I have just bought an XL1S and need a tripod for it. Could any one advise me on what features one needs for a good camcorder tripod and any particular makes which are good. How should a camcorder tripod differ from a stills one?

I'm going to buy one myself shortly. I hear a lot of
good things about Manfrotto (Bogen in the US??).
http://www.manfrotto.com/
One thing that is must from what I've heard is a
fluid head. A fluid head contains fluids to make
sure your image doesn't stutter when you pan
the tripod for example!

Also, when doing pans and stuff remember to
disable your image stabilesation, otherwise that
could get in the way!

Good luck

Have a look at www.vinten.com
The pro 5 system (pro touch series) is really good. It also has the manfrotto (bogen) 501 fluid head. It has a really good performance for the money. I paid 800,- DM for it, that is about 380 US$.
If you want to spend more money, have a look at sachtler tripods. The DV-4 is one of the best for the XL-1, but it is much more expensive.

A good camcorder tripod should have the following features:

- it should give your camcorder a good stabilization, even when you're shooting in full tele and when you tilt and pan.
the maximum load capacity must fit to the weight of the camcorder.

- a fluid head is a must for smooth tilting/panning

- it should have an adjustable tripod plate, so that you can balance your camera when mounted

- it must have a bowl with levelling bubble

- a floor spreader is useful and gives the tripod legs more stabilization

- an adjustable pan&tilt bar is useful

Photo tripods don't have these features, because still cameras have a lesser weight and you won't pan and tilt with your still camera

Congratulations Barnaby on your XL1S purchase. I'm sure you are going to enjoy the camrea. To your tripod question, that topic has been discussed in several threads on this board. Try doing a search for "tripod" and you should find several good posts that will help answer your questions.

Ed Frazier