Article and pictures by Chan Teng Heng, the Biz Professor who happens to like Photography

This subject became an interesting decision point for serious and hobbyist photographers.

Should one purchase photographic equipment from specialized stores or from the high street shops or large electronics retail outlet?

I went through this experience of equipment hunting when I visited such stores in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and U.S.A.

Hong Kong and Singapore have the advantages of being exposed to the latest photographic equipment lately with new camera introduction into these markets, due to the explosive growth in interest in photography in the recent years. This was because manufacturing technology and relocation of photographic manufacturing factories to lower cost countries like China (Olympus), Indonesia (Olympus) and Bangkok (Nikon) have made cameras more affordable. 

Materials substitution using plastic polymers and lighter metal components have reduced the materials costs allowing more consumers to purchase DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras than before.

As we know, professionals were the major users of DSLRs in the past, and most consumers bought compact cameras.

Today, there is a major shift of buyers towards DSLRs which are known to give better quality and larger images and prints, leading to recognition of a group of consumers who hope to become professional photographers, and are called the pro-sumer group.  

More ladies too are now buying DSLRs which have been downsized and are easier to handle. In Singapore, the lowest price for a reasonably good DSLR (the Nikon D40, a good camera, although less competitive in terms of megapixel power) is less than S$900.

Where do we find these specialty stores and how do they survive? In Funan Center, Sim Lim Square, Peninsula Plaza and Lucky Plaza, there are more specialty stores here solely dedicated to selling photographic cameras and equipment than the rest of Singapore combined.

Recently I found even more competition from new specialty stores opening up in the top floors of Sim Lim Square. Why are they popular and why do they have a continuous stream of repeat customers?

In my travels overseas, I have been to mega shopping malls in U.S. and Malaysia (unfortunately there are no such malls in Hong Kong) and to large electronic retail outlets trying to sample the range of photographic equipment available. These giant malls however have only two to three photographic outlets.

In Westfield shopping mall in St Jose in Silicon Valley, California, the outlets have limited range of photographic equipment, and most of them stock low end DSLR, the entry level DSLRs. High end DSLRs are only available on order.

Most of these “photographic” shops offer printing facilities as well. One such large shop had computers that allow you to edit your downloaded photos, save the album, and order your prints for collection a few days later.

The other photographic shops in this mall had a good range of compact cameras, camera bags and sling bags, and accessories. I went to several Fry’s electronic store, which is a large supermarket for electronic goods such TV, LCDs, computer parts and accessories, hifi equipment, etc. There is a section on cameras, but I was disappointed that there was a good range of  compact cameras with limited DSLR cameras on sale (lower end range) and even more limited lenses.

In Hong Kong, malls have limited camera retail outlets. In Malaysia, the malls such as Pavilion, Utama One and Mega Mall, have limited camera retail outlets. In Singapore, Harvey Norman, Courts Mammoth and Best Electronics represent large chain electronic stores that have quite large sections selling photographic equipment. 

The Harvey Norman outlet in Funan Center appears to stock the most current photo equipment and have the best promotion among the other outlets in the same chain in Singapore. Purchasing from these electronic outlets have their advantages and disadvantages. Because they stock so many electronic goods, cameras and similar equipment are always sold in packages, and there is less flexibility in how such chains can package your purchase demands.

Although the cost is higher as a package, the additional stuff, such as bags, memory cards, tripod stands, camera bags, and other accessories, are good value for money – provided you do not have these items.

If you wish to purchase the camera equipment alone, then the pricing may not be favorable to you, as such chain stores need higher margins to contribute to their overheads. However, you may wish to look out for promotions, as good bargains may be sought.

Now we come to specialty stores, my most favorite place to purchase cameras and equipment. Some of  my students have done some consumer behavior research on these stores.

They found that although names like Harvey Norman and Best Electronics have good memory recall from their survey respondents, the specialty stores like John3:16, Alan Photo, and Cathay, which were included in their survey, had as much as 80% of repeat customers, which reflect the high satisfaction that customers have from such stores.

These specialty stores stock a vast range of equipment (Canon, Nikon, Olympus being the most commonly found range) with limited specialty stores selling Leica, Pentax, and Panasonic and Samsung cameras. Sony has their Sony stores exhibiting Sony products and equipment., and other electronic chains and specialty stores selling Sony cameras. We shall focus on the selling of  DSLRs to better differentiate the services offered by specialty stores compared to other retail outlets. 

California's Westfield Shoppingtown combines ambience with great shopping experience.

San Jose Camera is a specialty outlet in California’s Silicon Valley.

Hong Kong’s photography specialty outlet is on the high street.