[matt]

Hi,

Want to know where is the best place (cheap and legal) that I can buy the Canon EOS 300D in HK.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks
Matt

[Lammarite]

I had a non-serious look while i was on Nathan Road and they were quoting 7,500 with the lens which i presume is 35-70 or thereabouts. I have heard from Middle East Photography magazine that the lens falls apart quickly. The reviews for the camera as a whole are great though- it would be a great way to spend money!

[shri]

Paul,

I have been disappointed with the shops in Stanley Street. They are very quick and able when it comes to spotting a casual buyer (tourist / expat) and have different pricing schemes.

Someone has sucessfully propagated the myth... "buy where the locals buy in order not to get ripped off" and these shops use and abuse this. All the shops give you the same crappy service and have different pricing (which seems to change on a daily basis as I have been quoted two different prices by two different sales people at the same shop).

I've become far too cynical about the camera outlets in HK to recommend one.

By the way, I've heard that there is a shop at Fenwick Pier which offers reasonable prices. Can someone confirm? Do you have to be with the US armed forces to buy from there?

[kombuchakid]

Fenwick has excellent shops, and hairdresser. The fellows there have been cut of from HK for so long that they have forgotten the ingrained habits of most shop keepers here. If you look halfway decent the staff at enquires will be happy to give you an entry pass into the shopping centre, provided there are no ships on R&R here.
Of course the prime reason to visit Fenwick is the Al Fresco MacDonald's which serves beer along with the harbour view.

[Lammarite]

One of the best things about Fenwick Pier is the newsagents where you can buy magazines for US$ cover prices instead of the inflated prices in Dymocks et al. They are American ones though so not good if you want any true political reading or how to dress, but good for guitar, music, mountain biking etc.
I bought my Canon A70 digital from the big mall at Times Square, the 5th floor I think and got not only a good price, but a 64mb memory card as well as the standard Canon 16mb and the 32mb they were offering as a bonus. So maybe the D300 will be a good price there. If anyone's interested, the A70 is an amazing digital camera for the price and compared to other, more expensive, cameras with the same features.

[keetohk]

Firstly, Hong Kong photo shop keepers seem to lack real salesmanship (unlike those Giordano sales staff that will greet you in and out even if you don't buy anything). Rarely do they really seem to know their products, as they are only there as middlemen. So it's sort of take it or leave it. Secondly, if you're only looking for cheap and legal, then I think it's a matter of just looking around from place to place. Ask if it's got a warrantee and double check to see it. You will need to get a memory card so ask what the prices are on it. Compact Flash seems to be the standard, so use that as a guide and compare prices. A shop that sells more professsional gear is Wing Shing Photo Supplies in Mongkok, 55-57 Sai Yeung Choi St. Price for equipment seems reasonable, as they seem to get orders in bulk. I have gone to the shops in Central to look at photographic gear, but I always find the sales staff too jaded or cocky. Guess they've been working there too long. Better choice may be to simply go to Fortress if the price is right. (I'm digressing aren't I?) Good luck.

Norm

[shri]

Norm, Thanks for your input.

[oturnbull03]

Glad u asked. Best place is Stanley Street. You will not get ripped-off like you would in Tsim Sha Tsui where they are crooks (most of the time). HK$7500 including standard lens in Stanley Street. As long as you sound like you know what you are doing they are not even going to try and rip you off because they know unlike locals expats dont like to be ripped-off at all. when they find out they blow.

[lazarus]

One word. Barter!

Know your product, very important! Be prepared to go shop to shop asking for best "cash price" but not EPS or Credit card, it's not "cash" and the shops are charged for the transaction.

[bayonic]

well I don't know if it's cheap ... but I got my EOS300D from Fortress. I was planning of buying it in the U.S. while on a business trip but the selling price that are usually displayed on the Website does not include sales tax. . . so in the end , the price in the US is very similar to the HK price.
Buying from Fortress allowed me to avail of a 24 month 0 interest installment scheme from my credit card company. Plus they included a 64MB CF card, a fairly decent tripod , and a usable camera bag.
Be sure to check the cleaniliness of the sensor though. My 2 week old EOS300D is with Canon Service at the moment because of some specks/dirt on the sensor which I am afraid of cleaning by myself