Buying cameras and photography equipment in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Central MTR station on Hong Kong Island with the IFC
Tower to the left and the Bank of China Tower in the middle.

Hong Kong is known as a mecca for camera shoppers looking to save on DSLRs, lenses and equipment, but many recent visitors have been disappointed by the absence of price savings they had expected.  In the spring of 2011, after a couple months' research, I spent about US$5,000 on a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera body (Canon EOS 600D aka Rebel T3i), two lenses (EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM & EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM) and accessories in Hong Kong.  In my research, I found online resources about camera shopping in Hong Kong, with the notable exceptions, to be quite dated.  I thought I share what I learned along the way. 

Hong Kong's reputation as a destination for lower prices on cameras is supported by two realities.  First, cameras are bought and sold in Hong Kong tax-free.  There are no tariffs or duties on the import of photography equipment into this free trade port city so the vendors' costs are lower.  Hong Kong also collects no sales tax, which lowers buyers' costs.  Second, amateur photography with DSLR cameras is immensely popular in Hong Kong and local demand and discernment for cameras help support the vast number of local camera stores. 

But Hong Kong's price advantage has been eroded by two other developments.  The first is the rise of online retailing, which offers the convenience of price comparison to buyers anywhere in the world.  Online competition has made web prices very competitive. The second factor is the influx of mainland China camera buyers to Hong Kong.  Because of import duties in mainland China, camera prices there are higher than in Hong Kong.  Chinese buyers without US dollars cannot purchase from U.S.-based online retailers.  They can come to Hong Kong and use the Chinese yuan.  Cash rich Chinese shoppers can be less discerning about relative prices; many don't have time to spend days comparison shopping.  On a short business trip, they'll walk into a store and plunk down tens thousands of yuan on equipment that's more expensive or not available in their home cities.  Vendors in Hong Kong have responded to this dynamic by marking up prices.  Hence, in my experience, it is no longer realistic to expect savings greater than 5-10% in Hong Kong compared to the lowest online prices. 

At the Canon Camera Showroom in Tsim Sha Tsui, visitors
are free to try out and play with any Canon camera or lens.

That said, Hong Kong can still be a great place to shop for cameras.  The great selection and abundance of information can help buyers figure out what they want before they buy.  This is especially true for Canon.  In my shopping experience, the single-most helpful discovery I made is the Canon Showroom in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.  At the Canon Showroom, all Canon cameras, including both point-and-shoots and DSLRs, lenses, as well as other products such as calculators, are freely available for visits to try and play with.  The DSLR bodies are positioned around dioramas for visitors to shoot at.  You can bring your own SD card and record the images you shoot with various bodies and lenses and compare them in greater detail when you return home.  The showroom allowed me to appreciate the amazing Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.  It's one thing to read about others' reviews, but quite another to experience firsthand the crisp autofocus and superb images.  You can also feel the weight of lenses and balance on various bodies.  There is no pressure to buy anything -- although the Canon Service Center occasionally offers refurbished 50 mm lenses at discounts.

Canon Hongkong Showroom Address: 10/F., 26 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Opening Hour: Monday – Sunday 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (except Public Holidays)

Telephone No: (852) 3191 2333

Record test shots with your own SD card and examine the details more closely at home.
The above image was shot with Canon EOS 600D with EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM at focal length 70mm, F/2.8, 1/125 sec.

Specks of dust visible on the train car. Similar shots using the same body with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens did not yield the same level of detail.  I considered buying the 24-70mm but decided to hold off when a Canon rep at the Showroom told me that the 24-70mm was the oldest zoom in Canon's line-up.  He did not indicate when a newer version would be available.

Camera stores in Hong Kong

For starters, large retailers like Broadway (website in Chinese only) and Fortress, which have stores all over Hong Kong, offer wide selection of DSLR bodies, lenses and accessories on display.  Shoppers can usually play with DSLR bodies but not all of the lenses.  Prices at these big stores tend to be higher than at smaller stores though sales managers will often throw in gifts like bags and filters with camera purchases.  I found smaller camera stores in three concentrations in Hong Kong – Stanley Street on Hong Kong Island, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mongkok in Kowloon.

Hong Kong Island. There is only a handful camera stores on Stanley Street and they have higher prices than in Kowloon.  I also came across camera stores in Causeway Bay and Wanchai on the Island and did not find any appealing deals or service.  In my experience, the best opportunities are in Kowloon. 

For better prices and greater selection, head across Victoria Harbor to Kowloon.

Tsim Sha Tsui, the southern tip of the Kowloon Peninsula, right across the harbor from Hong Kong Island has more than a dozen camera stores concentrated in a few field blocks west of Nathan Road.  As Roland Lim and others have noted, most of these stores are designed to attract tourists.  Their storefronts show only brand names like Nikon, Canon and Sony and not their own store names.  The vendors give quotes liberally and I did not find them trustworthy for the most part. The exception was Echo Photo & Audio Ltd on Hankow Road, which Roland recommended.  I found Mr. Yip to be friendly and knowledgeable and was going to buy my camera and lenses from him but he did not have all the items in stock and could secure the wide angle lens from his supplier.  Tin Cheung Camera, located east of Nathan Road in TST, I found to be expensive.  I bought most of my gear from Mongkok.

Mongkok is two MTR stops north of TST in Kowloon and has an even greater concentration of camera stores.  The big retailers have stores in Mongkok as do the nameless storefronts, but Mongkok is anchored by Wing Shing / Man Shing stores on Sai Yeung Choi and Tung Choi Streets. Like many vendors in Hong Kong, Wing Shing has multiple stores in the same location.  The offerings at these stores are similar but do not completely overlap. I bought a Lowepro lens bag at one Wing Shing and a hard-to-find Cullmann tripod quick release plate at another.  I made my big purchases at the Mongkok Computer Centre, what I consider to be the hidden gem of Mongkok.

The Mongkok Computer Centre is a camera mall tucked away on Nelson Street.  If I hadn’t been looking for the office of a local telecom service provider on the top floor, I would not have found this place.  It is a four-story mall filled with dozens of small camera and computer shops.  With so many stores packed together, the competition is intense and the price quotes I got were lower.  Unlike the stores on the street which were filled with tourists, most of the shoppers I saw inside the Centre were locals.  The shops’ overhead was also lower.  Shopping there requires knowing what you want beforehand.  The stores have very little unboxed merchandise on display and the vendors are generally unwilling to open boxes unless the buyer is committed to a purchase.  There are no listed prices; everything is open to negotiation.  Typically, there are several reps in these stores and one calls the shots.  It’s good to negotiate with that person.  If you’ve done your research and look serious about making a purchase, then you are likely to get serious quotes.

Canon lens boxes on the shelf of a store in the Mongkok Computer Centre.

After several trips to the Centre, I bought the DSLR body and two lenses from NDigital camera co.  (1/F) for HK$37300 or US$4850.  I paid cash and concentrated my big ticket items in one place to secure the best overall price.  I had gotten a good quote from the ND rep Man Ho on the EOS 5D Mark II on a previous visit and went back after Mr. Yip at Echo was short on stock.  (Mr. Yip had given me a quote of HK$37700).  This was in May 2011 when the earthquake in Japan was causing supply shortages and prices to climb.  The overall package was about 5% below the online prices of U.S. web vendors at the time.  I also received steep discounts on Hoya HMC filters for the lenses.  

At the point of sale, Man Ho opened the box in front of me.  I made sure to try out the camera and lenses and checked the serial numbers against the warranty cards.  This store like most others in the Centre has an exchange / replacement policy.  Customers with a defective item can seek a replacement of the same model within 10 days of purchase.  At Concept Digital, another store inside the Centre (1/F, ask for Ronald), I bought a Lowepro camera bag and an HTC cell phone.  Concept Digital has a 7-day replacement period.  Since my purchases, the camera and lenses have all functioned without problems.  

A word about warranty in Hong Kong.  When buying camera gear in Hong Kong, be aware that the warranty coverage generally applies only locally and in China, which means warranty service elsewhere may not be available. This is not an issue for those who live in Hong Kong or visit periodically.  Some buyers are more concerned about checking the equipment at the point of sale than after-sales service, relying instead on the build quality to last.  I have used Nikon, Canon and Olympus equipment for decades without needing warranty service. The EOS 600D body and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II telephoto lens came with a 24-month Hong Kong / Macau carry-in “Supreme Protection Plan” which also includes 12-month of warranty in mainland China.  The EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II wide angle lens came with a 12-month Hong Kong & Macau / mainland China / International Warranty.  

Other web resources:

·         Roland Lim’s recommended camera stores in Hong Kong and street price list

·         Jesse at Aputure

·         Price.com.hk

·         Canon Price Watch