Buying an XPAN in Tokyo

[webby1]

Hi all,

I'm heading to Tokyo the start of next year and am looking at possibly trying to pickup a XPAN whilst I'm out there. I'm being realistic that I'm not going to be getting any crazy bargains or anything, but was wondering if anyone knows a rough price of what they are going for there these days? From what I've been reading online it looks like they are few and far between even in Japan - I know a lot of stores don't list a lot of their stock online too so interested if anyone has seen much if they have visted stores in Shinjuku and the surrounding areas.

Thanks

 

[TenEleven]

The first feat will be getting one in working condition at all.

I have to admit I don't frequent the camera stores as much as I used to because most of the stuff being sold now is either junky or very expensive.
That said, I've only seen one in the recent months and the seller wanted something to the tune of 900.000JPY. According to the card it had fungus in the viewfinder, slight RF misalignment and obvious wear. It came with the 45mm (I think?) and it was a black model. Nothing else came with it.

 

[TenEleven]

I would also add that some stores like the appropriately named "Lemon" which is actually a chain, do not have returns. Not even 7 days or 24 hours. None. De nada.
You buy it - it's now your problem. That and the staff generally don't speak English.

This obviously varies store by store, but even in "good" stores you will be asked to make the case why this is a new fault and not something you should have caught upon initial inspection of the item. Some stores, like Map Camera - are a bit more lenient but they make up for that by charging quite a bit more accordingly.

Buying cameras in Japan was a much easier ... uh ... sell when the gear was cheaper and there were less seriously bad apples mixed in.

Edit: I am not trying to discourage you overall. But purchasing such a big ticket item on a trip is something where I would consider each and every step very carefully to minimize my chance of getting burned.

 

[JohnGellings]

The first feat will be getting one in working condition at all.

I have to admit I don't frequent the camera stores as much as I used to because most of the stuff being sold now is either junky or very expensive.
That said, I've only seen one in the recent months and the seller wanted something to the tune of 900.000JPY. According to the card it had fungus in the viewfinder, slight RF misalignment and obvious wear. It came with the 45mm (I think?) and it was a black model. Nothing else came with it.

Wow, that's crazy...

 

[TenEleven]

Wow, that's crazy...

Yeah I think using buyee or some other service and buying from an auction or other private seller and hoping that you don't get bit should be significantly cheaper.
A lot of the camera stores here seriously are trying to bank on tourist dollars/the cheap yen and have pumped up prices accordingly.

Edit: Some googling later I actually found the camera I saw. I remembered right about the fungus. However the price is slightly more modest than I remembered. 880.000JPY basically a steal!

カメラファン | 中古カメラ・レンズ検索サイト／欲しい中古カメラが見つかる！

camerafan.jp

 

[webby1]

The first feat will be getting one in working condition at all.

I have to admit I don't frequent the camera stores as much as I used to because most of the stuff being sold now is either junky or very expensive.
That said, I've only seen one in the recent months and the seller wanted something to the tune of 900.000JPY. According to the card it had fungus in the viewfinder, slight RF misalignment and obvious wear. It came with the 45mm (I think?) and it was a black model. Nothing else came with it.

Ah okay prices were somewhat what I expected then. I had seen the Fujifilm TX-1 on ebay (which is somewhat similar) from Japan and they are listed near that price too.

Thanks for the heads up on the camera stores too, always good to know especially if I was to commit to making such a big purchase like this.

Will be fun to explore the camera stores anyhow.

 

[armadsen]

I love camera shopping in Japan, but I bought my Xpan II from KEH. Got it for a very decent price with a 6 month warranty. It has worked perfectly fine since (far past 6 months now). That kind of expensive, complex, hard to repair camera is where I think buying from a dealer with good customer service makes sense.

 

[raid]

If you can't find a suitable Xpan now, use the panorama mode in your phone camera.

 

[Rayt]

I usually visit MAP Camera in Shinjuku and Fujiya In Nakano. Lemon Camera at the Ginza might be well known but the prices are a bit optimistic.

 

[Brooktaw]

If I was going camera hunting in Tokyo I would contact this guy and consider using his services.

Services - Japan Camera Hunter

We offer a range of services, please get in contact if you're interested: Camera and equipment sourcing Consignment sales Photographic accessory sales

www.japancamerahunter.com

I ave no association or experience with him but have followed his activity on the web for long time.

Chris

 

[nightlight]

If I was going camera hunting in Tokyo I would contact this guy and consider using his services.

Services - Japan Camera Hunter

We offer a range of services, please get in contact if you're interested: Camera and equipment sourcing Consignment sales Photographic accessory sales

www.japancamerahunter.com

I second that - I was the in OP's position a decade ago and ended up contacting JCH, superb service and I got myself a trouble-free camera (which I then sold, silly move).