Hi all,

It's time my cheap and wobbly Velbon got the flick, so am looking at investing in a decent tripod. I've looked through a number of threads here, and have sort of sharpened my view of what to get, but before I suggest, can you tell me what you would get if you were in the market for a tripod as well. I guess I'm willing to pay up to $250-ish.

My uses are fairly general. So I want an all-purpose tripod. For landscapes, product photography, studio shoots... something that can achieve most purposes.

Main questions
- preferred brands? which are the better/worse brands?
- buy a complete tripod, or separately investigate tripod frames with attached head piece?
- what are the better heads to use? I have looked at pistol grip and ball heads, and am unsure if these are that practical to use. It would be nice to fine-tune the position of a camera without completely unlocking a free-moving head.
- how much compromise is there in a lightweight (but good quality) tripod, versus a chunkier (but maybe weaker quality) tripod for travel?

I'm heading off to a photo store now to ask the same questions, but I'd like to hear the opinion of others that are not trying to sell me the latest and greatest.

Thanks in advance, everyone.