[S0l]

Hey all,

in december i'm leaving for a long trip in Asia and India and I need to prepare myself photo-wise.I enjoy shooting wide landscapes, wide streets/people, night photos and portraits. I currently have two sigmas, the 30mm 1.4 and the 17-70mm 2.8/4.5. I feel I need something wider, so i'm thinking of buying a 10-20, 12-24 or similar ; i'd buy the 15 Limited if i was rich though! By the way i'm open to propositions if anyone has any of those wide zooms to sell...

Anyhow, since i'll be landing in Bangkok I was wondering wether any Pentaxers here know if it is a good place to buy lenses? Also i'll be transfering in Singapore International for 5 hours, has the airport got duty-free photo stuff shops? Better to buy in BK or at Singapore Airport? Are the Sigma prices significantely cheaper than in Europe, enough to justify ditching the EU warranty for the Asian one?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

s0l

[cofra]

I've been to Thailand a few times but didn't find much Pentax stuff end the things I found was not very cheap. Singapore is probably better. I would recommend you to check out gizmobuy.com and maybe contact Penfor here on the forum. He's a nice guy and will probably help you out, it's an online shop but it should be possible to solve if you're interested in something.

/C

[Frogfish]

I've been to Thailand many times and not noticed cheaper lenses/cameras (check out what their import duty is online to be sure), in fact a lot of imported stuff is way more expensive than in the USA (and probably the UK). However Singapore should be cheaper than Europe (you may be able to order your lenses on-line and collect them at the airport).

H.K. (zero import tax for electronics but they jack the prices for tourists, still lower), Japan and China (if you know where to shop) are definitely (usually, in China's case) cheaper so I guess Sing will be too (plenty of Sing lads on here - maybe Creampuff can tell you). Definitely SGP airport over BBK airport (the fact they speak fluent English is a big plus too if you have any questions / issues).

[Yamakasi]

I am from Singapore but I dun think there are shops in Singapore Airport selling pentax stuff other than the odd k-r but I could be wrong since its been about slightly less than a year since i last travelled overseas..

My suggestion is that if you are here for 5 hours..maybe there is a chance for you to come out to town area and shop at the few shops..rough estimate is that you can be back at airport within 3 hours..(singapore is a small country after all)

[abacus07]

I would buy it beforehand because I don't think you'll save a lot of money and you'll waste part of your vacation chasing down a lens. In Taiwan pretty much all photography equipment is more expensive.

[Kamorn]

I don't think you will find the cheap Pentax lens in Thailand. The fact is Pentax in Thailand quite not popular as Nikon or Canon.

You may waste your time hunting any lens you want. Many time, I get Pentax lens from EBAY, by the way, I'm from Thailand.

Welcome to Thailand!!! Have a good time here!

[pinholecam]

Sigma is not that cheap in Singapore. Its about US$100 more for most Sigma lenses. It may still be cheaper that Europe though. For cheaper Sigma/Tamron stuff try HK.

Pentax stuff is certainly cheaper than Europe and competitive to US. However, you'd most likely need to get out of the airport to find some decent shops. The shop in the airport will have an odd few lenses for Pentax, but not much of a selection.
The city area where the shops are will be 30-45mins by direct train (MRT) from the airport, so 5hrs transit time is plenty.

Try these few shops which carry Pentax stuff. Maybe you'd like to call or email ahead :
SLR Revolution Contact
Orient Photo Pte. Ltd.
Welcome to M S Color Service
Contacts | Cathay Photo


But please check out prices wrt US or Singapore ones first, cause I don't know if these shops jack up prices for non-locals. These shops are typically frequented by locals and generally have good service and honest pricing. Just be careful.
Here is the local price list from the local forum :
Pentax Price Guide 2011

[calsan]

I saw a kx two lens kit at Singapore airport last year for $100 more than it was selling for in Australia. And that's really saying something. I think you can rule out the airport for bargain shopping.
Singapore camera shops really push Nikon or Canon. Maybe Olympus also. However, the Pentax stock I saw last year was all FA lenses with extensive shop dust... So I returned having bought nothing.
Japan is the best place in Asia for Pentax, IMHO. You're literally tripping over Pentax in every store.

[S0l]

Hi all,

thanks a lot for your feedback, I don't think I'll bother leaving Singapore airport for the city just to buy a slightly cheaper lens, I guess i'll just have to buy it in europe then.

Help much appreciated guys!

Happy shooting,

s0l

[creampuff]

Lenses are most definitely cheaper in Singapore than in Europe.
Singapore has Goods & Services Tax of 7%, and prices are always inclusive of GST by law. As a tourist, you will be eligible to get back 5% of the 7% GST included in the price, which will make it cheaper than what local Singaporeans are paying. You only need to stop by two of the best equipped stores selling Pentax namely, Orient Photo or SLR Revolution and you would be able to buy most Pentax gear, from the Pentax Q to the Pentax 645D, and both Pentax and third-party lenses. All can be done well within 3 hours. My advise is venture out of Singapore Changi Airport and there's plenty to shop and discover. There is even 24 hours shopping available at Mustapha's at Serangoon Road, a huge emporium that sells pretty much everything. It is not uncommon to find locals and tourists buying everything from groceries to laser printers to luxury watches in the wee hours of the morning.