Here's a small gallery of some hardcore tripod porn for you all. I ordered this after considering between Induro, Manfrotto, Giotto and to a much lesser extent (because of the price), Gitzo.
This is with the SA-23 ballhead.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellenfreeman/sets/72157622656106132
It's solid, it has a good weight for stability, and although it clocks in at like 6 lbs, it hasn't bothered me at all. The ballhead is nice, my only gripe is that it can be tough to undo the adjustment thing if it happened to tighten right near where it gets close to the plate. Also, when it's tight, it stays tight. The lens probably just need more wear before they will slide out easy, but right now it takes a bit of effort to get it all the way set up. Again, I think this is more to do with it needing more use. It came with a nifty bag and the spike feet as well as regular rubber feet. The ballhead has a nice quick release that has some protection for us clumsy people: there is a double latch that needs to be pressed (easy to press if you mean to do it) that will undo the quick release. The plate itself is small and nice (unlike Manfrotto) and the tripod and ballhead each have their own level. My only last complaint is that the compass (which I'm REALLY not sure I'll use) doesn't lay flat, although it still does say the right direction. Any questions?
Obviously this isn't an advertisement... I guess I just wanted to clarify that.
