The raw beauty dish has some similarities to the PLM but is more precise and slightly less efficient because of the geometry (though still extremely efficient). The choice is largely going to come down to the desired source size. At a given distance the PLM will be "softer" as a result of less shadow wrap. But for much work one may not want huge amounts of shadow wrap. The BD has more feathered spill, but grids can eliminate this, making for good Hollywood spot effect with softness.
Yes. This is part of the design philosophy of the high output beauty dish. When you use a grid on a regular wide angle dish 80% of the light is just eaten by the grid.
The 22RHO is designed and redesigned to project the light rays straight forward from every point of the BD as it passes through the grid, thereby preserving the evenness and efficiency. Many other BD designs , if you study the vectors, have the light rays crossing at the grid surface. This causes loss of light and also causes lack of evenness across the face when a sock is used.
Why don't you make an European distribution company or something similar.
I just asked price for the 86" PLM and the delivery to europe cost a lot more than the product itself.
I am sure you would be able to sell a lot from this here. Price is good , and the product also seems to be great.
I wanted to buy two but the delivery just cost too much.
Why don't you make an European distribution company or something similar.
I just asked price for the 86" PLM and the delivery to europe cost a lot more than the product itself.
I am sure you would be able to sell a lot from this here. Price is good , and the product also seems to be great.
I wanted to buy two but the delivery just cost too much.
Thanks
jano
This is for me one of the main reasons for not using more Alien Bees, they only send packages with the fastest and more expensive courier system for international orders. I have paid sooo much to UPS / customs just for replacement parts.
What a lot of Europeans don't realize is that we are a US factory direct customer and that is a big part of our price equation. Unlike other companies who have distributor pricing built into their business model. we don't.
So were we to try to set up worldwide distribution you would have distributor profits and store profits and global advertising to add the the US price. This would add around 50% to the price. On top of that, you would still pay the horrendous taxes imposed by your governments, duties, compliance with onerous EU regulations, currency exchange rates, ad infinitum. In the end you would pay even more than you now do.
We are continually trying to find better methods of shipping, including USPS, but so far with little success.
Paul,
All production is in China, right? Only HQ, R&D, warehouse, and customer support are US-based. I would not name this US factory, but just direct sales model.
You might consider Turkish part of Cyprus (or some small continental country as well) as warehouse host for direct sales to Europe. This might reduce shipping costs and delivery times a bit without EU compliance.
I ordered all three sizes, cost $77.11 to ship to the Netherlands, nearly half of the total product price.
Not cheap, but I knew in advance so no complaining on my side.
International shipping is usually quite expensive, mostly the cost is hidden in the total price. I never paid shipping for a car for instance. I drive a Jeep, I paid more than double the price US citizens pay, give or take 65.000 euros, at the current rate that is about $93.000.
In the Netherlands about 45% is tax if you buy a car, just have to live with it sadly enough.
We also have a 19% sales tax, as do most European countries.
denoise wrote:
I come here to read reviews, useful information, hear opinions and I found myself jumping every other answer just because there are too many ego battles inside. If there were a block user (and quotes) button here, I would gladly click on your name.
See that nice little "Hide me" button? Click it, you know you want to. :-)
Paul, I'm not trying to argue, but there are so many European cities that have such a tangible sense of class and beauty, even besides all their actual landscapes and countryside settings. Granted, I've traveled around more of Europe than I have the US, but I used to hang out with a few landscape photographers and I eventually just got sick of seeing photos from the exact same locations taken over and over again. On this side of the pond, the most original (read: expensive) location seems to be the $5k Antarctica tours, but that's not even the US!
I've also lived in and traveled extensively through South America and Asia, and I've been lots of places that are far uglier than most of the US, but the people and the culture and the customs culminate into an atmosphere that is often far more artistic and beautiful than your average American landscape or city. I still love the US and the low low prices we get here, but it's not the first place I'd choose on the basis of art and beauty.
Paul Buff wrote:
And you wonder why Europe has such high tax levels? You get what you work for (in a balanced world.)
Paul... tax levels and long holidays have got nothing to do with each other
Actually, if "you get what you work for" then the average American worker must be very lazy as they only get 2 weeks leave for their effort
Now if we all can forget this political talk (which I think is not appropriate in this forum).
I live not simply in Europe but in Eastern Europe where you get paid about 1/5 for the same job than in richer parts of Europe and I pay the same tax, prices are the same, oh yeah and there is no 1 month holiday I have about 3-4 days every year. Everybody is working like creasy just to feed their family...
But enough of complaining I just want to buy PLM I think it is great I just could not afford shipping, that is my only problem.
I see that Paul tried to have a European distributor just they were cheating him, that is awful, but please don't give up!!! I don't think that shipping must be that much, and I don't think that European regulations could be that problematic, we have a lot of small company here how import lot's of chinese and koren lightening stuff, directly from china and korea. If they have to use airplane than the shipping cost is a lot if there is a bigger order they transport it with ships and than it is a lot-lot less (but it is sloooow). And they sell quite a lot. Nobody use UPS of course just too expensive.
Honestly if there would be a chinese company how would make something similar than the PLM I would already bought it. If it will be successful they will copy it in no time, we all know that. They are great copier.
So the best would be to arrange some European distribution. If it will cost 20-30% more than it is OK. If the price will be double than nobody will buy it.
el_hoppy wrote:
Paul... tax levels and long holidays have got nothing to do with each other
Actually, if "you get what you work for" then the average American worker must be very lazy as they only get 2 weeks leave for their effort
Regarding "tax levels and long holidays have got nothing to do with each other" - Oh really?
Regarding "the average American worker must be very lazy as they only get 2 weeks leave for their effort", Americans can buy an AB400 for $224.95 and a new car for $11,000.
I'm not knocking Europe, nor do most Americans. But your society has been slamming the US for years. I didn't start this - just responded. Live and let live.
For sheer natural beauty along with high standard of living, New Zealand is pretty high on my list. But that doesn't make it better or worse than the US or Europe and I don't hear their society suggesting that or slamming the rest of the world.
