Originally posted by betamax Thanks for all the tips. Most definitely helpful.
One more quick question, not sure if anyone here would know but browsing through ebay I noticed a lot of manfrotto equipment being sold from South Korea for really good prices and the sellers seem to have a good rep. I am still very suspicious though, heh. I dunno, are the manfrotto things manufactured in Korea or something along those lines?
Most Manfrotto goods are either entirely made in China, or (like Gitzo) the nearly-complete parts are made in China and finally fully assembled in Italy. Gruppo Manfrotto still has a factory in northern Italy (I think) for the higher-end gear, but most of the raw material (carbon and aluminum tubes, cast magnesium parts) is shipped in. At least this was the story from an industrial designer there.
Anyways, a Korean vendor may pay less for something due to distribution and shipping costs to that country, along with tariffs and taxes. Plus, currency exchange rates play a part in the "good price on ebay." Buy now, while the Canadian dollar is strong(-ish), if you think you can trust the seller.