I'm living in Japan. Yes the price is very interesting if you compare with the US but there is a big probleme the menu will be only in Japanese. It's impossible to change for an other language. And yes the warranty will work only in Japan.
For this reason I ordered in US this gear (and still waiting).
Canon : You can choose japanese/english
Nikon : You can choose japanese/english and if you pay like 40$ Nikon can add others languages
Sony : Only in Japanese
Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with purchasing Sony lenses in Japan with the plan for using them in the US or elsewhere? I'm assuming there wouldn't be the issues of Japanese only menus, but I'm thinking there could be a warranty issue if an issue came up. I'm asking because I was planning on purchasing one of the Sony telephoto primes, and a friend of mine is in visiting Tokyo now asked me if I wanted any camera equipment at the preferable USD to JPY exchange rate? My quick research indicates prices are cheaper at a place like Map Camera, you can purchase without the Japanese tax as a foreigner, and I think there is no US import duty with lenses made in Japan, but I don't have recent experience with this.
Hello amv8,
Yes it's a good idea to by a lens in Japan. But the warranty will work only in Japan, if you have the possibility try the lens before come back to US for change if there is a problem.
Map camera or Bic camera have a good price too. Usually you can try the lens with your gear on the store.
Volsi80 wrote:
Hello amv8,
Yes it's a good idea to by a lens in Japan. But the warranty will work only in Japan, if you have the possibility try the lens before come back to US for change if there is a problem.
Map camera or Bic camera have a good price too. Usually you can try the lens with your gear on the store.
Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, my friend who is in Tokyo and offered to buy equipment for me would not know how to check the lens out or have a Sony body to test so maybe not worth the risk.
amv8 wrote:
Do you (or anyone else) have any experience with purchasing Sony lenses in Japan with the plan for using them in the US or elsewhere? I'm assuming there wouldn't be the issues of Japanese only menus, but I'm thinking there could be a warranty issue if an issue came up. I'm asking because I was planning on purchasing one of the Sony telephoto primes, and a friend of mine is in visiting Tokyo now asked me if I wanted any camera equipment at the preferable USD to JPY exchange rate? My quick research indicates prices are cheaper at a place like Map Camera, you can purchase without the Japanese tax as a foreigner, and I think there is no US import duty with lenses made in Japan, but I don't have recent experience with this. ...Show more →
How does not paying tax in Japan work? You just say I'm a foreigner and they automatically not include the tax? I find that hard to believe. Or is it that you get the refund at the airport? But that will be a little bit risky since the line can be long, and you may be late to your flight, etc.
tctmp wrote:
How does not paying tax in Japan work? You just say I'm a foreigner and they automatically not include the tax? I find that hard to believe. Or is it that you get the refund at the airport? But that will be a little bit risky since the line can be long, and you may be late to your flight, etc.
I looked at the Map Camera website, and it says you just need to show your passport for tax-free shopping (and that your country must be eligible). I also saw some reddit posts saying Map Camera (and other stores) had English speaking staff that made the process pretty straightforward, but I don't know the details (i.e. you don't pay the consumption tax upfront or is it refunded later). I'm sure someone that has recent experience can chime in. As posted earlier, the reddit posts mentioned the possibility of Japanese only menus on cameras and warranty limitations.
FYI Amazon USA has a seller that has the A1 II in stock. This morning there were 5 available and now there is 1 left. They are probably import models and are selling for $8334.95 plus tax. I guess there are a few people that really want one.
shadow9d9 wrote:
Generally, you show your passport, they take a photo and register it on their end and take the tax off before you pay. You do not wait in lines at airports.....
If I remember correctly my experience in past (Akihabara): 1. Purchase must be above certain amount (I think 5000 yens?), and the store must be offering tax-free for foreigners. 2. After the purchase, you go to another counter in the same store where they refund you the tax. In some countries, there are separate offices by local duty-free facilitators (e.g. Global Blue) in/around shopping areas where they can refund you VAT/duty (else, line up at the airport with boarding-pass before departure).
jigesh wrote:
If I remember correctly my experience in past (Akihabara): 1. Purchase must be above certain amount (I think 5000 yens?), and the store must be offering tax-free for foreigners. 2. After the purchase, you go to another counter in the same store where they refund you the tax. In some countries, there are separate offices by local duty-free facilitators (e.g. Global Blue) in/around shopping areas where they can refund you VAT/duty (else, line up at the airport with boarding-pass before departure).
Sorry for the diversion.
That is just the procedure in commercial malls. In other places it is taken right off(watch stores, clothing stores, even don quijotes).
canucks wrote:
If anyone is willing to drive to NJ or located in NJ, I have a new a1 ii for the price I paid. PM me. Local cash meet up at a police station.
Congrats! I have my name on the list with them as well, but I was told there was roughly 2 dozen ahead of me. Guess this latest shipment didn't have enough to cover everyone ahead of me.
mogul wrote:
Just an opinion: The R&D for the A1II has already been done with the A1; instead of doing a FW update, they announced a new camera, which is in short supply because of a lack of space on the production line. The new body is a left over from unsold A9III's. I may be totally wrong, but I don't think so.
You are totally wrong (feel better?).
The A1 II is not just the sensor from the A1 (which seems to be what you saying). There's a lot more to it than that, but yes, a lot of the features in the A1 II have been lifted from other models released in between the A1 and A1 II (including the A7 IV, A7RV, and the A9III). There are a few new features - the auto Subject Recognition is completely new, for example.
As for the comment about a firmware update - how do you add an extra AF chip as firmware? And that's ignoring the new rear screen and body shape.
I'm very happy with the A1 II - it gives me the extra pixels I want sometimes, but adds in all the features that appeared in the 4 years since the original A1 came out, giving me an A1 with same user interface as the A9III - it makes using one of each really easy.
devin.choi wrote:
Congrats! I have my name on the list with them as well, but I was told there was roughly 2 dozen ahead of me. Guess this latest shipment didn't have enough to cover everyone ahead of me.
Thanks - they have been good about updates - open and responsive. Fingers crossed you get yours soon!
I almost bailed on this in favor of an A9 III but I value the extra resolution more than the global shutter benefits.
