go on ebay and buy a good used bogen 3020 and a bogen 3025 three way head - they are cheep! this set up will get you going. most people end up with about 600-1000 bucks into their tripod and head - without plates!
Here's an example.
http://cgi.ebay.com/L-K-Bogen-3020-Tripo...1QQcmdZViewItem
