Not to sound like a snob, but anything made by BOG is entry level stuff. I own one and if it wasn't a Christmas gift from my girlfriend it would be LONG GONE!!
We've went over this tripod suggestion many many times and with the search function there's some great info already posted on tripods.
You don't have to spend 700-1k to get a solid platform to shoot from. The Innorel RT90 on Amazon is what I would consider the lowest option for a rigid and well made shooting tripod. It's about $350 bucks with the leveling bowl and in every way far superior to a BOG.
