How I choose my tripod

My very first tripod, SL1200, was come with my Nikon DSLR as a free gift few years back, its retail price at Harvey Norman is S$48.00.

A standard lightweight tripod for a beginner, handgrip was one of the most attracting features I like most about the Nikon SL1200. It comes with 3-way plastics panhead (which i feel very fragile), pivot connection 3-section leg assemble (which i doubt it can be used under strong wind but i did once on top of mountain with additional weight added at the center column hook). With the total assembly weight of 1.15kg, the folded length of 555mm, the extended height of 1480mm. SL1200 is considered a lower range deal probably for those with digital compact camera and  not demanding for more. After all, I find SL1200 is too fragile for my DSLR body & lens which add up to about 1.5kg. 

After surveying on various brands of tripod, by considering my own budget. I was looking for a sturdy, with center column hook, optional handgrip for easy carrying, at least 1.6m extended high, optional reversible center column. 

Finally I found a "sturdy look" tripod FT-6662A with ball head cost brand new price at about S$70-S$80. It could go up to about 1.6m extended height with carrying capacity of 3kg and it comes with reversible center column with hook, but weighted at about 1.4kg. I have brought this tripod to my business trip from Shanghai, Seoul, Europe, Australia and it still working fine after a year of service. However, one day it was accidentally dropped from my table with ball head knocking onto the ground, here it gone with the ball head and left only the tripod leg. The ball head itself cost about S$30 which is half of the total price. 

Therefore, I opted for a replacement of brand new FT-6663A which seems to me a affordable semi-pro tripod that offers much sturdy feel. The extended height up to 1.7m with carrying capacity of 5kg but weighted at 1.8kg. It is sturdy and durable but it comes with 3-way panhead (much sturdy feel that SL1200)  which i am much prefer to have it changed to ball head type. I have been using this since last year even brought it up to Mt. KK at 4095m above sea level and it is still working fine, pretty solid piece of budget semi-pro tripod. 

How to choose a tripod

Probably one of the most frequent questions that hobbyists will ask would go, "how to choose a suitable tripod ? " The following questions might be able to clear your doubts,

Q1. What is the desired min. & max. shooting height ?
Q2. What is the weight of your camera body with lens & gears ?
Q3. What is the affordable tripod weight you could carry outdoor ?
Q4. Is it necessary to have a sturdy & heavy tripod for shooting windy condition ? Can additional weight being added on tripod center column hook ?
Q5. What is the folded length of the tripod ? Is it able to fit into your bag's tripod holder or does it come with carrying bag ?
Q6. What is your preferred tripod head type ? ball head ? pan head ?
Q7. Is the tripod comes with quick release & locking device ?
Q8. What is your budget ?