sjms wrote:
well they aren't selling them at 50% higher then the Italian models 20% or so yes but not 50%
i guess you know BS well.
I have the RRS TVC-34L and it cost me $1,098 plus $40 for a carry case or $1,138 in total. My Feisol CT-3472 which is made in Taiwan and is as good and in some respects better than the RRS legs, cost me $599.95 and included a high quality carry case. You do the math or have someone help you do it. You will discover that the RRS is selling for 190% of the price for the Feisol legs.
I see the same difference in cost between the RRS pano gear and gimbal heads as compared to equivalent products produced in the USA and in Germany.
What is RRS' most compact & travel friendly normal carbon tripod? Not their tabletop models. Might be looking for one, again, for my Sony. Largest lens is the Sony 70-200 f/4.
elkhornsun wrote:
Median prices are meaningless. There are very expensive ocean view homes in SLO and these skew the stats. 3 bedroom 2 bath houses in Lehi are listing at $400,000 and up. If the owner of RRS really gave a damn about his employees we would be moving to a much less expensive area but the reality is that he does not.
Median prices convey a lot more information than pointing at individual properties. The difference between $650k and $340k is ginormous for most people working at RRS, who likely make mostly middle class wages.
elkhornsun wrote:
In terms of quality of life no sane person would choose Utah over the Central California coast. People in SLO county are hours from Big Sur, Yosemite, Mineral King, Death Valley, Lake Tahoe, and civic areas like San Francisco. Compare that to Salt Lake City and the difference is extremely stark.
This all assumes that you make enough to be able to enjoy all the area has to offer. As a transplant from Oregon to San Diego 5 years ago, I would have a hard time moving back to Oregon unless my financial situation changes significantly. But if it does, the decision will be easy. California is an awfully expensive place to live. Just today my wife and I had lunch at a ramen place. Nothing fancy, you order at the counter and they bring it to you. Two bowls of Ramen, an apetizer, a beer, and a sake came out to $60 when everything was said and done. This will probably cost no more than $40 in other parts of the country. But instead of eating it in a T-shirt and shorts you would be scampering from your car in a down parka.
