Chinese Accessories vs. Respected Manufacturers

presspass said:
There are also things available from Chinese vendors that cannot be found elsewhere. I have two grips for Nikon F2s. They have bases that fit the Arca Swiss tripod heads and fit the cameras well. I don't recall who made them, but I could not find similar items made by more established firms.
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Here's an example of where it's something unique that really adds value for some folks. This is the kind of thing I'd buy without reservation.

B2 (;->
 
I've used Chinese wireless transmitters and receivers for TTL flash with a Canon flash. Also transmitters and receiver for triggering non-TTL flash. Olympus OM to EOS/EF mount adapters with focus confirmation. Wireless remotes.

So far I haven't had a bad experience.

Thinking about getting Godox, TTL flashes with appropriate transmitters. From what I read the Godox flashes are cross compatible. You just need the correct transmitters for each camera brand.
 
ColSebastianMoran said:
I thought I was taking a gamble on the Godox TT685-S flash for $100. Promised full integration with Sony's new MI shoe on A6000 and A7 families of cameras. And, it delivers fabulously in all modes, including radio-wireless with the Godox X1T-S trigger.
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Good to know. I have an A6000 and would get an extra transmitter for M4/3.
 
BillBingham2 said:
Here's an example of where it's something unique that really adds value for some folks. This is the kind of thing I'd buy without reservation.
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Exactly; I couldn't find any adapters, made by some European manufacturer, that allow the usage of Deckel/DKL/Compur-Mount lenses (i.e. Kodak Retina S, Voigtländer Bessamatic, etc.) on more recent film-SLR-mounts, thus I bought them from ... China.
 
I haven't been disappointed yet!

I haven't been disappointed yet!

Dear Board,

I have Youngnuo, Neewer, and Meike flashes that all work perfectly with Canon, Nikon, and Fuji cameras. While they are each brand specific TTL flashes they were a fraction of the cost of a branded flash. A Youngnuo 685 is about $ 100.00, a Canon 600EX is almost 5X's the money.

I have Powerextra and Meike battery grips for two Canon cameras. I bought each grip with 2 batteries for less than the price of one Canon battery for the respective cameras.

Lens caps, body caps, and rear lens caps are all bought from China in lots of 5 with free shipping for less than the cost of 2 beers at the local bar! And I live in the woods with lots of seedy bars with cheap beer.

I sprung for a Wimberly 100mm Arca-Swiss lens foot mounting plate to use on a knock-off gimbal mount. I got a great deal on it, brand new. I've since purchased several 70mm, 100mm, along with a "genuine" knock-off lens foot plate for a Tamron 300mm/f2.8 from China. I had to wait a while to get some of them but I still haven't spend what I spent on a half-priced Wimberly. And guess what, they ALL FIT PERFECTLY!

For a casual user such as myself the money indeed does matter.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂
 
I was earlier adopter to YN flashes. For price reason. It was crappy made back then.

I'm using SLIK tripod (official address in Japan) and Horusbennu from SK/HK ballhead.
But you never know where it is made these days 🙂.

Oh, my official M-E Leica battery is made in China.
 
" What's your take on today's Chinese accessories, camera mounts, tripods, etc. vs. the long-respected manufacturers? I somewhat hate to say it, but I'm strongly tempted."

Chinese like most people with a mercantile instinct are quick to learn and adapt to market demands. I have seen a few times that their products start off a bit rough and ready and over the years they adapt and improve.

I am old enough to remember the days when Japanese "stuff" was regarded with suspicion (not camera gear, but electronics generally - Japan was of course already highly regarded for cameras when I was a kid). Then the Koreans and their cars etc.......and then they got better. So it goes.

I am still regularly disappointed to some extent by camera accessories from China, most of the disappointment coming from quality assurance problems rather than inherently poor design (after all mostly the design is a knock off of some other firm's design).

Lens adapters designed for using legacy lenses on mirrorless cameras are an example that come to mind. The run of the mill ones best being described as "cheap and cheerful". But I have also noticed more than one brand of higher end and more expensive adapters being marketed and so far I have found them to be much better and more reliable than their cheaper cousins for perhaps twice the price. Even though these are more expensive than other brands from China they are still a quarter of what is asked for the highest grade adapters sometimes found on auction sites. No doubt they are not up to the standards of those highest end adapters but something tells me they one day may be.

In the mean time I have been upgrading my adapters from the cheapest ones I first had to the better Chinese made brands and having a lot of fun. In particular these adapters are still so relatively cheap that they allow me to buy and try pretty well any vintage lens type I am tempted to trial on my mirrorless kit. Something I would not be able or prepared to do if I had to pay $150+ per adapter rather than $25 that they actually cost me. So far I have adapters for about 10 different lens mount systems - proving to my satisfaction that there is a niche for such equipment.
 
Here's an innovation from a Chinese manufacturer, Godox, that I don't see from the major brands:

I use a Godox TT685-S on my Sony A6500 and A7ii cameras (w/MIS shoe). Works great.

Then, add the transmitter X1T-S so the flashes are radio-controlled remote TTL on the Sony. Works GREAT! Just like the major brands, three groups, 30 channels, TTL w/flash exposure comp or manual output control. Put them in soft-boxes or however.

Then, notice that Godox has -N models for Nikon. Both the flash and the transmitter. Also -C for Canon and probably others.

Hmm... Maybe buy a -N transmitter and it will drive my -S flashes? Vendor tells me "yes" so I buy the -N transmitter for $46. Works like a charm! My three -S flashes give me radio-controlled wireless TTL on both my Sony and my Nikon gear.

So good, full function dedicated flash units for Sony, now remotely controlled from my Nikon gear at minimal additional expense. That's innovation!

GodoxX1TS-a__61505.1523469069.500.750.jpg
 
Sumarongi said:
1. China did not sign any international intellectual property treaties, AFAIK —— thus many of their products are rip-offs, so to speak.

2. China's policy regarding their products that are meant for export ist quite the same the USSR had —— many prices are state-subsidised.

3. Any Western customer should also know under which circumstances Chinese products are made —— environment, workers' health, and so on, may not really play a big role...
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#3 We sent buyers to China to see about getting low prices. Zero heat in the factory at below zero F. When the tour guide was questioned about obviously dangerous life threatening practices, the answer was it is ok, were have lots of people.

So if you wish to subsidize this , buy Chinese.

BTW, they purchased multi million dollar locomotives from us and found one excuse after another not to pay for them. Their business ethics do not exist. Note the details of the trade war now in progress
to see if I am not correct.
 
The quality varies, I get small things like lens caps and so on and the vented hoods because the alternative is paying through the nose. I've bought some bits that were rubbish and binned immediately. Nowadays I'm happier buying from dealers here but sometimes the goods still arrive weeks late from China direct in the post...


Regards, David
 
It'll be hit and miss but a lot of branded stuff is most likely built in the same factory as the chinese/ no name stuff.

I used to see it a lot in car parts, oil was a brilliant one as people were sneering at the budget stuff on one shelf and going to the higher stuff on the next one with a treble price tag and not reading the back of the bottle, showing that it was the same refinery and exact same stuff in the bottle.
Chinese manufacturing standards have gotten a lot better in the last 20 years or so but as with anything be vigalent and check the sellers rules on returns so in the event its not much cop you can get your money back.

To make a comparison I picked up a cheap chinese made Halina, internally its as good as anything from Japan or here and I could trust it to give me good results, I picked up a Lomography Fisheye, a named product that when new isn't cheap, the plastic is cheap and the soldering appears to have been done by either Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder, especially the capacitor for the flash that pretty much fell out in my hand.
 
My Induro tripod is every bit as well made as my Manfrotto. Both my Chinese L-brackets are well made. You might want to buy that Chinese accessory you are hankering after now before tariffs go up from 10% to 25% or even higher. You have a 90-day window.
 
Their ethics and practices may be dubious but for many cash-strapped hobbyists they have opened the door to new aspects of photography that hitherto might have remained firmly and financially closed. I believe one has to examine ones own conscience and act accordingly.
 
Two words: "quality control".

Many Chinese products are of excellent quality, but if even 10% aren't, they easily destroy the credibility of those that are. The difficulty lies in knowing which suppliers are likely to be reliable.

Cheers,

R.
 
Ronald M said:
#3 We sent buyers to China to see about getting low prices. Zero heat in the factory at below zero F. When the tour guide was questioned about obviously dangerous life threatening practices, the answer was it is ok, were have lots of people.

So if you wish to subsidize this , buy Chinese.
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As far as I have learned, these particular factories of your report do exist, but: there are no regular employees working, but prisoners — precisely that kind of criminals who have actually not the faintest potential to be re-socialised.
 
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