The only thing worse than a carbon bar snapping in half would be your seat post snapping in half... I"m tempted to get rid of my carbon seat post, the creaking unnerves me. So if you get 'em, get new ones. Chips at the end probably aren't a problem... probably.
As for photographers, I believe the best reason to get a CF tripod is the weight, strength and stiffness.... vibration from the earth isn't really a problem (my experience)