Help deciding on next lens

[HDNitehawk]

Thanks everyone and nice pics Richard. Sounds like a tripod isn't a must. That said, I wanted to get one for certain occasions. I'm sure tripods have been discussed at length on this forum. If you guys can point me to a thread that may help me in deciding which tripod and ball head to go with, that would be great. I'm looking for something that would be able to handle the weight of my 70-200 f/2.8 and sturdy enough to take the weight of something larger if/when I get into the bigger telephoto lenses. I'd like to get something that has a good balance for stability and weight. I know these are going against each other, but for me they are probably 50/50 in terms of importance to me. Appreciate your thoughts.

With the larger super telephoto lenses you will end up wanting a head and tripod that you will not use on the smaller gear.

But the question is, how much do you want to spend for a tripod and head?

Gitzo is one of the best legs if you want to lay out the high price for it.

I have the Acra Swiss Mono Ball Z1, and it is solid as a rock but expensive.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...1_dp_with.html

[Mpieris]

With the larger super telephoto lenses you will end up wanting a head and tripod that you will not use on the smaller gear.

But the question is, how much do you want to spend for a tripod and head?

Gitzo is one of the best legs if you want to lay out the high price for it.

I have the Acra Swiss Mono Ball Z1, and it is solid as a rock but expensive.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...1_dp_with.html

Thanks for the tip. Maybe I will need to focus on a tripod and head for the immediate need, which maximizes out with my 70-200. As far as price is concerned, I was hoping to keep it under $500 for both head and tripod. But I can be convinced to shell out more if there is something out there that has the stability and weight quality that I'm looking for.