Firstly, wow there's some stunning photos on here. I haven't seen them all yet, I must set aside some time after Xmas to work through the thread. 
 
I need some tripod help please. First question are man froto any good??

Its for my OH. He has a canon eos 400d. He has some long distance lenses about 18" long so needs something that will take a few kg. I've been looking at some tripods and 3-way head kits with a handle but don't really know what to go for, I mean there's some fantastic stuff out there is money is no object.

He takes stills, mainly would like to do panoramics and could do with something that has good adjusment side and angle, something with a quick release, handle and easy adjustment as he does have trouble with anything that's fiddly to undo.

The other thing is maximum height. He's 5ft10 with a bad back and so he needs it tall enough so he's not stooping. He has a portable tripod which is fine for standing on a table etc but not full size.  Is there anything out there that is not too expensive?