adorama doesn't seem to want my business
It looks like the monopod that meets my specs for reasonable quality and fitting in both my camera bag and budget is the Manfrotto 790B. At $33, and 16" collapsed, it looks like an affordable solution. I sent Adorama a note asking if there were any other monopods that met my specifications, this is the conversation so far. And correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Manfrotto and Bogen one company, with Gitzo as a competitor? On Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 10:44:59AM -0400, A_Sales wrote: A A Hi, A A A please contact mfr for best advice L But the point was that I don't know what similar monopods are made by L other manufacturers. It's not like Manfrotto will suggest a Gitzo for L me to look at. - Forwarded message from A_Sales - A Hi, A gitzo and manfrotto are one company A they will best assist you Thank you for shopping with us we appreciate your business. Sincerely, Morris Abrams - "Online" Customer Service E. serv...@adorama.com P.(800)223-2500 - P.(212)741-0401 Can I help you with anything else? Don't hesitate to ask We have assigned the following tracking ID to your inquiry: LTK16401792964X. Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us > From: Larry Colen [...@red4est.com] To: Cc: Subject: Re: Monopod - Ticket# LTK16401792964X > 201 818-9500 > > > Thank you for shopping with us we appreciate your business. > > > Sincerely, > > Morris Abrams - "Online" Customer Service > E. serv...@adorama.com > P.(800)223-2500 - P.(212)741-0401 > > Can I help you with anything else? Don't hesitate to ask > > > > We have assigned the following tracking ID to your inquiry: LTK16401792964X. > Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us > > > > > > From: Larry Colen [...@red4est.com] > To: > Cc: > Subject: Monopod > > > > I'm looking for a monopod to carry in my lowepro Fastpack 350. > I need something with a collapsed length of 17" or less (without the > head). I'm also on a sub $100 budget at the moment. Eventually I may > pick up the $250 carbon fiber wonder, but at the moment it looks like > the Manfrotto 790B. > > Are there any other monopods that I should be looking at? > > Currently the biggest rig that I'd be using on it would be my Pentax > K20 with tamron 18-250 or pentax A* 200/2.8. > > Thanks, > Larry > > > -- > The first step is learning to take great photos, > the second step is learning to throw away ones that are merely good. > Larry Colen l...@red4est.com > http://www.red4est.com/lrc > > -- The first step is learning to take great photos, the second step is learning to throw away ones that are merely good. Larry Colen l...@red4est.comhttp://www.red4est.com/lrc - End forwarded message - -- The first step is learning to take great photos, the second step is learning to throw away ones that are merely good. Larry Colen l...@red4est.comhttp://www.red4est.com/lrc -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
- Original Message - From: "Larry Colen" Subject: adorama doesn't seem to want my business It looks like the monopod that meets my specs for reasonable quality and fitting in both my camera bag and budget is the Manfrotto 790B. At $33, and 16" collapsed, it looks like an affordable solution. I sent Adorama a note asking if there were any other monopods that met my specifications, this is the conversation so far. And correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Manfrotto and Bogen one company, with Gitzo as a competitor? Get onto PentaxForums and bitch about it. That should wake up Helen Oster, who is the resident Adorama cheerleader. William Robb -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
Larry, You sound too idealistic to me.. (I know you aren't that naive :-) ) After all, Adorama (unless you stop by at their store) is a mail-order store which has a relatively low margin and sells you what you want to buy, and not a consulting business. Like with most internet/mail-order serivices, you save by researching the products yourself, and if you are not capable of that, you pay the stupidity premium at the local BestBuy, Ritz Camera, etc. For that type of service that you want at a reasonable level, you pay extra bucks at a local knowledgeable store (if any). Igor Fri Jul 24 12:00:11 CDT 2009 Larry Colen wrote: > I sent Adorama a note asking if there were any other monopods that met > my specifications, this is the conversation so far. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
On Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 02:15:00PM -0400, Igor Roshchin wrote: > > Larry, > > You sound too idealistic to me.. (I know you aren't that naive :-) ) Only sometimes. > After all, Adorama (unless you stop by at their store) is a mail-order > store which has a relatively low margin and sells you what you want > to buy, and not a consulting business. Like with most Yeah, but I figured that they'd at least have some clue about their product line. Maybe I am that naive. > internet/mail-order serivices, you save by researching the products > yourself, and if you are not capable of that, you pay the stupidity > premium at the local BestBuy, Ritz Camera, etc. > > For that type of service that you want at a reasonable level, > you pay extra bucks at a local knowledgeable store (if any). Unfortunately the only short monopod at our local knowledgable store is $240. The Benro MP-66 and MC-66 also look promising, but don't seem to be available in the US. Likewise B&H has a few that seem to meet my specs. I wish I could search on collapsed length. -- The first step is learning to take great photos, the second step is learning to throw away ones that are merely good. Larry Colen l...@red4est.comhttp://www.red4est.com/lrc -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
This sounds like the time that I got a message from Pentax service that said, in essence, "We don't know anything but feel free to ask any time." You might get advice from B&H on the phone, but it will be fast-paced, New York-style advice. Adorama is a funny company in many ways. I now buy from them less often than I used to. Their support staff are only able to read from scripts. No doubt in the case the script read "Contact the manufacturer." Joe -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
You can buy a wood screw that becomes a 1/4 x 20 machine screw. Cut yourself an interesting walking stick from a good piece of green wood. Dry it out for two years indoors. Wrap copper wire around the bottom 2 inches. Attach a cane rubber foot (drug stores) that fits very tight. Buy several, as they get old and crack. Wrap wet leather (rough side out) around the top 6 - 12 inches, attach ends with a brass brad or two and let it dry. You could substitute heavy fishing line at both ends for the brads. Wrapped to cover the ends, and varnished into place after the leather dries. Now take the 1/4 x 20 wood screw and drill a pilot hole, not too large, straight down into the top of the stick. Thread two nuts onto the 1/4 x 20 wood screw and counter tighten so they won't turn. Use a nut driver to screw the assembly into the pilot hole until the wood screw threads disappear. Unlock the two nuts and set them to allow just enough of the machine threads to attach either a camera, or a tripod head (couple more threads available if a head). You can them either screw the ass'y in further to get the nuts flush with the top of the wood, or not. Now you have a hiking stick, and you don't need a monopod that fits in your pack. Instead, carry a Super Clamp or a multipurpose thing that looks like a "C" clamp, has a tiny ball head, three tiny legs that fit inside of the "C" part of the unit, and perhaps a 1/4 x 20 wood screw inside as well. There are several German units that fit that bill. I think mine is a HAMA, but I have several, one aluminum that you can screw into a tree trunk if need be. http://tinyurl.com/kwmt6o (B&H has this item)(also smaller version under the name of "Kalt") Search B&H for Tripod Clamps http://tinyurl.com/m2yar7 Also search B&H for GorillaPods. Pick up a couple of $5 flash shoes for them so you can put your Pentax flash anywhere, 'cause they don't have threads. You'd think, another few grams of plastic and a 1/4 x 20 socket and the 'free' flash stand that comes with each 540 would have much more use. On Jul 24, 2009, at 12:20 , Larry Colen wrote: On Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 02:15:00PM -0400, Igor Roshchin wrote: Larry, You sound too idealistic to me.. (I know you aren't that naive :-) ) Only sometimes. After all, Adorama (unless you stop by at their store) is a mail- order store which has a relatively low margin and sells you what you want to buy, and not a consulting business. Like with most Yeah, but I figured that they'd at least have some clue about their product line. Maybe I am that naive. internet/mail-order serivices, you save by researching the products yourself, and if you are not capable of that, you pay the stupidity premium at the local BestBuy, Ritz Camera, etc. For that type of service that you want at a reasonable level, you pay extra bucks at a local knowledgeable store (if any). Unfortunately the only short monopod at our local knowledgable store is $240. The Benro MP-66 and MC-66 also look promising, but don't seem to be available in the US. Likewise B&H has a few that seem to meet my specs. I wish I could search on collapsed length. Joseph McAllister pentax...@mac.com I couldn't remember most of what I know today if it weren't for others sharing their knowledge of my past on the Internet. Thank you… -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
- Original Message - From: "Joseph McAllister" Subject: Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business You can buy a wood screw that becomes a 1/4 x 20 machine screw. Ask for a hanger bolt at your local full line hardware store. This isn't the sort of thing a Home Depot would sell, but they are used quite a lot in furniture making. William Robb -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
Larry Colen wrote: And correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Manfrotto and Bogen one company, with Gitzo as a competitor? Bogen is a distributor. Manfrotto and Gitzo are manufacturers. All of them are owned by the Vitec Group PLC Dario -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business
Thank you, Will Robb, for the nomenclature of that piece. I never knew it. On Jul 24, 2009, at 21:40 , William Robb wrote: - Original Message - From: "Joseph McAllister" Subject: Re: adorama doesn't seem to want my business You can buy a wood screw that becomes a 1/4 x 20 machine screw. Ask for a hanger bolt at your local full line hardware store. This isn't the sort of thing a Home Depot would sell, but they are used quite a lot in furniture making. William Robb Joseph McAllister pentax...@mac.com “ It is still true, as was first said many years ago, that people are the only sophisticated computing devices that can be made at low cost by unskilled workers!” — Martin G. Wolf, PhD -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.