My tripod is a compromise: basic but decent-quality.

The legs are Manfrotto 055A - very sturdy, but heavy.

The head is a Manfrotto 056 three-way head: knurled-wheel knobs, rather than nice rubberised handles, but offering precise and independent positioning of the camera in all three axes.

There is some oft-quoted advice that there is nothing so expensive as a cheap tripod.

Most people who buy cheap tripods, as with many things, tend to end up replacing it several times, before eventually realising that they need a decent one. They have then spent the same amount of money as they would buying the expensive one in the first place - plus all the money they wasted on cheap ones beforehand.

This is sound reasoning, and a philosophy I adhere to in many areas in my life - but I very rarely use a tripod, and therefore could not justify spending the price of a decent lens on one.

What, then, of that other old saw? The one that states that using a tripod every time is the best favour you can do for your photography? Well, it's true - if you photograph landscapes and ducks. I don't, so for me the ability to capture the moment is of far greater value than the slight edge in sharpness I'd get by using a tripod.

Of course, there are times when a tripod is essential. Night-shots are the most common example, so I made a point of carrying one. Mostly, I only ever used it for night-shots when travelling.

The best tripod in the world won't do you any good if you leave it at home because it's too big and heavy to carry routinely. This was my main reason for choosing the Velbon Maxi SF. It is tiny when folded, fitting comfortably onto the bottom of my backpack, and weighs next to nothing. I wasn't even aware of it until I need it.

The worked well for a while, but airport security makes travelling with a tripod a very hit-and-miss affair. I did at least get a good after-dinner story out of one incident, but it was soon destroyed when an airline check-in rep insisted that it go into the hold. The airline was very apologetic, and very promptly sent me a cheque for the full purchase price, so I shan't embarrass it here.

So that led to a rethink. If I couldn't travel with it, and wasn't going to use it routinely, then portability became a secondary consideration. I thus opted for the Manfrotto system. The legs may weigh as much as a medium-sized city, but in consequence are rock-solid. The head allows independent three-way adjustment of each axis, which to me makes more sense than a pan-and-tilt. As I say, I don't use a tripod often, but on the occasions I do I want to be able to frame extremely precisely.