Problem with wonky horizons.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Slick
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Slick

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Most of the time, when I return from holiday, I browse my pictures and find that the horizon (or any horizontal line in the picture) is almost always lower on the right hand side. I try to remember to line up the focus points (3 on the 350D) and not to "snatch" the shutter, but to no avail.
It's easily rectified in Lightroom but it would be nice not to have to do this every time.
Anyone else have/had this problem, and what did you do to fix it, or what do you think I might be doing ?

I don't think it's the sensor that's wonky or it'd be on every shot.
 
It's a pretty common problem - most of us will be off level for a lot of shots just relying on instinctive judgement. As a spirit level replacement us peeps are pretty much crap.

The best remedy is to try to line up a horizontal or vertical line in your viewfinder with the edges or the bottom of the viewfinder frame. Practising your hand holding technique for consistency will help.
 
A friend of mine told me of a condition called 'intraoccular squint' or something close, that an optician had explained to him. It's apparrently fairly common when using just one eye to align something. All my shots are a measurable 2° off to the left, every time, unless I painstakingly line things up with the bottom of the viewfinder, so you are not alone!
 
As well as the bubble level things shown in the above link, you can also get ones with LEDs that light up when horizontal. I'm as guilty as anybody else for producing wonky horizons but it only takes me a few seconds to straighten them in LR, and I haven't been inclined to try any of these devices yet.
 
:bang:I have a Seculine Level... And find it the MOST annoying bits of kit I've ever bought... I try very hard to get it straight, if not there is still P.S.
 
I fitted a grid screen to my cameras to help me shoot within design guidelines, I also found it helped to keep horizon horizontal.

Don't think you can fit one to your 350 though
 
Paddysnapper said:
:bang:I have a Seculine Level... And find it the MOST annoying bits of kit I've ever bought... I try very hard to get it straight, if not there is still P.S.
Click to expand...

Despite the grid lines in some bodies, I have terrible wonkiness in my horizons - well, I did until I got one of the Seculine levels. I found it a boon and it was the cure. Easy to fit (just slips into the hot shoe of and camera with a normal 'shoe) and visible while the camera's to the eye. Works in both orientations as well. All but retired now though because the D700 has a built-in level which I have available at the touch of the Fn button. As for the hotshoe bubble levels, I've had a few and only one of them has actually been truly level...
 
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