... that's get-round-able.
Why do it if you can get a siggy 70-200 for less from mifsuds?

Bret

but the knife should have some strawberry on it....

well, sun shine this morning, but we're not going anywhere until Friday. I spoke to my mother-in-law last night about driving up on Thursday night: "the road is... interesting" --> the melting ice means the road bed shifts, causing nice rifts in the asphalt. Say hello to buckled wheels and broken suspension components.

Bret

fireworks - doesn't matter: tripod, f/8 and 1/4. 35 or 50 is all good, depending on how far away you are.

If you don't know why you want to upgrade, don't.

Bret

... the limits for duty were recently raised.
The most annoying part about importing into the EU is not the duty, but the levies that UPS or DHL or Royal Fail impose for the "trouble" of dealing with customs formalities.

I'd actually go around a different way. Go find the appropriate the Duty rate and then check out the amount payable. If it's small, it won't be collected. However, the VAT (also on the shipping costs!) is payable.
I've been requested to prove what something is, what its value is (which is damned near impossible because of its scarcity) and just generally jerked around. TNT were very good, UPS charged very high brokerage fees and Canadapost stuff gets intercepted every time.

Don't be tempted to price something down, as the written numbers will be the ones that are counted should you need to claim on insurance, too.

Wait til they visit or you visit them.

Bret

well, it will take a gripped K10D well over 2.5kg. That's where the problems will start with tripod heads and the standard strap.
I've just kitchen-scaled my K10D - 2 batteries, 2 SDHCs, a K10d, D-BG2 and 10-24 Tamron with a RC2 plate - at 1.7kg. Take off 400g for the lens and 1.3kg remains. Add in 1.3kg... the weight limit of a 322RC2 is 2kg IIRC.

I personally don't mind the weight of the Tamron at all. It's nice to heft something, and I think for a 70-200 it will work really well. The idea of a 690+234RC2 head would seem to be predestined for this.
OTOH, adding another kilo? you're really going to know about it with the standard strap....

Bret

I would personally suggest something along the lines of 24 or 28-70 or so @ 2.8. 70 is long enough to get headshots from the pit, and a 28 would allow a couple of the guys to be visible at once.

Bret

it snowed here this morning... but considering there's still around 40cm lying it didn't make much difference.

Bret

I guess I still haven't been clear. I'm talking 6" to be driven at 10mph. No "let's see if I can soak that person on the other side of the road". Yes, it would be more photogenic, but that's not the intention. Otherwise I really could just seek out a big puddle.

Bret

i *do not* want to know what's in Bury black pudding.