Buying Lenses in Japan

karuzo · June 10, 2005

Hello all,
A friend on mine is about to visit Japan for two weeks. I think Tokyo. Does anyone know price differences between Japan and USA? Also any popular camera stores you can trust there? I was thinking on the 18-200 Tamron for my 7D. If here it costs about $400, should it cost less there?

ChrisJ · June 10, 2005

karuzo wrote:

Hello all,
A friend on mine is about to visit Japan for two weeks. I think Tokyo. Does anyone know price differences between Japan and USA? Also any popular camera stores you can trust there? I was thinking on the 18-200 Tamron for my 7D. If here it costs about $400, should it cost less there?

Hmm... today about 108 yen = $1. Even when it was around 115 or 120, I usually found the prices on electronics to be very similar to the US. But I wasn't specifically looking for camera equipment. I was shopping with a local in the Akihabara, and he had his favorite stores, but I don't remember their names.

One advantage over there is that you can get things that aren't available in the US at all, or haven't been released here yet.

karuzo · June 10, 2005

95Mcaj wrote:

Hmm... today about 108 yen = $1. Even when it was around 115 or 120, I usually found the prices on electronics to be very similar to the US. But I wasn't specifically looking for camera equipment. I was shopping with a local in the Akihabara, and he had his favorite stores, but I don't remember their names.

One advantage over there is that you can get things that aren't available in the US at all, or haven't been released here yet.

Thanks. Does not seem worth it according to what you said.

photobug · June 11, 2005

Electronics in Japan usually not a bargain

karuzo wrote:

A friend on mine is about to visit Japan for two weeks. I think Tokyo. Does anyone know price differences between Japan and USA? Also any popular camera stores you can trust there? I was thinking on the 18-200 Tamron for my 7D. If here it costs about $400, should it cost less there?

I used to travel to Japan every 6 months on business. My recollecton is that electronics there were not a bargain -- most things you could buy here cost even more in Japan (certainly more than when purchased here from discount/online retailers). And they probably wouldn't have a warranty that's useful in the USA. And that was when the exchange rate was more favorable to us.

...It's like the drug market here -- drugs developed in the USA cost more here than anywhere else. Why? Who knows? But it's the same with electronics in Japan.

The only advantage to buying electronics/photo gear in Japan is if you want to buy something that isn't yet available in the USA (and don't mind paying for it).

Shima · June 11, 2005

When I went there in March, most anime DVD's were twice the price of the DVD you would buy in America, which is funny considering the American copy will have a dub and subtitle track...

Buying Lenses in Japan

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