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Photo Forum / General Photo Topics / Australian Photography / January 2007Where to purchase a good flash bracket in Australa?
G'day all. I am after a top quality flash bracket where you can flip your camera, rather than your flash. Does anyone know where in Australia who stock these. I have checked out vanbar etc. Cheers Ron > G'day all. I am after a top quality flash bracket where you can flip your > camera, rather than your flash. Does anyone know where in Australia who > stock these. I have checked out vanbar etc. > > Cheers > Ron Usually the flash stays at the same orientation as the camera to allow coverage which it is designed. most cameras make a rectangular image those which don't are square and flipping is not required. > > G'day all. I am after a top quality flash bracket where you can flip your > > camera, rather than your flash. Does anyone know where in Australia who [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > coverage which it is designed. most cameras make a rectangular image > those which don't are square and flipping is not required. And the answer to the other part of the question, IMO, is to ship one from the USA. Many camera shops here do not stock them, and the ones that do seem to think they are made of gold :-) A much wider selection can be found on the net, and at lower prices, even with shipping costs. YMMV. MrT. >>>G'day all. I am after a top quality flash bracket where you can flip > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > MrT. What type of flash are they mounting? to which camera? > What type of flash are they mounting? to which camera? Any standard flash bracket will mount any normal "shoe" mount flash. If you want to maintain a hot shoe connection, then obviously you need a suitable extension lead as well. If the flash was a "handle" type, or studio tripod mount, I doubt he would be looking for a flash bracket. I assumed the OP had enough smarts to know that. Why would you think otherwise? MrT. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have well made and engineered bits of kit but when it comes to things like this it isn't too difficult to make one. There are so many photo shops that have oddments and bits laying around in their drawers that they would give away for cents that you could cobble a decent frame from and a hot shoe too. See what's on the market and just think laterally how you would go about making it. I come from an age where we made things we didn't have or built it out of Mecanno! So much can be made out of cast offs and in today's age recycling them is a worthwhile thing to do. Unless you need to have a nice shiny new pro bit of kit then by all means buy it new if your reputation is a stake and you are working professionally. But then you could afford to buy it without too much of an issue with price for that matter. You'll earn it back in no time. As for the cost in the home market is down to distributor mark-ups and margins as well as the manufacturers profit and customs duty on import. The poor guy in the shop has to cover his rent, rates, telephone, staff, water bills and all the other overheads that they have to cover to be there and don't forget GST on top. Even when you complain at the home market costs just remember the shop is making a very small margin and not their fault. They're only trying to make a living. Duncan >> What type of flash are they mounting? to which camera? > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > MrT. > Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have well made and engineered bits of kit > but when it comes to things like this it isn't too difficult to make one. Agreed. > There are so many photo shops that have oddments and bits laying around in > their drawers that they would give away for cents that you could cobble a > decent frame from and a hot shoe too. You can probably find cheap bits in an op shop, but not too many camera shops sell anything for cents. A hot shoe is not so easy these days either with a multitude of dedicated contacts. Buying a manufacturers cable is often the only choice unless you want to go to full manual operation.. > As for the cost in the home market is down to distributor mark-ups and > margins as well as the manufacturers profit and customs duty on import. The > poor guy in the shop has to cover his rent, rates, telephone, staff, water > bills and all the other overheads that they have to cover to be there and > don't forget GST on top. Which ignores the fact that the OS shops are making a living too. How come I can import from a US shop with similar overheads, pay more for shipping than GST, and still save enough to make it worthwhile? > Even when you complain at the home market costs just remember the shop is > making a very small margin and not their fault. Small margin :-) But yes it's not all the shops fault, the Australian distributers/wholesalers are also to blame. Exactly who's making the biggest killing is irrelevant to the consumer though. >They're only trying to make a living. A living I don't mind, a killing I object to, especially when it's me they're killing. MrT. You need to understand how this works from a world perspective why the US is cheaper. In the US they have a MASSIVE market and work for lower margins as they can rely on a bigger turnover to justify the lower profit. The tax is applied afterwards and not inclusive so the purchaser pays city, state and federal tax where they live. Cost regimes in the US are very different to Aus/UK as we have higher tax on most things and duty. Bear in mind that the highly competitive nature of the US and the price is king so lower prices are the norm. The public there wouldn't buy it otherwise. Also remember that the US make things and supplying to a home market makes it cheaper to distribute. Favoured tariff terms with Taiwan and China make it also cheaper for US businesses to manufacture in these countries and import for a fraction of the rates we pay. When you buy you are buying exclusive of tax and the shipping is also tax free. You may get away with not having to pay duty and GST on import but it could be added if customs catch it or the shipper used collects it on delivery. There are so many reasons why this is so I could keep writing all day. Suffice to say that the market price is geared to a country, location or territory and that the working margins of the manufacturer and or distributor is usually far greater than the retailer. Just think about all that stock just waiting to be sold in the shop for you to choose from. That is a direct cost to the retailer who has to wait to get back the money spent. I have wondered if it wouldn't be better to earn interest in a savings account than stock a shop. But some retailers are into it for the love of photography. Yes I know there are those who only want the money but the small shops are enthusiasts enjoying doing for a living something they truly love. Duncan >> Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have well made and engineered bits of >> kit [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > MrT. > You need to understand how this works from a world perspective why the US is > cheaper. > > In the US they have a MASSIVE market and work for lower margins as they can > rely on a bigger turnover to justify the lower profit. Yes, but it's actually the amount of competition that has a bigger effect. A bigger market with more shops does not guarantee a bigger turnover. >The tax is applied > afterwards and not inclusive so the purchaser pays city, state and federal > tax where they live. In fact only a couple of states have extra taxes on consumer items. >Cost regimes in the US are very different to Aus/UK as > we have higher tax on most things and duty. What is the current duty on photographic equipment, other than the GST of course? >Bear in mind that the highly > competitive nature of the US and the price is king so lower prices are the > norm. The public there wouldn't buy it otherwise. I agree, so the answer is to do the same, ie. not buy here if prices are too high. > Also remember that the US make things and supplying to a home market makes > it cheaper to distribute. Not much cheap photo gear made in the USA these days. >Favoured tariff terms with Taiwan and China make > it also cheaper for US businesses to manufacture in these countries and > import for a fraction of the rates we pay. What fraction would that be exactly? > When you buy you are buying exclusive of tax and the shipping is also tax > free. GST is chargeable at twice the normal rate *including on shipping cost*. > You may get away with not having to pay duty and GST on import but it could > be added if customs catch it or the shipper used collects it on delivery. You may not be charged of course, but even if you are it still works out cheaper in the majority of cases. > Suffice to say that the market price is geared to a country, location or > territory and that the working margins of the manufacturer and or > distributor is usually far greater than the retailer. Just think about all > that stock just waiting to be sold in the shop for you to choose from. I wish. Hardly anything at my local shops. When I ask for a price, all I get is the full retail, and they are not interested in discounting items they don't usually stock. >That > is a direct cost to the retailer who has to wait to get back the money > spent. I have wondered if it wouldn't be better to earn interest in a > savings account than stock a shop. No, unfortunately there are no tax deductions for interest on savings, even when it is LESS than the inflation rate and you are actually LOSING money. > But some retailers are into it for the love of photography. Yes I know there > are those who only want the money but the small shops are enthusiasts > enjoying doing for a living something they truly love. Yes I once knew a shop like that. It closed 20 years ago. MrT. It gets difficult to explain things in text when speaking would resolve so many of these issues and of course I don't have an answer to all of the questions and so can't answer them. But for example when manufacturing overseas in China for example they ask for a minimum US$2,000 order. Let's just use this as a base and that each item costs US$1.00 so the manufacturers have made some money on the sale at this point I'll use US$ from here on... It varies but with shipping and insurance works out around 50% to 100% of the original nett value so it's now $2.00 per unit. It arrives in the country and gets duty and tax and depending on the tariff it comes in one that adds another 35% so now it's $2.70. The item is shipped to the distributor from the company that had it manufactured. The originator wants at least a 20% return so we are now selling at $3.24. On landing let's say another 35% duty and tax so landed it's $4.38.. The distributor now sells wholesale to the retailer and wants at least 20% = $5.26 So the supply chain has loaded the price to the retailer who has to buy in volume and not just singles. He adds a margin of 35% taking it to $7.10 plus GST @ 10% it's now $7.81. So the dealer is making $1.84 profit per item to cover the overheads. But has to sell all of the quantity bought to make the 35%! Something sit on shelves for ages before they sell through. Converting to AUD the sale price is AU$10.02! The supply chain has loaded the price not the dealer. Also remember that foreign companies set a margin of 20% for their direct distribution. Enough to pay the overheads of the business in the country and create jobs and income tax for the government which keeps them happy. But the profit has been made in the home country as they have made a bigger margin through the direct sale to the subsidiary plus they get export tax incentives and so reduce their tax burden. Leaving us to pay for the high cost of the kit for them to play a numbers game. It's easy for the customer to blame the retailer and in some cases may be justified but largely it's out of their control. Duncan >> You need to understand how this works from a world perspective why the US > is [quoted text clipped - 75 lines] > > MrT. > It's easy for the customer to blame the retailer and in some cases may > be justified but largely it's out of their control. Then when it comes to selling it in the stores, there is another lot of freight from a single distribution point (usually sydney or melbourne). To get even a small item from syd to bris, it's not unusual for the retailer to get hit with a $20 freight charge on a $5 item if it is a special order. I've had people say "well just get it posted, that would be $3" - unfortunately distributors don't work that way, they just use the one freight company, and unless you are ordering enough quantity to divide the freight between a number of items, the freight per item works out to be quite expensive. Customers don't like waiting 2-3 weeks for an item while the store accrues a large enough order to reduce freight to be something acceptible, but at the same time they won't pay a $20 surcharge to have it here tomorrow. > To get even a small item from syd to bris, it's not unusual for the > retailer to get hit with a $20 freight charge on a $5 item if it is a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > divide the freight between a number of items, the freight per item works > out to be quite expensive. This can be quite true, so shipping it yourself from overseas is doing them a favour :-) >Customers don't like waiting 2-3 weeks for an > item while the store accrues a large enough order to reduce freight to > be something acceptible, but at the same time they won't pay a $20 > surcharge to have it here tomorrow. IME when people are told the situation, they are happy to make their own choice. ie yes I will wait 3 weeks and save $20, or no I want it now and am happy to pay the extra cost. What really annoys is when they just take your money, and then give you the run around for weeks, knowing full well they were going to wait for a larger order, but not telling the customer that. The fact is that multinationals have no problem getting things made overseas to increase their profit at the expense of local jobs. This keeps the workers wage down making it necessary for him to follow suit. If my job is not protected, I can't afford to pay to protect anyone else's. Too bad, but welcome to the modern economy and globalisation. MrT. I am still puzzled why you think the supply and distribution chain of non USA made goods, is so different to that in Australia? And why shops here have different cost structures to those in the USA? MrT. > I am still puzzled why you think the supply and distribution chain of non > USA made goods, is so different to that in Australia? And why shops here > have different cost structures to those in the USA? > > MrT. It works like this .... Australia with a population or about twenty million in seven states and territories spread over about 10 million square kilometers necessitating seven offices, seven repair centres, seven managers and so on. New York, eight million people within an area of 830 square kilometers. Similarly for Singapore and Hong Kong and almost any European capital. The difference in cost structures is DENSITY. > It works like this .... > Australia with a population or about twenty million in seven states and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > The difference in cost structures is DENSITY. And shop rents in New York are about ten times that of Australian cities, and there is far more competition. But it's all irrelevant, it still doesn't explain why only big companies in Australia should source from overseas and not me. MrT. No one is suggesting that you don't purchase from overseas. If you choose to do so then fine. All we are trying to do is explain the nature of the way companies work and the associated costs and tax methods used to do the business to get them to a small market demand. As for rents in NY I don't know but even with high rents that you suggest their tax regime for paying income tax is much lower. Try telling any shop keeper in any trade that their rents as not high and see what response you get! I remember the rent in one shop in Balmain went up by 100% and that's close to the Post Office. Further down past the traffic lights where the banks are they were even higher! Duncan >> It works like this .... >> Australia with a population or about twenty million in seven states and [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > MrT. > All we are trying to do is explain the nature of the way companies work and > the associated costs and tax methods used to do the business to get them to > a small market demand. Well I always knew there was a difference, I still have no clue *exactly* what those differences are, and neither do you it seems, but consider it immaterial to my purchasing decisions. If I was starting a shop on the other hand...... > As for rents in NY I don't know but even with high rents that you suggest > their tax regime for paying income tax is much lower. And the total cost structures are different in every case. So what, are you a shop owner? > Try telling any shop keeper in any trade that their rents as not high and > see what response you get! I couldn't be bothered. I went into Teds the other day, and saw a cheap Canon lens on special for 50% of RRP, then got offered full RRP on a better one. Was told that's the best they could do, so I walked out. Should I have thought "they need my money more than I do" perhaps? But that's not true, I'm sure Ted has more money than I ever will. > I remember the rent in one shop in Balmain went up by 100% and that's close > to the Post Office. Further down past the traffic lights where the banks are > they were even higher! And still ten times higher in New York. So what? MrT. >> G'day all. I am after a top quality flash bracket where you can flip >> your camera, rather than your flash. Does anyone know where in >> Australia who stock these. I have checked out vanbar etc. >> >> Cheers >> Ron http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Flash-Bracket-Camera-Flip-for-SC-29-SC-28-Cord-2_W0QQitem Z180068937113QQihZ008QQcategoryZ30088QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Basic copy of a stroboframe. If you are in Perth you can get stroboframe from Camera Electronic Service > G'day all. I am after a top quality flash bracket where you can flip your > camera, rather than your flash. Does anyone know where in Australia who > stock these. I have checked out vanbar etc. > > Cheers > Ron http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ type in search "flash bracket" there are about 100 different types there. B&H would hold 95% of anything photographic, that's available through out the world. They have a $3 million a day turnover, 600 staff with 150 on the phone lines. Sorry, closed Saturdays. Excellent export service. Thanks Nemo that flash bracket on ebay looks good value for the price. I also agree about Aussies paying too much for photography gear etc. that is if you can purchase the stock in Australia, eg nikon SD - 8A, which I will probably have to purchase from ebay also. Cheers all. Thanks for your input. > G'day all. I am after a top quality flash bracket where you can flip your > camera, rather than your flash. Does anyone know where in Australia who > stock these. I have checked out vanbar etc. > > Cheers > Ron |
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