Levelling a Deardorff

[jonreid]

Hi again,

My 'dorff has no levels on it. So, I bought a plasticky 3-axis level which I would hold flat against the GG to determine lateral and longitudinal level.
Occasionally I'd get unexpected results, such as unvertical verticals. I put it down to stupidity, error, camera bumping etc and cursed myself.

Last shoot I changed sides on the level and noticed a difference. So it seems my level isn't.

Quite a few 'reviews' of the same or a similar product on Amazon complain of similar inaccuracy.

What do people use to accurately level a camera with no built-ins?

Jon

[Bob Salomon]

Since your camera is wood you can get individual screw-on Kaiser levels.

Go to a hardware store. Take 4 of their levels and place them on the same surface. They probably also dont agree. Your 3-way level was made to be slid onto a camera accessory shoe. Was that the surface that you used on your camera or were you placing one of the other plastic surfaces against the camera?

[jonreid]

I was placing one of the other surfaces on the GG Bob as the bottom most surface wasn't particularly flat and was also smaller.

I thought about screwing some on but I guess there's always the chance of them not being accurately attached as well, or would they be close enough?

Jon

[Michael Graves]

I won't drill holes in my wooden camera. Great Neck Tools has a keychain level that is small and very accurate. It is only a single axis, so you measure right/left and front/back tilt separately. However, I have found it MUCH easier to use that the bubble levels that have you settle them at the top. And if I drove to the scene of the accident--err, rather the photograph--there's a pretty good chance I have my keys with me. A dual-axis might be nice, but I haven't found one that goes on a keychain.

[jonreid]

Michael, sounds like you are satisfied that the top of your rear standard is perpendicular to your GG?

I wasn't so sure. My 'dorff is old with some splits etc in the lacquer. That's why I was preferring to hold the triple bubble flat against the GG, aligned with the bottom.

Jon

[Bob Salomon]

We have never had a complaint that they were off. And we have been selling these for more then 20 years. But you mentioned that your camera is old. You have to make sure that the surface you mount them to (or put your level on) is smooth and flat and perpendicular to your gg.

What Linhof does with their 2-way plastic level is to place it against the gg itself and then against the lensboard. They use to make a clip to hold it onto the gg. But that is no longer made or available.
As long as you use the same level and position it the same way on each surface at the same spot you are fine. When you rely on multiple levels or change level positions you will see disagreements in the readings.

[E. von Hoegh]

Hi again,

My 'dorff has no levels on it. So, I bought a plasticky 3-axis level which I would hold flat against the GG to determine lateral and longitudinal level.
Occasionally I'd get unexpected results, such as unvertical verticals. I put it down to stupidity, error, camera bumping etc and cursed myself.

Last shoot I changed sides on the level and noticed a difference. So it seems my level isn't.

Quite a few 'reviews' of the same or a similar product on Amazon complain of similar inaccuracy.

What do people use to accurately level a camera with no built-ins?

Jon

Use a gridded groundglass. No level you can attach to your camera will be as accurate.

[Brian Ellis]

Use a gridded ground glass. Both of my Deardorffs had them as OE.

[cdholden]

Gridded glass is nice. I also have a 9" torpedo level. It's more accurate than the little bullseyes on the top of some cameras and is portable so I don't have to modify anything. It can be used on as many different cameras as I want. It also has the advantage of measuring any plane on the camera I want... top, sides. ground glass. lensboard. The best part is that they're available at just about any hardware store and are fairly inexpensive.

[Len Middleton]

If you have an iPhone, there is Lenny Eiger's PhotoToolsPro app.

If you carry your iPhone with you everywhere, then with that app, you have a level with you, as well as other useful photo related tools and information.