I have a Gitzo 1349, which if you buy it new comes with a column and a flat plate so you can mix and match as you like. As Scott said, It's less than a minute with a 10 mm spanner to swap between the two. I use - and like - the column with MF and 35 mm, but having done a torture test with a 600 mm half-Symmar and 30" of rail I don't use it for LF. With the column there was clear vibration, visible to the naked eye on the ground glass even at minimum height. With the same head on the flat plate the image was completely still to my eye, even through a loupe (although touching the camera or ground glass with the loupe clearly caused movement). If you plan to use a long lens - even a 300 mm - on your 4x5 I would dispense with the column.
The head I use is Sinar's own pan-tilt. The new ones, and late model used ones, are ferociously expensive, but the older green Norma-era ones like mine are very reasonable and offer a nice combination of bombproof stability and relatively light weight. I do prefer a ballhead for smaller formats, but I rarely go hiking with both MF and LF at the same time, so leaving my column and ballhead behind when out with the 4x5 don't cause too much hassle. With the bubble level on the legset and movements on the camera I don't miss the third degree of freedom, although I sometimes hanker after a levelling base to speed setup times.
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