price) specified that: "There are many camera shops in Stanley Street, Central, too. Don't forget to walk around. Test thoroughly and compare the prices before buying... it is always true."

I hope this helps.

Now if anyone could help me as to deciding on lenses (I want Canon because I am not familiar with Sigma - Tamron I hear are less reliable). I am hesitating in between these (I am interested in architecture/landscape photos and portraits): CANON EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM (? USD 1,350) EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM (? USD 650) - less interested in this one since I think 16-35mm is better EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM(? USD1,100) is a nice lens but 16-35mm seems better?? EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM (? USD1,500 and 1,100) - if you had only one choice what would you pick between 16-35mm, 17-40mm, 24-70mm or 70-200mm - I know I am comparing chickens and horses here but if you had to chose what would you take?

I am absolutely fascinated by EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM (? USD 1,650) for portraits.

Any suggestion is much appreciated.

Thank you to all.

Hi Anna, I will be going to Hong Kong as well and just like you I was wondering what would be a good place to start with. A Billy Ho whose excellent website you can find here: http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm is a knowledgeable gentleman and a local too. I wrote an e-mail to which Billy responded almost instantly with plenty of information so I am passing this info in here for future reference. First it seems that not everything that is cheap is good to buy in HK. Lots of scams and lack of warranty seem to be the most common issue. Everyone in here seems to agree that Tsin Shui is no good (too touristy and high prices). You need to decide what you will sacrifice (for instance I do not care to buy grey as I will always buy Canon and Canon has little to no issues with their cams and lenses. So here it is (as I understand - and also based on a 5 hours internet research on my own as well):

1) Citicall - http://www.citicall.com.hk/index.asp (is the best quality price and I understand has a good stock - which sometimes stock seems to be an issue see above the prior answers). Only trouble for me with the website: no English version - I wish I spoke Cantonese but for now all I could do is stupidly look at the image and see the price and perform an educated guess ;)

2) WING SHING and MAN SHING - has a website but won't reference it since it is just a page with their address - which by the way is 106 Tung Choi Street (Mong Kok) for Man Shing and 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi St. (Mong Kok) for Wing Shing. NOTE - the nice thing is that CITICALL is close by Wing Shing on Sai Yeung Choi St.

Follows the what I understand to be the STANDARD stores very reliable with no bad surprises, those being:

3) FORTRESS - http://www.fortress.com.hk/fortress/jsp/sys/Sf_render.jsp - this was the website address at the time of this reply and if it changes just google it and you should find it easily under (Fotress Hong Kong). Site has an English version. Prices are much higher but so it your peace of mind.

4) BROADWAY CAMERA - http://www.ibroadway.com.hk/ (site doesn't seem to have an English version) but you can get an idea of the prices by browsing. Broadway is considered one of the major AV Photo stores in HK. Again prices are higher but I understand they have no problem to let you test the material before buying.

5) Tin Cheung - http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/ - site is very clean and easy to browse and has an English version. The prices are a bit deceiving as you will find in many instances match the prices in the US or are even higher. Tin Cheung is not as reliable as Broadway or Fortress.

There are also few others where you may find occasional deals (but according to this thread suffer from shortage of stock), and these are:

6) DC FEVER - http://www.dcfever.com/ - site doesn't seem to have a dedicated English version but is a good source of info if you can navigate around by guessing ;)

7) DC POWER - couldn't find the site - same as DC FEVER

And if you look for memory cards or computer related items you may want to look at

Sham Shui Po GOLDEN COMPUTER CENTRE MONGKOK COMPUTER CENTRE

The website is full of information with respect to Hong Kong. Here are few websites with info that may be helpful for your trip:

http://www.12hk.com/ - a wealth of info and the guys tells it like it is :) http://www.hong-kong-travel.org/

The official HK Tourism Office: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/login.html

Lonely Planet is also interesting and of course all other websites such as: Frommer's, Conde Nast Traveller, TripAdvisor etc.

Billy Ho whom I already mentioned that has the YGDragon website (full of info as to camera and lens price) specified that: "There are many camera shops in Stanley Street, Central, too. Don't forget to walk around. Test thoroughly and compare the prices before buying... it is always true."

I hope this helps.

Now if anyone could help me as to deciding on lenses (I want Canon because I am not familiar with Sigma - Tamron I hear are less reliable). I am hesitating in between these (I am interested in architecture/landscape photos and portraits): CANON EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM (? USD 1,350) EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM (? USD 650) - less interested in this one since I think 16-35mm is better EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM(? USD1,100) is a nice lens but 16-35mm seems better?? EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM (? USD1,500 and 1,100) - if you had only one choice what would you pick between 16-35mm, 17-40mm, 24-70mm or 70-200mm - I know I am comparing chickens and horses here but if you had to chose what would you take?

I am absolutely fascinated by EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM (? USD 1,650) for portraits.

Any suggestion is much appreciated.

Thank you to all.

Hi Anna, I will be going to Hong Kong as well and just like you I was wondering what would be a good place to start with. Billy Ho whose excellent website you can find here: http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm is a knowledgeable gentleman and a local too. I wrote an e-mail to which Billy responded almost instantly with plenty of information so I am passing this info in here for future reference. First it seems that not everything that is cheap is good to buy in HK. Lots of scams and lack of warranty seem to be the most common issues. Everyone in here seems to agree that Tsin Shui is no good (too touristy and high prices). You need to decide what you will sacrifice (for instance I do not care to buy grey as I will always buy Canon and Canon has little to no issues with their cams and lenses. So here it is (as I understand - and also based on a 5 hours internet research on my own as well):

1) Citicall - http://www.citicall.com.hk/index.asp (is the best quality price and I understand has a good stock - which sometimes stock seems to be an issue see above the prior answers). Only trouble for me with the website: no English version - I wish I spoke Cantonese but for now all I could do is stupidly look at the image and see the price and perform an educated guess ;)

2) WING SHING and MAN SHING - has a website but won't reference it since it is just a page with their address - which by the way is 106 Tung Choi Street (Mong Kok) for Man Shing and 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi St. (Mong Kok) for Wing Shing. NOTE - the nice thing is that CITICALL is close by Wing Shing on Sai Yeung Choi St.

Follows the what I understand to be the STANDARD stores very reliable with no bad surprises, those being:

3) FORTRESS - http://www.fortress.com.hk/fortress/jsp/sys/Sf_render.jsp - this was the website address at the time of this reply and if it changes just google it and you should find it easily under (Fotress Hong Kong). Site has an English version. Prices are much higher but so it your peace of mind.

4) BROADWAY CAMERA - http://www.ibroadway.com.hk/ (site doesn't seem to have an English version) but you can get an idea of the prices by browsing. Broadway is considered one of the major AV Photo stores in HK. Again prices are higher but I understand they have no problem to let you test the material before buying.

5) Tin Cheung - http://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/ - site is very clean and easy to browse and has an English version. The prices are a bit deceiving as you will find in many instances match the prices in the US or are even higher. Tin Cheung is not as reliable as Broadway or Fortress.

There are also few others where you may find occasional deals (but according to this thread suffer from shortage of stock), and these are:

6) DC FEVER - http://www.dcfever.com/ - site doesn't seem to have a dedicated English version but is a good source of info if you can navigate around by guessing ;)

7) DC POWER - couldn't find the site - same as DC FEVER

And if you look for memory cards or computer related items you may want to look at

Sham Shui Po GOLDEN COMPUTER CENTRE MONGKOK COMPUTER CENTRE

The website is full of information with respect to Hong Kong. Here are few websites with info that may be helpful for your trip:

http://www.12hk.com/ - a wealth of info and the guys tells it like it is :) http://www.hong-kong-travel.org/

The official HK Tourism Office: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/login.html

Lonely Planet is also interesting and of course all other websites such as: Frommer's, Conde Nast Traveller, TripAdvisor etc.

Billy Ho whom I already mentioned that has the YGDragon website (full of info as to camera and lens price) specified that: "There are many camera shops in Stanley Street, Central, too. Don't forget to walk around. Test thoroughly and compare the prices before buying... it is always true."

I hope this helps.

Now if anyone could help me as to deciding on lenses (I want Canon because I am not familiar with Sigma - Tamron I hear are less reliable). I am hesitating in between these (I am interested in architecture/landscape photos and portraits): CANON EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM (? USD 1,350) EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM (? USD 650) - less interested in this one since I think 16-35mm is better EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM(? USD1,100) is a nice lens but 16-35mm seems better?? EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM (? USD1,500 and 1,100) - if you had only one choice what would you pick between 16-35mm, 17-40mm, 24-70mm or 70-200mm - I know I am comparing chickens and horses here but if you had to chose what would you take?

I am absolutely fascinated by EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM (? USD 1,650) for portraits.

Any suggestion is much appreciated.

Thank you to all.

This thread is almost ten years old... which is a long time in the current world of the net. It has helped me in 2005 to find the perfect shop in Hong Kong, and it continues to catch my interest from time to time. A BIG THANK YOU to all the contributors so far. All your posts were very informative and have helped a great number of people (including me) so far in their quest of finding a good deal in Honk Kong.

I have one piece of advice: avoid the tourist traps and shop with the tried & trusted shops. Two shops come to mind: Wing Ching & Man Ching in Monkok. Both are reputable shops and stock an impressive range of gear. Man Ching is the bigger one of the two but is slightly off the beaten track. Excellent service, competitively priced, but not too many freebies. Knowing these two shops well at this stage, I would not even bother to shop around.

I have bought a d2x in Man Ching in 2005 will get the D3 in the same shop later this year. Man Ching did me a great favour when they allowed me to jump the queue back then as I was leaving back to Dublin the next day (the list of reserved d2x was impressive at that time).

Having just returned from Hong Kong on a very quick holiday (not long enough!) I managed to purchase myself a camera. I spent a month before the trip trying to find where would be the best place to buy it from and I have to say that this site gave me the most and best information about that.

I purchased myself a Canon EOS 40D with 17-85 IS Lens, Camera rucksack, extra battery etc...... from Tin Cheung camera shop. As I was only in the country for a short while and only had a short amount of time to get across the Harbor and get the Camera I decided to go to this shop. The staff were extremely helpful and let me try out everything before I bought. It also helped that they have a website (in English) and made me feel very comfortable. I parted with my cash and saved myself a bundle!

When I next go back I want to explore a bit more and see what else I can find.

I would recommend them to anyone going to Hong Kong looking to buy a camera.

As Bernard Voortman said, this thread is a classic help to everybody looking for photo stores in Hong Kong. It has helped me twice already and soon I?ll be in that great city once again, so I decided to leave a little testimonial: I visited most of the shops suggested here and I did buy one extra stuff here and there, but most of my gear was purchased in Coxell (Mongkok) - http://camtwo.com/main/index.php. I found the service to be probably the best among all the shops, the prices competitive - though not the cheapest - and a great selection of photo gear, specially lenses, cameras and tripods. I tried every little thing I wanted to try until I decided what to buy. I spent a fair amount of cash there and feel very satisfied, so much that I intend to visit Coxell first in my next trip and check other stores just to find some stuff I can?t find there. Highly recommended.

(cont.)By the way, one thing I didn?t find there last time (2006) was a good array of filters. Could anybody help me with a good store for filters, specially B+W, Hoya and Heliopan? I?m also after a Singh-Ray Vari-ND 77mm filter, has anybody seen it in HK? And finally, I need some tip about a good shop for pro lighting (monolight and tungsten) in HK, not too many brands in special... does anybody know?

Thanks a lot! Leo

(off-topic, sorry) Hi Andrew, I have used all these lenses you mentioned except the 17-40L (because I got the 16-35L) and I?m waiting for the 85L (soon, for sure!). Your choice should depend strictly on your personal style and the camera you use. I shoot architecture with my 16-35L mostly, it?s a fantastic lens both on crop and FF. I bought it initially to be my walkaround gear on a crop cam, but it performs much more miracles than that. Some people don?t care that much for an angle that wide, so they?re happy with a 24-70L - and for these cases, it?s the most versatile lens you can get IMO. But as I shoot a lot of environmental portraits, 16-35L is my most used lens, although recently I?m deeply in love with my new 50L. Sweet glass too. Good luck!

best, Leo

I wanted to add this official Kodak films website info for those needing extra film while shooting China, as I am right now. It list all the stores that carry their film.

http://www.kodak.com/HK/en/nav/locator/dai-center.shtml

I will use some of the above info to ferret out which ones to call, I ran out of 120, 160 ISO NC here in Yunnan Province and still have to shoot Laos. Great problem as I usually never run out of film. Means this is a rich place to work, huh?

Blessings, MS

I'm looking to have my Contax lenses cleaned in Hong Kong. Which camera store would you recommend?

This is a great thread and I hope dispels a lot of the myth and BS surrounding purchasing cameras and related equipment in Hong Kong. I live in HK and I can conclusively say that it is not anywhere near as much of the "shopping paradise" as people still claim it to be, I guess based on decades of accumulated conventional "wisdom". Unless you want to buy haute couture handbags, shoes and other accessories, in which case I guess its a great place. But then pretty much every big city anywhere now has 6 or 8 Gucci or LV shops so I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Anyway, back to the camera stuff. I have been here 20 years more or less and speak Chinese well. The above 10-point outline is really spot on. I can only add or reinforce a few gems:

1) If you live in the USA, don't buy bodies or lenses here. Believe me. I am shopping for a new setup now and I have done all the very detailed research. The internet in the US is usually cheaper, and its a lot more reliable and if you only save 2% the FX will eat it anyway and you won't have a warranty and a lot of other BS.

2) If you insist on not believing me, do really detailed research on exactly the models you want and bring the printouts with you and make sure you know your FX rate up to the minute and if your home credit card will nail you on the terms later. Again, I repeat, if you are from the US, you will probably not save money.

3) If you are from Europe, with the damn Euro at 12.2 and none of the insane 17% VAT or whatever, you may do really well here. I cannot really be sure, but it seems to me you could possibly save up to 40%. Again, do your research very well and specifically in detail to the models you want. This may also go for Aus/NZ and a lot of other places which may have appreciating currencies, and or high import duties, and silly sales taxes.

4) Expect zero customer service, zero product knowledge and possibly even zero English. Probably shop staff will be outright rude. You can be so back to them. Its OK - the locals are. Anyway, you should know exactly what you are doing and what you want and you are just here to exchange $ for a product and bail.

5) What is great to buy here is a lot of related photo paraphernalia, and for this the place is Sham Shui Po. Falcon Eyes is a local brand of studio kit - softboxes, strobes, tripods, lightstands, etc., sold at great prices - they have a website falconeyes.com.hk where you can see what they have and most stores have or can order the stuff with a 2 day turnaround. Anyway, in Sham Shui Po, the street to go to is Ap Liu Street, and you want to concentrate on the Southernmost end, and generally the East side of the street. There are a lot of kit shops there, and even outdoor stalls selling flash diffusers, tripods, bags, umbrellas, backdrops, snoots, you name it. All really cheap. The MTR exit opens right onto it. Plan 3 hours at least. There's also lots of other gadgets and doodads all up and down the street like an outdoor bazaar which photogs love that you can use to jury rig whatever crazy project you have going at the time. All cheap.

6) I hope this is helpful. Feel free to PM me with any questions you may have on HK and I will try to answer. I am new here and want to share the Karma.

Hi all, I' ll be in Hong Kong on April and I would like to know where I can find underwater strobes, in particular Sea and Sea,and video housings like amphibico...I've just read previous posts but there aren't specific information for underwater photo-video equipment shops so My answer is...CAn I find this products in Hong Kong??? Thanks!!!

That's an interesting one. I was in Man Shing last night and they seemed to have a few items. This is pretty specialized. The largest scuba supplier in HK is Bunns and they may have a website you can see. They may have similar stuff. Also, up near Sai Yeung Choi st in Prince Edward there is one stretch of street which has like 6 scuba shops in a row. They may have some stuff. And, lastly, there is a regional publication called Asian Diver - monthly magazine I think - which is out of HK and they may have a website and or ads which you can check.

You can also go onto ygdragon and PM Billy. He may know.

Hello, I'm going in Macau for a photo reportage and would like to rent a photo camera over there, does anyone have a good adress?

Hello everyone, first timer here. I'm actually currently in HK and am window shopping for a new Canon 400d/Rebel XTi. Going rate at B+H in the states is currently $520, but a few shops on nathan road are have offered me a rate of 3500 HKD (450 USD), and that was without me even tryng to bargain very significantly. I've found this price neighborhood at three different shops and am extremely skeptical about getting such a good deal. Fortress and Broadway, HK's big box retailers, are asking 5000HKD (640 US) and i'm unsure at the discrepancy. Are the shops i'm being quoted low at unreputable? I've been able to test out the camera and have been told that there is a canon global warranty and the standard lens is included. Is my worry warranted and these guys are trying to scam me? Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers!

Drew-

It may be that they are offering you a grey market version from Japan, which tend to be cheaper than the HK-official version which they sell at Broadway & Fortress. The downside of the grey markets is that they don't usually have all the menus in Chinese - generally they will be in Japanese and English (you can choose which at set-up), or a Chinese manual. This is probably OK with you but for locals here it may be a problem as you can imagine.

The Nathan Rd shops are generally suspect. Once the clock chimes 13, not only is the 13th chime a problem, but from then on you don't trust any of the other chimes, do you? This is the problem with these guys; they may be a good deal or they may be a scam. Generally, locals will not shop there, which should tell us something. I am not sure the $70 savings is worth the peace of mind issue.

What I would suggest is you check the prices in MongKok Computer arcade. Basically this is a locals-only place and so they arent set up to cheat people as they will have to deal with it later. If you can find it there for the same prices, then you know you are in the ballpark anyway.

Last suggestion - if you are really going to buy one on Nathan Rd, check New Sanyo in the Holiday Inn basement - I have heard they are the cheapest anywhere, but I cannot vouch for reliability.

Hi,

What would be best place in Hong Kong for Manual Focus Nikon lenses? I am looking for a 400/f2.8, 500/f4 or 600/4 all MF, not particularly concerned about condition, provided they dont have fungus. I will take my laptop and check the test shots on it before buying.

Slightly OT, Any cheap but good hotels I can stay which are closer to the Kowloon camera stores?

Thanks!

Rick-

David Chan Co in the Miramar Hotel shopping arcade is the old and big one. He will have a decent selection, and there are a few other stores in there too. The store in the Kimberley Hotel arcade also can be good (forget the name, but its a Mandarin name which is odd in Cantonese HK) and is a 3 minute walk from the Miramar.

On HK Island, there are 2 or 3 shops on Stanley Street which sell used lenses as well, but their prices tend to be higher. About 5 minutes walk up hill from there on Lyndhurst Terrace there is another shop which has a good selection of 2H Nikon lenses too.

Lastly, there are a few used places in Mong Kong near Man Shing, etc. Just walk around Sai Yeung Choi St and Tung Choi st and you will see them. I will guess you probably need to hunt a bit for exotics like this. I also want to reiterate that if you are coming from the USA, yo can probably do better on Shutterbug but of course you cannot see before you buy.

There is a new nice place in TST right next to the Miramar Hotel called Benito Hotel - just opened and so it will be in good condition. They are advertising for like HK$600 a night which is cheap.

Thanks. But the Benito is now HK900, or around $115! Anything cheaper?

Surely, but seriously hit and miss. April and Oct are highest season in HK because of all the sourcing trade shows. You'll pay double what you would in January or July. Anything reputable will be this much or a lot more. You can get smaller hotels that are like single floors in larger buildings in Jordan, Yau Ma Tei area, etc., for less, but unless you know of specific ones, they are much more likely to be crappy than even acceptable. You have to know a good one or you are taking a low-odds gamble. HK$900 for the location and for what it is, is good in April.

Hi Robert,

I am from HK and currently live in USA. I just want to say that your knowledge on shopping for cameras gears in HK is superb. By reading your posts I can totally sense that you have the local people shopping concept. I totally agree with you on everything about the online price in the US is cheaper than in HK especially during the Christmas and New Year shopping season when many instant rebates or big sales were going on price can be dropped a lot. I bought my EF 70-200 2.8 IS during this past winter from amazon.com which cost me less than 1600 USD, no where can beat it! It is true that the photo paraphernalia is cheap in HK (or Taiwan). About 4 years ago, when I went home for summer vacation I bought my cannon a80, I was very excited about it because it was my first camera that could record movie and so much faster than my pervious one (also my first digi camera, it was very old, almost belongs to the first generation, only 1.3 Megapixels, even poorer than nowadays cell phone camera!) so I bought a 512MB CF card by Kingston for it (from Mong Kok Computer arcade). It was the cheapest 512mb CF card I could get. Interestingly, during that time Kingston was not known/popular in the US (at least I didn?t see its products sold at micro center) so I didn?t know about it. I just trusted it because ?made in Japan? was printed on the card and now became one of the top brands for the memory cards. Also even earlier, I bought a card reader from Taiwan for just about 9 USD when it was cost about 20 USD in the US at that time. Ap Liu Kai is the street that I will go and look for cheap staff when I come home. It is the street for the local people and I can tell that you ARE very local. This forum is so lucky to have you to answer all the questions about shopping for cameras and gears in HK. Thanks!

I was in Hong Kong for 1 month in April 2008. The shops on Stanely street are very small by US standards. They are approached by tourists a lot so they tend to be curt or lazy with their answers, which is different than rude but just as frustrating.

I bought a sensor cleaning brush for $70 and the same brush at B and H Photo was $79. I also bought the 10-22 Canon lens from a different store and I paid a tad bit more than B and H Photo's online price.

They don't have much room for storage. If they say it is in stock don't necessarily count on it.

Hi, I'm going to Hong Kong this weekend and I was considering buying the Canon 85/1.2 L lens... Should I just buy the lens here in the US before my trip or should I buy it there? Is it going to be a lot cheaper and where is the best place to buy it since i'm not going to have much time looking around. I'm probably going to be on Hong Kong Island and I'm not sure if i'll have much of a chance to go up towards Mongkok or not....

thank you.. I leave very soon to a quick reply would be VERY appreciated!

thanks! Jon

You are probably better off buying it in the US as I said. Especially if you cannot get over to MK and you are stuck on HK Island, Stanley Street is no bargain. All things considered, the US is probably your best bet.

You can get the approximate prices in Hong Kong with the following link: http://www.ygdragon.net/index.php?page=photo/cameraprice.htm

US$1 = HK$7.8

There is no sales tax in Hong Kong. Be familiar with prices in the US. Buy it there if you can get a significantly better deal. I doubt that there is a huge price difference between the stores in Mong Kok and those on Stanley Street. In any case, it is a quick MTR (Mass Transit Railway-underground-subway) trip across the harbor. There is no reason you cannot visit stores in both areas.

For more information, see my post on authorized Nikon dealers in Hong Kong. Those authorized dealers are also the better camera stores for Canon and other brands.

Sorry, forgot the link: http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00AUnD

There is indeed no sales tax in HK, but if you are buying on the net in the US, there isn't either. Shipping should also be free on a purchase of this dollar value, although both are factors to consider and make sure on.

I bought 3 slaves on Stanley Street for HK$240 each and saw the exact models in Mong Kok 3 days later for HK$90. Intuitively, there shouldn't be a huge difference between the 2 places, but in the case of the slaves there sure was. For something as expensive and easily comparable as this lens, possibly there may be a lot less difference. For separate reasons, I buy all of my stuff at Broadway usually, in Mong Kok, so I havent price compared lenses or other pricey stuff at other stores in both places to have a specific example.

The ygdragon website is a good one and Billy should get a medal for public service. Bear in mind though that it is not a website put out by the retailers and so while it is useful in an indicative sense, what is says is actually irrelevant - if you get here and the price is 30% higher, there isnt any recourse.

What I would say is that if you need the lens for your trip, buy it in the US, but if you can wait till you get back, then get your data in order before you come and compare then make your decision when you are here.

Hi, going to HK at the end of the year just wondering how much it would cost there and is two enough for two sb800's? And could you be able to command the D3 through the D300 with it's inbuilt trigger(cls like) to take pic and flash?

Hello, I'm actually in Shanghai and I discover that my super8 camera (model BRAUN NIZO 801 macro) is scratched. I will be in Hong kong on the 28th of April. Robert, can you explain me if and where is possible to find super8 cameras in HK? I'm completely discourage to find a solution here, hope to find something good in Hong Kong. Is there someone who can give me some advises? thanks

Alex, check back about a month before you come. Prices are all over the place right now and after the big camera show in August, I am sure a lot will change.

Elisa, the best place to begin to check would be David Chan Co., for something which is that esoteric, and I only say that because they have tons of old stuff in there; I dont know that they are hip on cine gear (they are also not terribly helpful). HK tends to be pretty mainstream and for stuff which is really artistic or alternative, there isn't much action, I am afraid. There is a good market for vintage cameras and parts (buy & sell), but it's mostly collectors. If you are still shooting super 8, I assume you are pretty serious on the cine/artistic side, so you may do better with your art contacts. Somebody up at the Fringe Club might be able to help; I wonder if HKU or CUHK or HKUSpace have a cinematographic program?

Just came back from Hong Kong.. Bought a EF 180 3.5L from Man Shing I found both the Wing Shing shops to be quite rude. The guy at Man Shing was quite friendly and let me test the lens throughly along with the Sigma 180. The other shops like Fortress, Broadway...I found the prices quite high. Prices of Wing Shing & Man Shing are obviously same as they r run by the same family

With regards to buying stuff from Mongkok, my experience has been the same. The young guys at Man Shing 106 Tung Choi Street seem to be much friendlier. The good thing about the Man Shing and Wing Shing shops is that the prices are fixed and relatively low, and they do not charge you an extra 2% if you decide to use a credit card to pay, unlike some other shops. Buy from here if you can't be bother to do any research on prices or want to bargain - they almost always are amongst the lowest prices in Hong Kong. DC Fever around the corner on Shangtung Street is also not bad and it is always fun looking at the other shops in this arcade for camera acccessories. Tin Cheung at 6B Carnavon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui is another good place to go - you should walk upstairs - it is an Aladdin's cave of camera equipment and accessories. Amazing variety of stuff and the people are friendly too. If you happen to be on Hong Kong island, I also frequently buy from Miramar Camera & Hi-Fi on Stanley Street as I love their after sales service (probably because it is a small shop - the service is more personal), but it obviously helps if you are a regular customer - ask for Wendy or Benny - they are good people.

Hi I'll be at HK airport for just 2 hours next week. I want to buy a point and shoot digital camera perhaps the Canon Powershot A470 or A590IS. Anyone got any price indications on these? I'm from NZ and travelling to the UK so want to know if HK airport is going to be much cheaper or not much in it..? Thanks

Hi Sally, There are camera shops after you pass immigration at the airport, but I do not find them cheap, and generally they are good for last minute buys only but not a bargain. There is a Fortress shop at Hong Kong Airport Terminal 1's Departure Hall. You don't get bargains like some of the shops listed above, but the prices are generally fair. I suggest that you go armed with knowledge of the price you'd have to pay in New Zealand and do a comparison when you get to Hong Kong. The US currency to which the Hong Kong dollar is pegged to has appreciated in the past few weeks, so you might not get as good a deal as you might otherwise have done. Check the Fortress website - http://www.fortress.com.hk/fortress/jsp/sys/Sf_render.jsp The airport shop is not listed on the website, but I called one of the other shops and managed to get the telephone number for you - +852-2186 6626. I hope this helps.