pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

I shoot all my panos hand held if good light then run them through LR - pano. Amazing how well it does. I shoot vertical as I'm not perfect and maybe lose 5%. I use a tripod in low light and don't even bother to try to level more than what my eye and camera show. Again, you make the correction in post and not have waste time with a bunch of expensive hardware. I shoot a lot of Panos.


10 shots - 2 rows of 5 hand held standing on the side of hill

farwest Loc: Utah

Great pictures on your flickr site. Thanks

Real Nikon Lover Loc: Simi Valley, CA

I carry a leveling bubble in my backpack. Set up camera on tripod and slide this into the hotshoe. Seems to get me as close as the bubble on my tripod.

https://www.amazon.com/Vello-Two-Axis-Hot-Shoe-Bubble-Level/dp/B007R6HUOO/ref=pd_lpo_421_t_2/140-6244540-0584664?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B007R6HUOO&pd_rd_r=b07b122b-014d-4545-b591-cca35d348804&pd_rd_w=ZozFw&pd_rd_wg=feg1W&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=KD08MDM0S2T7BYEXF2YT&psc=1&refRID=KD08MDM0S2T7BYEXF2YT

With that said, my D850 has an artificial horizon function on it that seems to be dead nuts on.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Gene! THANKS FOR THE LINK. GREAT STUFF!!!

OhD Loc: West Richland, WA

I have been working on the same sort of problem lately, and came up with this inexpensive gadget. It's a freebie spirit level that came with a print or something from Adorama and has been lurking in my toolbag recently. I fabricated a bracket for it out of a piece of aluminum flat bar, boring a 3/8" hole for the tripod head mounting screw and machining a slight dado on the face (rather unnecessary embellishment) to help prevent the level from getting knocked loose. I mounted the level to the bracket with some double-stick tape to try it out - when that fails I'll either get better tape or use a dab of RTV silicone.

I have to loosen the head maybe 0.05 turn on the mounting stud to rotate the level bracket on the column. It would be more convenient if it could rotate independently, but I don't see a simple way to do that yet. One must take care not to let the head come unscrewed in any case, and a leveler spinning freely might provide some warning. Not sure if that's a feature ....

To plumb the column, I align the level roughly with two feet of the tripod and adjust them to level so the column is plumb with respect to that axis, then turn the bracket on the column to align with either of the other pairs of feet and adjust the third leg to level it that way and it's done. If it's really critical one could repeat the two adjustments or check all three orientations, but if you are careful the first time it will be as right as a free level can make it.

So far it has worked quite well - a great value for the modest investment of perhaps 40 minutes and some scrap metal. It's compact enough to (just) fit between the stowed legs of my MeFoto C1350 tripod where it is fairly well protected, and weighs only a few grams. I'd have preferred to install it with the level on top, but it's a little too tall to clear the lock knobs on the head. Somebody with a mill could probably make a much refined version using a little smaller spirit level. If you do, please send me one. If you'd like a design collaborator, let me know.

(Download)

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

This is or is about the simplest and least expensive way to go.

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

Sorry but you don't seem to understand why someone would want to use a zero-parallax tripod head, or how it works, or what it does for a stitched panorama that has foreground elements that obscure middle or background elements.

This is something that software cannot really correct, other than using content aware and patch and cloning tools.

You can better understand the notion of parallax error if you look at something that has potential parallax error. Stretch your arm directly in front of you, pointing your thumb up. Open your right eye to look at the scene. Then without changing your head position, close right right eye and open your left eye. Is the scene EXACTLY the same viewed though the other eye? Probably not. A zero parallax rotator head will move the axis of rotation to the entrance pupil of the lens, which eliminates parallax error as you rotate the lens.

This video is helpful to understand this if my explanation isn't sufficient. He uses his thumb to illustrate parallax as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzWbGM8AU8s

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

Thanks!

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

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

BebuLamar

Uhm! No one is paying me for taking any photos (actually I got paid taking pictures with my cellphone only) and I don't think I invest in photographic equipment but rather spending money and buy them.

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

Many photographers are obsessed about maintaining a level horizon and maintaining the camera level as well. It really doesn't matter at all, as long as your component images cover the scene with a little extra for correcting the horizon, too much sky/foreground etc. All a level will do is reduce the number of shots you'll need to take - a nice convenience, but not essential.

aflundi Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Maybe someone already mentioned it and I missed it, but why not put your rotator between the ball head and the clamp? You'd use the ball head to level the rotator.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

That was a thought early on, but the rotator offers some resistance even when unclamped. If I don't securely grip the ballhead while rotating the camera (clamp), it puts a strain on the tightened ballhead and the tripod below it. I know that may sound petty but it gets annoying especially when my hands operate before my brain reminds them of what might happen.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

As usual, you make a good point, Gene. My issue all along is a bit of an obsession with finding an easy way of quickly leveling the camera without having to adjust my tripod legs. Hence my looking at a combination of head and leveling base. Acratech's long lens tilt head and level base combination would be ideal, but I was looking for a way to achieve the equivalent without spending $500+

All that aside, the suggestions from all have been helpful. For my personal application, I think my Acratech GV2 ballhead and a leveling base may be the best combination. But, your suggestion to also bring the pano rotor and tilt head is also a good one. For this workshop, I'm driving from Denver to Moab, UT. And like the wife wisely reminds me, "you're driving, why are you even thinking whether you should bring something or not?"

Thanks to all!!