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Post by belgiumreporter on Mar 21, 2016 5:12:05 GMT -5
 While Evy was relaxing i went on a (classic) camera hunt...    The "normal" camera stores in Singapore all are located in these giant malls all over the city, the "classic" and second hand ones you'll have to go searching in the basements of these malls. While in the new camera stores the mood was very relax and sales persons tried to sell you just about anything you layed your eyes upon. The mood in the basement shops was somewhat diffrent and i felt some hostility when i was photographing, i didn't want to push this to the edge so i took a few "discreet" pictures. There was an abundance of classic and second hand cameras and i felt like a kid in a candy store. The pricing is a bit weird as rare classics are priced more or less following the book, the lesser or more common ones are really expensive. To give an example a chrome nikkormat Ft2 with 50mm f2 (and i've seen several) is priced at 275 singapore $. Now as far as i know such a nikkormat just about anywhere else in the world would cost you anything between 35 and 100 €. I didn't see any mirandas and if there would be one i now knew it would be to expensive. What did tempt me where a nikon SP with 28mm and a canon 7 with the f 0.95 50mm i could have both for 3600 Sing $. The guy from the store asked if i wanted to buy them, when i replied i was thinking aabout it he just turned his back to me in a sort of "f*ck you" move and didn't gave me a second look. What prevented me from buying them was we where just two days in our singapore/NZ trip and i didn't want to spend that amount of money with still 2 months of holidays to go. Afterworth i was kinda glad i didn't as i've seen on Ebay japanese sellers are now offering SP's at around 1000€ and there's some 10 to choose from. So to awnser the question if it is worth buying classics in singapore? in my experience i would say no. Maybe if you wanted something leica-wise you'll be able to find it as there must be literally hundreds of M bodys and other leica gear (never seen so much in one place) in those basement stores. |
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SidW
Lifetime Member
Posts: 1,107
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Post by SidW on Mar 21, 2016 18:30:20 GMT -5
Isn't Singapore very humid? I've only heard about books disintegrating while you look on. How about fungus? Did the basement stores look OK about their storage conditions, air conditioning etc? I think I would hesitate to buy anything there.
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Post by belgiumreporter on Mar 22, 2016 16:21:08 GMT -5
Isn't Singapore very humid? I've only heard about books disintegrating while you look on. How about fungus? Did the basement stores look OK about their storage conditions, air conditioning etc? I think I would hesitate to buy anything there. Well basement stores maybe not the correct word for these sub street level floors of the malls, anyway the airco is quite OK and sometimes even a bit chilly.The classic cameras i saw there where all in good condition, don't know if they will stay that way over longer periods of time or if you take them out of their protected enviroment, maybe something to think about?  As you can see it is indeed very wet in Singapore, with temperatures every day above 30° celsius it is also very HOT  Everything is well airconditionned, you can spend whole days inside stores, restaurants,hotels, musea and such without even knowing what the actual wheather or temperture is outside.  almost the complete center of the city is accesible via a true labyrinth of wide corridors, metro and sub street level malls. |
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Post by camfiend on Mar 22, 2016 20:44:47 GMT -5
humidity and fungus are not such a great worry if you think ahead a little. I live in tropical Queensland Australia.. high temperatures and higher humidity, but all (at least my more valuable, cameras/stamps/swords are all housed in cabinets with glass doors and soft rubber sealed edges, I place a bowl of desicant crystals in each cabinet every 3 months and havent had a problem... my DVD collection is another story, being in just an open bookcase I lost a few of them to mould (which eats in and is unremovable) before I realised they were a problem
Bob
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Post by twbranch on Jul 29, 2016 2:56:03 GMT -5
An old wine cooler is great for cameras. I live near the coast and humidity is a bear this time of year. Those old wine coolers are air tight and the temp/humidity inside is monitored by a 15USD temp pen.
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