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Archive 2015 · Leveling base

  
 
Evangelos Makris
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Leveling base


Hi to all,

i have the following set up and i need to add a leveling base as i am getting more
into panoramas:

Induro CT114 tripod
Sirui K30x ball head
Canon 6d
Samyang 14mm, 24mm lenses
Star Adventurer skytracker

I am looking to spend around $100 max on this accessory so i looked at some options from Benro, Oben, Sunwayfoto etc.

What are you using and would recommend?

Kind regards from Greece,
Evangelos



Nov 10, 2015 at 04:01 AM
EB-1
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Leveling base


I use the RRS leveling base that integrates into the 75 mm bowl of my Gitzo Systematic. However, I prefer an Acratech leveling base where a separate device is needed.

EBH



Nov 10, 2015 at 07:33 AM
sjms
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Leveling base


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1085247-REG/oben_lh_2510_leveling_base_head.html


Nov 10, 2015 at 07:57 AM
grog13
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Leveling base


Have you thought about a panning clamp, such as available from RRS or Sunwayfoto? Just level the clamp using your ballhead. That works well for me, and is a good bit lighter than any levelling base I've seen. The RRS version may exceed your budget, but the Sunwayfoto versions are considerably less expensive and still very good quality.


Nov 10, 2015 at 09:03 AM
Jeff
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Leveling base


grog13 wrote:
Have you thought about a panning clamp, such as available from RRS or Sunwayfoto? Just level the clamp using your ballhead. That works well for me, and is a good bit lighter than any levelling base I've seen. The RRS version may exceed your budget, but the Sunwayfoto versions are considerably less expensive and still very good quality.


The panning clamp is the direction I went (RRS) after looking at the two different approaches to leveling. It also keeps your folded tripod shorter, in some manufacturer's implementations (of leveling bases)1-3 inches shorter.

Edited on Nov 10, 2015 at 10:17 AM · View previous versions



Nov 10, 2015 at 09:49 AM
sjms
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Leveling base


at the moment the sunwayfoto one seems to be an issue

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=panning+clamp&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=



Nov 10, 2015 at 10:03 AM
grog13
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Leveling base


sjms wrote:
at the moment the sunwayfoto one seems to be an issue

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=panning+clamp&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=


Oops....... There do seem to still be some available on Amazon (and I'd bet on ebay as well).



Nov 10, 2015 at 10:26 AM
jcolwell
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Leveling base


I have an Acratech Leveling base that I use with a Feisol PB-70 panning base for horizontal panos. I don't use it much since getting an Arca-Swiss C1 Cube.



Nov 10, 2015 at 11:28 AM
Gochugogi
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Leveling base


grog13 wrote:
Have you thought about a panning clamp, such as available from RRS or Sunwayfoto? Just level the clamp using your ballhead. That works well for me, and is a good bit lighter than any levelling base I've seen. The RRS version may exceed your budget, but the Sunwayfoto versions are considerably less expensive and still very good quality.


That's what I do and, yes, it's lighter and faster to remove for other types of shooting. My Sunwayfoto rotating clamp has worked great for the past several years.



Nov 10, 2015 at 11:44 AM
Evangelos Makris
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Leveling base


I did not know the existence of the panning clamp
I am trying to understand how it is used and how it works!

Thanks so much for your time,
Evangelos



Nov 10, 2015 at 02:32 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Leveling base


Evangelos Makris wrote:
I did not know the existence of the panning clamp
I am trying to understand how it is used and how it works!

Thanks so much for your time,
Evangelos


It levels the clamp on the ballhead so that the panning occurs on the clamp rather than the ballhead base. RRS expects you will buy additional components to control altitude. I used that setup some years ago, but replaced the panning head with a normal head when I replaced the center with the leveling base. The latter setup is much better for me, since it allows normal use of the ballhead to adjust altitude for single row pans without extra equipment. I do tend to use the full setup for multi-row pans, though the 50MP bodies now make that less necessary. If you do architecture or other panning where altitude will always be zero then you can use the PCL directly on the camera.

EBH



Nov 10, 2015 at 07:15 PM
Evangelos Makris
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Leveling base


Thanks so much EBH!



Nov 11, 2015 at 02:58 AM
Roland W
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Leveling base


If part of the reason you want the leveling base for is to level your sky tracking device, you may want to focus on getting a traditional leveling base to mount it on, and then use your ball head on the tracker for night shots that are tracked. If you all ready have an additional ball head for the tracker, then you could use a panning clamp on your ball head, and use the main ball head for the leveling.


Nov 11, 2015 at 11:55 AM
Evangelos Makris
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Leveling base


I want to easily level the tripod legs, both for tracked nightscapes and for untracked ones.
I realized i am taking panoramas too often these days.



Nov 11, 2015 at 01:27 PM
Mike V
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Leveling base


Manfrotto 438



Nov 12, 2015 at 06:25 AM
jharter
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Leveling base


Better than buying a separate panning clamp is to simply buy an Arca Swiss P0 ball head which has an integrated panning clamp and is much lighter than the alternatives of a leveling base or an add-on panning clamp.

I use mine with the RRS lightweight panorama kit and Sony A7rII.



Nov 14, 2015 at 02:17 PM
Mr Joe
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Leveling base


I've used the Acratech and Nodal Ninja leveling bases. Both work well. I prefer the simplicity and flexibility of just leaving a ballhead installed on both of my tripods. That way I can mix shooting panos and regular shooting, without any gear changes.

I use a p0 ballhead on my travel tripod and it's great for panos with a small Nodal Ninja head and a light weight camera/lens setup. That being said, it's not the right tool to support a large pano head, sky tracker, and heavy camera/lens.

On my regular tripod, a 3 series Gitzo, I have a Markins head with a RRS PCL-1 rotator clamp. This setup is super sturdy for heavier loads.

For shooting 360 panoramas, an indexing rotator is a must. I have a small click stop rotator on my Nodal Ninja R1 rig, and a NN RD-16 rotator with an arca compatible plate on the bottom as part of my bigger pano rig (NN Ultimate M2).



Nov 15, 2015 at 11:17 AM
rkgatteleport
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Leveling base


If you just need a leveling base, you can sometimes find a used Acratech one in that range or maybe one of the old kaidan units for less.

Another option is to get a different head like the arca swiss P0 (already mentioned), or a
ball head you can use upside down, so you use the ball to level and its rotating base to pan - the acratech GP series of heads do this.

FWIW, if you are going to be doing a lot of panos, you may want to consider getting something that has detents so you don't have to be trying to read your scales in the dark, in the early morning pre-caffiene, etc - like the manfrotto 300N - When I was really doing a lot of panos, I would use one of these with an arca plate on the bottom and arca clamp on the top - it clamped it in my normal ball head between the head and the camera - it worked pretty well...

Good Luck,

rkg
(Richard George)



Nov 15, 2015 at 12:08 PM
Evangelos Makris
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Leveling base


Thank you all for your answers!
I am checking the various options right now.

Evangelos



Nov 21, 2015 at 04:25 PM
Evangelos Makris
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Leveling base


Hello again,

i would like to ask if a leveling base (like the Sunwayfoto DYH 66i) can be used as a panning base, after you level it.
Does it rotate or do i have to get a separate panning base (like the FEISOL PB 70)?

Thanks in advance,
Evangelos



Jan 17, 2016 at 04:13 PM
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