Ok, so I'm a pixel peeping landscape photographer. Therefore I don't like camera vibrations. With 5-6 um pixel sizes and sharp lenses this is a very real problem, even when lenses are not particularly long. I use a DSLR so of course the mirror is up and I use a remote trigger. Using 10x zoom in live view I can watch and wait for vibrations to subside before taking the shot. However, with a bit heavier lenses and in windy conditions the vibrations may never subside, and I am a bit worried that shutter slap may still cause vibrations. Long exposures rarely get maximum sharpness in any condition. I need some firmer stuff.
Today I use a simple aluminium tripod from Manfrotto quite lightweight, but of decent quality. Now I'm looking for something new, and it may be expensive as long as it is motivated. I'm not fond of the idea of spending thousands of dollars on lenses just to mess up image quality due to a poor tripod.
I'm thinking of Gitzo carbon tripods, but I wonder if it is ok to have say 8 kg max load if the equipment weights 5 kgs, or if one should go overkill, say 20 kg max load? Just to make it really stable, or is it totally unnecessary? Since I will be carrying around the tripod I want as much rigidity as necessary, but no more if it weighs more. If for example long exposures would require really heavy tripod I could think of having a special heavy one for that and a portable for less demanding situations. The problem is that I don't really have the experience to know what I need.
Anyone that has experience and recommendations?