I dislike using a tripod, only because I have to carry it around for all the other shots that didn't require it... however almost every shot I take using it will be better for to it's use. My tripod use with film is different entirely, I use the tripod as much as I can (even pushing to use it when I can't really get away with it, using it as a monopod... etc).
With digital I prefer monopod over tripod, combined with IBIS it's easy to get to shutter speeds where the camera/image is more stable than the subject anyway... Not to mention the fact that you generally have enough DoF to get things in focus at wider apertures so stopping down matters even less (assuming you want the same field of view).
I use a heavy old Manfrotto, I've considered upgrading to the newer versions however the weight of it has advantages with stability, I also prefer the older style wing nut adjusters to the newer quick release...in practice I don't really find them all that much slower and I've never had problems with them (this tripod would be 20 years old and shows almost no signs of wear). I use a velbon monopod which is absolutely fantastic, light and pretty strong, slides into itself and is very compact so I can sneak it into venues if needed.
