Q: Nikon accessories/lens shop in SF ?
 

Hi all

I will travel to San Fancisco in Feb for a week and
due to good euro/dollar rate I have a plan to buy
some "hard to find" Nikon accessories from local stores.

... I have no money to buy all of these, but this is
my wish list .. and I'm looking used items.

- Nikkor 20mm f 3.5 AI or AIS model or
- Nikkor 20mm f 4 AI or
- Nikkor 18mm f 4 AI or
- Nikkor 18mm f 3.5 AI or AIS
- PC Nikkor 35mm or 28mm "lastest models"
- Polaroid pack for FM-series
- PK-series extension tubes
- ML-2 remote control
- DR-3 right angle viewing attachment
- flash extension cables etc

If you can recommended shop in downtown area, or San
Francisco city area, please post followup or send email.
(URL, email-address or street address)

Btw, if you have any of above for sale and you live or
work in SF and you are in town between 14-20.2.2004,
please email your offer.

Thank you,

(Mr.) Saku Elovaara

Try Adolph Gasser, www.gassers.com.

In rec.photo.equipment.35mm Paul Rubin wrote:
Try Adolph Gasser, www.gassers.com.

Thanks.

BR
Saku

I think you'll find a better deal going out of San Francisco.
Keeble-Shuchat in Palo Alto (about 25 miles south of SF) is a great store.
For better deals go to Santa Cruz (about 45 miles south of SF on the coast)
to Camera Club (???, I believe that is their name). Generally, you want to
take expensive California real estate pricing out of your purchase price as
much as possible...nothing is cheap in the area you are going to, you'd
probably do better on eBay or mail order, but I did think Santa Cruz pricing
was closer to the rest of the country. Now, on NEW stuff, San Jose Camera
was close enough to NY pricing that I seldom found reason to buy elsewhere
(but some people don't like their "attitude"...I've never experienced it,
but I have seen and heard numerous complaints)...and LZ Premiums in Campbell
isn't bad either on new stuff.

"Saku Elovaara" wrote in message
...
In rec.photo.equipment.35mm Paul Rubin
wrote:
Try Adolph Gasser, www.gassers.com.

Thanks.

BR
Saku

Saku Elovaara wrote:

I will travel to San Fancisco in Feb for a week and
due to good euro/dollar rate I have a plan to buy
some "hard to find" Nikon accessories from local stores.

(...)

You could take a look at a couple of SF places like:

http://www.gassers.com

http://www.photosupply.com

but if I were you, I'd find someone with a computer
connected to internet and follow EBay auctions.
This is where you start your search for Nikkor
lenses:

http://tinyurl.com/325us

As of today, 48 pages of Nikon mounts are available,
for a grand total of 2,274 items, and that's pretty much
your weekly average. Chances of finding exactly what
you're looking for are much higher than in any store,
no matter how big it is.

In rec.photo.equipment.35mm Paolo Pizzi wrote:

but if I were you, I'd find someone with a computer
connected to internet and follow EBay auctions.
This is where you start your search for Nikkor
lenses:

http://tinyurl.com/325us

As of today, 48 pages of Nikon mounts are available,
for a grand total of 2,274 items, and that's pretty much
your weekly average. Chances of finding exactly what
you're looking for are much higher than in any store,
no matter how big it is.


I have allready made about 30 deals via Ebay (Photo stuff),
you can check my profile, userid are 'sakke' .
But most interesting stuff sellers don't ship to outside
US & Canada. And when buying something larger and heavier,
shipping charges going quite high, easily +100 USD.
... and when the package coming in, I must pay clearance charge
(about 5%) and value added tax (22%) from eg. lens price
plus shipping. Let's calculate...

Lens from US seller ................. $300
Shipping with UPS/Fedex/DHL ......... $100
clearance charge (5% of $300) ....... $15
value added tax (22% of $300+$100) .. $88

Total price ......................... $503


If I use USPS, it is cheaper, but the I must pay about $30
to local shipping company for paperwork.

So, when I visit SF (short holiday with my wife). I use few
time to visit local camera stores, check what they have and
maybe I buy something. That $300 lens from ebay could be $400
in local store, but I still save over $100 ...

And, when visiting shops in person, I can also check stuff
myself _before_ buying.. .. and I'm searching only that kind
of stuff that are hardly available in Ebay, eg. Nikon DR-3,
Nikon IR remote control (ML-2).. I have not _ever_ found them
in local stores in here Helsinki, Finland. Of course, they
can "order" them from importer and sell them to me very
high price, e.g ML-2 "list price" was few years ago in
610 EUR, about $780 ..
In Focuscamera.com ML-2 set price was $380, ok, let's say
that the retail price in local store are about $450 ..
So, $450 in local shop in US, delivery time about 5 min ...
compare $780 plus 4 weeks delivery..

... If I spend $1000 for Nikon special stuff, I have
earned flight tickets for HEL-SFO-HEL.
(I just pay 510 eur, about $650 tickets..)

Now I hope that you understand who I'm asking coodinates
and names for SF area Nikon shops :-)

My last visit was 1998 and I can't remember all thing in detail.

BR
Saku

Try Keeble & Shucat in Palo Alto or San Jose Camera down in San Jose if you
have the time. Keeble & Shucat was my favorite shop when I lived in the Bay
Area. San Jose Camera is lower price, but not as much inventory, especially
on lower volume items. Unfortunately, neither is in San Francisco, but the
drive to Palo Alto is not very far (about 30 - 45 minutes).
Roy
www.lighttimephoto.com

Saku Elovaara wrote:

I have allready made about 30 deals via Ebay (Photo stuff),
you can check my profile, userid are 'sakke' .
But most interesting stuff sellers don't ship to outside
US & Canada.

Yeah, but they will ship to your hotel room (or a friend's
house) in SF. That was my point...

And, when visiting shops in person, I can also check stuff
myself _before_ buying.. .. and I'm searching only that kind
of stuff that are hardly available in Ebay, eg. Nikon DR-3,
Nikon IR remote control (ML-2)..

Well, if it's hard to find on EBay, don't get your hopes too
high, because it will be even harder to find in local stores.

Now I hope that you understand who I'm asking coodinates
and names for SF area Nikon shops :-)

Well, the two places I mentioned are still your best bet.

Have fun and good luck.

PS. If you have the chance, come down to LA, we have
far more pro camera shops than the Bay Area... If you want,
I can give you recommendations.

Roy wrote:

the drive to Palo Alto is not very far (about 30 - 45 minutes).

Yeah, but only from about 2:00AM to 4:30AM... ;-)

"Paolo Pizzi" wrote in message
m...
Roy wrote:

the drive to Palo Alto is not very far (about 30 - 45 minutes).

Yeah, but only from about 2:00AM to 4:30AM... ;-)

One of the benefits of the technology market collapse. Traffic is not nearly
as bad as it used to be. :)
Roy
www.lighttimephoto.com