Buying new/second hand canon gear in Tokyo

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willrobb

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Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd throw some advice out there for anyone wanting to buy canon gear in Tokyo. I have the full info on my blog and it seems to get a lot of traffic, so people are trying to get the good deals I guess.

Anyway, the two places most people will go when they are new here or just traveling through are the Yodobashi Camera and Bic camera chains. Both are actually pretty good, they offer 10-18% of the price towards points you can use towards other in store purchases, in the past I got a new 5D and had enough points to get a battery grip for free. These stores are a good option when something is about to be replaced, the price drops and the points get higher. Each store usually gives 1-2 years warranty as well which can be extended up to 5 years (although you end up using all your points for that, but it's peace of mind). These stores are all over Tokyo, the best Yodobashi is at Akihabara station, they have a massive selection there, every lens, body and strobe, you can try most of them out as well. For Bic, try the Yurakucho store (one stop from Tokyo station), again every item is there, a lot of it is on display and you can play with them. I do advise checking the online store price as well, sometimes it is cheaper and if you quote that in store they will drop prices.

However, for the cheapest and still very reliable places for new and second hand gear are Fujiyacamera in Nakano and MAP camera in Shinjuku. 90% of the time you will get a cheaper deal at these two stores, I bought my 5DmkII in Fujiya for 230'000 yen when it was 285'000 yen (plus 10% points at 28500 yen) in Bic which was a massive saving. Only 1 year warranty, but a huge saving.

For second hand gear you can get really good deals too. Each second hand item is rated in terms of quality and any fault is clearly pointed out. A lot of the gear has only been used once or twice and is in top condition, so maybe 90% of the new price, something with more wear and tear can be from 50-75% new price.

Fujiya is very popular and they sell out quickly, when I was after a 7D for a backup I was looking at second hand bodies, 14 were on display when I started looking, 10 minutes later when I made my purchase 10 had been sold. When I bought my 100mm f2.8L macro, I was going to get it in Fujiya second hand, there was one copy, I went to the ATM round the corner to withdraw the cash, came back to the store 2 mins later and it was sold. So, then I went to MAP in Shinjuku and got it. Slightly more pricey in map, only 2-5000 yen more for second hand/new gear, but they always have piles of everything second hand. They even have a whole floor of canon gear, just like heaven. They will have every canon lens second hand, I've already seen 8-15mm f4L fisheyes second hand and they just came out. My only problem with MAP is that sometimes the staff can be a bit off with foreigners. Most of the time you get someone really nice, but twice now I have had staff members refuse to show me an item, why I do not know. When I said I didn't need to inspect a new body once, I just wanted to buy it they refused to sell me it as it was "for display" and they refused to tell me when more would come in. Those were isolated incidents though, since then they have been OK.

Hope this helps.
 
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willrobb

Guest
Hey Cannon man,

Akiba Yodobashi is awesome, I often stop off there ad drool over the gear. The Shinjuku Yodobashi camera senmon store is great too, really good selection of lighting gear and all the lenses are out to play with.

See you have the 17mm TS-E lens, how's that for you? I'm thinking of getting the TS-E 24mm 3.5LII as my next buy. Think it'll be Fujiya for that purchase, just got my 3rd speedlite from MAP saturday.
 
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Cannon Man

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willrobb said:
Hey Cannon man,

Akiba Yodobashi is awesome, I often stop off there ad drool over the gear. The Shinjuku Yodobashi camera senmon store is great too, really good selection of lighting gear and all the lenses are out to play with.

See you have the 17mm TS-E lens, how's that for you? I'm thinking of getting the TS-E 24mm 3.5LII as my next buy. Think it'll be Fujiya for that purchase, just got my 3rd speedlite from MAP saturday.


I actually have the TS-E 24mm 3.5L II.

17 is a bit too wide for my taste. i'm in love with the 24mm!! it is the finest built lens i have used. The focus ring is out of this world, so smooth and accurate. And the pictures i get from it are awesome!! such good contrast and sharpness and color, its unbelievable they have made a wide lens that good!

and there are infinite applications for the TS-E functions!! i always have that in my bag! Highly recommend it!
 
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Jul 21, 2010
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I'm the one with the TS-E 17mm ;D

I totally agree with you guys that the TS-E lenses open up the door to a lot of possibilities, sometimes enabling the creation of exaggerated images (which is a place you can really get some fun out of). Unfortunately, I'll have to wait for my next full-frame body to exploit the full potentials of the lens.

While I love the Yodobashi, my purchasing option is limited to BIC Camera since that's the only place I've managed to get a point card. Seriously, applying for your own point card is a pain for non-residents...
 
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willrobb

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Wow, sounds like you have an awesome kit bag. You've definitely sold me with your praise of the 24mm TS-E F3.5LII. Will need it for landscapes and portraits and I really think the tilt and shift will work great for creative portraits. Was doing shoots in and around Midtown and Roppongi Hills today and was thinking I could have done with one today.

Also noticed you have the 50mm f1.2L, the 85mm F1.2LII and the 70-200mm f2.8L IS II. Seriously top notch kit. I love my 50mm f1.2L for portrait sessions, I hear the 85mm f1.2LII is probably even better. What's your take on it? I have the non IS 70-200 f2.8L, mostly just bring it out for runway shows but have been using it more for portraits of late as well, really nice glass.

Sorry for waffling on....

Cheers

Will
 
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willrobb

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Sorry Ronderick, I was mixing people up ??? How do you like the 17 TS-E? Think I would be too wide for me most of the time, but looks like a great piece of kit.

You should seriously get along to MAP or Fujiyacamera, they don't have point cards but the prices are so much lower you'll make a better saving without points, plus if you are a non resident you'll get tax off as well.

I took a friend to MAP to get a 5DmkII last weekend, was ridiculously cheap and the staff even spoke English.
 
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Cannon Man

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The 85mm is a great lens, no weather sealing, slightly slower AF but the image guality is awesome! It is sharper and has better contrast and it is perfect focal lenght for portraits so it is worth the high price.

I would rather trade places and have your gear and be living in Japan :)

I havn't been there for two years now. The good news is that i have my own photography company and i can make money to start travelling to Japan again and hopefully one day realise my dream to live there as a photographer.

How have you ended up living in Japan? Do you take photos for a living?
 
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willrobb

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Swap you then cannon man ;) Actually, I am going the opposite way to you and after 10 years here my wife and I are moving shop to the UK and starting up there.

I've been working as a freelance photographer here for the last 5 years. I'm the chief photographer for a Japanese Whisky Magazine, I work for Lonely Planet, do some runway fashion for a couple of clients, have a housing company I do the photography, I work for a UK based trend forecaster and squeeze in weddings and portraits when we can. We aim to concentrate more on weddings and portraits in the UK and cut down on our media work. Everyone I spoke to told me I'd never get enough work as a photographer here, granted it is tough but there is work there.

What kind of company do you have? With all the great gear you must be doing well, why not keep your company where it is and set up another branch in Tokyo? You never know...
 
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Cannon Man

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I'll keep that in mind, a part of it will stay here in Finland because my brother owns half of it.

It's a company called Excella Photo and this is our website: www.excellaphoto.com

Our official logo will be ready later this week and i want to replace half of the photos to much better ones but its a start and we are already have a good business flow going.

I will concentrate on model/fashion photography in the future witch is my passion so stay tuned and you will see these amateur looking model pictures dissappear very soon :)

I appreciate you going agaist the odds after what people told you, talent and a clear vision will get you places!
 
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Just as the OP stated, it's always good to check online prices. Japanese online shopping is amazing, at least compared to the crap we have here Canada. When I lived in Tokyo I used kakaku.com for almost everything. You can even find some of the best prices from brick and mortar store if you feel more comfortable buying in person. A lot of them are usually in Akiba anyways. Yahoo Japan Shopping and Amazon Japan can be pretty good too. Amazon Japan English is the easiest if you don't have Japanese skills and they'll take foreign credit cards online.
 
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willrobb

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superotaku78,

Yeah, Kakaku.com is pretty good, a really good site to find the best prices. I've used it for a few things, but for camera gear I like to support the little shops as much as I can, even if I pay a little bit more.

Cannon man, loved your website. The TS lens pic on the opening page was excellent, the wedding, engagement, modelling pics are all very elegant, seriously nice work. I am a fan.

For what's it's worth, here is my portfolio: www.willrobb.com and my blog where very soon I'll do a rundown of the most recent Japan fashion week: www.willrobbphotography.com

I too need to update my portfolio, going to scrap a lot of the fashion stuff, replace it and add in a lot more publications and rip out even more of the old ones. Never ending task.... :)
 
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willrobb said:
You've definitely sold me with your praise of the 24mm TS-E F3.5LII. Will need it for landscapes and portraits and I really think the tilt and shift will work great for creative portraits.
If you want to use a TS lens for portraits then you might want to consider the TS-E 45mm or 90mm as well.
They are not L lenses, but they do have max aperture f/2.8.
http://hofferphotography.com/blog/ is one of my biggest inspirations for tilted portraits (they use the TS-E 45mm).
 
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willrobb

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Hey Ferdi,

Thanks for the link, the photos were awesome. I've seen a lot of 45mm TS-E portraits and they really are stunning. For landscapes, the 24mm TS-E is easily my top choice and I was hoping that with an extender the 24mm TS-E would be good for portraits as well, but I am getting more and more tempted to get hold of both lenses, probably getting the 45mm TS-E second hand. I've already got my mind set on the 24mm, if any unexpected jobs come up and the fee covers a 45mm as well I may just get one. However, if there is anything in the rumours about a possible 45mm TS-E upgrade, that could be interesting.

Please no one post up links with amazing 90mm TS-E lens shots, my mind is already working overtime ;-)
 
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