Attention photography experts!!!

I am looking for excellent photographic equipment stores in Taipei.

I have a manual Vivitar camera with a 52mm capability. I am looking for manual focus lens for this camera, are they even possible to find in Taiwan?

What are your general experiences/feelings about the prices of photo goods in Taipei? More expensive, cheaper, about the same? Or if I go outside Taipei will they be cheaper? I am specifically looking for a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens. Must be manual because my camera will only accept manual lens.

I am also looking for lots of good filters. What are the best filters to use in Taiwan? Currently I have a skylight filter on it that I used in the States.
I also need a filter that reduces glare, I want to take some pictures between Yilan and Huallien the next time I go, the scenery is just outstanding!! But from a train window I worry.

I haven't used this thing in about three years it needs to be cleaned, are there any places that you would trust with your camera to clean it? I suppose I could do most of it myself and probably can find cleaning stuff almost everywhere.

Okay so back to my original question, where are the best places to buy camera equipment?

Thanks!!!

Mod note -- title modified to cover merged topics -- DB Mod

just from passing by jeff, there are a lot of camera stores on bo ai rd. south of zhongxiao w rd. i feel like I'm getting deja vu here, do you read me? good, bad? I don't know--I'm buying a point-and-shoot from daiichi tomorrow--but if all else fails, they are there.

HanKo St and BoAi Rd (near the train staion) is the best place for cameras. Your Vivitar should use Pentax "K" mount lenses. The 52mm you refer to is the filter size. Many companies make Pentax mount lenses. What do you want the lens for? Portrait, landscape???

Thanks daltongang! I have a point and shoot and frankly I am sick of it, I never used one before I came to Taiwan, figured it would be easier, and I am finding out I am missing awsome shots because the range and trickery on it sucks. I have much more control with my SLR.

Blue, I know that my filter size is 52mm, but I cannot put anything bigger on it without using a converter. I'm not a camera moron, though it may seem it because I've been out of the whole picture for years. I worked for two newspapers and developed my own film prior to coming to Taiwan, but I think I've lost my ability to remember all the technical stuff.

I will mostly be using my camera for landscape. Thats why I need a range say 24-310mm would be great!

Well, if I were you, I'd buy 2 lenses.....a 24mm 2.8 Vivitar and a 75-300mm 4.5-5.6 Vivitar. Personally, I've never been too wild about zooms.

This is what I was thinking too blueface. But I was trying to save a bit of money. And if I bought two lenes I would probably go with something like an 18-24mm and a 75-300mm as you mentioned. But I am hoping for a wider range in f-stops, but there again the price goes up. Why are you not too wild about zooms?

Do any of the stores on HanKo St and BoAi Rd sell used camera equipment? Do any stores anywhere in Taiwan sell used?

I would love to buy some higher quality manual and point & shoot cameras but my lack of photographic skills make the investment in something new impractical.

Some "advice" from a self confessed SLR freak.

Once you go below 20mm or above 200mm, the prices shoot up considerably for good lenses. There are cheaper ones, but the quality is poor. I'm not familiar with Vivitar equipment, but a zoom in the 24-50 range is always a good buy: it's wide enough for indoors and landscapes while also long enough for standard photos (50mm equates to the eyes natural view). The minimum f-stop for these lenses is typically f3.3 or f2.4 (at 24 mm). Remember the lower the f-stop, the better the lens quality since it indicates how much light it can "use".

For longer work, a 70/80 to 200/210 is all you'll need. Cheaper versions run f4/5.6-f8. If you go for a 70-300 then you'll only get f12/16 at 300mm which is half as much light as f8. Lens speed, or lower f-stops is essential for telephotos to avoid blur and particularly to capture movement. If you really need to go longer, then you could always buy an inexpensive teleconvertor. Remember also that you can take fabulous portraits at around 100mm, but you'll need a fast lens to get that. In my experience, the wide zoom range lenses just don't cut it.

Overall, don't buy very wide range zooms because the quality is poor. The need to pack all those glass elements inside the lens results in distortion and poor f-stops, plus one big, heavy and clumsy lens.

Also, consider what you will be photographing. I've bought all sorts of lenses in the past, including an outrageously expensive 80-210 mm f2.8 weighing over a kilo, but still find that 35-70 or preferably 24-50 is all you need most of the time. If you can, I'd suggest investing in a reallly good quality one of these as it will last you a lifetime.

Good luck

Soddom,

Thanks, I already know this, but you may have pushed me to change my mind a bit. I already have a 35-70mm, that is what came with the camera.

I have another camera back home that has a very old Sigma 70-260mm or something like that, it is a very heavy lens but it does the job. I used to take college basket ball pictures with it for our newspaper and it was great! The only draw back was that it too was all manual. I didn't bring it to Taiwan and I regret it.

Anyway, I may end up going with what you said Soddom, I am considering this because of the lens speed.

I am still looking for anwers to my filter question! I need to reduce glare!! And want to know what filters are best for Taiwan. Thanks!

Oh yes the glare!

Good lenses have a coating which will help, and if your lens has a lens hood then you should also attach it, and of course follow the old rules about keeping the sun behind you. Glare because of the extreme brightness of the sun in this part of the world is hard to deal with and it's far better to shoot early morning and late afternoon.

As you say, a skylight filter is useful, if not essential - you should always put a skylight filter on all your lenses if only to protect them. It doesn't deal with glare specifically, but it will sharpen up the image slightly.

The most useful is a polarising filter which you can buy in different strengths, or buy the circular type which you can adjust for a range of strengths on the camera. These have a similar effect to sun glasses - they reduce glare significantly and deepen the colours. The downside is you will lose up to one f stop of speed. I wouldn't consider shooting in bright light without one.

Another I quite like is a warm up filter which come in different strengths. These are not "glare filters" and increase the orange and red spectrum to give a warm picture. However they can improve the colour when shooting in bright light and will prevent the otherwise white burned out appearance. Unlike the polarizer though, it will probably be noticeable that a filter was used.

Once again, invest in the best you can afford.

Another trick is to underexpose your picture as the glare may confuse your meter. If your camera has an auto bracketing feature it can do this for you automatically. Taking a light reading off a neutral tone like skin is another old trick for dealing with confused meters.

You might want to experiment with films, too. For colour print film, Fuji Realia can't be beaten in my opinion. The colours are incredibly vivid.