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Arca Swiss plates...


hjoseph7

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There are several arca-Swiss style metal quick release clamps listed on EBay that have the built large horizontal/vertical levels. You may remove the quick release clamp on your ball head and replace it with the new one with the levels. All of my ball heads have a large bolt or stud holding the quick release clamp assembly and a new one can be substituted.

Stan

Can you supply me with the name of your Ball-Head ?

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I was playing around today with my Slik Ball Head the one with one lock that disengages both the panoramic base and the ball-head at the same time. I found that If you hold the base with one hand, while you are adjusting the ball-head with the other hand, the base does not move. It's a little tricky, but it can be done.
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I found that If you hold the base with one hand, while you are adjusting the ball-head with the other hand, the base does not move. It's a little tricky, but it can be done.

That still only allows the camera itself to be levelled. Any subsequent rotation of the head will most likely put a tilt on the camera.

 

Also an easy way to level the whole tripod is to adjust the angle of the legs individually. Pushing a leg inward slightly will raise that side of the tripod. I've found that a much more controllable technique than unlocking a leg and trying to alter its length in sub-millimetre increments. And as long as the grips on the legs are good, a slight mismatch of leg angle makes little difference to stability.

 

Here's my D800 atop the Manfrotto #303plus pano head. A beast of a thing, but if you shoot a lot of stitched panos it makes the process a whole lot quicker and easier.aaaaa-750X1000.thumb.jpg.ade573074a6a44ec2d231fd9f78d4e06.jpg

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I just got my Neewer Panoramic Base in the mail. At first it seemed a little stiff, but once I attached my Ball Head and camera to it, it seems to work fine. No need to jam the panoramic base on my Slick ball head, since all I need to do is get the Ball Head level, then lock both base and head with the knob. If I need to, I can then use the external Panoramic Base which I just purchased, for any panning motion. This way I don't have keep locking and unlocking.

 

The external Panoramic Base comes with one of those tiny round bubble levels. They are fine for leveling the tripod, but not so great for Horizontal/Vertical leveling in my opinion. The reason is , not only are they tiny, they are filled with water not oil . The slightest little movement and the air-bubble inside jerks back and forth like there's no tomorrow ! There is much more control with an oil filled bubble level.

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The slightest little movement and the air-bubble inside jerks back and forth like there's no tomorrow ! There is much more control with an oil filled bubble level.

Surely that just shows the circular bubble-level is more sensitive than the tubular type? A more viscous level simply slows down the time taken to get a true reading.

 

The bubble on the Manfrotto 303+ shown above also dances about as the tripod is wobbled, but as long as it settles in the central circle the levelling is good enough.

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Surely that just shows the circular bubble-level is more sensitive than the tubular type? A more viscous level simply slows down the time taken to get a true reading.

 

The bubble on the Manfrotto 303+ shown above also dances about as the tripod is wobbled, but as long as it settles in the central circle the levelling is good enough.

Mission accomplished ?!

 

2082038311_Slick_BH.PNG.19550f4f512d41311f1743c8417d596f.PNG

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The thing is that the "Tiny toy bubble" allows the whole tripod to be levelled, which is essential for panoramic stitching. Whereas the two-axis tubular levels only allow a one-time levelling of the camera body. So as soon as you unlock the pano plate to swing the camera round, all of your careful camera levelling goes straight out the window..... unless you first level the tripod legs and pano head.... which you can only do with the "toy" bubble.
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If both base and head are level, you can use the base for panoramas without having to readjust the head.

In which case you might as well just level the pano base properly, adjust the BS - sorry, B&S head to agree with it, and tighten the knob on the head 'til it shears off. Because you'll never need to use the levels on it again.

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You could also put the pano base on top, and level the head it sits on.

 

The Panoramic plate I purchased recently let's you connect the Ball Head on top, or at the bottom. I tried it out in the field yesterday and it works so-so. The reason is it's a little too stiff for my tastes. Sometimes when you try to pan you are actually unscrewing the entire thing from the tripod ! Still better than nothing though... Ball Heads really have evolved, take a look at this one with Panoramic plates at the base and on the Swist Arca plate !

 

upload_2022-5-26_6-39-43.png.8f89fd1e2002f41de69b7bff3830da77.png

Edited by hjoseph7
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The Panoramic plate I purchased recently let's you connect the Ball Head on top, or at the bottom.

Hmmm. Most decent tripods have a 3/8" bolt to attach a head or panoramic plate with. So swapping places with the camera wouldn't really be an option unless a clunky adapter insert was used.

 

To be blunt; I think the main issue you have is the word "SLIK" emblazoned on the tripod and head.

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Hmmm. Most decent tripods have a 3/8" bolt to attach a head or panoramic plate with. So swapping places with the camera wouldn't really be an option unless a clunky adapter insert was used.

 

To be blunt; I think the main issue you have is the word "SLIK" emblazoned on the tripod and head.

 

Slik was the first 'decent' tripod I could afford, back in the days... Before that, I was dealing with 'eBay specials' with heads that could only hold about 2 lbs(or less). I got tired of my camera and lens drooping when taking pictures on those tripods, so I purchased a Slik 500 DX 'PRO" . I soon replaced the original 3-way pan head with a Slik SBH-280E ball head. The pan head was just too bulky and trying to take verticals with it was a huge PITA.

 

This Slik tripod was much better than my other tripods, but after about 2 years, one of the legs fell off during a shoot ! From then on, no matter how hard I tried, I could not keep that leg from all of a sudden falling off !

 

I ditched that tripod, but I kept the Slik SBH-280E ball head. The one shown in my original post is a newer model. Actually I prefer using the older model because it takes less steps to set up and level a camera on a tripod. With this new model, you have to press a little switch on the back while flicking the arm to attach/detach the camera. With the older model all you have to do was flick the arm and the camera came off/on. To me this is quicker and more convenient than the "Arca Swiss" types where you have to screw and unscrew a knob to attach/detach your camera. .

 

I rarely used tripods, so to me all these things we minor inconveniences, but now since I have to use the tripod on the job, those minor inconveniences are not minor anymore. I also have the Slik 700 DX "PRO" that can extend to 6+ feet, perfect for shooting tall models ! That tripod weighs a ton so it rarely comes out of my closet, but its good to have just in case.

 

Slik is not a bad company, they are like the Volkswagen of the tripod industry. They provide decent affordable products, but I would not consider them production-grade. Lately their prices have gone up for some reason ? SLIK Tripods

Edited by hjoseph7
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I would rate any tripod that allows the head to unscrew accidentally as unfit for purpose. Even the cheapest of my Manfrottos has grub-screws to secure the head from coming accidentally loose.

 

B&S heads? IME you have to spend big to get one that's worthwhile having. While 3 way pan-tilts like Manfrotto's Tri-minor are a lot cheaper and can be compact and securely locked in directions you don't want them to move.

 

I have no vested interest in Manfrotto BTW. I just think they produce workmanlike products at a reasonable price. Gitzo (same company now) tripods are generally better made, but much higher priced. The most stable lightweight tripod I ever owned was made by Linhof. I was offered more than I paid for it and stupidly sold it. Regretted that ever since.

 

Slik? Was supplied with one while working for a cheapskate employer once, and definitely wouldn't put my own money into one.

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The Manfrotto grub screws were originally devised by the late founder (he told me, years ago) Lino Manfrotto. I have other tripods ad none have grub screws (patented??)and I lock in the ball head using LocTite blue thread locker, which has worked for me for 20 years. I have several excellent China-built tripods(Benro,Induro, etc)and use Blue Loctite with no problem.
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The Manfrotto grub screws were originally devised by the late founder (he told me, years ago) Lino Manfrotto. I have other tripods ad none have grub screws (patented??)and I lock in the ball head using LocTite blue thread locker, which has worked for me for 20 years. I have several excellent China-built tripods(Benro,Induro, etc)and use Blue Loctite with no problem.

 

Next thing you know we will be arguing about who can hammer a nail better into a wall LOL....

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If you use a ball head, you need to level both the tripod and the platform of the head in order to keep the camera level while panning. I use a Gitzo (or RRS) tripod with a 75mm video bowl and a leveling platform on the tripod, which makes it easy to make the axis of rotation vertical without fiddling with leg lengths. Larger RRS clamps have a built-in bubble level, which makes it easy to level the head as well. This will keep vertical elements of a room perpendicular, free from convergence.

 

Really Right Stuff also makes a small ball joint which fits between the tripod (or column) and the head, in lieu of a video type leveler. It adds about 1.5" in stack height, but that's not usually a problem with regard to stability.

 

A ball head would not be my first choice for architectural photography. It's too fiddly for the precision needed. A 3-way head is more functional, better yet, a geared head. I actually prefer to use a video head (2-way), with or without the handle, because it's fast to use, precise and balanced, at the expense of size and weight. It has all the adjustments you need, and no more.

 

My only restrictions on a head is that it must have an Arca type clamp. Nothing else is as easy to use, as compact, nor as secure. If necessary (e.g., for video), I make an adapter with the plate for that head, attached to an Arca clamp.

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  • 1 month later...

My D810 strobe shoe is 'level'. I can insert a clear plastic double ( vertical, horizontal position) level block ( bought it from B&H about $10-15) into the 'hot'strobe shoe of the camera AFTER it is locked into the ball head clamp, then level (maybe 10-15 seconds) the ball head. Has worked easily, perfectly for years.

Stan

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*** UPDATE *** Both Panning plates seized on me and stopped working. The one sold by "Neewer" failed right away. The other one that I purchased for around $20 stopped working after about 2 outings and is now permanently stuck to my Slik Ball head.

 

Another thing I noticed is that the Clamps on 2 of my Slik ball heads are removable ! They just twist off. The problem with that is if you are not carefull you might twist the entire thing off without realizing it and your camera goes crashing down to the hard floor.

 

I decided to use another approach, that is to pan first, then make the adjustments to the Ball Head later(until I get a new ball head). When everything looks OK, then I take the picture. If I still have to Pan a little I can use the center column on the tripod after I disengage it. Issue Resolved !.

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From your description, if it were me I would get rid of those Slik heads ASAP. They sound really poorly designed and ripe for catastrophic failure on the job. How much would it cost you to repair or replace a camera/lens? A lot more than a decent tripod head, I suspect.
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From your description, if it were me I would get rid of those Slik heads ASAP. They sound really poorly designed and ripe for catastrophic failure on the job. How much would it cost you to repair or replace a camera/lens? A lot more than a decent tripod head, I suspect.

But how many turns does it take to twist those arca style clamps off?

A lot of things, including cameras and the quick release plates you might attach to them, are fastened using things that release when twisted. That is not poor design or being ripe for catastrophic failure. Screws, threads, are proven to be quite good for what we use them for.

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