In article <4a0lma$qar@netnews.upenn.edu>, gasser@linc.cis.upenn.edu says...
>Looking into tripods -- Bogen seems the best game in town for the
>money -- the 3021 legs look the best. Now, which head?
>I've been pointed to the 3030 Pan/Tilt head, as well as the 3055 Ball >head. Any solid reasons you'd want one over the other? I'm doing all >35mm work, if that matters. My guess is a ball head is faster to >position, and a Pan/Tilt is more precise? (...)

First the tripod: Bogen does seem to be a bargain, but look at others
(including used). Tripods that are strong and well-braced are often
poorly damped. Try lightly placing a finger on a tripod head and
rapping a leg. The vibration can take a VERY long time to die out.
Try the same thing with a floppy wooden tripod or an old Husky (that, while heavy, is probably so loose in the joints that one's first impression of it is not one of confidence). Lack of rigidity in
connections (and material differences) can result in good damping.
Then the head: I have yet to see a pan/tilt head that does not change
the camera position a bit as it is tightened - most annoying! My
thought about ball heads before trying them: why would anyone want
to have to deal with a floppy (and maybe heavy) camera and lens
when the release is loosened? Then a friend introduced me to the
Arca B1 - what a joy to use!!!!!!! They are expensive, but it is so
easy to glide the camera into the desired position and lock it (if
you want - you can adjust the damping to hold even a heavy camera
while allowing it to still be repositioned). Cheaper ball heads
didn't do it - some are floppy, with no damping, some are not smooth, which makes camera aiming less than easy, some shift the camera a
bit when locked, etc. I wound up putting an expensive ball head on
a $70 set of legs (the Star-D copy of the Tiltall).
Hope this helps.