Originally Posted by
GPS
To put the question of levels to sleep... (?) Precise bubble levels have their full sens on precise cameras only, i.e. so called technical cameras (Linhof, Wista SP etc.) or metal monorails. These are so precisely built that once the camera is put to the level position, using their levels, all other corresponding parts are leveled - simply because of the precise manufacturing of the whole camera.
That is not the case with wooden field cameras though. There the bubble levels have at best just general informative purpose, if not just a gimmick value. To have more than this you would need precise manufacturing of all their parts - as already mentioned, there is no meaning to put a precise bubble level on a camera with loose manufacturing tolerances and hope that the level will save the construction. But that kind of precise manufacturing is the realm of technical cameras, for obvious reasons. As with everything, you cannot have a cake and eat it...
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