Canon DSLR & Nikon DSLR

I'm interested in getting a DSLR in japan. Looking for Canon EOS 400D,1000D or Nikon 60D with kit lens
Does anyone know the current price in Japan now?
Canon or Nikon better?
If I purchase from Japan and bring back to my country, would international warranty be valid? I heard that any fault, they will send back to Japan to repair? Thanks.

don't buy a camera in japan unless it's one of the top tier models such as the canon eos 1d mk3 or the nikon d3.

you will pay more for an entry level dslr in japan than you will in the u.s. also your warranty will not be valid in the u.s. you will have to ship the camera to japan on your own money, and have an address in japan for them to send the camera back to.

basically just consider your warranty void once the camera leaves japan. it will only be serviceable if you bring it back to japan.

fyi d3's and eos 1d mk3's are approx $500-$1000 cheaper in japan than the u.s. if using kakaku.com

First, I am a professional fashion photographer here in LA, and let me tell you... EVERYONE I KNOW here uses Canon, from the Getty images, to paparazzi to my studio that I work at. I used to be a Nikon fanatic, but Canon sort of took over in the past few years and when I switched I could not believe how easy it is and so much better. Get the Cannon 40D. But if you find a deal in Akihibara then go for a FULL-FRAME camera like the Canon 5D. Just make sure it has english as a language option. I am going to Tokyo in October '08 and buying my family tons of gadgets out there. Buy name brands. Don't worry so much about Canons or Nikon "breaking" - it is rare. I KNOW, as I have been using both in Hollywood for over 10 years. And about warranty... Yes, you won't get an American serial number for servicing but they will fix it for you still. Even though you might have to pay to have it fixed, they still will fix it for you. I bought a Nikon camera from Dubai, UAE years ago and when it glitched because of sand (my fault by the way) I took it to Nikon HQ here in Orange County and they fixed it for free! Yes, I didn't have a warranty even and they fixed it in front of me! These companies are the best in class. It also pays to go into a repair store totally cheery and polite as I did! Don't worry about Canon or Nikon or their products. I would recommend you get a Canon if you want to use what the big boys here in LA use :o).

I thought DSLR camera would be cheaper in Japan. Sending back for warranty is kinda worry me as it takes time and camera could get damaged. Then by all means , its not advisable to get it from Japan. How about getting from US? Would the one purchase in US has international warranty that could be repaired locally without sending back to US? What's the price for EOS 1000D?

The warranty situation will be the same if you buy in the USA, the warranty will only cover that area. If you are based in the EU, you can purchase from the cheapest European country and the warranty covers all Europe.

I purchased a Nikon D300 in Japan earlier this year for $1000 less than the going rate in Australia.
I knew the risk re warranty but after owning a few digitals without problems I took that risk. Of course it developed a small problem. Fortunately one that I am able to work around. Nikon Australia were quick to point out that I had no warranty and offered to repair at normal rates. Thanks for nothing I said. The fine print with Nikon covers film cameras purchased anywhere and it also covers the lens. It does not cover a D SLR body.
Yodobashi provided an English manual but not software. Nikon also would not swap software for me so I purchased Bibble over the net to process my RAW images.

fyi new nikon dslr's don't come with a raw converter by default, you have to buy it seperately. so i just recommend using adobe camera raw and photoshop; it's a powerful tool.

i was in yodobashi earlier today and their prices are not that good. a d80 is almost 90,000yen, and a d300 is 201,000yen. you can buy them cheaper from kakaku or in the u.s.a right now. the only real good deals are on the flagship models, d3 and 1d mk3, and yodobashi's price on those are bad too. use kakaku and get your 5% gaijin discount.

" fyi new nikon dslr's don't come with a raw converter by default"
In Oz the lower end models do not but I believe that the 300 does.

Firstly, Bryan, you didn't say WHERE you are from. This has a big influence on what you should do. One person said you would be better off getting it in the US, having assumed, as often happens, that you are from the US.

If you are not from the US, then it's likely that those cameras are cheaper than where you come from. One thing to take note of, only Olympus gives a world wide warranty on DSLR cameras, no matter where you purchase from, while all other manufacturers don't. However, the lenses are usually covered by world wide warranty.

As for prices, I saw a Nikon D40(body only) in LAOX for 29,800yen today. There were also Pentax K100D with 18-55mm for the same price.

Oh...sorry all...I'm from Malaysia. I've checked the price here and prices in japan, for Nikon & Canon there is a different of USD200-300. But for Sony prices, here is cheaper. As for warranty, here only covers lens and speedlight if its purchase in other country. Not sure should I take the risk of getting Canon or Nikon since International warranty doesnt cover the body. Thinking for Canon 1000D as its not available here in Malaysia.

Regarding the Canon 1000D (or Kiss F in Japan), I would suggest you check out the comparisons between the the 400D, 450D and 1000D and read this preview review:

http://tinyurl.com/5dqp8v

Head to head, the 1000D doesn't comes out too well and, as a 400D user, I would suggest either the 450D or 400D over the 1000D, in that order. The reason it is not available in your country is that its release has been delayed, Amazon Japan is saying July 22nd and Amazon UK release is July 31st.

The reason behind considering 1000D is the price and Live View function. 1000D is lower end version of 450D with live view. This is the only canon DSLR with live view. Otherwise...would go for Sony A300/350. But I also bare in mind that 1000D is not yet available here in M'sia, if i would to get it, Canon here would have problem servicing since its not offically launch here. They might not have the spare parts if things goes wrong. Sigh...

I've make up my mind to go for 450D? Does anyone know if this model has any flaws or problems?
Can anyone provide me the store address for Kakaku in Tokyo?
Can someone recommend a canon macro lens? price from kakaku?Thanks

You can read owner reviews of the 450D here:

http://tinyurl.com/6llzua

Kakaku.com is not a store, it is a price comparison web site offering links to sellers. Many of these sellers are on-line stores and do not have retail outlets.

don't buy an slr because of its live view function, you may as well buy a point and shoot if live view is the biggest reason you're buying that camera. you're supposed to use the viewfinder to compose your shots. using live view will also eat up your battery power which believe it or not will make a difference, it can cut the amount of pictures you take to less than half.

make sure to research your decision carefully using reviews and forums like dpreview's forums.

Hi, we bought a Canon EOS 450D body from http://www.treatyougoods.com they are based in sydney australia but sends worldwide, yes found out that the 450D uses SD/SDHC cards instead of CF cards that was used by 400D cameras. just my 2 cents.

Winterwolf wrote:

don't buy an slr because of its live view function, you may as well buy a point and shoot if live view is the biggest reason you're buying that camera.

Yes and no. In my opinion, live-view is great/essential if you like taking low-angle or over-head shots, especially if the LCD display tilts like on the latest Sony models. If I were buying a new camera today, I wouldn't get one without it.

Live view is also useful if you use an old manual focus lens on the DSLR.

Dear all, i would like to ask for the Canon 450D price in Tokyo now. Coz coming next week i will visit Tokyo for business trip. i m from malaysia, i would like to compare the price here with malaysia. in malaysia is USD 800.. please advise me buy i make the right decision. thanks

A Canon 450D is the same as a Canon Kiss X2.

Body only can be found for around 61,000 yen, which I suppose is about $570 USD.
In the regular stores such as Bic or Yodobashi, it's around 79,000yen, not much cheaper than $800. And the ones here are Japanese warranty only.