Hong Kong?

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ktmrider

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My daughter and I will be traveling to Taiwan and Hong Kong for the first two weeks of January, 2016. I have several other posts on this thread talking about gear, requesting info on Taiwan, and packing challenges. So, talk to me about Hong Kong.

Any general comments are appreciated. I am specifically wondering where to buy photo equipment in Hong Kong-district or area of the city with the best buys. I am thinking a 50f1.1 or another Leica M body. And do you think Hong Kong prices still beat NY?

By the way, I will be spending another six weeks in Asia after my daughter returns to the US. I will be going to Hanoi, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and back to the Philippines since my last trip there was a bust. Any info on Kuala Lumpur would be appreciated.

And I have solved the carry on packing problem and gear questions. I have packed for two months with only carry on. My camera gear will be a Leica M2 and M9 with 21/35/50/90 lenses. The M2 will be loaded with HP5 and the M9 is for color but can be used for both when I am too lazy to carry both cameras.
 
I've been to HK, KL and Bangkok. All three are great places for street photography, but are very different. For me the ancients temples in Ayuttaya and Bangkok win for the sheer "magic factor", though.

In HK I would be cautious about buying new equipment. The usual street shops have a nasty habit of gouging foreigners, which has seen a marked uptick in the past few years. But the established Leica brands (fotopia, bridgetcamera) should be a treat to visit - my suggestion is, if you are planning to by a Nokton or a film M...check their websites, find a lens you like, and then inspect it on site. Prices are usually better than stateside - but it differs for the specific lens/body.
 
Check this place - NPC: https://www.facebook.com/npcphoto2011

I haven't dealt with them but a forum buddy has visited them in person and felt they were legit. They have some pretty great M240P pricing listed on their FB page... about $5000 US equivalent. Not sure if those are demo/seconds cameras...

Anyway, in my casual global Leica price shopping, HK seems to have some of the best prices (but not necessarily on every item, so you still need to do some research). If you're interested in CV or Zeiss, definitely check out prices in Asia. I haven't checked HK closely, but when I was in Japan back in May, ~30% cheaper than US retail was about the norm for most items from those brands.
 
If you have time when you are in Hong Kong, take a bus to Lantaux island and visit the fishing village of Tai O. This is a part of Hong Kong, but outside the main city. A very interesting and colorful place to visit, wander, and photograph. I was there in 2008. Some of my images from "A day in the life of Tai O" are at pBase.com/ellisson.
 
ellisson said:
If you have time when you are in Hong Kong, take a bus to Lantaux island and visit the fishing village of Tai O. This is a part of Hong Kong, but outside the main city. A very interesting and colorful place to visit, wander, and photograph. I was there in 2008. Some of my images from "A day in the life of Tai O" are at pBase.com/ellisson.
Click to expand...

Agreed. If I remember correctly Tai O is near Ngong Ping/Big Buddha Statue which is a main tourist attraction, about a few bus stops away.
 
Finishing Up

Finishing Up

Well, my trip with my daughter to Taiwan and Hong Kong finishes tomorrow. She heads back to the US and physical therapy school and I am off to Thailand and SE Asia for the next four to six weeks.

We met in Taipei on 31 Dec and spent four days exploring the city. Honestly, we would have been happy with two days. Taipei does not have a lot to recommend it. We flew to Hualien on the SE coast and spent four days there exploring the Taroko National Park and then south. It was very nice. You either need to rent a car or hire a taxi. Only negative is it rained every day we were on Taiwan. And I rented a car from Avis in Hualien, paid for four days and returned it after three because they have very restricted hours on Saturday which is when our flight returned to Taipei. They would not refund the fourth day which I thought SUCKED.

We have spent four days in Hong Kong. It is a great city. I was here several times back in the early 1980's courtesy of the US Navy and a big aircraft carrier. My daughter wanted to go to Macao so we did. If you don't gamble, spend your time in Hong Kong proper instead. It is still a great city with lots to do and great food.

I even got over to Fototopia and they had a nice selection of Leicas. Prices seem to be about ten percent less then the US. I did not buy anything already owning 2M2's, an M9, a R6.2 and lots of lenses. My daughter knows about my fetish and just shakes her head.

My only complaint has been the weather. Between Taiwan and the entire time in Hong Kong, we have not seen the sun. In fact, the lighting here has been so grey that it could give the Pacific Northwest lessons.

So, if the lighting just out and out sucks, do you still shoot? I have gone along with one of my friends on her NATIONAL GEO assignments and if the lighting is poor, the camera stays in the bag. I am feeling the same way on this trip. Hopefully, there will be blue sky on the beach in Thailand.
 
Visit Harbour city shopping mall, there are some camera stores sell Leica (new and used) , also LEICA store.

~ron
 
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As a general rule when in Hong Kong steer clear of (or at least be selective about) the many shops targeting tourists in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) especially along Nathan Road. There are lots of scams and poor service all designed to fleece unsuspecting mugs who have the misfortune of entering their doors. Fore warned is fore armed! I saw it myself first hand as some poor tourists were taken by the old "bait and switch" scam, common in this vicinity. Having said this I bought from a shop in TST that seemed to be frequented by locals and it was fine. (There are also a couple specialising in Leicas and classic cameras that are said to be good). Go to Mongkok, Sham Shui Po and related areas where the locals always seem to prefer shopping.

My experience as an Aussie has been that these days HK is no cheaper than the eBay. But at least you have the opportunity to handle the equipment before buying (although a few of the suspect stores will not allow you even to do this or to mount a lens or accessory on your camera) and get it immediately once bought.

This guy (alternatively known as Matt Granger and "That Nikon Guy" on Youtube) has a couple of good video guides. Matt knows HK inside out (I think he is married to a local and is a frequent visitor) and is a pro photographer and blogger so he knows whereof he speaks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6jXyia-Pk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II3iFgyG_I4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_dTz34xZEY

The other place beloved of camera guys is SimCity in Mongkok - a small 3-4 level building full of small stores each specialising in some tech gear including a number who sell cameras and camera gear. Its a fun visit if you are not claustrophobic and do not mind big crowds. Come to think of it the same can be said for Hong Kong generally.
 
It's been a while since I've been to Hong Kong, but there are some pretty good deals if you're willing to look for them. Nathan Rd has several shops but as previously said be careful. Hopefully you'll find a local who's a RFF'er to go with you.

I went to one of the shops on Nathan (can't remember which) to look at a flash for my Nikon. They took one out of a box and put some batteries in it and I tried it out. All's good but we couldn't agree on a price so I went to leave. Not so fast, they were going to charge me for the batteries !!!

After a lot of arguments I asked my friend to go find a policeman and then they shuffled us out.
 
Hi all, any tips on what to do in 36 hours in Hong Kong?

We arriving in HK on a monday evening (7pm) and then flying to Thailand wednesday morning (10:45am).
We are staying in HK Island between Sa Ying Pun and Sheung Wan.

Places we are thinking on seeing on our tight schedule are:
-Night market (in Mong Kok?)
-the Peak Tower at night
-Tian Tan Buddha in Kantau

any spots that we shouldn't miss?
 
taemo said:
Hi all, any tips on what to do in 36 hours in Hong Kong?

We arriving in HK on a monday evening (7pm) and then flying to Thailand wednesday morning (10:45am).
We are staying in HK Island between Sa Ying Pun and Sheung Wan.

Places we are thinking on seeing on our tight schedule are:
-Night market (in Mong Kok?)
-the Peak Tower at night
-Tian Tan Buddha in Kantau

any spots that we shouldn't miss?
Click to expand...

If you have a little extra time, instead of taking The Peak Tram up, take it down from The Peak.

When going up to The Peak catch the normal commuter bus (route 15) from its stop in Central located near to the overhead walkway from the Star Ferry Terminal to the top of the Peak. The walkway runs from the terminal to the International Finance Centre and the bus stop is below it perhaps halfway along - keep watch on the right hand side of the walkway then walk down to ground level when you see it. If you sit at the top of the two desk bus on the right hand (?) side you will get 40 minutes of fabulous views of HK as you make the winding and pleasant journey .

It was much better and more interesting I found than the quick 5 minute trip in the tram. But as I say you can take the tram from The Peak back down if you want both experiences. If you are determined to go upwards by The Peak Tram then you can catch bus 15C from the same bus stop to the Tram Terminus.

http://www.hk-victoria-peak.com/bus-15-peak.html#.VpW6glLAWrQ
 
peterm1 said:
If you have a little extra time, instead of taking The Peak Tram up, take it down from The Peak.

When going up to The Peak catch the normal commuter bus (route 15) from its stop in Central located near to the overhead walkway from the Star Ferry Terminal to the top of the Peak. The walkway runs from the terminal to the International Finance Centre and the bus stop is below it perhaps halfway along - keep watch on the right hand side of the walkway then walk down to ground level when you see it. If you sit at the top of the two desk bus on the right hand (?) side you will get 40 minutes of fabulous views of HK as you make the winding and pleasant journey .

It was much better and more interesting I found than the quick 5 minute trip in the tram. But as I say you can take the tram from The Peak back down if you want both experiences. If you are determined to go upwards by The Peak Tram then you can catch bus 15C from the same bus stop to the Tram Terminus.

http://www.hk-victoria-peak.com/bus-15-peak.html#.VpW6glLAWrQ
Click to expand...

thanks for this, will look more into this, my plan was to catch the sunset at the peak, so might do that on our way up to the top.


segedi said:
If you want to something totally different... the Tai Long Wan / Sai Kung trail is pretty cool. But, it would take most of your day.
Click to expand...
looks great, too bad we dont have the time to do that on this trip.
 
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