Thanks for the replies.
I contacted Benro to find out which tripod had an articulating center column and the rep told me the Flexpod is the only one and they no longer make it in carbon fiber. He gave me the model number to see if I could find one since they just discontinued them recently. No luck!
I ended up going with a 190cxPro.. while it doesn't have an adjustable angle center, my ball head can take care of that..
Whist I was there they had a pistol grip made by Vanguard called the GH 100, talk about versatile!
I goofed with one for a bit and it seemed very nicely made and a bit over 100.00. Never heard of Vanguard.. anyone have any experience with them?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxFHMCFgSE8