Should I buy my camera before leaving?

[noodle]

Originally Posted by Uriko

they don't give two shits about personal property. you can throw a hissy fit when they take your stuff. & nothing's gonna happen. -_-

It has nothing to do with hissy fits and what they take... They will take something if they believe you've brought it for the sole reason of reselling!!! i know the US airport security can be jerks, but they don't abuse the law that much!

[Uriko]

um..yeah, they do. but i guess, you wouldn't know.

[jasonbvr]

This stuff about seizures due to copyright violations has some truths and untruths to it. First of all, if you are coming back from China rather than Japan, they are going to be more intent on checking for fakes. (Based on a true story) Let's say you come back with a full Louis Vuitton luggage set from your three month trip to Beijing. First of all, you don't even have enough luggage to fill all these cases. Second, there is no tags on the insides of the bags and there are obvious imperfections. These bags are basically screaming fake. You know what immigration said, "Pick two you want to keep, the other three stay with us." Most people buying fake junk in China are smart enough to ship it back rather than take it through the airport, but like my friend you (maybe) are allowed to keep some in most cases. Lets say you show up with 9 Rolexes, 3 Gucci watches, and 1 or 2 Tag Heuer's. Now you are not only having them confiscated, but probably facing fines as well. If you've got one fake Rolex, it would probably be no big deal and not noticeable if say you are wearing it.

[jasonbvr]

Now to answer the original question, should you buy a camera in the US and bring it or buy one in Japan depends primarily on which one you want. If you wanted something like say the Olympus Stylus 795 SW, you will want to buy that here because it is not officially available in the US and can only be bought at a 100 dollar markup because it is imported. There are certain new models of Japanese made cameras available in Japan that are not yet currently in the US. Now let's say you want a Kodak camera, you have to get that in the US. Kodak does not sell in Japan because they don't have Japanese language support on there cameras. The best way to decide would be to compare prices on amazon.com to the prices on amazon.co.jp. This will give you a good idea of the potential savings.

[MMM]

If I were in the market for a new camera and knew I was going to be in Japan, I would wait and buy it there. A lot of Japanese cameras have the option for English menus (not all, but you can ask the clerk)...the selection is great and I found the prices very reasonable. Keep the box and receipt and there is no worry about it being condfiscated if you bought it at a legit camera store (BIG CAMERA, etc...)

[Tturtle]

I was actually thinking about prices. I've been to Germany and France since 9/11 and I didn't have any problem with my stuff getting confiscated. Once they did go through everything and made a mess of everything, but they didnt take anything.

[danslak]

Originally Posted by Tturtle

Hi everyone

I havent been around here for awhile, but I am trying to plan my trip to Japan now. I was thinking about buying a camcorder and I was wondering would it be cheaper to buy one while I'm there instead of before I leave. I live in the US/Virginia.

Anybody know? Thanks for any advice!

Remember that the American Dollar is in the crapper. If you buy it in Japan, you WILL pay more for it. Electronics in Japan are not cheaper typically in the first place. Our failing dollar will make it a lot more than you can get it for here. Plus, despite what other's say, U.S. customs coming back from Japan can be hard-core. You might end up paying duty on it on top of the price. HAVE FUN!!!

[MMM]

Originally Posted by danslak

Remember that the American Dollar is in the crapper. If you buy it in Japan, you WILL pay more for it. Electronics in Japan are not cheaper typically in the first place. Our failing dollar will make it a lot more than you can get it for here. Plus, despite what other's say, U.S. customs coming back from Japan can be hard-core. You might end up paying duty on it on top of the price. HAVE FUN!!!

I have brought back all kinds of major electronics, games systems, etc. all declared and never had a problem. I have never had more than about 1000 dollars worth of stuff...maybe that is the difference.

We use the same memory cards and such as the US, so it might be fun to have a camera that can time-stamp in Japanese or isn't available in the US.

[filiadragongurl]

I personally went to Japan last year on a study abroad trip and brought my really old semi-crappy digital camera with me (for the beginning of the trip) but bought a used Canon camera in Japan from Softmap and brought it back to the US no problem.

Now first off, price-wise, I'd say camera prices in Japan are about the same as in the US but the difference is you can get a *better camera* for the same price because the technology is about a year ahead.

Second, you can get a very nice used camera in Japan for about half the price of a brand new one. The one I got was about 4 months old and looked and worked like a brand new camera because Japanese people typically *take care* of their posessions. I think it was about $250 including a memory card and remember, this is prices from a year ago and it's for a very nice camera. The model I bought also never made it to the US and the model number was ahead of the new ones available here for quite some time. Oh, I also was able to look at the camera up close (like in my hands) and they even put in batteries so I could see how it worked when it was on. After I bought it, I immediately switched the language on the camera to English and had no problems at all. Although, I admit that I bought a Canon camera with similar buttons to my old Canon camera so that I knew I wouldn't have to worry about trying to read the instructions...

Third, I didn't have any problem bringing over all the technology I bought in Japan (and I bought a lot 'cause I'm a CS major!) but if you're worried, just have the receipt on you when you go through customs. I also didn't have more than $1000... well... maybe I did, but my boyfriend was with me when I went home, so I split my technology between our bags so he could claim some for me^_^;;

So, in conclusion, it's nice to have a camera when you go so you can take pictures on the way and everything, but Japanese cameras are really great and you can get a little more for your money. I'm not trying to fuel the fire of dispute here... this is just what I know from my experience last year, so use it to make your own choices.

[Housetek]

jeeze sucha long post for a simple question

any ways

for the uriko and noodle argument.

uriko dont have a superiority complex cuz you've traveled about and had some bad experiences and what not.

its good that you've traveled but no need to put people down cuz they havent or throw "you wouldnt know in their face"

I've been to vietnam 4 times and japan 8 time already

bought electronics, and brought them back no problem.

in japan if you go to an actual store to buy electronics it wont be fakes.

okay enough of that and to the question.

Really i would buy electronics at home and bring it to japan.


1. yea japanese electronics and stuff are great but pretty much any thing you find here you can find in the states or order it from the states.

2. You want electronics that will work on US power supply and also things that you can down load drivers to in English.

3. some cameras how you can down load upgraded firmware. its just easier to do in English.

4. japanese electronics are mad expensive.
BUT memory is not
Micro Sd's and Sd memory cards are a lot cheaper in japan then US.
i bought a 2 Gig micro sd for around 15-20 dollars in usa it was about 90 dollars to 100.

5. warrenty stuff. if it breaks you wont be able to get it fixed or send it back.

6. rebates, you can buy cameras and stuff in the states and they'll say 500 dollars with 100 dollar rebate. take advantage of that cuz its just more complicated to cash in mail in rebates in japan.

7. one positive thing about buying electronics in japan is that you get items tax free if you bring your passport.

i hope this helps a bit