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Digital Camera Shops In Chiang Mai


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I think a good place overall to check out in Chiang Mai is Pantip Plaza on the corner of Chang Klan (Night Bazar) and Sridonchai Road. There are a few sizeable shops on the ground floor level, and then there's Data IT / IT Square on the second floor. Some pretty okay deals, keeping in mind this is Thailand/Chiang Mai. (So no place to hunt for the deal of the century on a high-end camera, but perfectly okay to pick up something mainstream-ish for a fair price.)

Service.. . Hello, this is Thailand. :o Buy a brand who have a service center in Chiang Mai. :D

My usual approach is do a rough service on what's available at what price, then spend a weekend at the Steve's Digicams site, then decide. :D

Cheers,

Chanchao

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I think a good place overall to check out in Chiang Mai is Pantip Plaza on the corner of Chang Klan (Night Bazar) and Sridonchai Road. There are a few sizeable shops on the ground floor level, and then there's Data IT / IT Square on the second floor.

Also Niyom Panich (near Airport Plaza and Toyota dealer) seemed to have a fair selection the last time I was there.

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I like the shop (forgot the name) next to Mikes Burgers on Chaiyapoom. They have a good selection of accessories for many brands that aren't available anywhere else I've found. They also have a shop at Pantip Plaza, but I haven't been there. Seems like they might have good repair service, but one can never get better than 'hit or miss' quality here, in my experience.

Edited by Ajarn
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It's called Photo Bug. At their Pantip branch, parking your car is more feasible though. :o

Cheers,

Chanchao

Agreed, Photo Bug are extremely helpful, and their branch at Pantip Plaza (ground floor) will go out of their way to order in from Bangkok if they don't have the item.

However, for the best selection you can't go past Den Chai Trading (opp Irish Pub) They keep a full range of digital still and video cameras, along with a comprehensive range of studio lighting and camera accessories.

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whatever you do, the prices are pretty much fixed on cameras throughout thailand. look out for the model at various shops. including big camera branches all around chiangmai, denchai, photo bug. certain places just might sell it cheaper than another. do some price research before you buy anything.

like chanchao mentioned, google for Steve's Cameras site, check out their forums, there is a section on "what camera should i buy". post a question there and you would get some helpful information. then check out the specific brand section or a review on the camera. a simple research on what you use the camera for can give you a fantastic camera for the money.

also, go for the older models, they normally sell at a bargain in thailand from what i have noticed. (cheaper than malaysia for sure)

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whatever you do, the prices are pretty much fixed on cameras throughout thailand. look out for the model at various shops. including big camera branches all around chiangmai, denchai, photo bug. certain places just might sell it cheaper than another. do some price research before you buy anything.

like chanchao mentioned, google for Steve's Cameras site, check out their forums, there is a section on "what camera should i buy". post a question there and you would get some helpful information. then check out the specific brand section or a review on the camera. a simple research on what you use the camera for can give you a fantastic camera for the money.

also, go for the older models, they normally sell at a bargain in thailand from what i have noticed. (cheaper than malaysia for sure)

Your right Tiger I recently perchased a new camera price wise nothing really to choose I ended up buying at airport plaza large shop on corner unit don't remember name, but across the way from said shop is/was a small camera shop selling the same camera for 500bht more I explained to the owner that this model was on sale across the way for 500 less match the price and I will buy off you, yes he said I have seen that but I will not drop price. He lost the, is the mark up that tight?

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whatever you do, the prices are pretty much fixed on cameras throughout thailand. look out for the model at various shops. including big camera branches all around chiangmai, denchai, photo bug. certain places just might sell it cheaper than another. do some price research before you buy anything.

like chanchao mentioned, google for Steve's Cameras site, check out their forums, there is a section on "what camera should i buy". post a question there and you would get some helpful information. then check out the specific brand section or a review on the camera. a simple research on what you use the camera for can give you a fantastic camera for the money.

also, go for the older models, they normally sell at a bargain in thailand from what i have noticed. (cheaper than malaysia for sure)

Your right Tiger I recently perchased a new camera price wise nothing really to choose I ended up buying at airport plaza large shop on corner unit don't remember name, but across the way from said shop is/was a small camera shop selling the same camera for 500bht more I explained to the owner that this model was on sale across the way for 500 less match the price and I will buy off you, yes he said I have seen that but I will not drop price. He lost the, is the mark up that tight?

siam, the corner shop would be Big Camera and the one across it would be Photo Hut. None of them would reduce the price cause its all controlled by the HQ. No point bargaining anywhere except for Denchai or Photo Bug. Need to shop around. I'd say that a day spent at airport plaza is more than sufficient. No point going anywhere else. Shops selling cameras are: Powerbuy, Big Camera, Data IT(they closed down i think, good cause they have shit customer service), IT City, Photo Bug, Chi Chang(Sony, crappy cameras except for the R-1, and forget the other high end model), and some small shops on the 3rd floor.

what camera did u buy though siam? i am still waiting for the price of the Fuji F-11 to drop a bit more before buying it. the ultimate consumer camera.

oh yeah, customer service, forget good service at any shop. just know what camera you want and get it. the local culture here in CM sometimes forget to teach their kids to say "khop khun karp/kah, or sawasdee".

i have had some bad experiences with Jebsen & Jebsen though, distributors for Panasonic, Samsung and some other brands. I'd say that if there is problem with the the camera, deal with the distributors directly instead of going through the shop you bought it off.

Edited by tigerbeer
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  • 3 years later...

There should be lots everywhere. I'd check and ask at any camera shop. I normally give away mine when I upgrade to the cameras I have now. There isn't much trade in value on digitals like there used to be for good, film cameras. I've spent thousands of dollars on cameras that I no longer use. Same with computers. I've got about $10,000 of old computers sitting around my home, and at least the same amount in cameras.

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Your right Tiger I recently perchased a new camera price wise nothing really to choose I ended up buying at airport plaza large shop on corner unit don't remember name, but across the way from said shop is/was a small camera shop selling the same camera for 500bht more I explained to the owner that this model was on sale across the way for 500 less match the price and I will buy off you, yes he said I have seen that but I will not drop price. He lost the, is the mark up that tight?

I'm arriving in CM in January and look forward to visiting the shops. To address your question about mark-ups being tight, I can tell you from thirty years experience in the business that there is very little profit in selling cameras and lenses! Top margins seldom if ever exceed 10-15%. Almost all the profit in photo retail is in accessories and consumable supplies like paper and ink. That's why you won't find a great variation in camera prices. Manufacturers make sure of that. If you do find a really great deal on a popular camera, put your hand on your wallet and back out the door. Something will be wrong with the deal. :)

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