Anyone got strong feelings on the latest and/or best tripod around? My hubby wants a good one for his birthday - and has suggested Manfrotto 190PRO. What do you think? By the way, he is interested in macro shots.
Manfrotto or Gitzo are probably the most popular of the pro models. I have a Manfrotto Magfibre 190MF3 with a 468RC2 head and I think thats a great combination - extremely sturdy and strong. the removable centre column works well too for low angle shots and as a counter balance arm when you are doing product shots on a studio table.
One thing to bear in mind though is a set up like that can cost you nearly as much as your camera body so you'd have to either want one real bad or be likely to get a lot of use out of it. depending on what kind of macros he is planning on taking have you considered something more flexible (and cheaper) like a Gorillapod SLR-Zoom tripod? you could still add a good quality ball head to that as well.
I use that one and it isn't bad it has a 2 section center post that will allows you to get close to the ground . BUT the most important is the head , for macro shots you'll need one that doesn't "creep " . I suggest a good ball head like this one or if you are feeling very generous the Super Gitzo .
I think a tripod is one of the most important pieces of photo equipment you can have so buy the best you can afford .
My advice would be to go for the lightest and most easily transported tripod you can find (edit: afford...). If you buy something heavy or cumbersome you probably won't end up using it much as you won't want to lug it around with you.