From now till 31 December 2009, you can rent out selected equipment from Tin Cheung for a week, check out the fler above for deatils. I know I will be trying the Orbis Ring Flash out. To register, go to the following link, https://www.tincheungcamera.com.hk/rent-a-try/register.
Got these two awesome gears for my arsenal two weeks ago and took them out shooting a few times, the result, ultra steady on my Sony A900 and even better with the Canon G10.
The reason I chose the Manfrotto 685B monopod over the others available in the market is that from all of the research I did, this one matches my need, i.e. being able to extend and retract at the fastest speed possible. My believe was further confirmed by the following two videos which I found on YouTube and Luminous Landscape. The YouTube video is a review of the monopod from Yuri Arcurs, one of the most successful stock photographer, check out how he utilizes his monopod in his daily shoots. Instead of going for a custom bracket like he does, I found the Manfrotto 322RC2 joystick head which allows for fast switching from landscape to portrait position via the joystick ballhead. As for the second video, it is a full video review of how the Manfrotto 685B works with the Canon G10. Check them out and enjoy.