Can anyone suggest a good tripod and head combo for under $200? Camera equipment is under 4 pounds, so nothing huge is necessary. Just want something that provides smooth pans. Thanks in advance.

The matthews M25 is a great deal for the money.
Matthews | M25 Tripod System | M25 | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=502679&Q=&is=REG&A=details)

Davis & Sanford | Pro Vista Tripod with FM 18 | PROVISTA7518B (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/243272-REG/Davis_Sanford_PROVISTA7518B_Pro_Vista_Tripod_with.html)

Thanks guys, that really helps! I appreciate it.

FWIW, I'm with Ken. I have two of those and they're sah-weet.

Went with the Davis and Sanford. Damn fine tripod for < $200

I just received my Matthews M25. Seems like a nice tripod except for panning. Its acting like the lock is on even when it isn't I guess I'll have to have them exchange it.

Adam,
I loosened mine up. Just remove the 4 set screws on the bottom of the bowl and use an allen wrench to adjust. Be prepared to take it off several times until you get the feel you are looking for. (be advised: metric)

You can get by, ok (maybe...), with the Davis and Sanford 7518 for a while if your just starting out. When your ready to upgrade buy a 701 or 501 manfrotto head. Fits right on the 75mm half ball, except you'll have to cut the bolt a little short for it to fit the 701 as I found out today when I upgraded mine, no big deal. What I found with the FM18 Davis & Sanford fluid head that comes with the 7518, is that it gave me an undesireable amount of play when I would tilt up or down unless my pan was locked tight (lame). I would get a tiny little jerk followed by smooth movement. This is something you may not realize until you put a little weight on the tripod. But when you can upgrade to the manfrotto head it will solve that, meantime just be aware that it may do that, and try your best to compensate for it with super steady hands. You can find a 701hdv tripod head for $100 or less on ebay most of the time. Not sure what the ball size is on the Matthews? One nice advantage of the Davis & Sanford 7518 tripod is that the legs will get you higher 173cm versus the 152cm on the M25 Matthews tripod. From my experience with the D&S 7518 I've found that I like the strength and portability of the tripod legs, it's easy to kick/nudge the mid-level spreader up and move quickly from one place to another. Well there's my two cents hope that helps.