You are looking at it from the viewpoint of a professional, where justifying an expenditure is often a necessity. For those of us for whom photography is a hobby the criteria is a bit different. We don't have to have a need for a purchase, only a desire. Our purchases don't have to make sense to anyone but ourselves. I've been considering getting another prime. Do I need it or have a specific purpose in mind? Nope. Do I want it? Possibly. When I make up my mind I might get it or not, but that won't affect anyone but me. Then there's the 5D MkIV rumored to be coming out this fall........ :-D
As I've stated before: If it's a hobby, the rule of reason need not apply!

One thing is for certain , if that Socialist or the women fit to be in an orange jump suit makes it to the White House , the Obama era will just be an eight year warm up to a complete catastrophe . The prospect of packing the Supreme Court with anti-Constitutional Leftists alone , is enough to bring about a nightmare scenario , where the USA will cease to function as a Constitutional Republic .
Bernie ought to run for President of Sweden and Hillary needs to get a job making license plates !
Another 4-8 years of Liberal Progressive policies is a recipe for national suicide . Make no mistake about it .

Well, the lenses will most likely fit, but you probably won't like the cropped results. So yes, you can use them, but you won't gain many optical advantages by doing so.

I've said this to many photographers... "FX lenses work best on FX bodies, but they will also work okay on DX bodies. But DX lenses won't cover the full sensor area of FX bodies. Your images will have limited pixel density. Therefore, avoid mixing formats. When you do mix, try to avoid DX lenses."

Substitute the terms "Full Frame" and "APS-C" for FX and DX when using Canons.

A primary reason for using a Full Frame/FX camera is to have LOTS of pixels to make BIG enlargements, or to have room for cropping in post-production. Another is to have shallower depth of field by using a longer lens for the same field of coverage. Sticking with DX lenses negates these advantages.

It's like driving a car that runs premium gas — If you can't afford the lenses, how can you afford the camera?

First off, I'm cheap. Always looking for a deal.

For over five years I have been using a few Fancier ball heads. Just checked and they are available from Amazon for less than $40.

The have three control knobs and have supported my Canon 5dII with a 100-400 lens and extender. Never a problem. I also own a fluid pan head for movies, but half the time I don't even bother putting it on.

I would trust the ball on my trailer hitch. Comes with a all steel quick release clamp.

Dale - Brooksville, Fl

The Manrotto MT055CXPRO3 is a sturdy, carbon fiber tripod.

Three things to consider...

1. Working height. Is it tall enough that you can use it without raising the center column at all. For best stability it's better to not raise the center column (or get a tripod that doesn't have one at all). According to the specs at B&H Photo, the tripod itself is 55" tall without raising the center column. Add in the height of the head and the distance from the bottom of your camera to the viewfinder eyepiece, to see if this is enough for you to comfortably work with it.

2. I see that the center column on this tripod rotates for horizontal use, such as for a lower angle macro shot. That might also effect stability, even when being used in the "normal" vertical position. I don't know one way or another... it's something you should check out yourself. If this is a feature you don't think you'll ever need, you might look at another model without it.

3. Leg latches. This Manfrotto uses lever-type latches, that are quick to use. However, they do wear over time (Manfrotto usually includes an Allen wrench with their tripods to adjust the latch tension). They also can catch on branches, cuffs and sleeves. Personally I prefer the twist-type leg locks, which are lower profile and generally self-adjusting. They are a little slower to use, have to be done in a particular order with many tripods, and some care not to over-tighten is important.

Regarding the quick release system. As some others have mentioned, Manfrotto uses their own, proprietary type of quick releases platforms and plates. They are common enough that they aren't hard to find, and might be fine.

However, the Arca-Swiss style quick release system is far more universal... In use by dozens of different manufacturers. So it's even easier to find compatible parts for. And it's necessary or at least very helpful for some things... such as gimbal heads (really large lenses with tripod rings), macro shooting and more.

Not long ago I got a Smith-Victor BH8 ballhead for one of my tripods. It only cost $60, so I honestly wasn't expecting much, although it's claimed to be able to support 50 lbs. I was pleasantly surprised, though, how close it was to the Kirk BH-1 ($385, also rated for 50 lbs) that I use on another tripod. One problem with the BH8 when it first arrived, was that the panning axis was a bit stiff. I disassembled it (easy, just a few screws), removed the heavy grease that was used on the ball bearings and replaced it with a heavy oil (bicycle chain oil, in fact). It's now smooth as a baby's cheek! Yeah, it's true... the S-V BH8 ain't as refined as the Kirk BH-1. The BH8 has little rubber grips on the knobs that might need to be replaced or glued back on eventually... not the nice, machine knurled knobs on the BH-1. But, hey, it's a BALLHEAD... not a fine Swiss watch! Works fine.

Both mine are rather large/heavy duty ballheads (necessary with some of the lenses and cameras I use on them). For your purposes, the Kirk BH-3 or Smith-Victor BH5 or even smaller BH2 might be more than adequate.... as well as cheaper, smaller and lighter weight.

Something else you might want to consider is an L-bracket for your camera. Ballheads... most tripod heads of any type, for that matter... tend to be unbalanced when you switch them to put the camera into vertical/portrait orientation. An L-bracket that attaches to your camera relatively permanently eliminates the problem by providing QR platforms both on the bottom and on the side of the camera body. If interested in using one of these, I am not aware of any that are compatible with Manfrotto quick release systems. You will find most L-brackets are Arca-Swiss style compatible. (Note: All the heads I mentioned above are A-S compatible, though there's a "retaining safety lock" button that needs to be unscrewed from the Smith-Victor heads, when used with some A-S plates).

An alternative is to modify a Manfrotto head to work with Arca-Swiss. I have a smaller Bogen/Manfrotto ballhead I use on a monopod that I've modified this way... simply replacing the QR platform on it with one made by Kirk. That adds about $45 to $55 cost, though (I already had the ballhead from something else, so it was a no-brainer to mod it.) There also are adapters to make non-QR heads into Arca-Swiss style QR.

Have fun shopping!