Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Levelling bases  (Read 6699 times)

coolphoto

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 19
Levelling bases
« on: April 26, 2006, 12:21:40 pm »

I have the Gitzo 1227 tripod and I am looking for a levelling base for it. I understand that the Gitzo levelling base does not work with it and therefore I am considering the Acratech levelling base which only weighs about 8 to 9 ounces. Does anyone have any opinions or experience with this levelling base?

thanks, Walter
Logged

Tim Gray

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2002
    • http://www.timgrayphotography.com
Levelling bases
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2006, 02:30:17 pm »

Not with the levelling base, but I have their ballhead (although I now use a Markins)  In any event they make good products, and I'm going to order the base this evening....
Logged

madmanchan

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2115
    • Web
Levelling bases
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2006, 02:32:44 pm »

Quote
Not with the levelling base, but I have their ballhead (although I now use a Markins)  In any event they make good products, and I'm going to order the base this evening....
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63761\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hi Tim,

It would be great if you could let us know what you think of the leveling base once you've had a chance to use it for a while.  I'm also curious about the base and think it might fit my needs perfectly ... but apparently it's a new item so there aren't many user reports on it yet.

Eric
Logged
Eric Chan

DarkPenguin

  • Guest
Levelling bases
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2006, 02:34:08 pm »

Steve Kossack has a writeup on it over at his site.
Logged

kbolin

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 233
    • http://www.bolinphoto.com
Levelling bases
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2006, 03:57:06 pm »

Quote
Not with the levelling base, but I have their ballhead (although I now use a Markins)  In any event they make good products, and I'm going to order the base this evening....
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63761\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Tim,

Are you happy with your Markins ballhead?  Which model do you have?  I'm upgrading my tripod & head and currently shopping around.

Kelly
Logged

Tim Gray

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2002
    • http://www.timgrayphotography.com
Levelling bases
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2006, 06:52:29 pm »

Just ordered the base - by phone since I didn't want UPS standard shipping to Canada.  I'll let you know what I think when it comes.

I really like the Markins - one reason I choose that was the North American distributor is in Toronto and I went out to take a look a bought it there.  I switched from the Acratech for the benefit of the tensions adjustment whicn is very good.   And the difference in weight is marginal.  I bought the Markins before the RRS BH40 was released (the BH55 was heavier than I wanted).  I truth, if I was looking today I'd have trouble deciding between the Markins and RRS.
Logged

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Levelling bases
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2006, 11:48:21 am »

Quote
I have the Gitzo 1227 tripod and I am looking for a levelling base for it. I understand that the Gitzo levelling base does not work with it and therefore I am considering the Acratech levelling base which only weighs about 8 to 9 ounces. Does anyone have any opinions or experience with this levelling base?

thanks, Walter
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63743\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Walter,

If I may ask, what do you intend to use it for?

The only usage I know for levelling base is for panoramic shooting, and I have found the RRS BH-40 PCL to be a lighter and more simple solution.

Regards,
Bernard

Tim Gray

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2002
    • http://www.timgrayphotography.com
Levelling bases
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2006, 12:10:17 pm »

Quote
Walter,

If I may ask, what do you intend to use it for?

The only usage I know for levelling base is for panoramic shooting, and I have found the RRS BH-40 PCL to be a lighter and more simple solution.

Regards,
Bernard
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63850\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

If you don't already have a clamp then the RRS product is probably the way to go.  I already have a lever clamp so net net it's cheaper to go Acratech, weight is about 100 grams more than the RRS since the RRS already has the clamp incorporated with the pano base.
Logged

madmanchan

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2115
    • Web
Levelling bases
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2006, 07:41:32 pm »

As far as I can tell, the downside of the RRS PCL is that you can't tilt the camera up/down.  For instance, suppose you're perched on top of an overlook looking down into a canyon and want to do a pano.  Ideally you'd level a panning base but then be able to tilt the camera down into the canyon and compose the frame(s) the way you want.   With the RRS PCL, the panning part is also the part that holds the camera/lens, so it's not possible to tilt it down.  A leveling base addresses this problem.

Eric
Logged
Eric Chan

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Levelling bases
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2006, 08:42:01 pm »

Quote
As far as I can tell, the downside of the RRS PCL is that you can't tilt the camera up/down.  For instance, suppose you're perched on top of an overlook looking down into a canyon and want to do a pano.  Ideally you'd level a panning base but then be able to tilt the camera down into the canyon and compose the frame(s) the way you want.   With the RRS PCL, the panning part is also the part that holds the camera/lens, so it's not possible to tilt it down.  A leveling base addresses this problem.

Eric
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63884\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Eric,

Hum... there is indeed some possible advantage in this scenario, but to avoir parallax, you will then have to compute the position of your body as a function of the angle so as to position the entrance pupil node on top of the rotation point... very difficult to do IMHO.

If you only work with the "flat rotation" entrance pupil, then a quick test will show you that by tilting the lens down, you move the entrance pupil away from the vertical rotaton axis of the levelled base, which will induce parallax...

The best way to address your scenario is a true multi-row pano head (like the RRS) that makes it possible to rotate on 2 axis while maintaining the entrance pupil on top of the rotation points...

Cheers,
Bernard

coolphoto

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 19
Levelling bases
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2006, 09:05:09 pm »

Quote
Walter,

If I may ask, what do you intend to use it for?

The only usage I know for levelling base is for panoramic shooting, and I have found the RRS BH-40 PCL to be a lighter and more simple solution.

Regards,
Bernard
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63850\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Bernard,

I plan to use it for landscape and urban photography.

Walter
Logged

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Levelling bases
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2006, 11:50:29 pm »

Quote
Bernard,

I plan to use it for landscape and urban photography.

Walter
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63889\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Walter,

Sorry to insist, but what do you expect to gain compared to a normal ball head mounted directly on top of a tripod?

Cheers,
Bernard

DarkPenguin

  • Guest
Levelling bases
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2006, 11:55:57 pm »

The ability to pan and have the camera stay level?
Logged

BernardLanguillier

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 13983
    • http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardlanguillier/sets/
Levelling bases
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2006, 01:16:32 am »

Quote
The ability to pan and have the camera stay level?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63899\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

OK, I should have written "that a BH-40 PCL cannot do".

Regards,
Bernard

madmanchan

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2115
    • Web
Levelling bases
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2006, 07:41:53 am »

Quote
Eric,

Hum... there is indeed some possible advantage in this scenario, but to avoir parallax, you will then have to compute the position of your body as a function of the angle so as to position the entrance pupil node on top of the rotation point... very difficult to do IMHO.

If you only work with the "flat rotation" entrance pupil, then a quick test will show you that by tilting the lens down, you move the entrance pupil away from the vertical rotaton axis of the levelled base, which will induce parallax...

The best way to address your scenario is a true multi-row pano head (like the RRS) that makes it possible to rotate on 2 axis while maintaining the entrance pupil on top of the rotation points...

Cheers,
Bernard
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=63886\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]


Yes, Bernard, in principle this is correct.   In practice, however, I have not encountered this problem because the nearest element is usually reasonably far away, thereby minimizing the parallax errors.

Eric
Logged
Eric Chan
Pages: [1]   Go Up