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Salzburg, Austria

"No place is boring if you've had a good night's sleep and a pocket full of film." - Robert Adams
​
"Tea first, then photography..." - Philip Lee Harvey

From an Article written by Philip Lee Harvey

Film Camera Buying Tokyo Japan

9/2/2018

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Picture
Tokyo Street Music, Tokyo, Japan shot on Leica M10 with Zeiss 50mm.
I had long heard that Tokyo was the Mecca of film camera stores and always dreamt of going. So when I discovered a need to travel to Japan for work, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to see if I could find some time to check out the famous stores.

I did not have too much time to prepare, so I went to Japan Camera Hunter and found a map with a ton of stores around Tokyo. I downloaded this to my iPhone and off I went. I arrived on a Saturday night and had the full day on Sunday to walk around and check out the stores. 

Below are the lessons I learned, and some recommendations to help you get the most out of any shopping trip in Tokyo. 
  1. There are indeed a TON of film camera stores all over Tokyo but they seem to cluster around each other.  Go into a particular neighborhood and you will be able to visit several shops.
  2. The stores are not cheap. Do not believe that just because there are plenty of stores, you are going to find a steal. Sure you can get lucky, but most of the gear is well understood and priced as per market rates or higher.
  3. The condition of the cameras are usually very good. The weather in Tokyo is very forgiving for camera equipment (40-50% humidity) and culturally people seem to care for equipment.  
  4. There is no bargaining. The price you see is the price you will pay. Asking for a discount may get you thrown out. If you are looking to buy two cameras or a camera and a bunch of accessories, then you can ask if they can give you a special rate.
  5. Ask before you touch and if you do touch be very careful.  You will see when the store personnel touch the cameras they will be very delicate and you need to match them. 
  6. I would recommend that you look to cameras made in Japan. You will find plenty of German made cameras but frankly I do not see the point. When in Japan why not try to buy something that was made there. There are plenty of special releases of cameras that were only made available in Japan.  Here is your chance to own one of these.
  7. Most places I went to offered a warranty which was between 1 week and 3 months. This depended more on the camera in question and less on the establishment. Buy a Nikon F3 and you will probably get a 3 month warranty but if you buy something more delicate, expect less. 
  8. Don't forget to look at accessories. Sometimes you can be so excited about a purchase that you overlook some of the accessories that may be available. I found some inexpensive, original manufacture eyepieces and the like.  Just take your time, and look around.
  9. If the neighborhood looks to be expensive, as in there are luxury brand stores around, then the camera store will be expensive too. I found these stores often charged twice what other stores did for the same level of condition.  I suggest going to cheaper neighborhoods and you will find better deals. 

For those curious about what I bought....I finally got my hands on a wonderful Nikon S2. I was going to leave it at that but at the last minutes I decided to pick up a Nikon F3T.  I have the Nikon F3 but always dreamt of the F3 Professional and the F3 Titanium.  I found a mint F3T for about USD 550.  Like I said, not a steal but given the condition of the camera, a very respectable price.  I will share pictures soon!
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    Patrick...confirmed film & digital photography addict.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from left-hand, Ant Jackson, Skley, mikecogh, Helen.Yang, TheeErin, Dean Hochman, CJS*64, DaveR1988, FootMassagez, Loco Steve, dmytrok, Christiaan Colen
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Vintage Cameras
    • Argus 75
    • Brownie Flash II
    • Contax G2
    • Ensign Selfix 820
    • FED-1 (PE0320)
    • Graflex Crown Graphic
    • Ihagee Exa
    • Leica M6
    • Nikon S2
    • Nikon F
    • Nikon F2
    • Nikon F3
    • Nikon FA
    • Olympus OM-1
    • Olympus OM-2 SPOT
    • Olympus Stylus
    • Pentacon Six
    • Pentax Spotmatic IIa
    • Rollei 35
    • Voigtlander 15mm ver III
    • Yashica C
    • Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/2
  • Learning Composition
    • The Monochrome Diaries
    • Single & Multi Elements
    • Symmetry
    • Keep the Right Strong
    • Framing
    • Color in Composition
    • Deep Dive Bubble Man
    • Photo Assignments
  • Darkroom Lessons
    • Building a Sink
    • Air Ventilation
    • Analyser Pro
    • Development Hints
    • Primer for Film Photography
    • Bulk Loading Film
    • Pushing & Pulling Film
    • Color Development
    • Digital Contact Sheets
    • Stick to One Film Stock?
    • HP5+ Shot at 200 ISO
    • HP5 Shot at 1600 ISO
    • HP5 Shot at 3200 ISO
    • Medium Format
    • Washing Film
    • Split Grade Printing
    • Using Distilled Water in Film Development
    • Darkroom Paper
    • Foma100 EI 400
  • Photography Books & Films
    • Colin O'Brien
    • Lartigue Life in Color
    • Magnum Contact Sheets
    • Top Photography Movies
    • William Eggleston's Guide
    • Helen Levitt
    • Sally Mann Immediate Family
    • Saul Leiter Early B&W
    • Leica 100 yrs
    • Calendar Days of Asaya Hamaya
    • The Decisive Moment
    • Regarding Women
    • Robert Capa in Love and War
  • Single Image Deep Dive
    • Sergio Larrain "A Man After Dark"
    • Colin O'Brien 'Comings & Goings"
    • Erwitt Mother & Child
    • Man Running
    • Samuel Becket
    • Koudelka Wristwatch
    • Dovima with Elephants