Anyone have experience using Manfrotto Levelling Bases for digi Panoramas?

[mark_baylin]

Hi all!

 

I'm planning on making some panoramas with my Olympus E-1. I can afford to buy one of

the Manfrotto levelling bases and I was wondering if anyone out there has had any

experience with them...

 

They seem to have a levelling base with 3 "wheels" that you adjust to get the tripod head

to level (in 5 degree increments) and they also have another base which you manually

adjust for level by unlocking a lever, moving the base (which pivots on a small ball

beneath it) and relocking the lever when you've achieved level (by looking at a spirit level

mounted on the levelling base itself).

 

If anyone has any experience with either of these bases, i would really appreciate your

input as to how well they work.

 

Thanks very much!

Take care

 

Mark

[roger hein]

Mark,

 

I have the Manfrotto levelling base that has the locking arm (ie. pre lever lock) - #138 I think.

A friend of mine has the current lever lock base - #438. Neither base is precise in it's

movement/adjustment though they do work. I don't use mine anymore - if you're interested

contact me off list.

[GerrySiegel]

I am betting this leveling unit is way over budget,but it doesn't cost to read the user review for kicks.

 

http://fourthirdsphoto.com/content/view/66/2/

[jcuknz]

If you shoot wide with care there is no reason why you shouldn't shoot panos hand held so to me both heads are irrelevant waste of money as far an panos are concerned :-)

 

The odd occasion when I have used a tripod I levelled it up with it's legs without too much trouble. Judgeing from the amount I need to correct my stills in editing, the worst only need about 2 degrees, I consider 5 degree increments very crude. The sideways tilt of the camera is less important than throughout the series of shots you maintain as level a camera as possible ... it comes with practice. It is not as if we join stills together these days by their edges, in a stitch programme we are mixing shots with generous overlap together, 30% minimum. Either with a stitch programme or better using layers in editing.

[lutz]

Mark, I second that levelling is a much lesser concern for panos than f.i. pivoting around the nodal point of the lens. Have a look at <a href="http://www.photo-langer.de/reports/RepNovoPano/img_7665_std.jpg">this set-up</a>. It's composed of Novoflex gear. You'll note the excellent panoramic base plate with incorporated bubble. It will suit any ball head. In extremis, a simple bubble for the hot shoe will do, too. But, again, centering the tripod beneath the nodal point is crucial. Cheers.

[chuck_sackman]

Instead of a leveling base, take a look at the nodal ninja. I got one for my D200 a few

weeks ago and it's easy to work with, just mount it to your tripod. I just put together a

photo of my living room using 30 photo's (3 high by 10 wide) using a 28mm lens. Check

out the photo at

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=1377529

 

Chuck

cavedvr@tampabay.rr.com

 

http://www.nodalninja.com

[joseph_wisniewski]

I used to use the 3 wheel Manfrotto. I love those little brass wheels, it makes the thing look like a 100 year old piece of surveying equipment.

 

That aside, I don't find it all that necessary, especially when using the Uni-Loc or Benbo tripods. It's very easy to loosen the leg locks on those tripods just enough so that one hand on the upper leg section with two fingers on the lower lets you push and pull a leg up and down in very small increments, enough to get a perfect level on the bubble.

 

Other tripods make precise leveling a bit more difficult.

[Ed_Ingold]

I recently installed a Manfrotto leveling head - the one with the lever clamp - for use on a Gitzo G-1227 tripod. It works as advertised, and has a much larger adjustment range than the Gitzo G-1321 leveling head (which I use on other tripods). I am pleased with its operation.

 

It is fast to use and locks up tightly. It does add nearly 1.5 inches to the height, which has a noticeable effect on stability due to the greater lever arm (there is no looseness). The G-1227 damps quickly, so the combination is useable. It also weighs 1.5 pounds, as much as a ball head.

 

The three-wheel version might be OK for surveying - which is not an avocation to be rushed anyway - but useless for photography. You could do as well with a bubble level while adjusting the legs.

 

Using a leveling base is better than the top-mounted RRS clamp for shooting stitched panoramas, in conjunction with a bubble level on the camera itself. While it is best to have the camera completely level, it is more flexible if you can tilt the camera up or down while rotating on a level base, after using the auxillary bubble level to adjust the horizon. Stitching software like Panorama Factory easily removes the attendant convergence, but at the expense of vertical resolution through cropping.

[Ed_Ingold]

Normallizing (leveling) the axis of rotation and leveling the camera is the most important step for high-quality panoramas. Rotation about the front node is important to reduce parallax between objects closer and further from the lens. For most landscapes, parallax is of secondary importance.

 

I too have shot many panoramas simply hand-held, but only when a tripod was not available or not allowed. Stitching software and remove the inaccuracies, but at a huge price in vertical resolution and field of view. First, the horizon must be leveled (in software), then the vertical alignment corrected. This creates steps between frames, which must be cropped out (unless you like the NASA-like patchwork look).