Level Horizons: I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots of seascapes. I have been using a digital camera for many years and have just realized how important it is to get the...

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots of seascapes.
I have been using a digital camera for many years and have just realized how important it is to get the horizon level when talking a shot.
I took a series today in which the horizon was not perfectly level, about 1 or 2 degrees out.
When l levelled them I was surprised how much the resolution was reduced, by over half almost.
So the moral is keep the horizon level in your camera if you want to keep the resolution as high as possible.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

johneccles wrote:

I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots o... (show quote)

I have the grid showing in my viewfinders, and that helps.

What can be confusing with a level waterline is a lake or river shot with the shore shot at anything but a ninety degree angle. In that case, the waterline will look tilted, just as it does in real life.

mflowe Loc: Port Deposit, MD

johneccles wrote:

I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots o... (show quote)

I'm confused. Which is my normal state. Why would leveling your horizon reduce resolution?

dcjohnson500

My D7100 has a built in level indicator visible through the view finder that can be turned on or off. I have come to use more often, especially when photographing seascapes; you're right John, 1 or 2 degrees can make a big difference!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

dcjohnson500 wrote:

My D7100 has a built in level indicator visible through the view finder that can be turned on or off. I have come to use more often, especially when photographing seascapes; you're right John, 1 or 2 degrees can make a big difference!

Right. I keep forgetting about that.

SS319

Because the picture was already in the JPEG format when he chose to level it. Any adjustment that moves or combines pixels in a JPEG will severely reduce resolution. If JPEG is your thing, then more of your photography must be done in front and behind the camera, while if you record the RAW image, you can adjust the image without reducing the resolution nearly as much and thus you can just record the incident light upon the sensor in your camera.

Jim Bob

jerryc41 wrote:

Right. I keep forgetting about that.

On the D7100 I have assigned that feature to my function button. That way I can check it without having to remove the camera from my eye.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Get yourself an inexpensive spirit level that clips onto your camera's hot shoe

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2C%7Bkeyword%7D&gclid=CjwKEAjwr_rIBRDJzq-Z-LC_2HgSJADoL57Hy-BynNK_dKzP2i2jpQfWlVzjbEK6JFjYX800NjeDQhoCnaHw_wcB&is=REG&m=Y&sku=780406

And, consider an "L" plate for your camera. Brings focal plane when in vertical mode in line with the tripod's center of gravity.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

SS319 wrote:

Because the picture was already in the JPEG format when he chose to level it. Any adjustment that moves or combines pixels in a JPEG will severely reduce resolution. If JPEG is your thing, then more of your photography must be done in front and behind the camera, while if you record the RAW image, you can adjust the image without reducing the resolution nearly as much and thus you can just record the incident light upon the sensor in your camera.

And it's so easy to shoot Raw!!!
Or even to shoot both.
SS

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

SharpShooter wrote:

And it's so easy to shoot Raw!!!
Or even to shoot both.
SS

You are too funny!!!!

canon Lee

johneccles wrote:

I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots o... (show quote)

If you shoot in JPEG and make any edits you will re-compress the file each time you save, and lose definition. If you shoot in RAW you will not! Shoot RAW and edit in LR. Problem solved.
Hope this doesn't turn into another belabored JPEG vs RAW discussion.

Leitz Loc: Solms

johneccles wrote:

I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots o... (show quote)

The viewfinder is a most wonderful invention.

mflowe Loc: Port Deposit, MD

SS319 wrote:

Because the picture was already in the JPEG format when he chose to level it. Any adjustment that moves or combines pixels in a JPEG will severely reduce resolution. If JPEG is your thing, then more of your photography must be done in front and behind the camera, while if you record the RAW image, you can adjust the image without reducing the resolution nearly as much and thus you can just record the incident light upon the sensor in your camera.

Ok, got it. I never shoot jpegs, just raw, so I'm not used to thinking in those terms.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

johneccles wrote:

I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots o... (show quote)

What software and what procedure did you use to level them, and how did you save the corrected versions? Were they Raw or JPG? Simple transform/skew should not affect the image at all.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

johneccles wrote:

I am on holiday in Brittany where there are lots o... (show quote)

Is your PP software saving the image correctly? With most of the software that I am using there is not much resolution lost just straightening the picture 1 or 2 degrees.