Originally Posted by
mathomas
Trying to save money on a tripod can be a money waster, IMO. Consider buying a used, name brand, offering. I can recommend Gitzo and Manfrotto as the classic go-to brands. The next tier of brands (of which I own a couple, in addition to my Gitzos) include Benro, Velbon (El Carmagne model is pretty good, Induro, etc.
You'll probably want to stick to the equivalent of the Gitzo 2-series in leg thickness/stiffness. I believe that's the 2xxx series in Benro, and others you'd have to research.