Thanks all, got some options to look in to. Based on the last post, I could actually go all out FLM. I'll check the weights and look to make a decision.
What sort of levelling plate would fit that FLM set up?
Not sure what you mean by "leveling plate"?
If you just mean a camera plate, which you attach to your camera body and then clamp in the ball head's clamp, any well-made original Arca-Swiss (AS) compatible plate will work, ranging from custom-made plates and L-brackets by companies such as Really Right Stuff, Hejnar, Kirk, &c, or generic plates ranging to the above-mentioned down to the many cheaper brands such as Sunwayfoto, Desmond, &c.
If you are looking for a "leveling base", which you mount to the tripod base and has its own built-in leveling mechanism and spirit level, just realize that this adds additional weight if you are going to mount your ball head on top of that, and will start making it not only overall heavier but more top-heavy. Also, the tripod mounting base is 53mm diameter, and the leveling base diameter should be less than that in order to be able to fold the legs over for minimum packing length -- plus, not sure how the legs would close over the upper part of that mechanism, nor exactly the clearance compromise that might make to the ball head knobs and clamp assembly with the legs folded.
Here is a link to the FLM Canada page, scroll down to find the CP-Travel tripod specs:
http://www.flmcanada.com/carbon-fibre-tripods.html
Do a search in this forum for "FLM CP-Travel" or "CP26-Travel", and you will find some of my photos with the above tripod and head folded and in fully deployed positions.
The other comments I'll make here are these, regarding ones choice of tripods -- you may be aware of these already, having experience with a heavier-duty tripod, but I post for others interested in these details:
Tripods are primarily used for 4 basic reasons -- 1) for more accurately and smoothly positioning/ framing images; 2) convenience, ranging from just being able to park your camera setup between shots and near the positon subsequent shots will be made from, to mounting a gimbal with larger heavier telephoto lens to help track birds-in-flight &c; 3) stable support for longer exposures which cannot be easily achieved hand-held, and 4) rock-solid support for long time exposures/ time lapse/ HDR/ Hight Resolution shots.
Generally speaking, tripod stability can be better or worse according to many factors, all of which eventually add up to create a more stable or less stable system, which may or may not be improved upon by hanging extra weight from an apex hook or around the legs, or by shortening the legs: the basic leg material (and manner of layering, bonding for CF) along with wall thickness and tube diameter, leg joints (i.e. the tube connectors, and exactly how a twist lock is designed/ constructed, minimizing any possible "play" - and there are ranges of performance amongst different brands and models), same considerations for a column if present (ideal is to have a removable column for certain conditions), the apex material and design (even geometry such as leg angles permitted), and the leg/ apex hinges.
Also generally speaking, the higher the quality of the design and manufacturing, the more solid and stable, and resistance to vibration and better the vibration damping will be.
Finally, no matter if you have the highest quality of all components, the more leg joints and the thinner the leg sections, the more compromise there will be to the final result, so at the end of the day stability, portability, and cost -- in any comparisons, changing any of these will affect the others in some way.
The reason I say this, is that the price to pay for the FLM CP26-Travel is mainly the trade-off between stability and portability. This tripod is much more solid and stable than some similar Gitzo, Benro, and Sirui tripods which I have owned in the past -- I have done well with my larger tripods in terms of getting it right the first time, but no so with my most portable tripods. So, bottom line, this FLM travel tripod setup is the best by far of any of the other portables which I have owned, but still bear in mind that it is a compromise when compared to the heavier setups, albeit IMO one of the best compromises out there! And having said all that, this compact FLM tripod is now my most-used tripod, except for the most demanding situations such as high resolution, Astrophotography, and macro focus-stacking.
