My last tripod head, the 488RC2 was/is awesome – but after 5 years – 5 years! I was surprised how the time has flown by….
Anyway, after 5 years, the pano function has begun to show issues. The ‘ball’ part is going strong, and I would have continued to use it, but I need that feature for my Real Estate photography. So I went to buy another – but they have a new model now: The Manfrotto 498RC2.
It is a little taller than the 488RC2, and it has an extra knob – a friction adjustment. No comment on that yet, but it looks great – a little more stylish, not that that matters…
So far I am happy with the investment, I purchased it at B&H and decided to try their new shipping option for Canada. In the past it was advised to ship things air courier as the customs charges were included – that option typically started at about $32 and went up from there depending on what you bought. Then you paid GST after you got the item. This shipping method would save you from some unknown customs charge which could be $25 or could be $70!
The new method, is Purolator Ground plus an option to have B&H handle customs and taxes. For this order the Head was $103.68, and the shipping was $8.93 (for Purolator Ground – 2 to 6 days delivery.) Then the Duties and Taxes charge was $25.04. It works out a little cheaper as the GST and customs charges are included. The tax on $103.68 would be $13.47 which means the customs/duties are $11.57 (a reasonable and ‘known’ cost) – here is a better format break down:
Head $103.68
Shipping $ 8.93
GST $ 13.47
Customs $ 11.57
TOTAL $137.65
In the past I would have expected to pay $103.68 (head) + $32.75 (shipping/customs incl.) + 13.47 (GST) = $149.90
I am happy so far!
Cheers!
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