going to japan! advice?

hi all,

so, all i own is in my signature. and i gather that japan is a treasure trove of stuff. what should i set my eyes on?

seeing as i don't own any mega fast glass, i thought a new 50/1.2 would be nice.

and part of me is really toying around with the idea of replacing my 200/2.8 with a voigtlander 180/4 apo lanthar.

but, the truth is that i am generally happy with what i've got.

but i couldn't let a trip to japan go to waste, could i?

what other things are available in japan that aren't really available elsewhere?

Japan is expensive! I don't know you'll find many bargains there even with the lousy Yen at the moment.
Lots of different coloured K-x and K-rs are available there which aren't out elsewhere, as is the "Lego" compact.

Look around, but do your sums and be aware of how much things cost back home.

Take lots of photos is the best advice I can give .

645D
And of course the multi coloured Km, Kx and Kr.

If we talk about lenses, you might find some shops but in general everything you can buy there can also be bought here as far as i know.

I agree with Gwyn. I think price in HK is much cheaper. But I believe you can find much more stuff in Japan than UK.

What's Japan like for used gear? Just thinking there have been more than a few Pentax products which were only offered to the home market over the years.

well, i was just thinking that new 50/1.2s are available in japan, the 1.7x af tc is avaiable in japan, and it's hard to find elsewhere. and i suspect it's one of the only places to find the voigtlander 125mm and 180mm, which i believe to be among the finest lenses ever constructed (along with minoltas 135mm stf, but i digress!).

i just wondered if there were any other gems out there. i am sorely tempted by a 180mm voigtlander. especially since i think that my 200/2.8 is more valuable than one, and that is one of the rare lenses that i would call close to perfection.

Hi Gillbod, just chatting to my wife she is japanese and she tells me the best place to go if you are in tokyo is AKIHABARA for camera gear lots of shops in this small area new and second hand just in case you didnt know this already. It seems the pound to yen is not good so not much diffrence in price but worth a look always a bargain or the unusual to find.
Andy

Don't know if it's still true or not but Japanese love European stuff, they find it exotic.
So lenses like voigtländer and Carl Zeiss are probably more expensive in Japan because of that, but i can be wrong though, just don't keep your hopes high for a bargain with these lenses.

i was last in tokyo 10 years ago & found the language barrier a true problem. if i was to go again i would get the places i wanted to go to translated into japanese & have them printed in japanese with a piccy of the place.

it truly is rediculously expensive, particuarly electronics.

cigarettes where cheap but coke was approx 1.50 gbp a can this was 10 years ago.

Perhaps you can lay your hands on a couple of really decent bottles of single malt. Maybe these might make a decent dent in haggling in a lens emporium? Not sure what else the Japanese go mad for that's from the UK but I bet there are a few.

That's not an AF version is it? if so I'm incredible envious.

I just bought a 2nd hand Pentax-A 50/1.2

I highly recommend you get a 1.2. The bokeh-time is wonderful. Sharp as hell when stopped down even a little bit

To the best of my knowledge the 50/1.2s are still the old A series version with manual focus. I'm led to believe that they're available to special order, so I've no idea whether any shops would have them in stock or indeed how long the order would take to be fulfilled.

I'd still like one, but I'd prefer the K version for my KX...

I've also just bought a Pentax-FA 1.4. Another stunning lens. I had little interest in primes until a Canon shooting buddy nagged me into checking them out. Now I'm hooked and have just bagged a DA 14mm/2.8 as well.

LBA !!!!!!

Look for a K or M 28mm f3.5, absolutely brilliant old lenses (much better than the f2.8 version). The lack of AF isn't a problem as infinity focus comes up very rapidly on these. I just tend to leave it on f8, press the button for stop-down metering, and shoot.

Just to lower the tone - could you bring me back a Pentax 1.7 Teleconverter. I have a few contacts there and will dig them out