I need some advice on purchasing a tripod..

To me, bags and tripods belong to a category of their own in a sense that they require very personal fitting and what's good for me may well not be good for you, even if we have the same equipment. Thus I will - personally - never recommend a specific model. For example, I once saw on the web a bag that I really liked. However, when I got to the store and tried it out I found that it wasn't very comfortable. I tried another and - surprise - it was excellent. Thus I suggest you do the same. Go to the store and try them out yourself.

Suggesting a brand is a different thing and I (like many) find Lowepro bags to be excellent. HTH.

Happy shooting,
Yakim.

[DaveW]

My wife and I are planning a trip to India in the fall and taking photographs is going to be an important part of that trip.

I'm looking for a fairly 'full sized' trip that is reasonably small folded up, not too heavy (but weight isn't a huge issue), and fairly inexpensive.   I'm going to want to use it for single frame and panoramic/mosaics.

Cost is an issue, the trip isn't cheap, and we've already bought a second DSLR (for the sake of marital bliss!).

We've got an E1 and an E 300 with a few lens, so we aren't looking at particularly heavy cameras.

I'm a little partial to manfrotto (I've got a monopod that I like the build and design of).  I've been looking at a 190 CL tripod with perhaps a 484 or 486 ball head for regular use and perhaps a Nodal Ninja or Panosaurus for panoramic shots.

The tripod/ballhead combo looks like it's going to run me around 200 Canadian for taxes.  I'd like to keep it in that range if possible.  (I'm in Toronto)

Could I get away with using a panoramic head as a 'normal' head?  

Any other suggestions or thoughts?