How can Something be ‘almost’ exactly the same as something else – it’s either the same or it isn’t, isn’t it?
This discussion has been going on recently over on the Amateur Photography forum where I have disputed this phrase with other forum members. It doesn’t really matter – it was more for fun than anything else, but it got me thinking about one of my recent purchases.
I use a medium-tele zoom, the 70-200 f/4 Nikkor, and Nikon, for reasons better known to themselves, decided to supply the lens without a tripod mounting collar.
This little beauty, the RT-1, costs….wait for it…228€
I decided that I could do better – or at least, the same, but cheaper….so I had a look around eBay and Amazon etc. and came up with this
It is « almost exactly the same » and cost me 28€ delivered to my door. I can’t help thinking that somewhere along the line someone is taking the piss here…
Anyway – this « almost exactly the same » tripod collar is, in fact, better than the original Nikon version because it allows me to use it with the Arca style mounting plates I have on all of my tripods. It is exceptionally well manufactured – the locking button moves smoothly into place, the internal lining on the collar grips the lens without crushing it – it simply works perfectly – 10 times cheaper than the original Nikon version.
Is it any wonder that people look elsewhere?
Oh yes, and while I was looking around I came across the Really Right Stuff version – these are the people I love to hate as I’m fairly sure they simply rebrand Chinese copies and resell them at 20 times the price – their version costs 195€ – a bargain I hear you say…