Originally posted by OregonJim A rule of thumb I heard years ago from a pro is that the tripod should weigh at least 2X your heaviest camera/lens combo.
I never understood why carbon fiber tripods became popular - less weight seems to defeat the purpose.
I think that rule of thumb predated carbon fiber. The whole idea of a tripod is to dampen vibration. If the tripod is metal, it takes more weight to do that, since the metal itself transmits vibration. Wood tripods are so very good because they dampen vibration realy well, though they are also very heavy.
I don't know for sure how carbon fiber stacks up with wood for damping, but I don't see how it could be worse than a metal tripod.