Hong Kong + Sydney

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davelee212

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Hi all

I'm off to Hong Kong on Wednesday on the way to visiting friends in Sydney for 10 days. I'm taking my (hardly used until now) 400d, any suggestions on places to visit for decent photo ops?

At the moment I've only got the kit 18-55 IS lens and have been thinking about getting a wide angle lens. Would the prices out in Hong Kong be cheaper than blighty or are those days been and gone?

thanks

Dave
 
From 14th February to 7th (I think) of March, is the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. Supposedly the largest event of its kind, anywhere in the world. That should give you a few things to shoot.

Besides that, I think Sydney is a stupidly photogenic city. Pretty much everywhere you go, there's something to make a good shot. The fountains in Darling Harbour and Hyde Park were back on this weekend as well.

Can't help with HK sorry, only ever been to the airport.

Jamie.
 
I was in HK the last month and prices are very similar to the UK, in some cases more expensive on the canon stuff I was looking at. From talking to some of the shops, they are having a pretty hard time of it out there too so you're unlikely to haggle them down on price.
 
Below is a post of mine from last year, which should be mostly relevant:


I was last there in March, my third trip there. In general, it's cheaper to buy things from the HK sellers on ebay than to buy in the shops there. Not always, but often so. You won't save a vast amount. If you want to have a look, then there's Stanley St on HK island. There are a couple of reputable camera shops there. There are plenty of shops on Nathan Rd, Kowloon (mainland part) which people are regularly warned to avoid but there's no harm in browsing. If you have an idea what prices you can get stuff off ebay for (inc post and potential tax), then you know what could be a bargain or not. I got a Lowepro 100 bag from an ordinary camera shop for £25 - about half the UK price. Mind you, I was forced in to buying it because one of my 2 suitcases containing my Lowepro 300 (empty) did not turn up for 2 days. Yes, empty, because all my camera stuff was with me as carry on in a bigger bag. Be warned.

You will find a couple of camera shops in Times Square mall on HK island (featured in the second Tombraider film). Fortress is amongst them - a widespread electrical chain who are ok. Then there's Wanchai Computer Mall on Hennessy Rd, Wanchai (island). It's right next to the Wanchai subway station. It has a few camera shops amongst the multitude of pc and gadget shops. It's well worth a look around - I'd say a must - and allow yourself plenty of time because it will suck you in. Prices can vary a lot within, so have a good walk round before buying. And work out a system to navigate round and get back to shortlisted shops because it's a rabbit warren.

If you have any interest in secondhand stuff I found a small mall filled with shops selling every conceivable type of film camera, lens, accessory, and including a few digital items as well. I don't have the location to hand but I could find it if required. Somewhere off Nathan road, Kowloon.

Temple St night market in Kowloon is worth a look for lots of useful little gadget and odds and ends. There's a thing called the Ladies market Kowloon which actually sells all sorts of stuff inc things of interest to men.

On arrival at the airport take a walk around the arrivals level and find one of the counters which offers a coach to your hotel and pickup for return. They don't cost too much and it's a darn sight easier than messing about with trains. Unless you want to splash out on a taxi. At your first subway station get an Octopus card to pay for your transport - subway, trams, buses, the Star Ferry, other ferries, and the cable car up to Victoria Peak. Any unused credit is refunded when you return the card (less an admin fee).

Take a trip across the harbour on the Star ferry. Costs next to nothing and you'll get some nice shots of the skyline. The upper deck is supposedly first class for about 20p. There are other Star Ferries on longer crossings if you want to see more. And there are ferries to outlying islands. I went to Cheng Chau, which has no cars. It was a nice day out.

Make sure you're on the Kowloon waterside for night shots of the island. They also do a nightly laser display. It starts at 8 if I remember correctly.

Take a cable car up to Victoria Peak for classic views of HK and the harbour. Both day and night. Ideally get up there in the afternoon for your day shots. You are supposed to be able to bypass the ticket queues when using your Octopus card, but when I got there for some reason there was a sign directing card users to the booths (and long queues). I ignored it and went straight for the turnstiles where you swipe your card without a problem. Haze and smog may be a hindrance to getting the best pictures. Sometimes it's clear. Have a walk along the pathway walks, look around the shopping mall there (not a big one). Have something to eat then set yourself up for night shots as it starts to get dark. You can get some good pictures before blackness arrives as the buildings start to light up. You can take pictures from ground level or pay to access the viewing platform on top of the odd shaped building.

Take a ride up the mid-levels escalator system - longest in the world. Goes down for the morning rush to work then goes up for the rest of the day. You can get off at various points. You can also get some good shots looking down in to the streets below.

If you see a street market and don't like blood and guts then find another way. It's not too bad though, and somewhat interesting. I saw fish split in half - had been so for some time - and with hearts still beating. A disturbing sight.

You may get recommendations to go to Stanley Market, which requires a bus ride across the island to a coastal village. To be honest, it's nothing special, and you won't get anything there that you won't find in HK city and Kowloon for a similar price. If you have nothing else to do it's an interesting ride to see other parts of the island, but appallingly bumpy and you'll be lucky to get a single picture on the move.

The only tall building I found with access to a viewing level was the Bank of China tower. This is the odd wedge shaped one with the lattice framework. It has a viewing level on something like the 41st floor. Not a wide view - a bit of the harbour and towards the mountain behind. Reflections a bit of a problem but not insurmountable. Unfortunately and short-sightedly the tallest building - the International Finance centre - has no public access.

A tram ride is a must. Enter at the rear and pay on exit at the front (Octopus card). Work your way to the front on the upper deck and ride from one end of the island to the other and take lots of pictures with no glass in the way. I went from one end of the track to the other in both directions. One end there is an obvious turnaround and stop, but the other I found myself on an empty tram entering the works depot and being politely shouted at in Chinese by the driver telling me, I guess, to get off.

Play a little game. Count the number of Circle K convenience stores. There seems to be one every 50 yards or so. All selling exactly the same thing. I stood at a corner near my hotel and counted 7 within sight.

If you're out on a Sunday and you encounter thousands of women congregating in the parks, squares, bridges, crossing subways, then these are the domestic help - the cleaner ladies - for the better off HK residents. They are mostly of Phillipine origin and similar places. Sunday is their day off and they meet up to gossip and picnic. Many are amenable to having their photo taken and I took a few myself.

This time of year it will be very hot and humid. You will have a problem with condensation on leaving your cool room and stepping outside. A video camera will be useless for over an hour, and it will take a while to clear your still camera. Wrap them up tightly in a poly bag in the room, and leave them wrapped on going out until they have reached near enough outside temperature. On the subject of temperature and humidity, when I was there in August a couple of years ago I found it very debilitating. Plan to take it easy - walking much slower, plenty of stops in cool indoor places, and carry water with you. I rapidly curtailed my 9am exit from the hotel and 9pm return to something like 11am until around 6pm because of the heat and humidity, until I had acclimatised after about 4 days. Even then I still didn't go out for much longer. But if you're skinny and fit you may do better.

It's a great place. Easy to get around. Most speak English. Lots to photograph, safe to walk around most places, even the dirty but photogenic slummy sidestreets. Have a good time.
 
Here's a previous post of mine too!

Where to begin... For starters, you'll see many camera stores, but don't be tempted to buy just anywhere. You want to make sure you buy from somewhere reputable, but without paying top dollar with the bigger chains.

I don't know your nationality or language capabilities, but there's usually room to haggle everywhere in Hong Kong even if fixed prices are shown. If you're buying lots, ask for a discount.

For buying camera equipment, I'd suggest Tin Cheung. You'll find them located in Carnarvon Road, Tsim Tsha Tsui. Just take exit D1 out of the TST MTR station and it's just about 100-metres away. I bought a tripod and a number of lenses from there and haven't had any problems. Some were grey market (no warranty, but much cheaper), my L lens came with an optional international warranty.

From there, it's only a short walk away from TST promenade where you can join everyone else to photos of the Hong Kong waterfront.



If you want to, you can get free access to high floors in the Bank of China building and IFC2. Just take your passport along with you for ID and you'll get an amazing view of all the buildings around central Hong Kong.

No doubt, you'll visit Victoria peak. I'd suggest taking a tripod and going late afternoon about a couple of hours before sunset. You'll have time to walk around to take photos, but also enough time to get a good spot on the sky terrace (pay the extra when you buy your tram ticket as it's a bit cheaper, but beware it's single use) to get the night view.



If you time it right, you can catch the open-top bus from just outside of the tram station and it'll take you on a fantastic night-time tour around central Hong Kong to arrive near the Star Ferry terminal. Then, try to catch the ferry so you're crossing whilst the Symphony of Lights is on (between 8pm and 8.15pm each evening) for a less crowded view of the performance.



If you want to escape out of the busy city, then check out the numerous parks Hong Kong has to offer. They're all free and very well looked after.

I'd suggest buying your memory cards before you get to Hong Kong as prices weren't as good. I'd also suggest an external hard drive was a necessity, but you might not need one for a short stay. I shot over 2,000 photos in RAW so I'm glad I took one.

Get yourself an Octopus card as soon as possible. It's like London's Oyster card only it's accepted on almost every mode of transport and even in some shops. You can buy one from any train station or at the airport. Prices start from HKD$150 (cash only) with HKD$50 going towards the refundable deposit on the card itself. Absolutely essential piece of kit.

The Mass Transit Rail (MTR) trains are very easy, fast, clean, cool, reliable and are usually the main form of transport for locals and tourists alike.
 
DigitalRelish said:
If you want to, you can get free access to high floors in the Bank of China building and IFC2. Just take your passport along with you for ID and you'll get an amazing view of all the buildings around central Hong Kong.
Click to expand...

IFC2 - is that the tall one or the short one? I tried to get in to one of them - I forget which - but it said no public access, with turnstiles and swipe cards.
 
IFC2 is the taller one. The public gallery is on the 55th floor. Just ask at reception for a turnstile pass.
 
This is what it looks like on the 55th floor of the IFC2 and what it looks like from it:

IMG_1503.jpg


IMG_1505.jpg


Watch out for those reflections!
 
Wow! That's a brilliant set of responses! Cheers for that peeps! Very much appreciated!! I'll have to make sure to make some decent pics so I can post them up here!

On the storage side of things, I've got a couple of 4GB memory cards. Might have to see if I can pic up a couple more before the off. I'm taking my standard PC external drive so I'll be able to offload the cf cards to it when I get to my mate's place in Oz.

Flying out tomorrow night, woohoo!

Dave
 
Try Citicall on HK island (Central station) for camera gear to. I managed to get a few bits for about £40 less than the UK!! :D The Dragons Back is worth a walk if you like the countryside. Maxims Palace is awesome for Dim Sum!! ;)
 
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