Hi,

So I'm looking for a tripod. My current tripod is a cheap Giottos (One
of the VT 800 series -- I think the VT 816). I snagged it a couple
years ago for $30 CDN and don't regret it - it's easily been worth $30.
But, it's just not cutting it anymore. My major beef is that it simply
can not hold my camera in a proper vertical orientation; it gives a
5-10 degree tilt. This absolutely infuriated me on a recent shoot -
when I rotated the pictures in Photoshop to compensate, I had to crop
some of them so much that the picture was ruined. Also, the pan head
has a bit of sag to it...if I'm using my 300mm lens, I need to compose
a little high, because when I let go of the handle it tips down a bit.
Finally, it's not the sturdiest thing in the world, and the geared
center column (which I don't even use that much) is getting really
chewed up.

So.

I've just returned from the local camera shop, where I was test-driving
a Slik Pro 500DX. I must say, I'm impressed. I like the height, I like
the handling of the pan head that it comes with. I really like the fact
that the pan head holds my camera nice and sturdy, even in a vertical
position, even with my 300mm lens and flash mounted. I was testing with
my heaviest setup: Canon 300D, battery grip, Canon 75-300 IS (extended
to 300mm), Sigma 500 flash. This sucker's heavier than my current
tripod, but that's not a deal-breaker. The price I'm looking at here is
$200 CDN (~$177 USD): that's $150 for the legs, and $50 for the head.

I looked at ballheads briefly, but it looks like a decent ballhead is
going to cost me at least as much as the legs, and that's more than I
want to spend right now. I figure I can always buy a ballhead in a year
or two if I decide I really need/want one.

The salesman at the camera store was actually steering me towards
cheaper models - I don't know if he had the idea that $200 was out of
my budget, or if he simply thought that it was overkill. He did comment
that, should I buy the 500DX, I would probably never need to upgrade.

My question, to anyone that has an opinion on the matter: Assuming that
I'll be buying a tripod, and that $200 is within my budget but that I
don't want to go much higher...is there any reason not to get the Slik
Pro 500DX? Is there something better in the same price range I should
be looking at? Something that's cheaper that I'd be just as happy with?
(I can get the 400DX for $10 less, but I think that for the extra ten
bucks, I'll go with the 500DX).

Anyone?

Thanks,
- Darryl