Korean Job Discussion Forums

aloysha · Joined: 18 Sep 2005

I am about to buy a new camera for my travels. The problem: should I buy in Korea, the duty free shop In Inchon airport or the Philippines. I am having a hard time with choice , but I am leaning towards the Sony H3 or T100. Anyone have the lowdown on price differences among these places ? Cheers.

Sony H3
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/H3/H3A.HTM

Sony T100
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/T100/T100A.HTM

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

aloysha · Joined: 18 Sep 2005

I am desperate, but not that much. If it is a certainty that I will find prices on popular models higher, then I will avoid purchasing in the Philippines. I have always seen but never considered the shops in airports, I wonder what the deals, if any, are to be had in them ?

Are you still on vacation Tom ? Did you get a nice tan, or did you burn
like bacon Smile

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

I saw the T-100 in Hawaii last week (I think it was the T-100, as it had the big-ass screen on the back). It was in Costco, and a guy sitting next to us on a cruise had one. He asked me to take some pics of him and his wife with it. Although the screen was huge, I wasn't too thrilled with the playback on the screen. Pics seemed a bit blurry. You might want to try that out before purchasing.... just a thought. Didn't have time to check the settings of the camera, but I do remember being shocked that the images on it didn't look that great. To describe it, they sort of looked like when you have your PC's LCD monitor set to a resolution that is not its native resolution.

It was really cool though, because when you touch the button, it automatically finds faces in the image, and puts boxes around them. It was cool to see boxes appear on the screen around both of their faces, no matter where they were in the pic.

aloysha · Joined: 18 Sep 2005

ttompatz, the thought of the import duty and other such taxes such as the VAT make the purchase in Philippines prohibitive. I wish I saw the danawa site earlier as it had a good deal, however I�m leaving too soon.

I�m in Cheongju so any trip to Yongsan would yield negligible savings once travel expenses and the obligatory stop in Itaewon for a few donairs. But, thinking about it now, I just might....

If you don�t mind me asking, are you going back to Philippines ?

Bass, I think that you may have had a close encounter with the infamous T200, an identical version to the T100 save for the touch screen. There were countless reviews that echoed similar sentiments as you with respect to producing lackluster pictures.

The T100 had high reviews all round and was noted for having sharp quality pics. Perhaps it was a matter of the settings as you mentioned. I would definitely fiddle with it before I buy.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

aloysha · Joined: 18 Sep 2005

Cheers, it seems you have several nooks in the Philipines, enjoy.

mastap · Joined: 10 Apr 2007

the electronics in korea sold are mostly outdated models which have low value but are being sold at brand-new prices. this is what i saw at ganbyong techno mart.

JustJohn · Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Location: Your computer screen

That's because technomart is a ripoff. There's a guy a namdaemun who usually has good prices and also speaks some English. He'd be a good place to start. Store name is yesdica, he's down the diagonal to the left a little ways if you're at the big fancy gate thing looking toward the stores and market.