Camera Shopping in SEOUL, South Korea!

[@christopherfrost]

This brought me back! I miss my time living in Korea every day. For anyone on the other side of the country there are some great camera shops in Busan, too, around Nampo underground station - compared to UK prices you can get some good deals. Your Korean pronunciation is quite good by the way

[@molybdnum]

Oh man, I know exactly where you're talking about - got lost in there in 2011 and confused the heck out of one stall owner by trying to convince him that yes, I could use FD glass on my Panasonic GF2, I just didn't have the adapter on me at the moment.

[@RyanKorea]

I never knew you lived here?!

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks Chris, I keep forgetting you lived there! How long was it for and what were you doing? As you'll see on my instagram, I also visited Busan, although spent most of my time nearer to the Haeundae Beach area. Must feel a bit different to Wales!

[@BBEEKKAY]

I started watching your videos when I first arrived to Korea years ago before you left

[@christopherfrost]

​I was there for a couple of years teaching English...it's where I got into photography. Man I wish I could go back, I can't wait for my daughter to be old enough to tolerate the 9-hour journey :-)

[@ed-od9sd]

reallyy love the font on cannon

[@DinoBytes]

Yeah, it looked pretty cool back then!

[@bloomylicious]

Did you end up buying anything? I can heartily recommend f8 camera shop in Budapest if you're ever there, primarily analogue stuff, with a rummage box of untested/not working point and shoot digital cameras. I did notice though that most places in Budapest were in line with global prices also, seems harder and harder to find a bargain. That combined with the fact the eBay pricing for some vintage camera gear seems to be going crazy, i know they're very different prospects but in the UK you can get a used Lumix S5 for abour £550 now in very good condition, then some people want multiple hundreds of pounds for older point and shoots. Still, always fun searching for that next camera or lens!

[@DinoBytes]

Sadly I was travelling extremely light, so I resisted! I was also heading to Japan afterwards, so assumed I'd be able to find everything there, but in reality there was way more choice in Seoul.

[@mmaneage86]

The camera market in Namdaemun is AWESOME! I bought a brand new GH5S there for less than market price because it was considered a "rental" for production crews. Plus... you got to haggle with cash!

[@doingitbigent]

I want one too

[@DinoBytes]

Nice one! Glad you also visited, do you remember which shop you got it from -one I showed?

[@mmaneage86]

@DinoBytes Hmm, good question! I lived there for a bit but it's also been a while. No English name on the place, but it was close to the actual gate, almost directly across from it. Possibly translated to "Gold" Camera? I don't think you visited that particular shop in the video. Possibly not in business

[@jw48335]

I'm looking for a mint condition Fujica V2 rangefinder. Despite the fact the meter isn't in the lens mount, it has back dial focus, automatic parallax correction, it shows the exposure information in the viewfinder, and the 45mm lens is tack sharp. I think probably 4 years now I've been watching. They come up on fleabay, but even the "mint" models, when you look at them closely, have issues. In the meantime, I did snag the later Fujica Compact Deluxe, which is almost exactly the same, except no parallax correction and a modern battery. Fun stuff Gordon!

[@DinoBytes]

Nice, hope you find it!

[@HughRaine]

One hell of an opening 1 second with the word "a***hole!" 🤣

[@DinoBytes]

I was very careful with my pronunciation!

[@RyanKorea]

I hope you enjoyed your time here in Seoul. It would have been great to get a cup of coffee. Your videos have helped me a lot with buying decisions over the years!

[@DinoBytes]

I had a great time! You can see where I went on my instagram. Glad to have helped with some gear decisions... which coffee places do you like in Seoul?

[@dogfortgaming3183]

I have a FD85. I really like the look of the DSC-F717 but it seems to be a bit hard to find what retro digital camera would you recommend that isn't terribly expensive?

[@DinoBytes]

An early Canon PowerShot G like the G2 is still affordable and a great choice. Or a Sony P series or S series.

[@Dunkinjonaaat]

Do you have any idea if they do trade-ins?

[@DinoBytes]

I imagine they're open to negotiations

[@Abc1987]

Gordon I was just at these shops today and literally looked at the same 28ti! Crazy. Overall cool experience but the handful of quotes I got was more expensive than I expected, no deals to be had. Cheers, hope you grabbed some food from the nearby hodduk stand!

[@DinoBytes]

Hah, that's brilliant! Yes, I didn't see any bargains, but they did seem open to haggling. And yes, I ate the stand nearby!

[@gordon3988]

Finally found this channel! Perhaps add to your website too (maybe I missed?). Looking forward to some vintage and maybe not quite vintage reviews!

[@DinoBytes]

Glad you found the channel - hope you're following so you don't miss my new videos! yes, I normally also add them to my camera labs website, but not everything.

[@gordon3988]

@@DinoBytes subbed!

[@DinoBytes]

@@gordon3988 thanks!

[@MrZosh]

The F3 Limited would be my favorite

[@banana_necessary]

The prices of older digital cameras nowadays is wild. I guess a lot of them did end up in the landfill or e-waste, but there is no shortage of them. I guess the digicam trend is still going strong as film/processing reached a price point where people think twice.

[@DinoBytes]

Yep, it is frustrating how expensive they are, but at least they're being re-used.

[@terrym540]

I still have old film equipment including Topcon, a Pentax LX, and a Nikon 28Ti.

[@DinoBytes]

What do you think of the 28Ti?

[@terrym540]

@@DinoBytes I haven't used it for several years. I originally had a 35Ti which I part exchanged for the 28Ti, primarily for the wider field of view. What I particularly liked about the 28Ti was it's edge to edge very sharp lens. It's CR123a battery appears to be readily available. Looking on the particular auction site, while the 35 Ti is available for sale the 28Ti is not. Probably accounts for the prices you quote for the latter in your video.

[@DinoBytes]

@@terrym540 thanks!

[@rogerwest1207]

The Ricoh 500g, I was very happy with, but one day the leaf shutter fell apart and that was that

[@DinoBytes]

That's a shame...

[@slr7075]

The Canon New F-1 is the direct competitor to the Nikon F3. In 1981, Canon released the New F-1 or mislabeled as "F-1N" by auction sites which is a complete new electronic/mechanic shutter design compared to the original mechanical 1971 F-1 as shown in the comparison here.

[@vitorb.macarthy348]

Hi I was wondering if you could help me I have an Olympus D390 from 2003, it was working perfectly until 2 weeks ago, when I turned the camera on and a blue screen with the message "Write Protected" apers and doesn't allow me to do anything besides formatting the card I did format the card inside the camera, then it becomes normal, I can take pictures But if I turn the camera off and try turning it on again, it says Write Protected So I have to format again I've seen lots of old forums talking about this error, but none of them had any solutions Do you know what might be happening with my camera or card, and how I can fix it?

[@DinoBytes]

I've not personally come across this but it's obviously very annoying! Maybe it's a card issue rather than the camera. Do you have any other cards you can try?

[@vitorb.macarthy348]

​@@DinoBytes unfortunately not I think I'm gonna need to use the camera as decoration only The cards are more expensive than the camera itself

[@formerlywassunsugongbu]

I'm Korean and I didn't know Seoul is a good place for buying used cameras! I'll might go there and buy old EF glasses.

[@DinoBytes]

I hope you find some good ones!

[@heiner71]

So many interesting cameras to look at. I would only be able to visit these stores if I left my cash and credit card in the hotel. I own an F3, with the standard, the waist-level and the HP viewfinders. I also have a few different ground glass flavors to play with. There are just so damn many accessories available for this model.

[@DinoBytes]

Very nice! I love those different viewfinder options!

[@ChemaPhoto]

Heaven for us 🫠🫠😍

[@dhcho4473]

Welcome to South Korea. Welcome. South Korea has already become a very active online second-hand market, so the price competitiveness of Namdaemun camera stores has decreased. I used to go to offline stores... It's a shame.

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks, I had a great time in South Korea!

[@danieldevine]

It's great to see everyone reusing this older tech rather than it all be junked into landfill (unless it's lucky enough to get recycled!) but lord the prices in the last 5 years have went bananas! Sometimes you can find a real bargain on the slightly older Canon EOS SLRs because they don't "look" as film like. My little Olympus XA is in an Edinburgh camera store getting fixed up after having taken a good few beatings. £90 for a full service (it stopped winding, was a bit sticky - probably had some alcohol spilled on it over music festival season!) but a one in the window was going for nearly £300! I'm still on the hunt for a couple more compact film bargains! Fuji Natura with the f/1.9 lens and ability to shoot at 1600+ ISO unlike my XA that maxes out at 800 for metering and f/2.8. Maybe a Pentax 2.8 P&S or Nikon 35AF. Part of me is tempted to even try for a small 645 from Fuji or Bronica! My Canon lenses still get out and about on the film cameras too. EOS 33 gets a good showing since it's in between the Canon xxxD and xxD lines. The EOS 3 gets to see some time when i want better AF :P

[@DinoBytes]

Nice collection! I agree, one of the best aspects of vintage gear is keeping it working rather than throwing it away. I love that all the old digicams I buy are having a new life decades on.

[@SinaFarhat]

I have a F1 and it is one of my favorite cameras to use! Does South Korea have the tradition Japan has where things can be in great shape despite its age?

[@DinoBytes]

Yes, the condition was very good throughout...

[@Localtraveler2376]

Great video. This is one of the bad effects of the internet in my opinion. Store owners can check what things are going for on eBay and you can’t find many deals anymore.

[@DinoBytes]

Exactly right, sadly. It used to be much easier to negotiate a deal.

[@jamesmgreen15]

My son is a teacher in Japan. No need whatsoever for effective night shutters. I am British through and through naturalised in Australia but the LOW crime rate in even Tokyo (capital city) should make us think. I will be looking, first hand, at these shops come November. Appreciate your video....

[@DinoBytes]

I agree, the low crime rate in Tokyo is a revelation. Although this was in Seoul, which is obviously a different country, albeit feeling similarly safe. Have fun!

[@brigganthewolf1461]

Those prices are completely absurd for those cameras, including those digitals! luckily it seems I have a local antique shop nearby who's starting to include a lot of untested digital cameras for reasonably cheap. The majority of the cameras I wanted to test there were either broken, had severe battery leakage or just didn't appeal to me. But I did come home having bought an Olympus D-450Z and Kodak DC280, in working order, for $15 each (or really, closer to $10.50 USD since they had a 30% off Christmas sale). I will definitely come back and see if they got any more interesting cameras I can get a bargain on before the end of the Christmas sale at the end of the month.

[@DinoBytes]

Untested is the way forward for sure, although obviously a gamble.

[@jewknee7870]

You should always ask if they have warranty when buying cameras from Namdaemun stores -- Hyosung camera, while probably one of the most expensive stores, offered six month warranty even for the old film cameras.

[@DinoBytes]

Good point, but moot for a tourist who's unlikely to return during the warranty period.

[@jan-martinulvag1962]

You want a G3?

[@DinoBytes]

I have a G3 and a G5, and a G1 and a G2!

[@jan-martinulvag1962]

@@DinoBytes ok

[@ChaitanyaShukla2503]

There are similar markets all across the world, I know Mumbai and Delhi have areas of market with Camera sellers.

[@calvinchann1996]

Stock and condition.

[@tylerdoestech]

I am not sure if it is still there anymore, but Mr. David Chan's camera store/museum in champagne Court in Hong Kong is probably my favorite shop I have ever seen (massive thanks to BigHeadTaco's KZbin channel). It is a bit of a displeasure to see everything priced "in line with global market value" thanks to published prices online. Shoppers willing to go to places in person in Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong or other places should be able to search for decent deals without everyone just consulting eBay to see for what amount the last one sold.

[@DinoBytes]

Exactly, Pre-ebay it was a lot easier to find deals! Luckily there's still a bunch of older or more obscure models which are still well-priced. But so much is overpriced now.

[@benhizzle]

I would be hard to pass up some of those in person. The hands on would make it too tempting 😂

[@DinoBytes]

It was hard to walk away!

[@4thDocumentArchive]

Those Namdaemun shops are too overpriced. They will charge more to foreigners.

[@DinoBytes]

Certainly I didn't see any bargains, but the prices were similar to Japan or eBay. They did seem happy to negotiate / haggle though. Where would you recommend?

[@jimizell]

@@DinoBytes If you are interested in film cameras I'd recommend Chungmuro, which is not far from Namdaemun. The glory days of Namdaemun are gone due to online shopping dominating camera sales. You can also get a discount if you pay in cash (it's basically the card fee the store would pay...and it allows more "flexible" tax reporting on their end). There's an expression in Korea, "cash is king." Yongsan Electronic market attached to Yongsan Subway Station (also has a lot of camera stores).

[@VietnameseCosmonaut]

As a mechanical lover, i prefer the Canon F-1 more than Nikon F3 (though the more accurate rival to the F3 is the AE-1; the Nikon FM is more like the F-1's rival)

[@tammytrashbags]

the more of your videos I watch, the more I want to buy a Nikon film camera! and my Olympus IS in for a CLA at the moment.......

[@DinoBytes]

It's a natural feeling!

[@GenX_in_the_wild]

New subscriber 😅

[@DinoBytes]

Thanks!

[@BBEEKKAY]

I lived there for like a decade and built a pretty good relationship with YesDica in Namdaemun. Hard to find that kind of district back in the US 😢

[@DinoBytes]

I think I'd be there every week if I lived there!

[@Maddin1313]

1:19 Couldn't do that in America 🤣

[@DinoBytes]

We'd need some substantial protection in Europe too. It doesn't seem to be an issue in South Korea or Japan though. Their society really respects public spaces.

[@mouse3355]

Powersource frequency of UK is different than S.Korea's 60Hz, right PAL?😉 Also had a luck to stay in Shinjuku for 3+ years back in 2012, I wondered why western & eastern side of Japan have different frequency ratings? (I was using 50Hz part) Your pronunciation is (almost) accurate! Did you practise them by any chance? (Have to disagree with the Rev. Chris Frost commented above😏)

[@DinoBytes]

Yep, we have 50Hz in the UK, although the annoying thing about LED lighting is it can be lots of different frequencies, so sometimes I have to adjust my frame rate in unexpected places. For example in Shinjuku alone, I had too switch between 50 and 60hz for different shops! As for pronunciation, I always try and learn a few words for every country I visit, but I hadn't heard anyone say the name of these streets out loud, so I was just guessing, sorry!

[@BW_Maher]

I bought a new 35ti back in the early 2000s. I got it for a couple hundred dollars to take on a trip to Europe. It was massively discounted because they weren’t selling. It was ok but I can’t say I ever particularly liked it aside from the fact that it’s very attractive. The photos were only fair. I put it away and forgot about it. Just sold it a couple years ago when the prices ran up. Probably could have gotten even more but I never expected to get anything for it. Not sure why it gets hyped. IMO it’s a mediocre performer. I don’t particularly like rangefinder compacts though so others may feel differently. Love my F3. The LCD isn’t great but it uses so little power that you never need to worry about the battery. Put it in aperture priority and let the meter do its job. Never let me down and I mainly shot slide file with little margin for error. Honestly, it’s worth owning an F3 just for the winder. Best film winder I’ve ever used. Kind of a shame to put a motor drive on it because the tactile feel of that winder is amazing.

[@DinoBytes]

Yeah, I must admit I'm drawn to those dials on the 35Ti more than anything else! But the F3 remains my dream camera. I'm just looking for one ink good condition that doesn't cost a fortune. It'll happen eventually, I'm in no rush!

[@bobmorr2892]

Prices sound way too high to me. I think some patience on eBay would probably beat almost all those prices at least in the USA.

[@DinoBytes]

Yep, same here too

[@UdoKrawallo]

Looks like it was a nice trip. Too bad you didn´t take anything with you. Maybe you regret not getting the Nikon F3? 😁I think one camera shouldn´t have made your luggage that much bigger? The prices of the old digicams...oh well...how times have changed. I remember when these got thrown out at cheap prices like 10-14 years ago when the MP hype was still there and everyone wanted something that can film in HD.

[@DinoBytes]

Believe it or not, I travel with one small backpack, that's it even for 6 weeks or round-the-worlds! So not much room in it for shopping, although I do regret not bringing back one of those F3s. I was heading to Japan after South Korea, so assumed I'd get a bargain there, but they had less stock and more expensive!

[@UdoKrawallo]

Well, you know what they say about the word assume, but it happened to all of us at some point. Thankfully the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 lives up to the name then for smaller luggage

[@DinoBytes]

@@UdoKrawallo yes! I can squeeze my X100V, Pocket 3 and a bottle of water into a tiny shoulder bag - and that's all my camera gear on these trips!

[@Uninfluenceable]

The fact they they are brave enough to display $100k's worth of great white lenses in their storefront, tells a lot about their society. Here in the US, (and possibly in the UK as well nowadays), no camera store would dare such thing with all the "unrest" that's been taking place since June 2021.

[@DinoBytes]

Yes, same with Japan, they'd be quite safe. I remember seeing one telescope shop in Tokyo recently where literally every item was in the tens of thousands.

[@RyanKorea]

Korea is a rip-off for almost everything tbh. I can't afford to even eat fruit here 😂

[@DinoBytes]

Yeah, fruit is shockingly expensive in Korea and Japan.

[@philipmode]

Who you calling an Ah, Seoul? 😂

[@DinoBytes]

I was very careful with my pronunciation!

[@WhatThePheel]

Way overpriced compared to Japan

[@DinoBytes]

Which shops in Japan? I visited Japan straight after Korea on my trip this year and the prices were similar. Bur actually more varied stock in Seoul.