Surely the multiple shipping and insurance fees involved in sending a lens back and forth would go some way in absorbing any potential savings. Not to mention taxes/duties and potential hassles with Customs.
It's not as difficult nor as expensive as you'd imagine. Since the lenses are only being imported temporarily there are no duties or taxes to pay on them.
And what happens if there is a problem with the lens? Do you send it back to the retailer you purchased the lens from or Cambo? How do you establish whether the problem existed before or after being mounted?
A fair point. On the flip side, you know that the front and rear elements are a matched pair (with any shims required) rather than just separately purchased front and rear element assemblies with a Copal shutter thrown in for good measure (see the
Joseph Holmes article, for example).
The convenience factor is not merely that you get a mounted lens in one step from a Cambo dealer. It's also the convenience of having one port of call to deal with if anything goes wrong. I'd personally much rather let my local dealer thrash out any issues on my behalf with Cambo, rather than juggling multiple suppliers and warranties by myself. Consider it a form of insurance.
If I could afford it, I would too. Contrary to what you would believe reading many forums, the margins for lots of professionals (particularly those not shooting high end architecture, fashion, advertising etc.) are tight. If I can save $1k+ - I have to, I don't have a choice.
A further complicating factor is that Arca is not well represented in some countries, not to mention their long lead times and lack of communication. This was a factor in my decision when I was deciding on Alpa/Arca/Cambo/Sinar. As always, a good dealer is imperative, especially one with a decent working relationship with the manufacturer (whoever it may be).
Spot on, and it's not just Arca - though they seem to take most flak because they don't have a website. Where I live (and, I'd imagine, many others) there is no dealer that has demo kit from Arca, Alpa or Cambo on hand to play around with. Purchases have to be made on the basis of feedback from end users on forums like getdpi, which is why a quality forum like this is so important.
