That's a great picture. :-)

I just got done upgrading everything relating to support - tripod, ballhead, new plates, new pano setup, everything. In all, I'm sure I spent in excess of $1,200 (but I refuse to add it up).

I owned an old Induro aluminum tripod that had served me decently for several years. I decided to save some money and buy the Induro CT314 instead of the similarly spec'd Gitzo. The most important attribute for me, though, was maximum height (I like a tall tripod) and the ability to compact down to a [relatively] small size (which is why I went for 4 leg sections instead of 3).

I've been fairly impressed by the Induro tripod. I don't know how well it's going to hold up over the long haul, but so far I don't have any reservations about purchasing it.

If you've kept up with the news posts here on TDP, you'll know that I also purchased an Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1. While I'm very happy with my purchase (after having the QR clamp replaced), I'd suggest taking a good look at the Sirui K-40x Ball Head. DPReview recently tested a bunch of ballheads and found the Sirui K-40x to be an excellent value when compared even the most expensive models.