Best Camera Buys In Bangkok?

[Firefoxx]

A nice complement to have with your camera on long trips is a digital wallet, something which stores pics from your camera and can copy directly from flash media (CF/MS/etc). I found the compactdrive PD70x sold here, and I went to see if it's actually good. The thing is about the size of a 3.5" HDD, since it has a 2.5" HDD and 4AA batteries. I tried copying some files off it from a Sandisk Ultra II... it copied 1GB of files in about one and a half minutes... amazing (most others take about 10 minutes). Copying the same files to my computer with a USB2 CF reader takes considerbly more time than that.

If you have two 1GB CFs, you can easily do continuous shooting, even with RAW files, by swapping cards between the camera and the wallet. If you put a 80GB drive inside, you can have the equivalent of 80 cards, for very little cost. The use of rechargable AA batteries is also good, since you can use cheap rechargables, and even normal easy-to-find AA batteries in a pinch. It also has the ability to act as an AA charger, with the included power adapter (has a car adapter too).

It's sold in Thailand, with a 40GB Toshiba 5400RPM 2.5" HDD, for 10,700 baht, which is a reasonable price. Much cheaper than buying 40 1GB CFs. Tests show that you can nearly fill the thing on one charge.

Here's a review of the unit:

http://www.phidong.com/archives/000405.php

I'm in no way affiliated with the company, or any store. I simply want to let photographers in on a very nice (but relatively unknown) product. I'll probably buy it myself before I go on a long trip.

[Nordlys]

I've once considered those gadgets but instead bought two CF Type-2 compatible HGST Micro Drives (4GB + 2GB) when I went on 17 days trip to Europe last winter, which was more than enough for 1,445 frames I shot with my 8MP Sony Cybershot F-828, all of it at highest JPEG resolution and in "fine" mode (about 3 - 3.7MB per shot). Believe MD is the cheapest storage media for digicam in terms of price per MB. And quite reliable in my opinion, never had any problem with it though you have to be careful with handling because it's nothing but a HDD (6GB and 4GB MD same as ones in iPod mini). Only problem is it's not readily available in Thailand although HGST (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies = formerly IBM Storage Product) HDD including Micro Drives are manufactured in Thailand (at a plant in 304 industrial estate in Prachinburi). I bought my MDs in Japan last year when the price started to drop drastically, 6GB MD now costs around a little over 7,000 Baht in Japan these days (cheaper than how much I bought 2GB MD less than a year ago last year). Believe I saw the 4GB MD sold for about that price in Thailand during the COMMART at Queen Sirikit Convention Center early this year (exhibitor said their outlet is located in Pantip).

Storage (with or w/o viewer) device with 2.5GB HDD and AA batteries are too big and heavy for me to take on a trip with in my opinion (especially if it takes 4 X AA batteries!), though it's always nice to have a back-up device/media and not having to worry about your precious photos lost or accidentally deleted while on a trip. In Italy, I've seen Khaosan style internet cafes that offers back-up service of digicam image to CD, though I found the price to be rather expensive at about 20 Euro (approx B1,000) per one 700MB CD (if I remember it correctly).

MDs are supposed to be a bit slower to read and write compared to flash memory card like CF, SD and MS, however I couldn't tell the writing speed difference from the other media I have (memory stick) as I take mostly sceneries and portraits. Rather, it seems to be a bit more power consuming than flash memory card-type medias that you can run out of the battery power quite fast if you keep browsing images with the LCD viewer (but my Sony battery was quite long lasting that I've never ran out of battery power using MD with lots of shots using flash).

Edited August 9, 2005 by Nordlys

[Firefoxx]

I also considered microdrives, but in the end a lot of factors made me get a Sandisk Ultra II instead. There's the speed difference, which, on the rebelXT and during transfers to the computer, does make a difference. Then there's the power consumption, which is significantly higher. Then there's the reliability issue... you have to be about as careful with it as with a notebook drive. Drop it, even a short distance, and you might as well wave bye-bye. Then there's the availability/price... they're easy to find and cheap in the US, but not here, which will present more problems if it breaks.

The drive I mentioned isn't all that heavy and comes with a belt pouch... I still think it's a good alternative to lugging around a notebook, especially if you take RAWs (8MB/pic). The weight isn't all that much compared to other photographic gear (SLR-wise, not compact-wise). 20 4GB microdrives, for the price of 2.

[Nordlys]

Then there's the reliability issue... you have to be about as careful with it as with a notebook drive.  Drop it, even a short distance, and you might as well wave bye-bye.  Then there's the availability/price... they're easy to find and cheap in the US, but not here, which will present more problems if it breaks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah right, that's what I have pointed out but so is this PD70X isn't it since it's got HDD inside. And you don't normally carry a bare microdrive in your hand, rather it's usually inside the camera or in a protective case in a camera bag. If you drop your camera hard enough to cause the damage to the microdrive, you're camera is most likely broken beyond repair anyway. I haven't read all the contents of your link yet, but does this product come with some kind of shock absorbing device or insulation to protect the HDD inside from drop or fall?

So did you buy this? How much do they sell this in Thailand anyway? Does it take all 2.5 inch HDD (I believe they come in different thickness depending on storage size)? What is the weight with 4 X AA batteries? Do they also sell the case only or do they all come with a HDD built-in?

BTW I have 60GB iPod Photo which can also be used as photo storage device (and believe comes much handier than PD70X). But too bad the camera connecting adopter (sold separately as an accessory) is not compatible with my digicam.

[Firefoxx]

Actually, regarding reliability, I was comparing the microdrive to the Sandisk Ultra II CF that I got, not the digital wallet. Apples to apples, etc.

No, the PD70X has no insulation/protection whatsoever. Yes, it takes all standard 2.5" drives. Weight is around the same as a 3.5" harddrive, since the casing is made of aluminum. Availability depends on the shop, since the Thai distributor imports the bare drives and installs local warrantied harddisks (Toshibas, 5400rpm, 3yr local warranty), and sends them to the stores. The stores usually carry only one or two models. Price at AV Camera is 10,700 for the 40GB model.

I also did some research on the iPod Photo, since I also wanted to use it as a digital wallet. The result was that all solutions, be it from third parties or Apple, had major issues. Compatibility, stability, you name it. A few people (not that many) reported good results, but they were outnumbered by the number of complaints. So that was crossed off my list of alternatives.

[Nordlys]

You compared microdrive with a notebook. And I think you have to be about as careful with PD70X as with a notebook drive.

Anyway thanks for the info. Interesting if you can swap the HDD inside. Do they sell the case w/o the drive in Thailand? Each to their own, but at the size and weight of 3.5 inch hard drive, I probably won't get this, unless of course I start shooting all frames in RAW format instead of JEPG or get a full-size sensor DSLR.

As to iPod Photo, you wouldn't want to buy it for the photo storage purpose alone. I don't think you can use all 60GB for storing images anyway.

Here's where you can download the spec of soon-to-be released (supposedly) new full-size frame sensor DSLR from Canon.

[Firefoxx]

Actually, in, when I first mentioned the PD70x, I was referring to it as an alternative to a notebook. Then, when I talked about microdrives (in response to you mentioning MD's), I was talking about why I chose a sandisk ultra II over the microdrive. Microdrives, with a max capacity of 6-8GB, are not an alternative to a notebook. Apples to apples, etc.

Like I said, the model that is sold depends upon the shop. You'll probably have to call the distributor to find out which shop carries the bare drive, or you can go to a shop and ask them to special order a bare drive if they don't carry it.

I don't listen to music, so if the photo storage part doesn't work as it's supposed to, the iPod is a piece of expensive junk (for me).

The 5D specs are (again) fakes. Take a close look at the specs and the pics, there are discrepancies and edits. Not to mention that there's already a 5D from Minolta on the market... releasing another with the same name would be a blunder. Let's wait until Canon does a press release before believeing any more hoaxes.

Edited August 10, 2005 by Firefoxx

[Nordlys]

Let's wait until Canon does a press release before believeing any more hoaxes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0508/05082209canoneos5d.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/canoneos5d/

So now it's officially released. I knew it was gonna come out.

This is the DSLR I was waiting for (and why I didn't buy D30, D60, 10D, 20D, 300D & 350D). I have my mind set for this camera. Still way too expensive for me but not beyond reach, at least I won't have to waste money buying EF-S lenses. Looks like I'll need PD70x (or whatever else the mass storage device) much sooner than I expected.

[Firefoxx]

Yes, for once it's actually turned out to be true. But nearly 4 grand is a bit too refined for me.

You don't really need to buy ef-s lenses for the cropped cameras... there are plenty of wide EF lenses available. I still think that people take the 1.6x crop factor a bit too seriously.

[Nordlys]

Given the price announced by various shops in Japan I'd expect the price to come down to around $3K in Japan by the end of the year, though I'd probably wait till next year to buy it.

I wouldn't have much hesitation buying 20D or 350D if I wasn't into film photography and didn't have film SLRs with L lenses designed to suit the focal length of 35mm film. 1.6X crop factor doesn't make 20D and 350D bad cameras and I would have probably bought one of them had I never have any SLR camera (and lenses) before.

[Firefoxx]

2 solutions:

1. Sell your L lenses and buy new ones to fit your needs. L lenses retain their value, so you won't lose much in the transaction.

2. Buy one or more lenses to make up for the wide end.

Either way costs much less than budgeting for the 3 grand+ 5D. Of course, this is from the view of a non-pro, who has 0 L lenses.

Some more info on the PD70x:

The bare case (plus free 4 sanyo 2500 AA rechargable batteries) costs 7,200 baht. It's sold at IT Mall, at the mezzanine floor, in the middle (where the elevators are). There's a promotion for the case+40GB drive at 9,999 baht now.

[Sunny Valentine]

For those into buying the EOS350D, I still have my 300D (Silver, now about 18 month old, but not used too much, as I bought the 20D back last November), with 18-55 Lens, Canon 55-200 EF lens, 420 Flash Unit, Battery Grip, 2 Original Canon Batteries, an IR remote shutter, and a few more bits and pices for sale. Open to negotiations on the price.

I live in Pattaya, and go to Bangkok about once a week.

Send me a PM if interested!

Sunny

[Nordlys]

Get yourself one L lens Firefox (I'd recommend EF70-200mm F2.8). Only then you'll truly appreciate the value of SLR be it a digital or a film.

I certainly wouldn't have bought the L lenses in the first place if I were willing to trade them off for anything less, and certainly not so I can buy a DSLR. Some of the compact digicam like mine comes with better lenses than APS-C size sensor DSLR with kit lens. I'd rather keep all my lenses I have now and not have any DSLR than get a APS-C size sensor DSLR + cheap lenses.

9,999 baht for 40GB PD70x sounds like a good value. I will check if I can have the EOS D5 hooked up with my iPod 60GB to store the images before I'll consider it though. Either way it can be more than half a year before I'll get 5D.

[Firefoxx]

I'd love to own an L lens... something like the 600mm L would be nice, at several thousand baht. Of course, nearly all are out of my reach. Like I said, I'm not a pro, and I'm not rich. The 350D itself was a long and hard decision for me. Anything above $500 needs a long review before making a decision. I'm not even an avid photographer (but I know all the basics... a result of too much research). The only reasons I bought it were for low-light indoor non-flash photography. Nothing else mattered as much. I don't care for the resolution, I don't care for the clarity. The final photo can be as low as 2 megapixels and still be acceptable.

Like I said, we're not really looking at it from the same point of view. What you see as important (quality) is not what I see as important (cost). To me, an L lens is like a super-expensive turbo charger... slightly more performance, but I think the standard engine in my corolla is good enough, as I don't race professionally.

I just *might* get the 70-200mm F/4 L, but even then, it's an expensive compromise for me. If somehow my photography can pay for it (which I doubt), I'll get it. I won't buy it just to take pics of the family on vacation.

As for the iPod adapter, even if it did work as advertised, I sincerely doubt that it will come close to the PD70X in terms of speed (1 minute 40 seconds for 1GB card). Reports also say that it eats up battery life like there's no tomorrow.

PS Since you've got a lot of L lenses, why not throw some my way to "borrow" and let me feel the great L experience firsthand? Seriously, I'd like to see what all the fuss is about, since I couldn't see much of a difference in example photos.

[hughden]

I "invested" in a 300mm L lens for my 300D a couple of weeks ago. Wanted it to take action photos and I have been delighted with the improved sharpness, colour and contrast that the L provides.

Not great photos, but here are my first results, you have to choose "original" in order to see the actual size and thus the sharpness.

http://www.pbase.com/hughden/cars

http://www.pbase.com/hughden/pattaya_water...s_festival_2005

The lens has an image stabiliser which seems to work well, I was using quite low speeds for some shots to get a blurred background for the cars and creamy water for the jetskis and it helped keep the main object sharp.

Lovely lovely lens and noticeably better than the 70-300 I traded in. The only downside is that I now want another one!

I bought from Fotofile in MBK, very helpful staff.

[Nordlys]

Anybody knows where I can find a good deal of Sigma lenses for DSLR in Bangkok? Fotofile (and Photo Thailand) in MBK doesn't deal in sales of Sigma products.

[astral]

Right.  And I already have some good and rather expensive Canon lenses and not willing to buy another set of lenses to suit the CCD size of the cheaply-made DSLR. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Where did you get that idea??

All the "old" L Canon lenses will work with the 20D and 350D.

It is the new S lenses that will not work with the old bodies!!!

Beware of Microdrives.

Like any hard disk they are SHOCK sensitive.

They also have an altitude limit as the heads on the disk rely on the air to "fly"

above the disk surface.

I have a 2Gb Kingston card as my main storage. Holds around 800 images at high

resolution (not RAW).

I love this digital technology.

No need to worry about "do I have film". Just get on with the photography.

Change the film speed if conditions require it. 200ASA is my norm.

The little screen on the back gives what I call "instant gratification" for subjects.

They can see their photo immediately.

Edited December 15, 2005 by astral

[Nordlys]

I meant I bought all my lenses for their intended focal length when used with 35mm film (or full 35mm size digital sensor), not to be cropped by 1.6X factor. Like you said, EF-S lenses can not be used with my existing EOS 3 and I don't want to spend money investing another set of lenses when it's only compatible with 20D and 350D (as far as current models are concerned).

I understand the cons of microdrives, though the altitude problem was unheard of. Any idea what the altitude limit of using microdrive? I just got myself a 6GB microdrive in Japan, for slightly over 6,000 Baht. Great deal.

[xty]

As a beginner photographer, I sometimes check also DSLR prices. Hoping that Canon 5D price will drop below $2000

Digital cameras in Bangkok are still more expensive than you can get in Indonesia (Jakarta), other than in US and Japan.

I check 350D kit (store warranty), they sell for about 35800 Baht. THB 1 = IDR 240. Some of the products comes with store warranty (I heard they imported from Japan directly), some of them are Indonesian warranty. Don't know if they have international warranty.

http://www.jpckemang.com/items.php?cid=298...933eed2bdf60e7a

[Nordlys]

As a beginner photographer, I sometimes check also DSLR prices. Hoping that Canon 5D price will drop below $2000

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Given how little the price of 20D has dropped over the past year and so, I don't think 5D price will ever drop below USD2,000. However, the price at Fotofile has recently dropped to 139,000 Baht from B170,000 of last month. I have recently bought 5D in Japan with battery grip, extra battery, body soft case (Canon genuine) and LCD scratch guard film, all in all for about 128,000 Baht. Bargain price compared to Thailand but that is still well above US$3,000.

[Firefoxx]

Japan's probably the cheapest place to get Canon bodies, but maybe the most expensive place to get Canon lenses. They *say* that Canon lenses sold in Japan have better QC, but I suspect it's all BS.

Fotofile does not sell Sigma lenses, period. I think it has something to do with too many compatibility problems, but I again think it's all BS. You can find a good selection in Chinatown, near Klongtom, the general market area. Also, the stores on the street across from Central Ladprao, and there are a few in Fortune (IT Mall), both places you can reach from the underground.

I didn't have any lenses to start with, so I'm quite happy with my 350D. I actually *like* the 1.6x crop factor, since I do a lot of tele photography. I recently got my friend an EF70-200 2.8L (one of the best), and tested it against my lowly non-L sub-$600 lenses, and guess what? I couldn't find a clear winner. I was as surprised as my friend, who was seriously doubting his purchase.

I don't care much for microdrives... too power hungry, too slow, and too fragile, compared to normal CFs. I simply have a 1GB CF and a 512MB CF, and a 40GB portable digital wallet. Costs very little and stores a whole lot.

[xty]

What about Hong Kong? I heard it's cheap also there for digicam/lenses.

Please don't tell me L lenses don't make any different with non-L lenses? Well I'm a beginner, so I may not tell the difference either. But only because of this reason in future I want to invest something better in quality.

I got 4GB Microdrive about a year ago for a good price. I'm quite happy with the capacity, took a few months before I reformat the card due to full. If you're shooting slow-to-normal frames (portrait/landscape/low light) then speed is not an issue than CF. In fact the price is rather cheaper. But if you need fast burst (sports) then you need fast CF. For only this reason I'm thinking to sell/exchange my Microdrive for fast CF with the same capacity.

[Firefoxx]

Hong Kong is excellent if you know exactly where to shop and what to look for. If you're a clueless tourist, it's the *absolute worst* place to go for electronics. You'll be skinned alive and end up paying twice what you would in your home country.

L lenses are sturdy, focus fast, and have all around good characteristics. But, as far as I'm concerned, if you want good pics, you don't *have* to use L lenses. There are plenty of consumer lenses and third party lenses which match or surpass L lenses for image quality. I think one major selling point of L lenses is quality control... generally, all copies will perform identically well.

[Thaicoon]

I'm looking to buy a Canon 350D digital SLR in Bangkok and wondering if anyone knows a good place or two - good prices, that is - to send me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am in the process of checking the market for just this model. Seen it for sale in a Big C fotoshop - just under 42,000 baht. Did not include a memory card, nor a proper cover, although it did include a camera bag. 1 year warranty.

Also, they would not sell the body seperately (I have a few older Canon lenses).

Emporium photoshop: 44-45,000. Don't know what this price included. Plan on checking out MBK later this week.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bought a 350D 4 months ago in the UK, body only cost me 400.00 GBP, Thai exchange rate today about 28,000 Baht, i do not think this camera would be any cheaper in Thailand, i only bought the body as i have all the cannon lenses off my EOS 50E, if just buying the body make sure your lenses fit, they are EOS Compatable, as my 24mm Sigma, also a 28 -300 Tameron will not work with the 350D. they will not focus, i am well pleased with the camera, nice bit of kit.

[Nordlys]

if just buying the body make sure your lenses fit, they are EOS Compatable, as my 24mm Sigma, also a 28 -300 Tameron will not work with the 350D. they will not focus, i am well pleased with the camera, nice bit of kit.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This happened to me too with my Sigma lens when I changed the film SLR body from EOS5 to EOS3, and auto focus was no longer working. In Japan, Sigma will rectify this problem by updating the ROM of the lens free of charge but when I told that to Sigma importer in Thailand they were clueless as to what I was talking about. I changed my lens (wide angle zoom) to a newer Sigma then it was working fine with my EOS3.

[monsieurhappy]

Anybody knows where I can find a good deal of Sigma lenses for DSLR in Bangkok?  Fotofile (and Photo Thailand) in MBK doesn't deal in sales of Sigma products.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

S.P. Camera - 3rd. floor M B K stock a good range of Sigma lenses.