Michael J Davis <?.?@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>Tony Polson <docnews2011@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> observed
>>Michael J Davis <?.?@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>
>>>Thanks - it looks similar to the Vivitar in spec. However, my interest
>>>was why aren't popular models available in the US on sale here? (Even
>>>under a different name.)
>>
>>
>>I blame Jessops. Through sheer market dominance, they have reduced
>>consumer choice to the point where buying photo equipment on the high
>>street is no longer an option. Unless, of course, you are fortunate
>>enough to live near one of the few remaining independent photo shops
>>that still offer good customer service.
>>
>>Jessops have so much of the market that it is no longer economic to
>>im****t most of the brands that Jessops don't stock.
>>
>Actually the flashgun I use with my Digital equipment is a £25 'Cobra'
>from the local photo shop. It is fine with tilt head and two auto
>settings.
Nothing wrong with that.
>I also have a 20 year old Sunpak (very cheap fixed everything) which
>also works fine with the digital equipment. I think I'll get a slave
>trigger for each of them.
Nothing wrong with that. Most of us above "a certain age" have
probably owned at least one Sunpak or Cobra flash. I think I've owned
several of each, and they all worked very well.
>But Jessop's own brand doesn't offer the in-between options of the two
>guns I mentioned. There two very basic (like my Sunpak) and then it
>moves into TTL units. There are no manual zoom units like the Vivitar.
>Oh well!
That's Jessops for you. There was a time (30+ years ago) when they
were a good mail order outlet with an excellent range and competitive
prices, but their domination of the high street and the subsequent
dumbing down to low paid, ignorant staff has been a disaster for
photography in the UK. They make the woeful Dixons look like a bunch
of professionals. The sad thing is that they have taken over many
excellent family-run businesses and closed them or converted them to
the deadly dull Jessops format, with the inevitable deadly dull staff.
I have run the gamut of flash systems from the simplest (basic manual
flash with bulbs!) through the excellent TTL systems of Minolta and
Nikon film SLRs to the most complex (Canon E-TTL). In the end I have
settled for a relatively simple Metz flash used in auto mode.
The results are consistent and highly predictable, much more so than
with the highly sophisticated Canon E-TTL, and experience tells me
when I need to make exposure corrections. So I don't expect that I
will ever use a TTL system again except when working with my old film
SLRs and rangefinders.
The new TTL systems for DSLRs are either too flaky or too complex, or
both. Why this should be the case, I have no idea.
I would encourage you to look at eBay USA to get the brand and
features you want. Flashguns are pretty robust things. They very
rarely go wrong, so getting one from across the pond does not
represent a high risk. Whatever you do, good luck and ENJOY!
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