Hi
I'm halfway through the same exercise, new tripod and head.
I went with the 055CXPRO3 because of the light weight and good price I got.
The same seller has the 055XPROB for $AU208.99 @
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Manfrotto-Bog...item3ef6b811af
I also did lots of research on the Feisol tripods, and they seem fairly well regarded on the various forums I checked.
Your choice of head is dependent of how much weight you are going to put on it. I'd like the Q3 but my maximum load, about 2.5Kgs, is, according to Markins, borderline for the Q3.
The above seller has the Q3 for $AU216.97 @
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Markins-Q-3-Q...item3f002eb301
I'm probably going to get the Markins Q10 which will carry the weight of a larger lens than my current 300 f4 prime. I didn't see a bad report on any of the Markins heads.
I'll be getting the screw type quick release clamp, locks tighter and eliminates the chance of accidental release you have with a lever type.
Looked at the 498RC2 because I have plates to match but found a lot of comments about the safety lock on it. Apparently you need two hands to release it and then have to grab your camera before it drops. Maybe someone above who has one can give you some info on this.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Kevin