[madison_wi_gal]

A friend is going to Tokyo in early May. He knows of my obsession with the K-1 II Limited (Viridian) and said he'd be cool with going into Map Camera (or elsewhere, as suggested by helpful Pentaxians here hopefully) and buy (special order) one. I have a Japanese colleague here that can have her parents take delivery in Osaka, and then can ship to me.

Yes, I know one is on eBay. No, I will never pay that gougers price. I also know the red one (Scarlet Rouge) is on eBay, Map Camera told me about it. I want Viridian.

I also know that what I am suggesting is complicated and relies on everyone in the purchase/delivery chain to get this right.

When I asked Map Camera if I could simply buy one online (within eBay messaging, being very careful how I asked since discussing sale outside of eBay) they said:

Unfortunately, we are an official Pentax retailer in Japan, but not allowed to internationally sell "new" items in accordance to the contract with Pentax Japan.
We will inform you on eBay if a K-1 Mark II J Limited 01 Viridian camera is stocked as "used".
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to doing business with you in the near future!

Regards,

Fuko INO
Map Camera

Then I asked Pentax this:

OK so I guess I'm going to have to wait for one to become available used on eBay, but if you can ask your person if I were to go to Japan and walk into a camera store and buy one would I be allowed to do that as a US citizen?

Pentax replied:
You would be able to buy the camera in Japan. If you needed it serviced, you would need a local address. You wouldn’t be able to get it serviced in the US because the repair companies here can tell the products aren’t from the US so there is usually an issue with servicing if needed.

Thank you,

Swati

So: I did NOT ask Map what happens if my friend walks in. I suspect they may say no, even if Pentax says yes.

Are there any Pentaxians (in Japan) on the forum that can fill in the blanks?

My friend is willing to go in and give it a try but not willing to hunt all over town.

[JPT]

In theory, these cameras are supposed to take six weeks on order from the factory, but you can sometimes find them in shops.

In my experience, the shop that most frequently has these cameras in stock is Fujiya Camera in Nakano Tokyo. I would say it consistently has more Pentax stuff in stock than Map Camera, including J-Limited models. I've seen them multiple times, but not always every colour.

At the moment their website seems to indicate that they have all colours in stock, including Viridian.
Link to their products filtered by Pentax Cameras: PENTAX ??????????? ?????? ??????????????

The problem is that I think they only have a very little stock. So if someone happens to walk in and buy it the day before your friend arrives, it could just sell out and they tell you it's a factory order.

The other place I think they would have stock is the Pentax Club House in Yotsuya.
PENTAX?????? | RICOH IMAGING

But I can't say that there is anywhere you can be 100% sure your friend will find them. I guess he call ahead to see if they have one.

It might improve your odds if you can say your second choice of colour after Viridian. LX75 Metallic is very nice as well, but black is a bit of a let down in my opinion and Scarlet Rouge is a taste I haven't acquired.

[madison_wi_gal]

In theory, these cameras are supposed to take six weeks on order from the factory, but you can sometimes find them in shops.

In my experience, the shop that most frequently has these cameras in stock is Fujiya Camera in Nakano Tokyo. I would say it consistently has more Pentax stuff in stock than Map Camera, including J-Limited models. I've seen them multiple times, but not always every colour.

At the moment their website seems to indicate that they have all colours in stock, including Viridian.
Link to their products filtered by Pentax Cameras: PENTAX ??????????? ?????? ??????????????

The problem is that I think they only have a very little stock. So if someone happens to walk in and buy it the day before your friend arrives, it could just sell out and they tell you it's a factory order.

The other place I think they would have stock is the Pentax Club House in Yotsuya.
PENTAX?????? | RICOH IMAGING

But I can't say that there is anywhere you can be 100% sure your friend will find them. I guess he call ahead to see if they have one.

It might improve your odds if you can say your second choice of colour after Viridian. LX75 Metallic is very nice as well, but black is a bit of a let down in my opinion and Scarlet Rouge is a taste I haven't acquired.

Thanks, my K-3 III is already silver, I have a red K-r and I was also unimpressed by the black/gold.

[JoelA]

FWIW...I just looked through all of my pictures from Feb 21st in the clubhouse.

There were some special issue cameras on display, but I did not see that one.

I'm sure they'd help if you phone them.

They were just super nice and really helpful.

Or even better - fly over and buy it!

[gofour3]

So: I did NOT ask Map what happens if my friend walks in. I suspect they may say no, even if Pentax says yes.

Are there any Pentaxians (in Japan) on the forum that can fill in the blanks?

My friend is willing to go in and give it a try but not willing to hunt all over town.

You could try the "Japan Camera Hunter's" service. Bellamy helped me secure a rare Pentax lens from a local camera store in Tokyo and he shipped it to me in Canada.

Phil.

[madison_wi_gal]

You could try the "Japan Camera Hunter's" service. Bellamy helped me secure a rare Pentax lens from a local camera store in Tokyo and he shipped it to me in Canada.

Phil.

From his website: "Please note, I don’t source modern digital cameras. No exceptions. "



Thanks anyway.

[gofour3]

From his website: "Please note, I don’t source modern digital cameras. No exceptions. "



Thanks anyway.

Ah did not know that, hopefully you'll find someone else.

Phil.

[yucatanPentax]

1) I can't imagine if any customer walked in the store and bought something off the shelf, that they would say "no". Am I missing something?

2) I can't imagine if a local resident walked in the store and asked for a factory order, that they would say "no". Isn't that what any local customer would do, if something weren't on the shelf.

It does sound a little complicated, but if that's what you want, I'd say go for it. The only negative (aside from everyone in the chain doing their part) would seem to be any service issues. Maybe another step should be added: "receiver takes a number of photos with the camera in various modes" once the box is opened"? That's if you would accept a slightly "used" camera.

[madison_wi_gal]

1) I can't imagine if any customer walked in the store and bought something off the shelf, that they would say "no". Am I missing something?

Map Camera stated they could not do "international sales" for new Pentax cameras per their license arrangement. So that depends on definition of "international sale" - in person to US citizen? Or only online ship to US?

2) I can't imagine if a local resident walked in the store and asked for a factory order, that they would say "no". Isn't that what any local customer would do, if something weren't on the shelf.

Agreed, but my friend isn't local.

It does sound a little complicated, but if that's what you want, I'd say go for it. The only negative (aside from everyone in the chain doing their part) would seem to be any service issues. Maybe another step should be added: "receiver takes a number of photos with the camera in various modes" once the box is opened"? That's if you would accept a slightly "used" camera.

Well, I don't expect my Japanese (here) friends elderly parents (there) to test it out before shipping it here.

Yes complicated, and probably best to wait for used, but that color is the most popular and I'd also prefer brand new out of factory, much like how I got my car

[Grimmus]

It's surprising these aren't available in the states. You can order them on the Ricoh/Pentax official site in Australia? AUD4099, all shades.

[Wasp]

[que es tu]

Love that Weird Al Yankovik song!!

[madison_wi_gal]

It's surprising these aren't available in the states. You can order them on the Ricoh/Pentax official site in Australia? AUD4099, all shades.

Shop Out of Stock Online in Australia | Ricoh Imaging Australia <-- Out of Stock. e.g. special order.

[yucatanPentax]

Map Camera stated they could not do "international sales" for new Pentax cameras per their license arrangement. So that depends on definition of "international sale" - in person to US citizen? Or only online ship to US?

A sale in the store isn't international. It's a local sale. Who receives the camera as a gift or as a loan or whatever is never something that any store can control.

The ordering option may be a bit more complicated, but if it's bought off the shelf, the store has zero obligation to keep track of where it goes next. Once sold, what happens next is the decision of the new owner, which is who your friend will be.

Service is an issue, but that's something that you already know.

[madison_wi_gal]

A sale in the store isn't international. It's a local sale. Who receives the camera as a gift or as a loan or whatever is never something that any store can control.

The ordering option may be a bit more complicated, but if it's bought off the shelf, the store has zero obligation to keep track of where it goes next. Once sold, what happens next is the decision of the new owner, which is who your friend will be.

Service is an issue, but that's something that you already know.

Thanks, that was what I was hoping. Now I need to find out if Map (or the other store) can take a US credit card.