[keiyiu]

i am new to photography, i want to choose a tripod for taking photo at night. however, i see there are many different types of tripod with different height, weight and material. so can any expert tell me how to make a choice? and any other functions that the tripod should include?
thanx very much!!

[ianching]

First of all, how much are you willing to spend and how long will you be keeping the tripod?

For a small DC, a smaller (thus cheaper) one will do just fine. Most people recommend Velbon Max-i 343E or SLIK Sprint Pro. Both are below $500.

There's also a Manfrotto 724B which extends to around the same height as the 2 above, costing $720 but is much stronger and sturdier.

However, if you have a SLR/D-SLR, all these won't be good enough and you should look at something more expensive.

Anyway, a tripod can last for a long time, some times up to 10 years. My word of advice is, spend more on a durable and good tripod rather than going cheap, because in the end, your expensive camera will rely heavily on it. :)

[ckh2003]

I want to know where did u find these prices of tripod?
and i want to know the details of those tripods
e.g. height and weight
Thx a lot

[ianching]

Which camera or DC do you have?

Velbon:
http://www.velbon.com/big/index.html

SLIK:
http://www.slik.com/

Manfrotto:
http://www.manfrotto.com/

I can't say for sure these are the lowest prices but here are the most recent prices:

Velbon Max-i 343E $480 (照相館 in 東英大廈 Tsim Sha Tsui).

SLIK Sprint Pro $430 (照相館 in 東英大廈 Tsim Sha Tsui)

Manfrotto 724B $720 (天祥 in 東英大廈 Tsim Sha Tsui)

You may want to look up for the address of 東英大廈 in:
http://www.ypmap.com/