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I got an annual bonus from work and I thought I'd use it to buy some camera gear. I've had my eye on some Really Right Stuff gear for a couple of years but kept putting it off for various reasons, including the exchange rate. With the Aussie dollar the way it is, now seems to be the right time to do it.

I'll be getting:
* BD300-L: L-Plate for Nikon D300 & D300S
* MPR-73: 73mm Multi-purpose rail - for my Nikkor 200mm f/4D
* Hi-Capacity Monopod Head with B2-40 LR Item
* BH-40 LR: Mid-sized ballhead with LR

I also started looking at maybe replacing my 20 year old tripod. I have Bogen 3021 legs with 3047 3-way pan-tilt head. The legs are basically and older version of the Manfrotto 055 series. I'll be replacing the head with the RRS BH-40 but what about the legs?

The specs are essentially the same as the 055XB. When I look at the 055 carbon fibre legs they are only around 700g lighter, don't give me any more height (well maybe a couple of centimetres depending on the model) and are basically the same length closed.

Am I missing something? What benefit could I get from replacing the legs?

I'm also semi seriously considering a new tripod (carbon) and ball head (RRS or equivalent) so I'll also be following this discussion.

Andrew, is your current tripod legs stable enough?

surenj wrote:Andrew, is your current tripod legs stable enough?

Yeah...rock solid. They haven't lost any stability in 20 years.

Yes. What issues and deficiencies are you seeing with your current legs?

gstark wrote:What issues and deficiencies are you seeing with your current legs?

The only thing is they are big and bulky and I thought heavy. When I look at the carbon fibre alternative (same model but in CF) it appears they aren't that heavy at all. I guess part of the problem was the old head which is 2kg in itself.

I was only thinking of replacing the legs as I might be able to get something smaller and lighter but it appears that I would get ones that much lighter (and still be stable) and smaller would probably mean less height, too - at least for the models I was looking at.

ATJ wrote: I guess part of the problem was the old head which is 2kg in itself.

Seems like the problem is more with the head than the legs.

ATJ wrote:I was only thinking of replacing the legs as I might be able to get something smaller and lighter but it appears that I would get ones that much lighter (and still be stable) and smaller would probably mean less height, too - at least for the models I was looking at.

Agreed.

I have the 055Pro (also the Bogen equiv - 3021PRO I think?) legs but with a smaller ballhead (468RC2) and while I've also played with the thought of CF legs - I came to the same conclusion as you - There would be a huge cost for very little (or no) benefit.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

dviv wrote:If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Also, I would doubt that anything bought now would last 20 years? [Please feel free to correct me on this]

surenj wrote:

dviv wrote:If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Also, I would doubt that anything bought now would last 20 years? [Please feel free to correct me on this]

I am pretty sure my tripod legs will

keep the 055 if your happy with the weight, if you need to go lighter then there isnt much out there except a Gitzo of a CF 055

Double bad luck...

After 3 or so months above parity, the Oz dollar drops just as my purchase goes through and then bounces back up. With the cut that VISA take, I was changed US$0.9534

Next, either RRS or USPS have screwed up the delivery:

Label/Receipt Number: *******
Expected Delivery Date: March 17, 2011
Class: Express Mail International®
Status: Return to Sender

Your item was returned to the sender on March 17, 2011 because it could not be delivered as addressed.

Detailed Results:

* Return to Sender, March 17, 2011, 10:09 pm, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)
* International Dispatch, March 17, 2011, 10:09 pm, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)
* Arrival
* Inbound Out of Customs, March 17, 2011, 9:43 am
* Electronic Shipping Info Received, March 16, 2011
* Processed through Sort Facility, March 16, 2011, 6:22 pm, GOLETA, CA 93199
* Shipment Accepted, March 16, 2011, 3:24 pm, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401

It didn't even make it out of the US.

ATJ wrote:Double bad luck...

After 3 or so months above parity, the Oz dollar drops just as my purchase goes through and then bounces back up. With the cut that VISA take, I was changed US$0.9534

Next, either RRS or USPS have screwed up the delivery:
....
Your item was returned to the sender on March 17, 2011 because it could not be delivered as addressed.
...
It didn't even make it out of the US.

OUCH....hope it gets sorted out ASAP

At least you can track it down. I chased a custom iphone case for 4 months when it got lost.... Finally delivered Feb 2011 (4 months after order)!

surenj wrote:At least you can track it down.

I hope I can. As soon as I saw the status I called RRS. It was 5pm their time and it had not been returned to them even though the status said it had been returned at 10pm the day before.

The package has still not arrived back as RRS.

ATJ wrote:The package has still not arrived back as RRS.

Ouch - Sorry to hear that. Hope it works out.

Gosh - terrible news! There's nothing more frustrating than waiting for a missing parcel, especially one that cost $$.

Hope you can get it sorted ASAP.

Still nothing. I'm wondering if it is time to call the bank and see if I can have the transaction reversed.

RRS were no help at all. All they were going to do was wait until the parcel was returned, even though it took one day to go from them to LA and 6 days later it hadn't been returned.

I ended up calling Australia Post. The parcel is actually in the country and cleared customs today. I guess I'll get it tomorrow.

I don't know why RRS couldn't call USPS and confirm the status. I'm sure USPS would have told them that the parcel was in Australia and the status page was wrong.

RRS After Sales Service: 1 out of 10.

Good that you will be getting in the end. Whenever I have had to contact RRS for support/help pre and post sales, they were always great.

Seeing that it left the USA on March 16th, the delivery is probably average, time wise. Recently, I had a couple orders with RRS and they showed up within 7 days, door to door, but that was pretty quick, even for the EMS service. That is one place where the USPS and AustPost really fail, the tracking of a parcel once it leaves their sphere of influence, it sort of goes in a limbo state, good that you were able to track it down at AustPost.

Enjoy your new gear when it arrives

André,

That's the weird thing. I have always had a very good experience with USPS/AustPost, both from a tracking and delivery perspective. I don't think the parcel left the US until the 17th, but even so, it should have arrived in Sydney on the 19th (Saturday) and cleared customs over the weekend and arrived here Monday or Tuesday. I have no idea where it has been in the interim.

I actually went with USPS because I normally get messed up by UPS. UPS don't deliver to the mountains so they palm it off to AAE or someone, who also don't deliver here so it can take 2-3 days to travel 60 km.

I still think it would have been easy for RRS to make one phone call to USPS and find out what was going on. I also know that I'm not the only one it happened to because when I called them on Saturday (their Friday afternoon) I was asked if I had emailed about it because they had received an email from someone with exactly the same problem (and I hadn't emailed them at the time).

That is sounding like some sort of issue within USPS.

They're usually very good with these sorts of deliveries, but I find that once a package enters the Oz Post realm, it's a gigantic black hole. There's no tracking, and no accountability.

gstark wrote:They're usually very good with these sorts of deliveries, but I find that once a package enters the Oz Post realm, it's a gigantic black hole. There's no tracking, and no accountability.

That has not been my experience at all. In all my previous time where I have received parcels via USPS/AustPost, I have watched the USPS tracking site until it leaves the US and the next day it shows up on the AustPost site with detailed tracking right until it reaches my door.

With UPS, I can track it until it arrives in Sydney and then it goes into a gigantic black hole as far as UPS is concerned. I can sometime then track it on the AAE site, but not always.

Whatever the issues are, I hope you get your gear soon, there is nothign worse then waiting longer than necessary for your gear. Hopefully it is also a one off incident for RRS.

The package arrived today.

Interestingly, apart for a week where there were no updates, the tracking from Australia Post was pretty good, and accurate, too.

Code: Select all

Date/Time       Activity                              Location
28/03/11 07:45  Onboard with driver                   NEPEAN PDC
28/03/11 02:50  Transferred to NEPEAN PDC             NEPEAN DF
28/03/11 02:06  Processed at facility                 NEPEAN DF
27/03/11 22:55  Processed at facility                 STRATHFIELD DC-DEL
25/03/11 12:47  Transferred for delivery processing - SYDNEY    
21/03/11 10:14  Received and awaiting clearance for delivery    
16/03/11 15:24    


Heads have been installed in the tripod and monopod, the L-plate to the D300 and the Lens plate to the 200mm f/2.8D. I'll have to go for a walk today to test it all out.

That's a relief!

Congrats on the new gear - looking forward to hearing your experiences with it