meurgh

Why do apparently simple things take forever?

I've been trying all day to find a tripod to order for work. And I am still confused. There are tripods, there are tripod heads, there are little tiny tripods for still cameras, there are great big huge tripods, there are quick release tripods (equally useful for a wedding or a warzone apparently) there are triffids, there's an 80s BBC sci-fi drama, there are £20 tripods, there are £2000 tripods. I still don't know what I want. Well, I do, but I don't know where to buy it.

I want a tripod for a Sony DCR-VX2100. It needs to be tall enough to put the camera at about eye-height, it should have a quick release mechanism, a spirit level would be useful and it should pan and tilt smoothly. I'm not bothered about having controls on the handle. I'd like to spend around £200, but that's a bit flexible. Not £2000 flexible though. I've got to film an event on Tuesday and I'd like to have chance to play with the camera setup before that. Does anyone have any good ideas?