Used MF in Seoul?

[struan_gray]

I will be travelling to Seoul for a conference in a week or so. I

have been told that there is a concentration of photographic shops

near the Chungmuro subway station and I plan to go there and just

browse serendipitously. However, it would be really helpful to know

if there are any particular stores with good selections of used

medium-format equipment, and especially anywhere that might have rarer

lenses and accessories for my Kowa Super 66. Any hints?

[jim_chow]

There are two shops next door to one another in the underground shopping arcade between the Lotte Hotel and the south gate. I was there in late March and found their prices to be ridiculously high compared to those in the US or Japan.I believe Korea has stiff trade restrictions and sky-high tariffs on Japanese goods (most Japanese products, both consumer and cultural, are/were banned).

[don___5]

One place for new cameras you may like is the Samsung/(Rollei) shop in the Textile Center across from the Intercontinental Hotel and near the World Trade Center. It is a few floors up - 3rd or 4th. Train access there too. I believe the station is called Samsung. They had prety good prices when I was there -- and if it is still there...

 

I agree with Jim, the used prices at Chungmuro there were high.

[jim_chow]

Don, I went to the Samsung building across from the Intercontinental and they didn't have any Rollei there at all. The only cameras for sale in the Samsung building are in a small shop in the basement, and they only sell Samsung P&S's.

[don___5]

Jim,

 

You may have gone to the wrong building. Hyundai shopping center maybe. Only a small camera shop there. The only Samsung/Rollei shop in the area is in the Textile Building. I was there and bought some gear. Took up about a half a floor on the 3rd or 5th level. They are stocked with a complete line of Rollei (& Samsung) gear. Unless they moved from the Textile Building in the past year. His best chance for used gear would be at the Chungmuro Subway shops mentioned previously. There are also a few shops above ground in that area. One was at an address 777 ??street?? Visible from the street on the north side of the round-about there. Hey Straun, if you stop by the Hard Rock Cafe, say hi to the manager for me!

 

Above - I forgot, They do not have 4th floors in Korea. Not a good number there. Worse than a 13th floor here in the States...

 

Cheers

[struan_gray]

I just want to say thanks again to Don and Jim for the information,

and to report back on what I found when in Seoul. I hope these notes

will be of use to someone else.

 

The Chungmuro shopping center(s) are huge multi-layer affairs with the

different floors specialising in various sorts of technical toys:

hi-fis, TVs, cameras, computers etc. Great fun to browse, fiddle and

haggle, but no bargains and not much MF as most of the shops were

consumer-oriented box-shifters. I found several more specialised

shops with a larger range of MF and LF (including secondhand) in the

underground arcades near the Lotte Hotel and City Hall, but again, no

bargains.

 

In general, prices were typically at European levels, and although a

certain amount of haggling seemed possible, beating the shopkeepers

down to B+H prices looked like it would be a long process, and in my

case unfair as I had no intent to buy what they had on offer.

 

Anyone who knows anything of the history of Korea's releationship with

Japan will understand why European brands are preferred where and if

they exist. Thus although Pentax dominated the 645 offerings, Rollei

and Hasselblad were the only offerings in 6x6. Mamiya and Pentax

seemed to share the 6x7 field about equally. I didn't see a single

piece of Bronica equipment (or anything by Kowa for that matter). The

used TLRs for sale were all Rolleiflexes. Linhoff dominated large

format, although there was a fair amount of Toyo kit.

 

As I said, I found no bargains, and I don't think Seoul is a good

place for private users like myself to go buying MF equipment.

Professionals who are prepared to pay normal European and non-discount

US prices will be able to buy spares and replacements for the brands

mentioned above, and 120 film is pretty easy to come by. In short, if

you're going to Seoul with a MF camera, concentrate on taking pictures

and not on shopping.

[americanswan]

Gray, Your post is very good and very accurate even now in 2008, years after your post. I live in South Korea currently. Some Japanese products are getting some sales here. I am noticing a large increase in Japanese cars for example.

 

I know photo.net is heavily indexed by Google and I found this forum using Google. I was searching for places to develop MF in Korea and an old post here came up. If your looking to develop your film in South Korea you can get color developed at 'some' Fuji or Kodak shops that are all over Korea, but don't be shocked if they won't do it, because MF is totally foreign to them. In Seoul you can go to Chungmuro Subway station and take exit five. Walk a very short distance straight to the third street/ally and turn right you can't miss all the shops.

 

Now for me, many of the most popular and maybe even quick development shops are closed on weekends. It's an 85.5km round trip trek to get to Chungmuro for me and I can only go on weekends.

 

When you turn down that street mentioned above you'll see Fuji's shop and as you continue down the road you'll see a bright yellow Canon sign. I buy 120 film from there on weekends. Turn right on the ally next to (and after) the yellow signs and immediately on your right you'll see some print shop I think called "photo land" churning out posters for some event or something. Above that shop is where I go "on weekends" to develop film. They even develop B&W for those of you who didn't get your chemicals on your flight.

 

I wanted to share this because it can be a hassle when your in away from home.