Dudewithoutape
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I just came back from HK a little over a month ago!! I had some experience walking around SSP (Sum Shiu Po) and TST (Tsim Shai Tsui). Let me add my 2 cents and feel free to ask questions.
First off, I recommend knowing your prices (if you're hunting specific gear) and any associated fees with buying abroad (exchange rate + transaction fees from banks). It may not be as a good a deal as you think. Also, other than buying new or in a large chain store (Fortress(?)), all prices are negotiable to an extent.
Secondly, for the most part, forget about any leica, contax carl zeiss gear, or anything popular for that matter. People are willing to pay out there (~20% more than what I see here). There are the foreigners from abroad and the locally rich HK and now the rich from China on the hunt for what is extremely hard to find in China. You will see awesome and rare and hard to find lenses, but they all cost $$.
Third, test everything if possible. It is especially important to test used gear or alt gear that can be potentially really old. HK is very humid in the summer, double check for fungus. Also, even when buying new, they don't have the same return policy or customer service you'd get here in the States. I do not recommend buying new unless you have an emergency and you REALLY need the gear. You wont get warranty, and if any of them say you will from the States, they're lying or will have you send the gear back to them first.
Fouth, like with any tourist destination and tourists, watch your bags and wallet in case of pickpockets. Things can get very crowded very quickly in HK. I have never been a victim across the US, HK, China, or Europe, but I hear stories from the locals and other travelers.
Finally, if you have a smart phone (preferably GSM (sim card) and unlocked), there is open wifi in many places. However, I personally bought a 3G data plan (which was faster than any 3G I got in San Diego or LA, more like 3.5G) from China Mobile (~78 HKD or 10 USD for 30 days, unlimited). Minutes were cheap too, .25 HKD/minute to HKD or US phone; you have to prepay or fill-up though. I liked having google maps whenever I needed it since I don't know my way around. It was extremely helpful in this regard, not to mention the ability to double check store locations and/or going prices on gear.
I went to Champagne Court in TST. They have about 10 stores on the ground level with gear lining the walls. Amazing! There may be other stores on other levels, but you have to be careful, because the higher floors have call girls. I just stuck with the 1st floor. I was able to get a nice 35-70 3.4 C/Y for about $350 US from "good guys/friends" (literal translation) in the corner of the plaza. There are more stores around TST, but I didn't have time.
SSP has a couple stores for new gear, so wasn't that great unless you want computer or electronics as well. There are a lot of little "flea market" shacks along the road, but those are hit or miss in my opinion since they sell just about everything (really, you can find what some people would consider trash, but there may be a gem of old alt gear in there if you're persistent and patient).
If you can read Chinese and willing to go the craigslist route, they have a site called DCFever which contains a forum for local meet ups to buy and sell. There are also reviews and modeling and other photography related information. Again, I found the prices to be higher than US or eBay for the gear I was looking at.
At the end of the day, I love HK. Very very fun and so many places to take pics. Victoria Peak is very popular as well as Avenue of Stars and the light show viewed from there (8 and 9 pm every night as I recall). There are a lot of smaller farther away, more traditional places too.
Edited on Jan 17, 2013 at 12:00 AM · View previous versions
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