Yay! Another new toy . . . bought on impulse :)

[ET Awful]

Actually, I'd been wanting it for a while, I just ran across a listing again and bought one today http://cgi.ebay.com/Photo-Technology-Carbon-Fiber-Tripod-4-Section-314_W0QQitemZ7544788528QQcategoryZ30095QQcmdZViewItem

I paid $129 for mine (used Buy It Now instead of bidding).

The review from Nikonians sounded good, so I decided to give it a shot, plus I have 14 days to return it if I'm not happy with the quality. . . YAY!

[Touchdown]

1. Nice one. I bought a Manfroto last Month.

If I could, I don't recommend the ball head. I took that home, and re-balancing/leveling the ball every time I loosen it is a pain in the butt. I returned it for a standard pan head with a video stalk.

[ET Awful]

2. I use a mid-range Manfroto ballhead and I love it.

I'd much rather have an Arcatech, but that's a little out of my price range.

The Photo Technologies tripod came highly recommended by a buddy of mine in California, so I gave it a shot . . . It's very comparable to the Velbon carbon I was looking at which was double the cost. For the price this would be hard to beat.

Personally, I like the ballhead, I had a pan and tilt, but it's a bit bulky for my tastes.