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Thread ID: 57284	2005-04-28 10:19:00	Why are digital cameras so ******* expensive in NZ	Phil B (648)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
349957	2005-04-29 05:10:00	Digital prices has improved compared to some other comodities in NZ. Not to say NZ digicams are not expensive thou. Its a personal call if you want to buy from a Parallel Importer. Some digicams are not bad really approx the same price, while there are some that cost 50% more. Some parallel imports are almost the same price abroad, some is a bit more like 20%-30%. If it breaks down parallel imports takes longer. If you imported it yourself or taken it back from overseas the return postage for repair is approx $150. My digicam broke down so I had to do this. Took 1 week, ex. postage times, total of 2.5 weeks. I sent it back to Nikon Corp, Tokyo. I had to get information prior by making a international toll to Japan. Price wise not bad. The difference in prices made the intl postage cost irrelevant. I didn't see the postage and liasing with pple abroad too much of an issue as I am a freq traveller and I tend to buy things mainly from overseas. I accept I have a 3 week turn around service. Yes, you do pay GST (12.5%) for all imports even if it says gift etc.. This value is on the declaration. If GST is $50NZ you will need to pay, before it was set at $100NZ but has changed. After the switch I wasn't aware and I learnt the hard way, I ended up paying $75NZ for 2 Nikon lenses. But they were still cheaper than here. If GST is under $50NZ its waived unless its alcohol or tobacco or some duty goods (which will also have the duty amount payable on top). One way to skip is to ask the seller to undervalue, unlikely a store would do it, at ebay perhaps or some community webpage. You do lose insurance cover thou. I buy from USA via B+H which some pple know, a store in NYC as a mailorder, v reputable. I know the lenses here are v expensive, some cost 30% more (the more expensive ones) the more cheaper ones can cost 2x or 3x as much here. I buy film from there too as film here cost 3x as much. Film cameras in NZ is also like 2x. Perhaps 1.5x if you use a NZ parallel importer. The diff is that one is an import, but the one from the USA is a genuine USA product for film stuff its a intl warranty which us usable in NZ. Digi products are v much without intl warranty. There are a few brands thou like Fuji that does cover it. Which means you can get Nikon or Canon Auckland to fix it for your after showing your invoice and your intl warranty card. Thou mainly for film stuff only, v few digicam companeis have this policy. NZ P-Import would be done via them. USA has USA products as well as P-Import they call them as Gray Imports. You would need to ship back to the store and they will deal with it. Some stores like B+H has their own service dept. Not sure I believe if GST is deemed payable I think they include ur postage price as well for the calculation of GST. If you already own it here but sending back overseas to get fixed, go to Dept of Customs and fill form out and this should avoid any possible tax ont he way back .... Any possible tax would be calculated on how much the return freight is and if repair was not free. Add this 2 up, 12.5% would be the GST if the amount if $50+. Sending back there shouldn't be a problem ...	Nomad (952)
349958	2005-04-29 05:26:00	The more the retailer sells, the cheaper they can buy them. If they are a specialist mail order warehouse, rather than a specialist mall retailer, they spend less on carpet, fancy furniture, and salespeople and more on forklifts, so sales cost them less. So their prices should be lower. Nomad's idea of marked down invoices could be expensive, rather than a saving on GST. Customs have a good idea of realistic prices. False documentation could cause you to lose the goods, for a start.	Graham L (2)
349959	2005-04-29 13:30:00	When you buy overseas like Hk they have no GSt maybe thats a reason why things are quite cheap there.Oh yeah If you buy electronics there except mobile phones you get 1 year international sony warranty but you have to apply for it.Its free of charge. The international sony warranty covers: Discmans,Minidiscmans,Digital cameras,I buy all my things overseas.I walk into a mobile shop like vodafone .Look at the price and say ***?The price is just tooo high...in nz...	Ninjabear (2948)
349960	2005-04-29 19:51:00	What amuses me is the way people are all rushing out to buy Digital Cameras.They are all too expensive. And if you are like me you will run around photographing everything that moves for a week or so and then hardly ever use it again. I have a perfectly good Leica that is nearly 50 years old and it still takes better photos than any I have seen from digital cameras. And I have colour prints taken 40 years ago that are still as good as new. They tell me that digital prints only last a few months and then they fade away to nothing. About as useful as that other toy, the cell phone.	JJJJJ (528)
349961	2005-04-29 21:53:00	What amuses me is the way people are all rushing out to buy Digital Cameras . They are all too expensive . . . . About as useful as that other toy, the cell phone . Well, I assume that you do not have a digcam, right? :rolleyes: Too expensive? Compared to film camera? No way . As long as you don't fall for the marketing hype about needing 4+ Mp, you can get a decent digcam for $200-300, and quite good ones for not much more . Prints fade? I have 150 sheets of photo paper right here on my computer desk station - bought over a year ago when I upgraded my digcam . Guess what? I rarely ever print them because viewing photos on our 29in TV or laptop is far far better than prints (great for groups of people, friends over for a meal, whatever) . But if you do want to print via desktop printer, then just store them away from sunlight, or use quality ink cartridges and paper that guarantee colours will last . Or simply get them printed at a photo shop or even the Warehouse . JJJJJJ - like you, I am not a youngster (like most here on PF1, according to a poll) . I had a darkroom back in the 60's, had a wedding photography business, Nikon, etc . Digital photography is a dream for me - so much more can be done, i . e . using Photoshop or other programs . Keep the Lieca (I always wanted one :) ), but take the plunge and try a digcam . . . and enter the 21st Century! BTW, hope you had a good day yesterday . . . . my Bday was Tuesday and it was one of the best ones in a long time . As they say: Birthdays are good for you - the more you have, the longer you live! Also BTW, I lived in Rotorua for over 10 years . Great place except for the cold winter mornings .	Strommer (42)
349962	2005-04-29 22:33:00	What amuses me is the way people are all rushing out to buy Digital Cameras . They are all too expensive . Not any more they aren't . You can buy an updated model of our camera for around $350, less than half of what we paid a couple of years ago . Pay a little more and get an even better camera with bigger zoom . And if you are like me you will run around photographing everything that moves for a week or so and then hardly ever use it again . I am still running around photographing everything that moves or doesn't move more than two years later and can't see that changing anytime soon . :p I have a perfectly good Leica that is nearly 50 years old and it still takes better photos than any I have seen from digital cameras . It probably does but our "ordinary" cameras take nowhere near as good a photo as our digicam and both types are "point and shoot" . And I have colour prints taken 40 years ago that are still as good as new . They tell me that digital prints only last a few months and then they fade away to nothing . I love the fact that I don't have to bother printing out photos anymore . There are over a dozen photo albums cluttering up the cupboards here and whilst it is really neat getting them out and browsing through them now and then it is much nicer viewing the digital photos fullscreen on my 17" LCD monitor or on the TV and it is great having the pics stored on a handful of CDs that take up next to no room at all . It also costs me nothing except a battery recharge to take as many pics as I want . Previously, the cost of printing used to limit us to taking only one or two photos and keeping the fingers crossed that they turned out OK . Out of a 24 print roll of film less than a third were worth crowing about . With a digicam you can take half a dozen pics or more of the same thing and keep just the best one . You can also see straight away whether the pics are any good or could be better . That alone is priceless . About as useful as that other toy, the cell phone . My cellphone is a tool, not a toy . Our digital camera is one of the best toys we have ever bought . Almost as good as my dirt bike . You really are an old grump, Jack . :p :D Still luvs ya though . :thumbs:	FoxyMX (5)
349963	2005-04-29 22:38:00	hmmm....We still take about 30 photos a week,throw em on the comp,delete the crappy ones and once a month take a cd of photo's down to Warehouse Stationary and get them proffesionally processed for 60 cents a shot. Good stuff. Also take a fair amount of footage with our movie cam,whack that on the comp and then onto DVD. Its all good. But doesn't come close to my motorcycles......	Metla (12)
349964	2005-04-30 01:16:00	You can get archival inks and paper. The Epson R 800 or 2100 fantastic. Or the Epson 4000 or 7000 or 9000 series - wide format printers. Many pro's are doing it this way as its affordable and good quality that can exceed a lab. Obviously you need the same quality paper. You have total control of ur digital darkroom process. You can print at a lab if you like too. Digital allows pple to improve their skills. The avg person prob cannot afford to process 5 rolls of photo's a day at a photog outing... It also improves your digital imagery skills. You can compare a high quality camera like a high end Nikon or Canon film to a digital model. Its the same. If you shoot at low ASA, the digital would be cleaner. I don't have a film scanner but pple say the dSLR while still at 6MP can beat a 35mm film scan. If you request a drum scan service at a lab, then film has the advantage. To many a 6MP sensor dSLR is regarded the same as a 35mm film - the professional classed films. If you got more than a 6MP cam, the potential is you can access a bigger printer than a A3 printer but of course you can crop the photo down .. or size it down ..... Not to say you can't print bigger with a 6MP sensor you can, a photo is not about pixels, sharpness .. its a meaningful photo. When you seen a good photo, you do say how many pixels or do you say a great photo?	Nomad (952)
349965	2005-04-30 01:45:00	And I have colour prints taken 40 years ago that are still as good as new. They tell me that digital prints only last a few months and then they fade away to nothing.Home print jobs will depend upon the printer/type of ink it uses/paper quality. The better quality those components are, the better the final result and life span of that image. I haven't tried to print out photo's here myself, as I don't have a quality printer/ink system. I just recently got my images printed from an online store (frogprints) whereby you just upload the images you want printed and then they get posted to you. Those prints will be of the same quality that photolabs produce with the same lifespan. So I have the convenience of digital camera's and images, and the long life span of traditionally printed photographs. :thumbs:	Jen (38)
349966	2005-04-30 02:05:00	Oh that's what I forgot to say (geez, I need more RAM - badly! :p)... who cares if the prints fade after time? You eventually get fed up of looking at the same pics all the time anyway, but if you still want to display a pic that has faded you can just print out or have another one printed as the originals should still be in perfect conditon. :)	FoxyMX (5)
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