Are cameras cheaper in Japan?
 

I hoped to buy a camera or memory card when we go to Japan. Wondered if I should just buy it at home duty-free? We only pay 10%gst tax in Australia, which is what I would save duty free here. Presumably you can buy a camera duty-free in Japan.

From what I've seen Amanda 'cheaper' is not necessarily the differing factor. I think one should look for different or uniqueness in technology. With that said, prices are sometimes equivalent or more to comparable models found elsewhere. As far as memory I know they are more expensive here. The cheapest 128mb SD memory card I found at Akihabara was equivalent in price (Duty Free) to what I would pay for a 256mb SD memory card in the States. That was extremely surprising to me. I have found digi cams that aren't available in the States or Europe, however. So looking for a good deal should be based on looking for sleeker designs and technology that can't be found elsewhere. Other than that don't expect to really get better pricing with the Duty Free flash words if you can find a particular model back home.

It's hard to say definitely whether they are cheaper or not. That depends on the camera, where you buy it, and the currency exchange rate on the day you buy it. The first thing I suggest is to check at home for the cameras/memory cards you want. Then you can compare when you get to Japan.

I live in Japan and friends ask me about cameras, so I thought I would share some information on what I have found.

Many times the prices are comparable, so you won't save or loose a lot of money either way. But, the good thing about Japan is that there are so many more varieties and styles of cameras with different features to choose from. You will find it hard to decide which one you want.

The features, quality of cameras here is also so much better. I'm from the States and the cameras there, even Nikon, Pentax, Canon, all seem like watered down, cheapie models compared to the higher-quality and more solid models sold in the pickier Japanese market, where price is not the only thing that matters.

Many large retailers don't sell duty-free. If you stick to duty free you'll have less selection, and the savings might not be great anyway.

Cameras brought from domestic retailers are sometimes only eligible for warranty if in Japan. Make sure you get a worldwide warranty that will cover you in Australia.

Not sure if you are coming to Tokyo, but assuming you are. There are 3 major camera stores with locattions throughout the city and their prices are pretty much the same: Yodobashi, Sakuraya, Bic Camera. I know Bic Camera does sell duty free. (or at least they did at one time.) What makes the purchases cheaper is that these stores have a point system whereby you are given a 10% or sometimes greater discount off the price of the camera, and then you can use that discount toward your next purchase. Problem is, I am not sure if you have to live in Japan to apply for their point card. (These stores are huge with 4-7 floors of not only cameras but computers, appliances, gadgets galore.) Fun to visit.

Finally, the eleictric city area called Akihabara in Tokyo has lots of stores, including some duty-free. Most stores don't have any point program and you'll find that their bottom price is the same as Yodobashi, Bic after the discount. Problem may be world-wide warranty. It's worth a visit as a tourist just to see the area.

I hope this helps you some.

Good luck.

You've gotten good info from the others. I just want to emphasize the warranty issue. For anything, including cameras, those models made for the Japanese domestic market do not have a worldwide warranty...the warranty is valid only in Japan. The models made for the international market, with international warranty, and sold in duty free shops will probably have an international warranty, but you need to check, be sure it is in writing and valid in your home country.

Pricewise, when shopping for our digital camera, I debated buying one in the states versus Japan (where we live), but did find that the Japanese domestic models had more features for less money than the US. For us, not a biggie to buy a domestic model since we live in Japan. We didn't find memory to be all that expensive...I got 256 mg for 6000 yen, and cheaper brands were avaialable. I don't know how that compares with Australian or American price, though.

You can and should ask for a discount if you decide to buy anything high priced. Any of the discount stores will give a bigger discount for the asking. A few years ago, we bought a very nice 35 mm film camera at Yodobashi in Tokyo and ended up getting a final discount of 30,000 yen off the tag price, a free camera bag, a point card (which we used the following day to cash in the points and buy another lens), and a 5 year warranty (Japanese model). Last month, we bought a digital camera at Kitamura (the biggest shop in our city), and got a similar deal...list price was 115,000 yen for the camera. We ended up paying 80,000 yen total for the camera, 256 mg of extra memory, a nice bag, 5 year warranty, 2 packs of photo printer paper, and rechargable batteries. I bargained hard. We also got a point card, which we use the points for getting our film developed from the other camera. So...don't be afraid to ask for a discount!

KimJapan -

Just to clarify matters I think in speaking about memory it's important to distinguish its format (ie memory stick, compact flash, SD, etc..). The reason is several devices are either compatible with one or the other. Some have multiple device compatibility. It's important to evaluate the memory card type compatibility with the device because a lot of these memory types will be obsoleted shortly. So a good bargain camera that's only compatible with compact flash memory cards may come at a high price 2 years from now. But again, with the different memory types comes different prices. SD cards for example are normally way more expensive then compact flash cards because of the technology. Memory sticks are normally compatible with Sony products. So the 256mb memory you stated that you purchased for 6000 yen I'm guessing is probably a compact flash card which may no suit certain devices.

Something I think everyone should keep in mind when identifying prices vs technology.

BigFeat...the 256 memory I was referring to is Lexar Media compact flash. The 6000 yen price is actually cheaper than I could find in the Boston area for the exact same thing. Our camera uses either compact flash or xD picture card...we use both at the same time, one for still images, the other for video. Of course you have to know exactly what you are shopping for....that's a given.

My point was that you need to be sure of what you are buying in terms of warranty AND to be sure to ask for a bigger discount IF you buy something. I certainly wouldn't recommended walking into one of the big electronics outlets to buy something without having done a fair bit of research beforehand. In order to compare price, you've got to compare like to like. Then, if you can find better technology it's another thing to consider.

1. Points system is available to anyone. You have to provide a Japanese adress, but it could be a friend's or even hotel. When you first join (and get your card), you can't redeem the points until the following day, but at any store in the same group.
2. Warranty. Generally, models sold to general public in high street only carry domestic cover. Export models in duty-free section normally come with international cover, but such models are way overpriced and no bargains. Your camera importers in your home country can perform repairs (if the model is imported), but almost always chargeable. With digital cameras, the biggest killer is dampness and getting water into the electronics can render them useless.
3. Memory cards. They dome not only in different format as described but also different speeds. I bought 256 mb 24x CF for under 6k yen, which is cheaper than slower speed elsewhere.
4. Price. As a comparison, the popular Canon Ixus (Ixy) 500 is around 50k yen plus 15% points, effectively 42,500 yen. Akihabara box-shifters charge around 38,500 yen (no points). BuyQuick Australian mail order store currently advertise it for Aus$789 (61k yen), and US B&H offer it (Powershot S500) at US$499 (55k yen) and cheapest at $425 (47k yen). Basically then, it's probably not worth buying in Japan if your are from US, but worth the warranty risk if you're from Australia (but watch out for custom duty).

Our current camera - Canon A70 has CF memory. Is BigFeat saying that these cards are becoming obsolete in a few years? What will be the "NEW THING", because we are buying it for our son, and I might as well buy new technology!

Perhaps I'll buy a few memory cards (CF) now for our current A70 so we can use it until it's technology fails!

Don't worry. CF will remain on sale for many years to come, as there are plenty of current cameras that use it, like Canon Ixus series. What is changing is the speed: newer CF cards are faster.
xD card is getting popular, as it's smaller and faster, though costs more than CF or SD.