Level Head...and balls - Landscape

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GeordieStew

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Good morning all!

I've got a iFootage TC7 (it has a levelling base built in) and a Manfrotto ball head (with a spinny base). I will be shooting landscape/wide astro.

I'm concerned about making sure the camera is level. It's a personality quirk of mine... I am sure it doesn't need to be 100% level, but hey.

I can get the levelling base level easily enough. The ball head is a pain in the behind.

I have a few options.

Tolerate not being "level" ish - £0
Use the camera in built level
Get a cheaper head plate for the ball head with a level in - £30
Get a MVH500AH fluid head - heavy ish and initially cheap but would want the Kirk bridge for Arca Swiss ness - £260ish total
Get an Acratech Panoramic Head/LLH. Neat and small ish - £375-450

Do I have any other options?
Am I stressing over nothing?
 
For landscape and astro, I use a gimbal on the leveling base. This way you can be sure everything is level and very useful if you're shooting panoramas.
 
I just level the image using the built in level on the rear screen of my camera.
If not quite right, then as Andrew says, one click on Lightroom sorts it out.
 
I just use the built-in level on the camera. Before I had a camera with a level I used one of these bad boys on the hot shoe:

level.png

I wouldn't spend much money on a way to level the camera personally. I'd sooner spend £3 at Screwfix on an actual spirit level than spend £300 on a fancy head I don't need
 
Personally, I do believe you're stressing over nothing. I'm pretty anal about level horizons - its the first thing i notice in any landscape photograph.

The funny thing is I just cannot see a level horizon with the naked eye! No matter how much care I take it always slopes downwards to the right. Even on in Lightroom I have to line the horizon up with the edge of a frame to get it right. So that's what i do.

A few years ago I had a head with outer and inner balls. You set the outer ball to give you a level base and then used the inner ball to compose the image. Problem was, on uneven ground every time you moved the tripod even a tiny amount you had to reset the outer ball. It was a real pain. It is FAR easier to make any corrections during PP, or to use the level built in to the viewfinder. Or in my case, both! Hope that's helpful.
 
GeordieStew said:
Good morning all!

I've got a iFootage TC7 (it has a levelling base built in) and a Manfrotto ball head (with a spinny base). I will be shooting landscape/wide astro.

I'm concerned about making sure the camera is level. It's a personality quirk of mine... I am sure it doesn't need to be 100% level, but hey.

I can get the levelling base level easily enough. The ball head is a pain in the behind.

I have a few options.

Tolerate not being "level" ish - £0
Use the camera in built level
Get a cheaper head plate for the ball head with a level in - £30
Get a MVH500AH fluid head - heavy ish and initially cheap but would want the Kirk bridge for Arca Swiss ness - £260ish total
Get an Acratech Panoramic Head/LLH. Neat and small ish - £375-450

Do I have any other options?
Am I stressing over nothing?
Click to expand...
I am not sure what you require and if you have analysed what it is you are really wanting to achieve.

You say you want the camera to be level and you can get the base level easily enough but "the ball head is a pain"

The ball head appears to be the problem because when you tighten it, it moves.

The answer is to use a geared head.

That's what I did and it is the proper tool for the job. Very precise.

Manfrotto is the place to look.
 
shapeshifter said:
The answer is to use a geared head... ...Manfrotto is the place to look.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be without mine nowadays but I'm not sure I'd want to drag it up hill and down dale...

Manfrotto geared head GX7 P1140498.JPG
 
Carl Hall said:
I just use the built-in level on the camera. Before I had a camera with a level I used one of these bad boys on the hot shoe:

View attachment 305166

I wouldn't spend much money on a way to level the camera personally. I'd sooner spend £3 at Screwfix on an actual spirit level than spend £300 on a fancy head I don't need
Click to expand...
I still have one of these bad boys on the hot shoe - wouldn't be without it, so quick and easy to level :)
 
I think you are over thinking things.

Single shot I just extend the tripod to the desired height, undo the ball head, compose/level, tighten and wait for the elusive light...... :)

For a pano I just level the legs*, and do everything as normal either getting the camera 'level/straight" by eye or the inbuilt level - sometimes I decide on somewhere in between the two.

* this could be simpler with an added leveling base or a levelling centre column base thingy tripod legs...... I've yet to invest in that because I'm happy as I am. The plus side for me would be gaining some of the height lost when leg levelling.
 
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