What would you buy if you went to Japan?

I guess it's now time for a serious reply.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I really like the idea of the Japan-only film and paper. It doesn't weigh too much and could be easily carried in my nephew's carryon.

I'm intrigued by the suggestion of buying pearls. Are they a bargain over there compared to buying pearls here in the US?

Ellen
 
buzzardkid said:
I'd buy a Konica L-Hexanon 60mm 1.2 lens.

Screw mount, rare and usually go for about USD 1600 or more if you can find them. This is all hear-say, on eBay these lenses go for much bigger money. Apparently some are still in shops in Japan!

Or, have him bring a Konica L-Hexanon 35mm 2.0. I have one and it is fantastic. eBay prices on that one also are way over the top.

Come to think of it, any Konica lens either L or M would be a good buy!
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60's come up on average once a year on auction here. And the prices have jumped greatly. The other lenses can be had more easily, but I don't know if the purchase is favorable given the current exchange rates.

Nikkors seem to be a relatively good deal and easy to find. LTM cameras are falling off trees.

Luna said:
A few AKB48 dvds.
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Hah. Now that they have branched into AV, you better be specific.. :eek:
 
maddoc said:
In terms of photography, a AVENON 28/3.5 LTM. They are ~14000JPY here in Tokyo and the last one I saw at aBay sold for 885US$ ...
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Things like that makes Japan our heaven!:rolleyes:

By the way, how much are going for a used Mamiya7/7II + 80/4 there?
 
ornate_wrasse said:
I'm intrigued by the suggestion of buying pearls. Are they a bargain over there compared to buying pearls here in the US?

Ellen
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Yes, Ellen, better quality, much more choice, in particular for pink and blue pearls, and cheaper (one of the few things cheaper in Japan when compared to US or Europe). If you do want to do this, have him be "guided" by somebody local.

Best,

Roland.
 
jonmanjiro said:
It comes with free iodine 131, cesium 134 and cesium 137 these days :eek:
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Is this a serious concern from anyone purchasing from Japan?

I know I was looking at a Toyo on that big auction site, and noticed that the camera was 160 miles from Fukushima. Iodine has a half life of eight days I believe. But cesium has a slightly higher half life I believe.
 
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Carterofmars said:
Is this a serious concern from anyone purchasing from Japan?

I know I was looking at a Toyo on that big auction site, and noticed that the camera was 160 miles from Fukushima. Iodine has a half life of eight days I believe. But cesium has a slightly higher half life I believe.
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It is a more serious concern for anybody living in Japan ... :eek:
 
Ellen,

Pearls as I suspect the price will be going up soon.

Nikkor 35/1.8 LTM and if your 85/2 is not black, get a black one.

More Pearls.

B2
 
BillBingham2 said:
Nikkor 35/1.8 LTM and if your 85/2 is not black, get a black one.
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Hi Bill,

I like your idea of buying a Nikkor 35/1.8 LTM. Do you currently use or have you used this lens? If so, what are your opinions about it? Any idea of the cost to buy it in Japan?

Alas, my 85/2 is not black. What would be the advantage of a black one over the one I currently own?

Thanks!

Ellen
 
jonmanjiro said:
Ellen, its an excellent lens. I've seen three or four in Tokyo recently but none were anywhere near as nice as Zenshooter's lens currently listed in the classifieds, and they were all priced the same or higher.

It's not easy to find this lens or a black Nikkor 85/2 LTM. They're not lenses that you can expect to find anytime you drop by Tokyo. Timing and luck is required.

EDIT: the black 85/2 is lighter than the chrome version.
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Thanks jonmanjiro for the link to the lens that Zenshooter is selling.

The black Nikkor 85/2 LTM sounds like it would be preferred over the one
I currently own. Anything lighter would be a blessing :)

Also, do you happen to know what the prices are over in Japan for the Mamiya 6 150mm lens? I own both the 50 and the 75 and was thinking about getting the 150 to complete the set.

Ellen
 
I'm also heading to Japan this summer so I thought I'd jump on this thread. Can anyone offer an insight into film prices? I want some 135 Tri-x and Portra 400. Not sure whether to get some Arista Premium sent over from the States before I leave or whether I can buy it almost as cheap out there.
 
Luna said:
A few AKB48 dvds.
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Yessssss :cool: And some maid cafe time.

Gear is crazy expensive in Japan. Last year I saw lenses like the Voigtlander Nokton 35/1.2 selling in Yodobashi Camera for about USD$300 more than the price Steve has them at Cameraquest. When my GRD III stopped working one night, I contemplated buying a GXR and two modules, but I worked out they were more expensive to buy in Japan than in Australia! Fortunately the GRD III started to work again.

But there seemed to be a lot of Contax T3's and T2's in all the Ginza camera shops, which was nice to see.

While gear is expensive, you can always buy the stunning 'mooks' or magazine-books that cover all manner of cameras. I saw heaps of them about Leicas, m43 cameras, and I bought some about the Ricoh GRD and the Sigma DP1 and DP2. They are glossy, high quality things with lots of glorious colour photos.
 
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