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To be honest I would pop into various camera shops and see what they have to offer and have a play, a tripod is quite a personal thing really and different people get on better with different systems.

You have a good checklist so take that in with you.

If you want to do panoramics then a proper pano head is a lot of money on it's own so think carefully about how often you will use this as it will probably not be much good for normal use.

If it was me then I would probably look at a good quality ball head that you can lock horizontally and vertically, do check the tripod and head will take the weight of your camera and the heaviest lens with some room for expansion.

Also check it is strudy and has hooks in the centre column to add weight for sturdiness such as a camera bag.

With regards to material yes carbon fibre is lighter but it will probably double the price of the tripod so you need to ask yourself is weight really much of an issue i.e. how far are you going to want to carry it and are the standard tripods light enough..

With regards to brands I would look at all the major manufacturers Manfrotto, Velbon and Giottos.

I have a Manfrotto 190XPROB and a 324RC2 Joystick Head which I am more than happy with but some people don't get on with the joystick head where as I find it quick,easy and accurate to use.