My Gear

Camera & Lenses

	Nikon N50 body: a compact and durable body, though a little primitive. I should have taken the N70 instead.
	Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D: splendid wide-angle, maybe one of the best made by Nikon.
	Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D: sharp normal lens.
	Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6: midrange zoom. Better than the 80-200 f/4.5-5.6.
	Nikkor 35-80mm f/4-5.6: lightweight zoom, ideal for travel.

Digital Equipment

Olympus ES-10 Film Scanner

Other Equipment I Tried

Besides the equipment mentioned above, I've also played with some other toys:

Digital Camera. Kodak once lent us a Kodak DC-260 for one week. See the digital section of my web.

Point & Shoot. Yashica T5 is an excellent P&S camera. Phillip Greenspun has a comprehensive review on it.

Buying in Shanghai

The Market In General

The Chinese market changes slowly and the prices do not reflect what is happening in the world market. When the Japanese Yan fell against most major currencies in the world, the prices of Japan-made photographic equipment in many countries fell as well, and vendors are providing rebates - but here in China, the prices just kept constant. Interesting enough, when the Yan rose, the local prices still kept constant. But rumor has been that RMB will fall and everything foreign-made will be dearer next year.

How Much Did You Pay for Your Gear?

Prices of those Japan-made stuff in Shanghai are generally higher than those in New York, where I found best prices for most equipment, but lower than those in some cities on the west coast of the US. I paid RMB2500 (about US$300 - with China warranty, no rebate) for my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D because shops had asked for more than $400 for it in Seattle. I would admit this is an exception because many other things are approximately $40~50 higher than in the States - Yashica T5 data back is at RMB1650 ($198) here, and Leica Mini 3 is about RMB2075 ($250).

Prices of Film & Processing

Vendors must be dumping their film in China. A roll of ASA 100, 36-exposure Kodak Gold (made in Australia) is only RMB20 ($2.4) in any shop - I can get it at RMB15 in some shops. Fuji Superia/Super HG is the same price. Fuji Velvia is RMB36 ($4.3), equivalent to any Kodak or Fuji ASA400 negative.

Getting a roll of 36-exposure color negative film developed and printed in 3"x5" takes about RMB22 ($2.65) in Shanghai.

Buying in San Francisco

I bought my N50 and the first lens at Discount Camera, San Francisco.

- From Nikon Digest, V4 #57

Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 21:07:17 -0700
From: whitney wyatt <wwyatt1@flash.net>
Subject: San Francisco Camera Shops

Welcome to San Francisco for both of you out there about to visit.

There are, of course, about a zillion little camera shops around here, including many
chain stores like Ritz, Wolf, etc., some of which sometimes have the best prices.

The big, independent shops to visit however, are:

1. Adolph Gasser, at 181 2nd street
2. Discount Camera, at 33 Kearney St.

Both have great selections of new and used material, and Gasser rents quite a bit of stuff.
Gasser also sells darkroom and videography equipment. They have a web page at
www.photoutfitters.com

They are definitely worth a visit.

Have a good time in the City!

Whit

============================

Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 21:34:27 -0700
From: "William H. Cassing" <wcassing@elkgrove.net>
Subject: Birding in California

Marc

For a start try Adolph Gasser Inc., 181 Second Street, San Francisco,
415-495-3852, web site www.gassers.com.

Further south, try Camera World, 472 Alvarado Street, Monterey,
408-655-1234.

If you get to the Sacramento area (90 miles east of San Francisco, be sure
to go to Pardee's Cameras, 3335 El Camino Avenue (at Yorktown, one block
west of Watt Avenue), Sacramento, 916-483-3435.

By the way, the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, just north of
Sacramento, enjoys an excellent reputation for its large and diverse
population of wildlife, especially migratory waterfowl. In addition, a
wetlands reserve was opened last year in the Sacramento area.

Bill Cassing