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littledrawe · 12-20-2011, 07:04 PM

I asked the guy what his price range is for ball heads that have an arca-swiss style quick release?
Then all I heard was silence. . . . . . .
He asked me what I meant by Arca Swiss?
I said well a lens plate with dovetail grooves cut into both sides of it and a head that that clamps onto those grooves to hold or accept the lens plate.

He said well I've worked here for 20 years and you're the first person that has ever said "Arca Swiss" anything to me.

I didn't know what Arca Swiss was either when I got my first DSLR but after a couple months on the forums and a couple hours looking for a tripod head a while back I knew exactly what it was.

20 years and he had never heard the term Arca Swiss.....that is surprising.

vonBaloney · 12-20-2011, 07:11 PM - **1 Like**

A few hours on this forum = 1 year at camera store.

DaveHolmes · 12-20-2011, 07:11 PM

I've never heard of it either...
Did he have any ball-heads with quick-release plates?

SOldBear · 12-20-2011, 07:15 PM - **3 Likes**

If it doesn't have Nikon or Canon name on it, it doesn't exist.

Sad but true.

Mike Cash · 12-20-2011, 07:24 PM

I plead ignorance as well. Over here all you see is Slik and Velbon.

panoguy · 12-20-2011, 07:26 PM

Does this local camera shop also "send out film for processing" and shoot passport photos "while U wait?"

True enough, Arca-swiss used to only refer to a single (expensive) brand of gear, but these days (pat 10 years) it's almost the same as Xerox or Kleenex, but in photo-gear ubiquity... unless you don't deal with "prosumers" much.

Docrwm · 12-20-2011, 07:29 PM

Wow, perhaps he should join here for an education? Just a thought.

**Digitalis** · 12-20-2011, 07:54 PM

Originally posted by littledrawe

He said well I've worked here for 20 years and you're the first person that has ever said "Arca Swiss" anything to me.

Arca swiss isn't very common down here either, here in Oz it is Manfrotto territory. However whenever I need gear from Arca or RRS I order it from them directly because their equipment is rather specialised and therefore costly and there isn't much call for such high-end equipment. I also get the impression that many people in my city do not have the faintest idea of what a joy it is to use a finely crafted ballhead like the RRS B-55 and because they do not know they settle for second rate ballheads like the manfrotto -488* *shudder*

* I had a student that worked with one of these and... it sucked. the movement of the head wasn't smooth, and it suffered from the worst case of lock-down shift I have ever seen.

wlachan · 12-20-2011, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by littledrawe

I asked the guy what his price range is for ball heads that have an arca-swiss style quick release?
Then all I heard was silence. . . . . . .
He asked me what I meant by Arca Swiss?

Your best reply would probably be like, "Excuse me I think I got the wrong #."

cmohr · 12-20-2011, 08:57 PM

I asked about a "Gimbal" at one of the bigger shops here in Brisbane, and the guy looked at me like I had two heads with a worried look on his face (as if I had just asked for a gimp) then said, "Um No..... we dont sell that brand here?".

**Digitalis** · 12-20-2011, 09:00 PM

ROFL@ cmohr

I remember years ago when a sales rep at a camera store directed me to a golfing store when I said I was after a Leica rangefinder.

Steinback · 12-20-2011, 09:56 PM

I just picked up a second hand Arca compatible ball head over the weekend (Sirui G-30). The local store didn't seem to be able to order anything in, but the larger dealers in the Toronto area do stock some stuff from Arca Swiss, Wimberley, Acratech, Benro, Sirui, and probably others as well. Now I just need a couple more cheap plates for my 645 and some other film bodies that don't get as much use as my DSLR.

The guys at the local store are familiar with Arca Swiss but generally they don't stock anything that specialized.

**Digitalis** · 12-20-2011, 10:07 PM

.

Originally posted by Steinback

The guys at the local store are familiar with Arca Swiss but generally they don't stock anything that specialized.

You Canadian photographers have people like Michael Reichmann to thank for that, though here in the antipodes we are yet to have anyone so skilled and knowledgeable.

magkelly · 12-20-2011, 10:08 PM

There is nothing here at all. No place to buy camera gear except for the cameras in places like Best Buy, Walmart, Target etc. Even the mall Ritz Camera shop is gone now. There is one guy who supposedly does repair work but who knows nothing about cameras that don't say "Canon" or "Nikon" on them and even then his ability to do much of any thing is pretty limited. I emailed him up once to ask about a very simple repair for one of my Yashica SLR's and the reply I got back told me he didn't even know what an older SLR looked like let alone how to repair one. I hear there's a photography store across the state that's decent but it's so far away that it might as well be the moon and they don't sell Pentax gear anyway so there's not much point in my even making the trip. I think if I recall correctly the nearest Pentax retailer to here is 2 states away. The way I figure it I might as well get on a plane to NYC as go there...;P

RioRico · 12-20-2011, 11:23 PM

What, local camera shops still exist?

12-20-2011, 07:04 PM	#1
littledrawe Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Red Rock Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,514	Just got off the phone with the local camera shop... I asked the guy what his price range is for ball heads that have an arca-swiss style quick release? Then all I heard was silence. . . . . . . He asked me what I meant by Arca Swiss? I said well a lens plate with dovetail grooves cut into both sides of it and a head that that clamps onto those grooves to hold or accept the lens plate. He said well I've worked here for 20 years and you're the first person that has ever said "Arca Swiss" anything to me. I didn't know what Arca Swiss was either when I got my first DSLR but after a couple months on the forums and a couple hours looking for a tripod head a while back I knew exactly what it was. 20 years and he had never heard the term Arca Swiss.....that is surprising.

12-20-2011, 07:54 PM	#8
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,695	Originally posted by littledrawe He said well I've worked here for 20 years and you're the first person that has ever said "Arca Swiss" anything to me. Arca swiss isn't very common down here either, here in Oz it is Manfrotto territory. However whenever I need gear from Arca or RRS I order it from them directly because their equipment is rather specialised and therefore costly and there isn't much call for such high-end equipment. I also get the impression that many people in my city do not have the faintest idea of what a joy it is to use a finely crafted ballhead like the RRS B-55 and because they do not know they settle for second rate ballheads like the manfrotto -488* shudder * I had a student that worked with one of these and... it sucked. the movement of the head wasn't smooth, and it suffered from the worst case of lock-down shift I have ever seen. Last edited by Digitalis; 12-20-2011 at 08:49 PM.

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12-20-2011, 07:11 PM - 1 Like	#2
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	A few hours on this forum = 1 year at camera store.

12-20-2011, 07:11 PM	#3
DaveHolmes Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 1,501	I've never heard of it either... Did he have any ball-heads with quick-release plates?

12-20-2011, 07:15 PM - 3 Likes	#4
SOldBear Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 3,206	If it doesn't have Nikon or Canon name on it, it doesn't exist. Sad but true.

12-20-2011, 07:24 PM	#5
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	I plead ignorance as well. Over here all you see is Slik and Velbon.

12-20-2011, 07:26 PM	#6
panoguy Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Washington, D.C. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,327	Does this local camera shop also "send out film for processing" and shoot passport photos "while U wait?" True enough, Arca-swiss used to only refer to a single (expensive) brand of gear, but these days (pat 10 years) it's almost the same as Xerox or Kleenex, but in photo-gear ubiquity... unless you don't deal with "prosumers" much.

12-20-2011, 07:29 PM	#7
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Wow, perhaps he should join here for an education? Just a thought.

12-20-2011, 08:46 PM	#9
wlachan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 2,625	Originally posted by littledrawe I asked the guy what his price range is for ball heads that have an arca-swiss style quick release? Then all I heard was silence. . . . . . . He asked me what I meant by Arca Swiss? Your best reply would probably be like, "Excuse me I think I got the wrong #."

12-20-2011, 08:57 PM	#10
cmohr Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Brisbane. Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,824	I asked about a "Gimbal" at one of the bigger shops here in Brisbane, and the guy looked at me like I had two heads with a worried look on his face (as if I had just asked for a gimp) then said, "Um No..... we dont sell that brand here?".

12-20-2011, 09:00 PM	#11
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,695	ROFL@ cmohr I remember years ago when a sales rep at a camera store directed me to a golfing store when I said I was after a Leica rangefinder.

12-20-2011, 09:56 PM	#12
Steinback Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: GTA, ON, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,673	I just picked up a second hand Arca compatible ball head over the weekend (Sirui G-30). The local store didn't seem to be able to order anything in, but the larger dealers in the Toronto area do stock some stuff from Arca Swiss, Wimberley, Acratech, Benro, Sirui, and probably others as well. Now I just need a couple more cheap plates for my 645 and some other film bodies that don't get as much use as my DSLR. The guys at the local store are familiar with Arca Swiss but generally they don't stock anything that specialized.

12-20-2011, 10:07 PM	#13
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,695	. Originally posted by Steinback The guys at the local store are familiar with Arca Swiss but generally they don't stock anything that specialized. You Canadian photographers have people like Michael Reichmann to thank for that, though here in the antipodes we are yet to have anyone so skilled and knowledgeable.

12-20-2011, 10:08 PM	#14
magkelly Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,901	There is nothing here at all. No place to buy camera gear except for the cameras in places like Best Buy, Walmart, Target etc. Even the mall Ritz Camera shop is gone now. There is one guy who supposedly does repair work but who knows nothing about cameras that don't say "Canon" or "Nikon" on them and even then his ability to do much of any thing is pretty limited. I emailed him up once to ask about a very simple repair for one of my Yashica SLR's and the reply I got back told me he didn't even know what an older SLR looked like let alone how to repair one. I hear there's a photography store across the state that's decent but it's so far away that it might as well be the moon and they don't sell Pentax gear anyway so there's not much point in my even making the trip. I think if I recall correctly the nearest Pentax retailer to here is 2 states away. The way I figure it I might as well get on a plane to NYC as go there...;P

12-20-2011, 11:23 PM	#15
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	What, local camera shops still exist?

Just got off the phone with the local camera shop...

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