Bubble Level

Any idea where I might find a bubble level to fit in the hotshoe of my camera when on a tripod?
Thanks,
Rob

Here and here. You can order by phone from the second one.

You can call into your local Jessops as well - it's a normal stock item.

Got me thinking,

Is there some standard that the bed of the hotshoe on a camera is exactly perpendicular to the film/sensor plane?

I've seen these little gadgets in the past and never thought they would be accurate enough. Some top of the line tripod heads have levels built in, ensuring that the BASE of the camera was true, and that made more sense to me.

But, it they ARE accurate......

And my eyes being what they are.......

Maybe it's time.

Cheers,

My wife Sue uses one of these quite often, but I find them useless. So it does depend on the individual.

The reason that I don't like them is that any scene can be full of conflicting lines and it's often necessary to make the picture look straight when it isn't.

In any event I'm happier without a tripod, so unless it's macro work it wouldn't be relevant. I always use a tripod for macro work.

Thanks John, I agree that the scene will often dictate the camera's orientation.

Sue however, gives me the confidence to try one for certain straight-on shots.

Being a gadget freak, I've ordered the first one Peter showed us - thank you Mannesty!

My justification is that it will go with my bubbly personnality.

(Wife's observation is a little different, something about my : head - who knows, she mumbles a lot lately.....

They're vital for QuickTime VR work where you have the camera at 90 degrees to the upper tripod head - unless you like the idea of a lot of post processing work anyway...

I use one for landscapes, but not religiously. I use it to get near enough horizontal or vertical. There are two bubbles on my tripod, but I don't trust them in case the connection to the camera is not accurate (and the vertical is by no means precise).

I put the bubble on the camera and alter the tripod until it looks aligned then check the viewfinder to check there.

For the level on the camera to be accurate (if you use a panhead), you need to start with a tripod that is level before you put the panhead on it. Other wise, when you rotate the head, it won't move on a level plane, so you will spend a lot of time trying to re-aligne the pictures in a panorama shot. So, if your tripod is not level first, you might as well forget the little bubble level that goes on the camera. For the little gadget to work fine, you need to start with a level that screws between the tripod and the head first, so the plate where the panhead screws on is perfectly level. By the way, those little bubble levels are not to bad as far as accuracy is concerned, but they are not outstanding. But anything that helps you take a picture is an improvement over "nothing".

I use one with my ball head. There is a level on the head, but with the camera in place you can't see it.

To be honest I really can't see a lot of point in these things. They can only be used in conjunction with a tripod and as others have pointed out most tripods have a bubble built in. I also doubt the accuracy of these things. If you look at the photo of the one in the second link Peter posted, you will see that the left hand bubble is indicates that the 'level' is sloping to the left, however the right hand bubble appears to be pretty central. With the round type of bubble - as found on tripods, I think that the engraved circle has to be the same diameter as the bubble for it to have any chance at being accurate. Personally I think it would be more likely that you will be able to judge fairly well if your camera is level on your tripod by just taking a step back from it - it is amazing how accurate, in most cases, the eye/brain is at detecting horizontal or vertical planes. However I guess if you are someone who is always having their framed paintings / photos straightened by visitors then maybe you need an accessory to help you get your hot shoe level, but for the rest of us I doubt it would get any use.

Steve

Well I use one just about all the time for landscapes. I think I have a pretty good eye for levels, but I prefer to get it spot on. I use a ball head, and this doesn't have a level built in.

I also find it absolutely vital if I'm doing a panoramic, as this may be a dozen images merged together. The slightest mistake with getting the camera level makes a huge difference once you've panned through 120 degrees or so.

"...it is amazing how accurate, in most cases, the eye/brain is at detecting horizontal or vertical."

The spirit level means you don't have to take a step back, and it's accurate in all cases, so I prefer that method.

Dan

I agree with DAn, it is essential to use one when making panoramas, certainly with a ball head.

They are cheap enough that if you find you don't like it or use it it is no great loss.

I find with my tripod that its bubble is accurate, but, the bubble is on the tripod, and it has a centre column that is not geared, so the top is never 100% accurate, where the tripod is! I like using my fluid head most of the time, so this is quite important, so buying a leveller is on my list:-

http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetails~man~Manfrotto~productID~5711~categoryid~158.html

Until then, the hotshoe level just comes in handy!

Hmm, that's another 1.4lbs to lug around with me. I'll stick to the hot-shoe bubble I think.