The Ultimate Photographer's guide to Bangkok, Thailand: Film and Digital (2016)

Wow, I awoke to a quite a lot of email this morning. Thanks to all the RFF folk who have emailed me support and nice comments for the article. At first it seemed an amazing fluke that I happened to write it just before so many people (that obviously read RFF) are arriving in Bangkok.

But upon reflection, I guess there are always loads of serious photographers with nice rangefinders and film cameras arriving every week with no idea of what to expect looking for info on the net.

Thanks anyway, very much appreciated. This forum is great.
 
Great write up,
I stumbled across a little old school repair shop between Thong Lor and Phrom Phong once, can't remember the name...
 
rodt16s said:
Great write up,
I stumbled across a little old school repair shop between Thong Lor and Phrom Phong once, can't remember the name...
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Thanks for your kind feedback. Yeah, I've been there once and know the place you're talking about....I think. The name also escapes me right now, I'll probably remember it or hear that name again at some point and update the post when I do. It's only a small place and not a major shop so hopefully doesn't matter too much.

Feel free to share the post/site to anybody who is looking to shoot and could benefit from the info, that's what it's there for.
 
Could be Vimon Camera repair, I'll be in Bk end of Apr so will go take a look again...
It was an old enthusiastic guy, I was tempted to let him take a look at a beat up Nikon F
 
rodt16s said:
Could be Vimon Camera repair, I'll be in Bk end of Apr so will go take a look again...
It was an old enthusiastic guy, I was tempted to let him take a look at a beat up Nikon F
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There's a Thai shop called 'Vimoncamera'. They are more modern but claim to offer repairs and service to film kit. The website (in Thai) says that they have two branches, Fortune Town and MBK (both mentioned in my guide article actually) so not where you recall them being. Also from the size of the branches, there's no way they will be repairing anything film on site. Almost certain that it would be outsourced to somewhere I've already covered in the piece. I think that these are not the same place you speak of but it is perhaps this other place that I have also found below?

http://www.vimoncamerarepair.com/main_mart1.php?mpage=aboutus

Google has them listed in Thai language. It says in Thai "We accept repairs for digital cameras, film cameras etc." and advertises some kind of TLR for sale. Yet when I click on any of their links, it comes up as an out of date, and private or locked very old website which only shows the name in English and a small amount of Chinese text. Lots of small Thai shops have outdated and abandoned sites so no surprise there. I think that is the probably the place though.

Could even be that both stores are connected in some way, although that name is not uncommon in Thailand so not sure.
 
Chromacomaphoto said:
Had a lot of people (who came to me via RFF) asking me for this so I finally thought I would sit down and seriously write a few words on the subject, it ended up being a bit long but I am happy with it. I won't attempt to post the whole thing here due to its size but if RFF members want to read it, it went up on my blog today here:

http://www.chromacomaphoto.com/blog/

If you still have any questions on the subject after reading, you can contact me here or through the address on my website directly and I would be happy to offer any further advice to RFF people.

Thank you
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Thanks for a great article about Thailand and things in Bangkok. It was really helpful.

I'm going to be in Bangkok in March for a month and then in north Thailand for a month in April.

I have one question regarding film purchasing in Bangkok. I'm bringing with me 150 rolls (going to be on the road for a while), but if it's not enough I would possibly buy more in Bangkok.

Do you know the approx price of a roll of Tri-X in Bangkok? I'm currently buying it for around $4.60 a roll.

Thank you!
 
awalkinthestreet said:
Thanks for a great article about Thailand and things in Bangkok. It was really helpful.

I'm going to be in Bangkok in March for a month and then in north Thailand for a month in April.

I have one question regarding film purchasing in Bangkok. I'm bringing with me 150 rolls (going to be on the road for a while), but if it's not enough I would possibly buy more in Bangkok.

Do you know the approx price of a roll of Tri-X in Bangkok? I'm currently buying it for around $4.60 a roll.

Thank you!
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Thanks for your kind feedback, happy that the article helped you. I assume that you are quoting in US Dollars and talking about 35mm film? If so, you can expect to pay around 6US Dollars give or take a few cents depending on exchange rates etc. This obviously varies but that will give you a pretty fair and current general estimate based on prices here now and the current approx exchange rate. Hope that helps you? Enjoy your time in Thailand. Let me know if you need any more help.

PS.I salute your resolve on bringing 150 rolls with you as that will eat into your carry on luggage space quite a bit. I would do the same though if I were in your position probably, everything else can go in the hold but the film must be carry on at the end of the day.
 
Chromacomaphoto said:
Thanks for your kind feedback, happy that the article helped you. I assume that you are quoting in US Dollars and talking about 35mm film? If so, you can expect to pay around 6US Dollars give or take a few cents depending on exchange rates etc. This obviously varies but that will give you a pretty fair and current general estimate based on prices here now and the current approx exchange rate. Hope that helps you? Enjoy your time in Thailand. Let me know if you need any more help.

PS.I salute your resolve on bringing 150 rolls with you as that will eat into your carry on luggage space quite a bit. I would do the same though if I were in your position probably, everything else can go in the hold but the film must be carry on at the end of the day.
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Yes US Dollars and 35mm film. Thanks, i'll let you know if I have any other questions nearer the time.

It's good to know that it's around $6, I won't have to worry at that price. Here in Korea where I am now it's around $8 a roll, so I have to import it... I expected a similar price in Thailand.

Luckily I won't actually be flying with the 150 rolls, I'm getting it delivered to a family member in Kuala Lumpur which is my first stop. From there I will only travel overland so luckily I don't have to cram it into carry on bags!
 
Had a few people asking so....Anybody need any current advice or info about shooting in Thailand, especially updates on film and processing info....PM me or post here and I will point you in the right direction if I can. Thanks
 
Extensively updated for 2017: This article has now been extended to cover the current trends here in Thailand and information from the past twelve months (since I last wrote it) including where to buy gear, glass, repairs (in extensive detail) film and devving etc. Hope it helps as many people as possible here at RFF.

http://www.chromacomaphoto.com/blog...ide-to-bangkok-thailand-film-and-digital-2106

Thanks
 
Had a quick read of the blog, it seems very well written, with good language and deep meaning. However, you should really run a grammatical check, as I spotted double words along with double spaces. It just seems so obvious in the days of automated spell check and grammar fix apps/extensions. Every time I see, it really cheapens the content for me, as if a writer, whose whole job he or she chose to do so, didn't give it enough attention to fix rudimentary errors. Don't get me wrong, I'm truly glad and appreciative of your bringing this vast information to everyone, just wanted to let you know how important it feels to read clean copy. I'm sure people like photographers, who are extremely prone to noticing even the slightest detail will appreciate a bit of a cleanup before posting ;)

I have to say, I'm not one to read blog material, however, I found yours to be extremely entertaining and informative, with certain aspects I can agree with, while some not so much. It's definitely well written with great language and content. Just have a look into something like "Grammarly". It may help smooth it out.
 
I bump this once a year as a lot of people read it every month and I am always updating it. The main page is still found here and is updated with what is currently going on every month or so. It's well worth a read if you want to know about shooting in Bangkok and there's lots of info for film shooters that is up to date. Even if you have read it before, it's worth dropping by from time to time to scroll down to the bottom of the page for the latest updates etc.:

http://www.chromacomaphoto.com/blog/2016/1/22/the-ultimate-photographers-guide-to-bangkok-thailand-film-and-digital-2106

Additionally, the biggest change this year has been my monthly detailed guides of specific places to shoot. This not only features some old classics but also new, up and coming photogenic spots that even repeat visitors and old hands might not have shot yet. A new chapter is shot and written up every month with tips and general advice.

Here, for example are a few from recent months, old and new:

http://www.chromacomaphoto.com/blog/2017/11/30/places-to-shoot-in-bangkok-part-5-chinatown

http://www.chromacomaphoto.com/blog/2017/10/27/places-to-shoot-in-bangkok-part-4-hua-lamphong

http://www.chromacomaphoto.com/blog/2017/9/29/places-to-shoot-in-bangkok-part-3-chang-chui-dk59b

I don't make anything from the site, on the contrary it costs me a lot of time, money and effort but I enjoy it and I am just looking to help others.

Thanks.
 
Thanks for your time and good info. I always thought it would be fun to visit Thailand. But probably will never have the chance.
 
I bump this thread once a year, it's time for that annual ritual...consider it bumped! Loads of new stuff went into the blog this year, loads of lovely old Leica glass and Rolleiflex in Bangkok film stuff. Click on the link below in my sig and then click 'blog' and work back from there if you're interested or planning to go to Thailand to shoot soon.
 
Just got back from Bangkok. Wish I had seen this earlier , if only to get location tips and perhaps go on a photowalk. I had plenty of film with me so it supply wasn't an issue but I couldn't find a single location that sold silver oxide (SR44) batteries (including Pantip plaza) . Thanks for the blog.
 
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