Slik 713 Carbon Fiber tripod legs?

[topeju]

Does anyone here have any experience with the Slik 713 carbon fiber tripod legs? They are pretty cheap at about 200 euros, and very lightweight yet still over 1.6 meters high (I've no idea whether this is with the center column extended or not - the center column is listed as having a max 0.3 m extension).

Basically, I'm currently trying to find a tripod to replace my current Manfrotto 390 (Bogen 3405), which just isn't stable and high enough. I'm also considering the Manfrotto 055 PRO (Bogen 3021 PRO), but they are twice the weight (and about 50 euros cheaper), which makes them more of a burden to carry around. The Manfrotto carbon fiber legs are considerably more expensive than the Slik, so I'll probably have to rule them out (well, the government didn't directly rule them out either, but I am afraid I might have to sleep on the couch for a while if I did buy them :lol:).

[topeju]

Apparently my question was a little too specific. :-(

The local camera store got one set of these legs and I went in with my gear to check them out. I compared them with the Manfrotto 055 PRO legs and couldn't make out too much of a difference in terms of stability. The Manfrotto legs are about 10 cm (4 inches) taller (my viewfinder didn't quite come to eye level with the Slik without extending the centre column), but also about twice the weight. The centre column could be switched to a horizontal position in the Manfrotto legs, but I don't think I would much use that feature anyway, as I mostly shoot people and landscapes, no macro work. The Manfrotto legs also come with a spirit level. I do prefer the leg clamps on the Manfrotto though, the twist locks on the Slik were a little awkward in my opinion. Both legs could be locked to several different angles (the Slik ones didn't go all flat though).

I'm not too proficient in comparing tripod legs though, so I might not have compared the two well enough. The store floor wasn't slippery and didn't move so I can't say how the legs would perform on a more natural floor. Can anyone help me make up my mind :-) and give some guidelines as to how to compare the two leg sets?