i'm going to be in japan in june...anyone got any info on buying there?

-- Stewart Weir (weirs99@aol.com), March 11, 2002

Answers

Stewart. From what I know, Tokyo is a terrible place to buy M's (or most other cameras). Prices are more expensive than in the US or Europe. Leica has been very popular in Japan, and the prices are quite high. That's why Japanese dealers could buy M equipment in the USA at retail prices and resell it in Japan at a substantial profit. If you live in the USA or Canada, the best place to buy Leica M is at home.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), March 11, 2002.

i second this. tokyo is a bad place to buy cameras, especially leica, but it is a great place to look around for camera gear. go to bic camera near the ginza. they have nearly all current cameras in any format on display (all except leica and large format). i spent around three hours there, laying hands on everything that there is on the market. but unfortunately it is not cheaper than anywhere else.

-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), March 11, 2002.

I will concur with the above posts.....with one caveat.

If you wish to purchase NEW MEDIUM FORMAT in anything non-Europe (i.e. Mamiya / Pentax / Bronica) then Tokyo is a great place to buy. I was able to pick up an AE prism finder for RZ for $400 cheaper than here in the US.

Anything 35mm, and ESPECIALLY anything German is going to be high. The Japanese are extremely "cultish" about Leica. They do not think that Leicas should be used, only collected.

Have a great trip.

-- Rich Green (kamurah@hotmail.com), March 11, 2002.

I respectfully disagree with the previous opinions that Japan is the wrong place to purchase Leica equipment - provided you can be happy with nearly-new, Mint- gear. I found a great M6TTL (0.85), a 50mm f/2 Summicron and a CL-version 90mm f/4 Elmar at Shimizu Camera Store in the Ginza business district, and paid less for it than compared to U.S. prices advertised at Tamarkin and similar sources. My Leica M equipment cost me about $1,000 less than similar Leica equipment generally available back home.

Check out Lucky Camera in the Shinjuku part of Tokyo. However, most of Tokyo's best quality used camera gear is found in the Ginza. Lemon Camera is famous in the Ginza, but for some reason, their stores were closed during my week there last October. Sakura Camera and Yodobashi Camera, two of the big stores in Shinjuku, sell only new equipment, and have EVERY item and obscure lens cap ever made. I'll try to e-mail you some Web links to assist in your efforts.

-- Steve Brantley (sbrantley@nccommerce.com), March 11, 2002.

Stewart, Tokyo is excellent place to buy Leica. Avoid popular camera chain stores: Yodobashi, BicBic, Sakuraya. They are expensive. I bought mine M6TTL new in sept-oct 2001 for cca $1500-1550 at Lemon Camera, Ginza. Excellent service.

Ginza Camera Stores Map

You can also check some Shinjuku stores, but it's better to concentrate on Ginza. Anyway, if you need it:

Shinjuku Camera Stores Map

Good Luck

-- Emin Kumbaradzi (photolunatic@yahoo.com), March 11, 2002.

Depending on your local currency/yen exchange rate during your visit, Japan can offer great bargains on Leica if you're comfortable buying either gray market or used. The big dealers sell gray market Leica at discounts of 40%-60% off officially-imported retail prices. At 90yen/$ it's not very economical but at 130+yen/$ you can save some cash. At 128yen/$ today, it depends....

My most recent Japan prices are from Dec-Jan. issue magazines, so it might be a bit stale, but at OS Camera (Osaka) M6 TTL bodies were going for 198,000yen new (US$1,550), 21/2.8 ASPH 188,000yen new ($1,470), 24/2.8 ASPH 158,000yen new ($1,235), 35/1.4 ASPH 198,000yen (US$1,550)new. Lenses especially can be a really good deal when the yen is weak. Used pricing would be around 20% less.

I guess you'd have to check someone like Delta Int'l for comparison to ultimate low gray market pricing in the US. I just did a quick check on the 21/24/35 triad at Delta and found $1,646/$1,405/$1,702 or about $500 more than OS' prices at 128yen/$.

You're taking a gamble as to what the exchange rate might be in June, if you don't have language help it might not be a totally comfortable buying experience, and your best bet for ultimate low prices on used equipment is probably still haunting ebay and forums like this.

Let us know what you wind up doing!

-- Paul Brodek (pcb@skyweb.net), March 11, 2002.

Stewart. Even if you can save a little money by buying new M equipment in Japan, consider what little recourse you have if there are any defects. Dealers like Don Chatterton, Jim Keuhl, Stan Tamarkin, etc. will stand by their new in box Leica M sold without USA warranty (ie., gray market). If the item is clearly defective, these dealers, who are very honest, I'm sure would replace it.

I do buy gray market sometimes, but only from a U.S. dealer I know very well. The exchange rate notwithstanding, I would resist the temptation to buy Leica in Japan. Rather I would spend all my time photographing with the M equipment I own. I was in Japan once (Kyoto and Tokyo) in the 1980s, and I brought back about 17 rolls of film, some of which are the best exposures I have ever made.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), March 11, 2002.

My 2 cents worth after prowling aruonf Tokyo camera stores.

Yodobashi is great for new stuff and accessories nt found anywhere els, that I have seen.

The dealers in used Leica stuff sell it as if it were The Queens Leica.

I have also had bad experience with warrantee claims in Asia.

If you live in the US or europe/Canada, buy there. Saving 25-50 bucks is not worth the hassle. Besides, the stores ahave few people who are at all functional in english.

Cheers

-- RICHARD ILOMAKI (richardjx@hotmail.com), March 11, 2002.

No, unless you are looking for a large selection of excellent plus, near mint or mint used cameras to look at in person. Used prices tend to be a bit higher than in the U.S.

Assume that the salesperson will speak NO English. And that there will be no return privileges.

So the bottom line is- huge selection of very clean old cameras, but expect to pay a premium relative to the States. If you don't speak Japanese, expect to use sign language/charades and don't expect to be able to return.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), March 11, 2002.

Dear Stwart,

Japan is a mix bag. This is what everyone has been saying. As a resident I agree. I bought my last two Leicas in Osaka at Naniwa Camera. I considered buying a new Leica in the US but realized that because of the current exchange rate Japan was better. Also at Naniwa I got a lot of points on my point card and have been using them as cash to get free film and other goodies.

I've found Tokyo prices higher than Osaka in general. Also, you'll often find used Leica bodies (M3, M2, M4, M5) in good condition to be more expensive than new or mint M6s. Used equipment is a wonderland here--and is again a mixed bag. To give one extreme example. In one place in Osaka (Lemon) a Leitz 21mm finder new was about 35,000 yen and used 16,000 yen. In another shop the same finder used was 44,000 yen. You really have to do a lot of leg work to find bargins but it is worth it and it can be a lot of fun.

A tip. In one small shop on the Ginza on the other side of the street and down aways from Lemon I found a guy who sells Olympus to Leica adapters for 15,000 yen. Makes them himself for old Pen adapters. I have one and love it.

Repairing Leicas here is an other story. The "authorized" repair service is a rip-off and so is one other place I sent my M6. But that not your problem, lucky fellow.

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@suma.kobe-wu.ac.jp), March 11, 2002.

As some have stated above, Tokyo can be quite cheap when the yen has dropped and the yen price for the camera has not yet been adjusted upward. There is also a lot of used Leica in mint condition. I bought a Summilux-75 in perfectly mint condition for about $1,000 some time back. You just have to look around. Try Lemon camera in Ginza and the shop on the Ginza main road nearby. Also, you might pick up Asahi Camera and look at the prices in the ads in the back.

-- Mitch Alland/Paris (malland@mac.com), March 12, 2002.