Tripod and head choices

After getting my Canon XF300 camcorder my budget it a little low at the moment. I am looking for advice on what tripod and head to get. I NEED the tripod to be light as I will be travelling with it a lot.
For the legs at the moment I have my eye on the Manfrotto 055 carbon. This one manfrotto.co.uk/​product/​8374.58969.83534.0.0/​055CX3/​_/​055_carbon_fibre_3-section_tripod Is it any good? I have a Giottos carbon tripod for stills but the leg angle is much shallower and thus less stable. Otherwise I would just use what I have for now.

For the head I have been looking into the Manfrotto 501HDV and 701HDV. I don't know which to get given that the 501 is quite a bit more and I can't see a big difference in spec.

I should also mention I want the tripod to double up for both video and stills photography so I think a dedicated video tripod might not really be the best.

Thanks for any input.
 
Back
Top