Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: kendal on April 29, 2008, 07:05:11 am
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Does the Acratech Leveling Base works for leveling two axis? It looks like it is tilting only in one axis.
maybe someone can explain.
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Does the Acratech Leveling Base works for leveling two axis? It looks like it is tilting only in one axis.
maybe someone can explain.
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I have one. It definatly works in 2 dimensions. It's like a mini ballhead really, with a single adjustment knob to loosen / tighten.
I find its very fast to use to level quickly, light-weight and works well, however there are a couple of downsides.
1. It takes practice to get it level, and clamp it off, with a camera mounted on the ballhead above.
2. It slips when used with heavy camera / Lens. a 5D or 1D series with a 300mm barely works, and often it decides it wants to fall over unless its done up VERY tight.
3. It really dosn't like it when I use the GV2 head in gimbal mode with the 300mm. (i.e. Lens hanging off the side of the ball head). It definatly wants to tilt, and is so annoying, I have to take it off when using it in this manner. This also goes when I use a Wimberly Sidekick as well.
The GV2 works quite well as a light weight gimbal, but NOT in companion with the leveling Base. In fact it becomes a pain (litteraly as well, I've had fingers caught between knobs when it decided to tilt on me).
For lightweight work, i'e camera and a wide angle etc, it works just fine, and I use it a log when doing Pano's with my TS-E 24mm, 24-105 and 5D.
Regards
Mark.
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Mark, thanks for your answer.
I intend to use it for panorama photography - leveling my panorama head. do you think it can handle the weight of my panorama equipment:
seitz vr head, Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm.
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Mark, thanks for your answer.
I intend to use it for panorama photography - leveling my panorama head. do you think it can handle the weight of my panorama equipment:
seitz vr head, Nikon D3, Nikkor 14-24mm.
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Yes, that would be fine, and for this purpose, its very quick and easy to use, and lite.
You get about 15 degree's of tilt correction, which I generally find is plenty. I only have to get the tripod 'somewhere close' to level, and then finish with the levelling base.
Regards
Mark