Pablo Bluth posted:

I heard once that in Japan for camera bodies there are domestic only models that (a) are sold cheaper than the international models (b) only have Japanese-language-only firmware. I don't know how universally true it was/is, but I would make sure you can change the language before parting with money.

mobby_6kl posted:

Are there any deals to be had on camera gear in Japan? Used, refurb, sales, anything goes. My last big purchase was the 70-200 F/4 in Hong Kong which I think was a Japanese grey import and was like half price compared to European prices. I'll be in Japan around April so I might try to use this as an opportunity/excuse to upgrade from my m50 setup.

jarlywarly posted:

Depends on what your expectations are re warranty.

harperdc posted:

Every camera I’ve bought in Japan has had at least English and Japanese. That might have been true at one time but I’ve been here since 2011.

The best deal you’re going to have is the exchange rate there are different places that range from incredibly slick national camera chains that sell new and used gear (Camera Kitamura), large shops that have good selection, and all the tiny hole-in-the-wall places listed on Japan Camera Hunter’s website. Chains that have other stuff like Book-Off and Hard-Off also have camera gear as well.

But seriously, when my family visited last year, I think one person saved almost 20% getting an X-T30 used at a Kitamura location versus buying it in the States, and another about 33% versus buying a Fujifilm X lens where they live in Europe. And the exchange rate is still like 140 JPY / $1 USD, which is nuts.

Pablo Bluth posted:

I heard once that in Japan for camera bodies there are domestic only models that (a) are sold cheaper than the international models (b) only have Japanese-language-only firmware. I don't know how universally true it was/is, but I would make sure you can change the language before parting with money.

mobby_6kl posted:

I think it'd be pretty weird if Canon just had a secret, better, Japanese only model, but good point about the language - better to make sure. Though I suppose it won't be that hard to get used to it anyway.

Beve Stuscemi posted:

Does anyone know offhand what this tripod head is?

harperdc posted:

237,000 JPY appears to be MSRP, a few other shops I checked have new bodies at that price, and used is only from 200,000 or so.

Amazon has new stock going for 300,000 or higher. The R8 must be either low stock, high demand, or both. So, uh, maybe adjust the target?

RillAkBea posted:

I really like Kitamura for checking the ballpark on used stuff.



13 used R8s bodies in their system starting at 202K~ vs 237K~ new, so not great.

All the new stuff appears to be priced internationally though, so it's not like the "domestic" market is any cheaper to begin with.

xzzy posted:

That tripod head is my dream but yeah the price is a huge shock.

But everyone that has one loves the poo poo out of it.

Clayton Bigsby posted:

What is it you like about the C1? I see people raving about it but I don’t know what makes it so amazeballs you’d want to sell a child and carry around a 2,5 lbs tripod head.

xzzy posted:

I love geared heads and all the affordable ones are kinda garbage. The C1 is allegedly immune to drift or sagging.

I currently use a sunwayfoto gh-pro 2 and it's done well for me but is prone to dropping slightly when I release the knob.

mobby_6kl posted:

Yeah that's the "normal" price but it'd make the whole exercise pointless if even the exchange rate doesn't help beat amazon:

Beve Stuscemi posted:

I literally never remember that google lens exists. Thank you though

E: Never loving mind, its $1500 lmao

Double edit: In an attempt to git gud at google lens, I installed this add-on for firefox since it doesnt have anything like that out of the box https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/search_by_image/

harperdc posted:

Is that Amazon-Amazon or a private seller?

Like I said, Amazon JP has people listing used bodies for up to 33% above that MSRP, so there’s clearly something weird or hard to find about the R8 in Japan right now.

JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:

keh/mpb/calumet. keh especially, at least last i looked, had large format stuff.

someone posted some random camera shop in indiana or something a while back that look legit too

ebay has few protections for both seller and buyer these days. i wouldn't gently caress with it.

xzzy posted:

xzzy posted:

Is there a better online store for buying old/secondhand camera gear than ebay? I'm thinking of getting a view camera this year and every time I type a search into ebay I feel like I'm about to get scammed.

toadee posted:

Also do not be worried about KEH "Ugly" or "Bargain" condition. Even the one thing I've bought that was specifically marked as damaged (bent filter thread ring on a lens), they took the time to cut out the bent section, and file down the edges from where they cut, so you could still use the filter ring just fine, and it wasn't sharp or awkward looking at all. Many other things Ive gotten in "Ugly" shape look like they've been barely touched and I have no idea why its graded that way.

xzzy posted:

That is a ton of links to dig through! I did peruse the big four (mbp, keh, b&h, adorama) but their inventory on large format lenses seems pretty limited. Or their search just wasn't turning up what I wanted.

In that link dump I already see some lenses I've got my eye on that I couldn't find on my own so that's a plus. Not buying yet, in the research phase. But maybe by this summer I'll have some cool old stuff.

theHUNGERian posted:

Brace yourself.

litany of gulps posted:

https://competitive-cameras.shoplightspeed.com/

Here's another! I've done a bunch of business with these guys over the last few years. Pretty sizeable used collection. They have a brick and mortar storefront in Dallas. One time a shipment got delayed a week or so because they couldn't source some filters or something as quickly as they expected, so they comped them and upgraded a memory card I had ordered to a larger size for free.

Edit: But I don't guess they stock a lot of older/esoteric stuff.

theHUNGERian posted:

I am a newbie in LF, but my starting point for LF gear is typically catlabs.

toadee posted:

Catlabs x80 4x5 is my favorite film at the moment, but Catlabs prices on 4x5 gear are very high. They aren't like, shady. You will get good working order gear, but, they are pricier than others.

theHUNGERian posted:

Yeah, they are certainly not cheap. But the owner runs a brick and mortar store and he has to make a profit in order to stay in business. I also found him to be very responsive and patient in after-purchase support.