For what it's worth, 2 different salesmen at B&H, on 2 seperate ocassions told me to avoid the Benro and the Giotto products for now (over the summer), specifically the Benro sticks and the Giotto heads. The reason? Variations in quality coming downstream from both these companies.


My advice is spend the extra $$ and get a high-quality carbon fiber pod - you'll appreciate the lighter, stronger material when you're carrying all day.


full disclosure - I'm a first-year photog, so my experience is limited to a cheap alum rig (sticks/pan head) for the first few months, then a carbon rig (sticks/ballhead from Manfrotto 190CX4 / 488RC2). The difference is, as you'd expect, huge.