now I'm stuck, i was set on the 717, but then i stumbled upon this WF718 Fluid Head + Tripod Close Look Review CheesyCam
same brand, same good quality, but a little more versatile with the center column being able to move up and down, and the different leg positions
what do you guys think? now i can't decide, but it looks as if the 718 is a little more suited to smaller cameras

Hi Michael

The day I exchanged adjustable legs and elevator columns for bowl heads was a huge turning point in my life. True, an elevator column gets you higher but the leveling facility of a bowl unit is way, way, more useful. I personally would hate to go back to fiddling with legs to get the tripod level!!!

Chris

Is this it???
 

Pro Video Tripod w Fluid Pan Head EI717 717 75mm Bowl - eBay (item 190470074595 end time Dec-18-10 09:21:47 PST)

Thanks Chris for he suggestion. I already purchased the Vision Blue (with BillMeLater.. lol) but as SOON as I purchased it, I saw the Libe RS series and now this thread! lol

Since it's only about 5th of Vinten's price I wouldn't mind purchasing and trying it out and compare to my Vision Blue.

One question is, does this have balancing mechanism and also do you happen to know if this can handle the Canon XHA1?

Thanks so much!

EDIT: They seem to have a lot of rebranding for this model

Chris,

Thank you very much for putting us on to the Weifeng 717 tripod. I found one on eBay in the UK branded as the Fancier WF-717 for just £129.95 with free delivery in the UK or just an extra £9.95 to ship to me here in France. It arrived today & it really is a very decent piece of kit & you really cannot go wrong at this price (the equivalent of about $220 including 20% sales tax). http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...ht_3376wt_1021

Here is a video review of the WF-717 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QJwL31bWxk