worth buying new camera in Japan or US

I plan to buy a camera in japan, but heard i might be better off buying a camera in the states because it might be cheaper

any opinions?
thinking about a cannon elph or a sony cybershot

thanks

The US is pretty cheap with cameras and even though I think you can probably find a camera in Japan that is cheaper, it might take some time of going to different camera stores before you find the cheapest one and you won't have a camera to use until that moment :-)
Note that the yen is up against the dollar recently which makes Japan more expensive for you.

If it a camera with a lot of functions, the directions may not be in English.

thanks, i also thought i might be better off getting a camera in the states.
we'll see what happens

Buy your camera in the USA, it will be cheaper. If you live in the US, I suggest you try BeachCamera.com and if you live outside NJ you'll also pay no slaes tax if you buy online. I've bought two cameras and some lenses from them in recent years and found them to have great prices and quick service.

You'll save a least 10% - 30% if you find one on sale here in the US. Search online for sales at Circuit City, Best Buys, Target, WalMart or any one of the major chain stores.

Buy it in the US. The exchange rate between USD and Yen is not good for us americans right now so you'd find that buying a camera in Japan compared to America would most likely be more expensive.

Are we to assume you are from the US, or are you visiting both places from somewhere else? (Exchange rate issues may favor buying in Japan, for example, if you're not from the US)

In terms of ease, at least the domestic US cameras will have English manuals & software. And if you're from the US, then you will have a US warranty.

Generally I think it would be easier to find a cheaper price in the US, otherwise you would need to look in Kakaku.com to find the cheapest price in Japan, then try to find the actual shop!!!

yea im leaning towards getting one in the U.S.

I live in the U.S. and wil be visiting Japan.

Reason i made this thread is because im sure there is a better selection of cameras in Japan than the U.S. so i was wondering if it was worth getting one over there instead of here.

Reason i made this thread is because im sure there is a better selection of cameras in Japan than the U.S. so i was wondering if it was worth getting one over there instead of here.

The selection is only slightly better. Some cameras are released in Japan a few months ahead of other markets so you will have an early shot at those models. There are also a few Japan only models but I've only seen a few of these in the last few years.

In the last four years I have bought 7 digital cameras. 3 in the US and 4 in Japan. 2 Nikons, 1 Sony, and 4 Canons.

First of all if you want a Sony then get it in the US. Sony is really bad about regionalizing their products so the recent Japanese models I've seen were only in Japanese.

The rest of the brands can be switched into English. If you buy them in Japan then you don't get a warranty or English manuals (manuals can be downloaded from the manufacturers site). But you get slightly better selection and possible better prices. Check www.kakaku.com to comparison shop but realize that the cheapest price listed will be more difficult to get. The price that most of the shops converge on will be what you'll likely find at the average electronics store in Japan.

If you buy in the US then you get English menus/manuals, warranty, and salesperson assistance if you're not a camera geek like some of us. Maybe more importantly, you will get to use your camera as soon as you get to Japan to document your trip.

Concerning the exchange rates these days, the price difference between Japan and the US is close to nothing. So I would recommend getting it in the US unless there is a specific model that you are looking at that is only available in Japan.

By the way, none of what I wrote about buying in Japan applies to the International Models you'll find at the airport and Akihabara. Those come with English menus/manuals, an international warranty, and a huge price increase that makes them not worth it in my opinion.

i bought my sony cybershot in japan about 2 years ago and it cost me half the price of what it was in Australia. however it is entirely in japanese. to buy the same camera with the english language (in japan) was around the same price as oz. if u want the warranty and instruction manual and camera in english, i suggest buy it in the US. in saying that tho, i have had no problems at all with my camera i bought in japan.

the electronics are noramlly about 30-35% more in Japan than they are in the US. Even memory cards. Even if the exchange rate is good, you would still lose money by buying it in Japan. Get it before you go!

Well, that's true you might as well go around and compare the prices of Digicams in Japan! Cybershot has english directions (just go to) settings and also you can request for an English Manual from the store but it'll take few days and also there will be an extra charge for this english manual.

It's not true that electronics are 30-35% cheaper in the US than in Japan, because you can get electronics 25-30% cheaper in stores, other than regular chain stores in Japan.

For example Nikon D300 body only is generally around $1800 plus tax in the US, with the cheapeast I found was $1329 plus tax & shipping. (probably around $1450??)
Japan, about $1650 incl tax.
So the best price is around 15% cheaper in the US, while most prices are around 10% more expensive.

Used cameras are pretty cheap in Japan. Some even carry a warranty.