I am using a RRS ball head with a Linhof Technika. Can anyone recomend a good way to level the camera when I am in the field? Does any one have a small bubble level they like? thanks thomas broening- broening.com
I am using a RRS ball head with a Linhof Technika. Can anyone recomend a good way to level the camera when I am in the field? Does any one have a small bubble level they like? thanks thomas broening- broening.com
Linhof has one as does Kaiser. They are 2-way levels with an accessory shoe. KAiser actually has two different ones.
My Zone VI lightweight tripod has a built-in bubble level and the Bogen 3047 head sitting on top has two levels. But, if I'm using one of my two other tripods (both without levels) I use an inexpensive bubble level I bought at Home Depot.
Paul
It depends on how critical you are - or what you are photographing - as to what type of level you are using. I found the levels that attach to the top of the Linhof MT camera are not very good, as the shoe is not square to the gg. For architectural photography I have found it critical to level the camera from the gg where the film will sit. I also find that you have to level the lens with tilt adjustment when using wide angle lenses with the MT2000 (or at least with mine); lenses on the internal focusing track are tilted by a few degrees.
Get a carpenters level that has double lines on the spirit glass to avoid parallax distortion when not looking straight on at the level.
Mike
There are really cheap two way bubble levels on ebay the slide into the hot shoe on the camera. Buy a few at a time.
As mentioned, it really depends on your purpose. For field work I currently use a level in the accessory shoe. However, when the majority of my income was derived from architectural photography, I used grid lines on the ground glass.
I use a monorail, so your mileage may vary a bit, but for critical work I use a Starrett cross-test/plumb level held against the rear standard (I think it's a model #134). A proper level is MUCH more accurate than the little built-in levels on the camera (or hotshoe levels). I've also used a small machinist's level, but that seems to be overkill.
That still leaves the problem of getting the rear standard perfectly parallel to the subject (e.g., the side of a building), but once the camera is level, I do that by panning until lines are horizontal and vertical on the groundglass. (And if there's a better way to do this, I'd love to hear it).
I just use a torpedo level. (it may be called something different depending on where you live)
Looks like:
<===0====>
About 5 or 6 inches long
I have a two-way level that sits in a horseshoe and a torpedo level... my preference is definitely the torpedo unit that's approximately 6 inches long.
It works very well.
Cheers
Life in the fast lane!
i use a post level and or a little keychain square level.
they can be found at a hardware store for almost nothing
or they give they give them away (keychain).
Bookmarks