So Philip had a 504, and I put it to use. It's a tradeoff... wouldn't want to go backpacking with it, but the head and clutches are SOoooooo much smoother to use for p/t... more later on the idea of puting a gearbox on it
Gotta love the Italians for their design sensitivities.
On the other hand, I schlepped the carbon-fiber Manfrotto up to the Albion basin this week, and the Gitzo head, while lighter, requires more experience to do smooth moves. (As in life) ~grin~ As far as a platform is concerned, the EX3 is light enough to rest steady on the other, lighter sticks.
m i c h a e l