jimmy462
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Upload & Sell: On
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Hi Israel,
I'll second Wickedfn4u's recommendation to look at the Velbon CF offerings. I've had the opportunity to check out the Velbons side-by-side with the Gitzos (along with several other brands) at B&H on a few occasions and my impressions were this...
I felt that the Velbon twist locks performed more securely (larger grips) and equally as well as the Gitzo G-Locks, and I much-preferred the Velbon's thicker diameter leg tubes, as well. The Velbon legs come padded on all three legs (an extra with Gitzo), and I appreciate the screw style spike/rubber feet! Granted, the more robust Velbons weighed just a bit more than the comparable Gitzo's, height-for-height and leg sections for leg sections, but that weight difference I considered both minimal and inconsequential to my needs. My purchasing decision was this, I could not see spending the extra money for the Gitzo's for no gain in performance.
Now, I'm not knocking the Gitzo's, they're certainly more elegant than the Velbon's, they're light weight, wonderfully crafted, and equally sturdy. And if budgeting was less a concern, and shaving pounds was a critical factor I could see going that route. But if anyone is under the impression that I somehow sold myself short and purchased a tripod that puts my "big glass" at unnecessary risk, well, I'd just have to chuckle. My purchase at that time was for the Neo Carmagne 730 (now, N730), which I use, to this day, to tote my Sigma 300-800mm around on. I've subsequently grabbed a N830, too...I've always wanted a tall tripod! 
A heads-up on trying to find these here in the U.S., seems Velbon does not keep a steady supply of these heading to our shores as I have seen them show up in stock for a period of time and then become noticeably absent at other times. Case in point, last year (2011-2012) one could find their entire line-up of CF tripods (530/540, 630/640, 730/740, 830/840) at both B&H and Adorama and now only the N630's and N840's are in stock, respectively. (I work for neither of these places.)
Anyhoo, do your homework, and hopefully you have a decent camera shoppe in your area where you can get some hands-on and see what works for you. Hopefully, this was helpful!
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