I'm of the view carbon fiber tripods are essentially a waste of money. There are plenty of mechanically comparable aluminum tripods that are equally light (or lighter) and cost less than CF. And CF requires twist-lock rather than lever leg tighteners. I really dislikes twist tighteners.
So, a lightweight for the small Kowa. The discontinued Slik 500 series is your huckleberry. I like the 500G-FL or 500G-7 (both these have levers). If you don't mind twist lock, the older 500's are easy to find. Ebay has these all the time. I got my 500G-7 on ebay, new. 21.2 oz's and a great, fully functioning tripod for small spotting scopes.
Thanks Brad, I’ll check eBay for these Slik 500 models.
