The TVC-24L with the BH-40 would be something else to consider. The big advantage would be the height (an extra 18 inches). But now we are spending $1400 and carrying 4.5 pounds. The serious pros overwhelmingly favor the BH-40, and I tripod I could actually stand up behind would be something I would really use. But I have a Gitzo of this sort, with a real ARCA head -- the only thing "wrong" with it, is that it is heavy. If money was no object, and I was aiming at a general purpose tripod instead of a backpacking tripod, this would be the road to consider. If you weren't planning to carry this around for days on end, the extra height and the ability to stand comfortably behind this tripod would clinch the deal.
Note that my modified smaller Gitzo weighs 6.7 pounds and goes 48 inches tall. It costs me nothing at this point, since I paid for it years ago.
Choosing between these 3 alternatives offers the usual competition among tradeoffs of cost, size, weight, and elegance. It is important to remember that I am aiming for a backpacking tripod that won't be objectionable to carry on multi-day trips. There is a lot to say for an elegant 48 inch tripod that weighs half of what the tripod I now carry weighs. On the other hand, it is necessary to spend over $1000 to drop those 3.7 pounds and gain that elegance.
Dave says that gear guides by Dan Carr were very interesting, and led to his choice of the TFC-14 with the BH-30 ballhead.
I have owned and carried an inexpensive plastic tripod of about the same size for years and never actually used it. If I had something like this with a ball head that actually worked and was this beautiful, would it change things? Maybe, but it will cost $240 to find out. Maybe I should just put that money towards the TFC-14 instead?
One thing to bear in mind is that this kind of tripod is only useful for certain shots, namely those where you have something to set this on. Setting this on the ground will usually not give you the view you desire. Yet another argument for putting the money towards the TFC-14, which will be generally useful and pleasant to carry.
Dave passed on the following recommendations and endorsements to me after a trip together in July of 2019, and I wanted to preserve those suggestions here.
Dave purchased video tutorials from Sean Bagshaw and has found them worth several passes. He also offers a Photoshop add-on called the "TKActions Panel", which can be purchased in a bundle along with the videos at some savings. He has free videos on his You Tube channel, which would probably be a great way to get started and decide whether to invest in his video tutorials.
TKActions is apparently authored by a Tucson based photographer, Tony Kuyper. He has a good discussion of luminosity masks on his website.
Julieanne Kost is an Adobe ambassador and has a terrific set of video tutorials, though not devoted exclusively to photo developing.
Dave enjoys video tutorials by Jimmy McIntyre.
Interestingly, he sells a Photoshop add-on comparable to, but different from TKActions on his website.
His YouTube channel has many good free tutorials:
Tom's Digital Photography Info / [email protected]