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Where to buy camera in BKK

Where To Buy A Camera Bangkok

So you want to know where to buy a digital camera in Bangkok and how much digital cameras cost in Bangkok? People want to know about buying a digital camera and the places to buy digital cameras but there are a number of good quality and trustworthy camera shops in Bangkok. Small, compact, point and shoot type digital cameras, can be bought almost anywhere, but for larger, D-SLR cameras, you'd best go to specialist shops. Avoid department stores as prices are fixed and higher. When buying your camera, ask where it was made. Often, cameras made in Japan are more expensive than cameras made in China, Malaysia or even Thailand. Personally, we don't think it makes a difference. As long as the camera is legitimate, then being made outside of Japan should not matter as companies employ careful quality control measures. Just make sure the camera comes with full INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY

CAN I SAVE MONEY ?

It's possible to make savings when buying digital cameras in Bangkok but the stronger Baht means that prices are more likely to be higher. Even with UK's VAT of 20% compared to only 7% in Thailand, it is still cheaper to buy from Amazon UK, than buy in Thailand. This is certainly true for compact cameras and often true for SLRs. If you claim the 7% VAT back at the Bangkok International Airport, you will save a little more money but still not enough to warrant buying out of the safety of your own country. Just look at the two very popular compact digital camera prices below:

Nikon P300 in UK is 215.00 UK pounds, USA is 229 dollars
Nikon P300 in Thailand is 228.00 UK pounds or 417 dollars with local warranty (comes with 4Gb memory card)

Canon S95 in UK is 250.00 UK pounds USA is 369 dollars
Canon S95 in Thailand is 241.00 pounds or 482 US dollars (comes with 4Gb memory card)

Camera prices for Thailand show local warranty. If you opt for manufacturers warranty, then prices go up.
P300 becomes 269.00
S95 becomes 311.00

You are 'more likely" to make bigger savings on the larger Digital SLR cameras than on the smaller compact, point and shoot, cameras where the mark up is small. Again, you want to consider the warranty issues over the savings you might make. Also, when buying a digital camera in Bangkok, choose smaller shops which are run and owned by the people you are dealing with rather than bigger shops which employ sales staff who don't have the authority to offer reductions ( of any significant amount ).

Since writing the paragraph above the exchange rate for the Pound against the Baht has fallen substantially and now ( as of 25th Sept, 2011 ) stands at 48 Baht to the pound. With this exchange rate, buying a digital SLR camera in the UK is now cheaper than buying it in Thailand. Only when the exchange rate gets better will it be worth buying a camera in Bangkok or Thailand.

A quick example based on a Christmas visit to the UK saw the Nikon D300 on sale in duty free for £845 UK Pounds ( roughly 42,250 Baht ). UK shops are selling it from £899 and up although shops did warn us that UK prices were going up by 20% across the board so don't expect this situation to last. Jessop's Camera Shop in the UK now lists the D300 at £999 (post 20% increase). The same digital SLR camera in Bangkok from the excellent camera shop Fotofile costs about 54,000 Baht.

If we look to see what Amazon.com is selling at, we can see it is selling the same D300 for $1,200
England's Amazon.co.uk is offering the D300 for £978.99 which is down from the original price of £1,299.99

Hong Kong Vs Bangkok

Many people say Hong Kong is cheaper than Bangkok, and I'd have to agree that you can make some decent savings in Hong Kong, but the trouble with Hong Kong is that you don't know if you can trust the sales folk. After reading about the scams I went there looking for the new SB900 Nikon flash and had various quotes along Nathan road but I spotted a quiet camera shop away from the others, no-one standing outside hustling me inside and I started to chat to the nice old Chinese man behind the counter who explained all about the scams and how you'll probably not walk away with the item you think you are buying. His prices were higher than the others, but he explained why.
I felt comfortable with this man and was quoted 19,000 Baht for the flash against 16,500 in the others, but I decided to wander around and visit some more shops and so off I went to Mongkok area and ended up getting the exact flash I wanted, made in Japan, full International Warranty etc for 15,500 ( it's presently on sale in Bangkok for 19.900 ( as of 8th November 2008 ).

On the 7th November, 2008 I was in Hong Kong again and I asked a shop on Nathan road the cost of the Nikon D300 digital SLR camera and was told 6,500 HK Dollars for body only which is half the cost of buying it in Bangkok. I wasn't going to buy it; just asking prices, but at the airport, I asked a duty free shop and was quoted 16,500 HK Dollars.... same price as Bangkok.

The point we are making is that in Hong Kong, prices fluctuate by large amounts and you never know whether the high price is a rip off or the low price is a scam. In Bangkok, prices are very similar and you almost never get scammed on hardware and so even though Hong Kong might be cheaper, the time it takes to find the honest shop and the best deal might very well negate the savings.

Where to buy a digital camera in Bangkok depends on what kind of camera you are looking for. Small compact, point and shoot type digital cameras can be purchased almost anywhere, but for the best deals try Pantip Plaza or Mahboonkrong (MBK)
If you are looking for Digital SLRs or quality / specialist camera equipment, then you will need to seek out the specialist shops, which can also be found at either Pantip Plaza or Mahboonkrong (MBK)

Specialist Camera Shops In Bangkok

	Bangkok is a great place to find a camera and save money. Prices differ from shop to shop but as we've already mentioned, be careful of what it is you are getting; especially when it comes to the warranty. Whether you are looking for a simple point and shoot pocket sized camera or a professional camera with lenses, tripods and flashes, you can find it in one of the many camera shops situated in the center of Bangkok or at one of the shopping malls in the outer areas of Bangkok
BIG PRO CAMERA
	Big Pro Camera at MBK Bangkok is a newer camera shop in this large, central Bangkok shopping mall. It sells all sorts of cameras and all brands and does not specialise in any one particular brand. It sells cameras up to professional level, tripods, camera bags, lenses and all sorts of accessories including cleaning kits. Prices are reasonable and the shop is very reliable and so you're certainly going to walk away with the original product
SUNNY CAMERAS
	Sunny Camera is a Nikon specialist camera shop at MBK. It sells products related to Nikon and all items are genuine and of reliable quality. Sunny Camera sells all levels of Nikon cameras including lenses, filters, grips, batteries and so on. With its being a specialist shop, prices are slightly higher but if Nikon is what you are after, you can't go wrong by giving this shop a visit. Tel:             0-2620-9293       E-mail : sunny_mbk @ sunnycamera . co . th
FOTO THAILAND
	Comprehensive camera shop aimed at the enthusiast / professional photographer. Shop is crammed with camera equipment and if you can't find it here, you'll probably not find it elsewhere either. The staff attentive although busy and are more than happy to let you touch and "play" with the camera or lens before buying it. Great selection of bags, lenses, tripods and filters. Bargaining is possible and if the price can't be reduced, see what they can throw in for free. View this amazing 360 view inside the shop
FOTO FILE
	Younger sibling of Foto Thailand (above). It is a smaller shop and can get extremely busy and so if you are looking for advice and a space to talk and test, this is not the place as Thais tend to cram the place and are grabbing the staff's attention whether you are being attended to or not. If you can bear this can of atmosphere, the shop is a specialist camera and lens shop and you can find the latest and greatest here. Second hand cameras on sale too. Situated on the ground floor of MBK next to Baskin Robbins at the front to the mall.
BOOTH D
	Booth D shows that not all camera shops are big shops. Booth D is a small stall and has a decent range of cameras and lenses. It's not up to the standards of the other shops at MBK but is worth a visit if you are after a popular brand point and shoot or an enthusiast's SLR digital camera
CANON
	Canon - on the same level as the food court, you can find Canon and this obviously specialises in Canon and we're sure you'll find whatever Canon camera you are after here. The glass display cabinets hold some huge lenses and so if you are a professional or a very rich enthusiast, this is where to come for any Canon lens or camera if you can find it at the other stores. You can buy cameras, lenses, printers and camera bags as well as a few other items.
SMALL STALLS
	Small Stalls make up a big proportion of MBK shopping mall and some of these shops sell small, point and shoot digital cameras as well as the larger, best selling digital SLR cameras such as Nikon D40, D60, D90 and the new D7000, as well as Canon 450D, but mush higher than that and you'll probably have to go to the specialist shops above. We bought a small point and shoot - The Canon s95 and we paid around 11,500 Baht from a small shop (stall). We got a locall warranty and a 4 Gb memory card and it's worked like a dream ever since, so don't be put off from trying the smaller stalls.
BIG CAMERA
	Big Camera at Central Rama 3 has about 3 decent camera shops. Big Camera, as shown here has a reasonable stock of cameras and lenses. In fact, the top picture shows the window display of this shop and so it has cheap, compact digital cameras and goes all the way up to the new Nikon D700 which was priced ( at the time of writing ) at 95,000 Baht, which is roughly 3,000 dollars ( US ) and is for the body only. Stock is not always available. I asked about the Nikon D300, priced at 54,000 Baht, and they said we'd have to go to MBK to get it or they'd order it in for us.
FOTO FRIENDS
	Foto Friends is similar to Big Camera. It has a good selection of cameras and lenses but again, only really going up to enthusiast level. Nothing really "pro" here and so if you are looking for the Canon EOS mkIII or similar, you need to go to MBK or Pantip Plaza or, try the shop shown below.....
CAMERA & LENS
	Camera & Lens at Central Rama 3 in Bangkok is a great camera shop. It has an excellent range of new and second hand lenses and a decent display of cameras from all brands. If you live in the Rama 3 area, then a trip to Central Rama 3 might allow you to find the camera you are looking for. The only negative is that if you can't find it at Central Rama 3, you'll have to make the trip to MBK or Pantip Plaza
	Zoom Cameras can be found in the basement section of Seacon Square. Just find your way to the IT Mall section and a brief walk around will find it. Zoom Camera isn't great as far as selections goes. It sells the most popular digital cameras from Canon and Nikon but nothing more than popular cameras. . It has a few accessories but not a great number and so a visit here is only worth it if in the area and can't really be bothered to travel any further.
SCOM
	Scom is not a dedicated camera shop but you can find popular point and shoot digital cameras here as well as the cheaper but popular Nikon's, Canon's etc. Scom can also be found in the basement section of Seacon Square, so find your way to the IT mall area and you can easily find Scom.
CAMERA CITY
	Camera City is on the second floor of Seacon Square and doesn't open early. We arrived at 10.30 on a week day and there was nobody home but the window looked promising. It advertises itself as a camera city which would give the idea that it's harboring a plethora of cameras and equipment but it too seems to be selling run of the mill camera equipment which would only please the novice user or someone willing to take the plunge and buy the popular, entry level, SLR cameras. We didn't enter the shop to take a look around and so we can't comment fully, but from the window display we feel it's safe to say that it can't compete with the likes of Foto File, Foto Thailand or Big Pro Camera etc.

Authorised Nikon Dealers ( Bangkok)
B&B - Central Bangna Branch	Central City Bangna Room no. 504, 5th Floor 1091-3 Moo 12 Bangna-Trad Rd., Bangna Phrakanong, BKK Tel:             0-2745-7153       Opening Hours Everyday from 11.00 - 21.00
B&B - Central Ladprao Branch	1691 (2nd Floor Room 247-248) Central Plaza Ladprao Phahonyothin Rd. Ladyaow, Jatujak, Bangkok 10900 Tel:             0-2937-1077      ,             0-2937-1377       Opening Hours Everyday from 11.00 - 21.00
B&B - Central Pinklao Branch	Room 309/1 3rd Floor Central Plaza Pinklao Baromratchonanee Rd., Bangkok-noi Bangkok, 10260 Tel:             0-2884-7042       Opening Hours Everyday from 11.00 - 21.00
B&B - Fashion Island Branch	Fashion Island Plaza Room no. 2039, 2nd Floor 5/5-6 Moo7 Ramkamhaeng Rd., Kannayao, BKK Tel:             0-2947-5177                   0-2947-5277       Opening Hours Everyday from 11.00 - 21.00
B&B - Maboonkrong Branch	444 (4th Floor Room F04DC0003) MBK Center Wangmai, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330 Tel:             0-2611-5734      ,             0-2320-9368       Opening Hours Everyday from 11.00 - 21.00
B&B - Seacon Square	904 Moo 6 Srinakarintr Rd., Nhongborn Praves, BKK 10250 Tel:             0-2721-8288       Opening Hours Everyday from 11.00 - 20.00
B&B - Siam Paragon Branch	991 (4th Floor, Room 439) Rama I Rd., Patumwan, BKK 10330 Tel:             0-2610-9776      ,             0-2610-9777       Opening Hours Everyday from 11.00 - 21.00
Sunny Camera Trading Co.,Ltd. - Ladprao Branch	1152/10-11 Phaholyothin Rd. Chatujak, Bangkok 10900 Tel:             0-2511-1908       E-mail : sunny_lp @ sunny camera . co . th
Sunny Camera Trading Co.,Ltd. - MBK Branch	MBK Center, 3rd Floor - room 3c33 Phayatai Rd. Patumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel:             0-2620-9293       E-mail : sunny_mbk @ sunnycamera . co . th
Sunny Camera Trading Co.,Ltd. - New Road Branch	1267-1267/1 Charoenkrung Rd. Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel:             0-2235-2123      ,             0-2235-1044       E-mail : sunny_ho@sunnycamera.co.th
Sunny Camera Trading Co.,Ltd. - Pinklao Branch	Central Plaza Pinklao 3rd Floor - room 335/1 Baromratchonanee Rd., Bangkok-noi, Bangkok 10700 Tel:             0-2884-8373      ,             0-2884-8375       E-mail : sunny_pk @ sunnycamera . co . th
Sunny Camera Trading Co.,Ltd. - Silom Branch	144/23 Silom Rd. Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: 0-2236-8365-7 E-mail : sunny_sl @ sunnycamera . co . th

How to choose Camera for everyone

 Define your needs

1. Write down what your primary goal is. Why do you need a camera? If all you need is a camera for vacation snapshots, then a cheaper model might be better for you.
   
   
2. Write down how many times you expect to be using the camera. The more you use it, the more likely you are to upgrade your camera. Buy nice or buy twice
3. Write down how much you want to spend. This is a good way to gauge what quality of camera you will be buying. Don't be afraid to go a little over so that you can get a camera that you will keep much longer.
4. Decide if you want analog or digital. Both types have pluses and minuses:
   • Analog (film camera): Now that a good number of hobbyists and professionals are going digital, film cameras have the advantage of being extremely cheap compared to a digital camera of the same quality. Film cameras do not have the same issues with noise as low-range digital cameras, though of course you get grain from the film. On the other hand, developing film can get expensive if you're taking lots of photos. Bear in mind that you might want to include a good-quality scanner in your budget.
   • Digital: The main advantage of digital cameras is the ability to view the pictures that you have taken right after taking the shot. This results in not wasting money on unwanted prints and you can retake a shot if needed. A beginner should almost invariably buy a digital camera, not necessarily an expensive one though something with available manual control such as a mid-range point and shoot or low-end or old DSLR is good, since the process of improving generally involves taking a great many bad photos and seeing what went wrong. Digital cameras let one get through this process quickly and unconstrained by budget. You can also print and edit any picture you want. These days, you can go to Kodak or cord camera's website and upload your pictures and they'll send you prints for about 15 cents a pop. It's much cheaper to have a picture (or group of pictures) printed by a commercial printer than to print it yourself on an inkjet printer.

 

Point and Shoot vs SLR

1. Familiarize yourself with the difference between SLR and Point and Shoot?
   • Point and shoot cameras are just what they sounds like: you point your camera at the subject, zoom in or out, then press the button to take the picture. Such cameras require very little effort on the part of the photographer; they typically focus themselves and adjust themselves to light conditions.
   • An SLR (single-lens reflex) camera, on the other hand, is the sort of thing you see professional photographers use. With a DSLR (and many SLRs), you have total control over the photograph. You can adjust the shutter speed alone, the aperture alone, change the ISO speed to whatever you want, or just use it like a large point and shoot. Unlike point and shoot cameras, you can use interchangeable lenses. This means that you have a wide range of lenses to choose from depending on the manufacturer. The downsides of DSLRs are that they weigh more and don't record videos.
2. Look at your needs. Do your needs really match up with what a SLR has to offer? Unless you're either experienced with an SLR or willing to learn the basics of using one, you don't need an SLR. As Bas Scheffers writes, "[i]n general, unless you have been using an SLR for years as advanced amateur or professional, if you need to read this article to learn about digital photography, you are not ready for a digital SLR. You have been warned."^[1] SLRs also hit the wallet a little harder too. On the other hand, if you have any desire to capture fast moving kids/pets, the shutter lag of a point and shoot will make it impossible, and the only thing that can capture them is a DSLR.
3. SLR cameras comes in digital and analog formats. With a digital SLR, you don't have to pay for film and developing fees, can experiment more freely, and can instantly see the picture after you take it. However, film SLRs can be purchased at a lower price and the cost of taking a picture can be help improve your photography skills because you'll be thinking more about if the picture can be further improved.
4. If you are not sure about making photography your hobby, get a point and shoot with advanced options. They are not as expensive as an DSLR, but do give you the ability to experiment with different settings.