I know prices differences have become less from 15 years ago, and perhaps it's no longer possible to buy retail in Japan cutting edge hardware that was not available in the rest of the world, but...

I need to buy a half-decent camcorder in the next 48 hours. Prices at Powerbuy, Sony etc all seem to be almost twice the same product at a big box store in Canada or EU. It should be HD and have a mike jack. But I am seeing prices of 400-500+ while a friend in Europe is sending me links to same in west for much less.

If I needed a top end professional camcorder, or even a prosumer model I would fly to Singapore to get a better deal. But for lower end models (and that's all I need) the airfare for a day trip is not sensible (probably end up costing more than buying in Bangkok). Friends have been telling me that things have changed, that so much more electronics are available in Thailand now. But it still serms to me, to lag behind and cost more than USA, Japan and even Singapore. As with other fibancial matters, not as bad as India, but posdibly not as free market competitive as Cambodia. I presume import duty on electronics in Thailand is still high.

Do you concur or disagree?

I don't know how many replies you will get, but mine is probably all you will need.

About 18 months ago, while on a visit to Canada, I bought a higher-end consumer camcorder. I paid about C$450 or about Bt.13,500 including a 32GB class 10 (fastest) micro-SD card.

Canon Vixia HFR21. HD1080p, 30fps. Mic input, 32GB built in flash memory. 20X optical zoom. Seamless switch from built-in to card storage. It had very good reviews. You're looking at Canon, JVC or Sony for these specs but not the cheaper models.

Canon sells the same camcorder here under a different name but same specs. It sells for between 18-20,000 baht. There are less expensive models from these manufacturers, still HD 1080p for 12-13,000 baht.

I bought because watching 1080p on my tv convinced me I could be a digital Spielberg, due to the quality of the image.

I've probably shot 15 minutes with it. The editing software is not fun.