Depending on your lenses and how and where you shoot, going cheap on a tripod can end up being frustrating in the long run - small tripods transmit vibrations easier than bigger tripods, metal moreso than carbon fiber or wood, more tripod leg segments are less sturdy than fewer, having to to extend a tripod central column will further reduce stability and transmit more vibrations so a taller tripod where the column can remain descended or no central column at all is preferable. With tripod heads, where you are better off getting a head over-rated weight wise for what you are putting on it so that movements remain smooth, applying the right amount of friction is easy, and clamping force is firm. Also don't bother with a three-way head unless doing video, quality ball heads are great. Arca-Swiss is the only standard quick-release plate that's not brand-proprietary, so if you like to maximize your flexibility look for heads that are Arca-Swiss compatible. If you can wait for sales, you can get some terrific deals. For instance, I recently purchased the Vanguard Auctus 283CT Carbon Fiber Tripod for $169.99 on sale at Woot (list price was $559.99). Then I picked up the Vanguard ABH-340K Semi-Elliptical Ball Head for $99 (list price $369) from an Amazon seller. Both are slightly older (now discontinued) models, and I saved a lot by going that route. One of the other cool things about Arca-Swiss is you can things like this, which will turn a ballhead into a micro gimbal head:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/754602-REG/Jobu_Design_BWG_M1_BWG_Micro_Gimbal_Ballhead_Adapter.htmlMore compact than a full gimbal, and since I see myself needing a gimbal head that often, it could be very useful.
