p.3 #1 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
IndyFab wrote:
Chris I have the same set up for my travel and long hikes
Instead of Acratech LLH I have a Leofoto VH-20 (works like your Acratech LLH) with Leofoto LB60N leveling base
p.3 #2 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
Chris Court wrote:
The setup I have on my large tripod is close to ideal for me… an Acratech Long Lens Head (with nodal rail), sitting on a leveling base. I'm basically wanting a smaller, lighter version of this for the 1 series (will likely stick with the ballhead though, as it seems redundant to have two Acratech LLH/Pano Heads).
It seems like my best options at this point are the small Kirk and the (slightly larger) small Leofoto.
I have been trying to find a similar solution to you for a while now and have been looking for ideas on ebay. My conclusion is that same as yours - for quality per weight unite, there is nothing better than the Acratech LLH. For the levelling base, I think the RRS TA-2U is the best option because it offers +- 20° of movement. Yes it's heavier and more expensive than the Leofoto option but has 10° more levelling available. I haven't purchased yet because the solution is expensive and the Acratech LLH is hard to come by.
My interim solution is the Sirui VA-5 fluid head which weighs 385g. It works quite well. The only thing I don't really like about it is the panning base clamp is difficult to fully tighten.
p.3 #3 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
dakel wrote:
I have been trying to find a similar solution to you for a while now and have been looking for ideas on ebay. My conclusion is that same as yours - for quality per weight unite, there is nothing better than the Acratech LLH. For the levelling base, I think the RRS TA-2U is the best option because it offers +- 20° of movement. Yes it's heavier and more expensive than the Leofoto option but has 10° more levelling available. I haven't purchased yet because the solution is expensive and the Acratech LLH is hard to come by.
My interim solution is the Sirui VA-5 fluid head which weighs 385g. It works quite well. The only thing I don't really like about it is the panning base clamp is difficult to fully tighten.
p.3 #6 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
IndyFab wrote:
Math is a little off if RRS is 20 the leofoto is 15, so thats only 5 more not 10
20 deg up from level and 20 deg down from level equals total travel of 40 deg. Replace the 20 deg values with 15 deg you get a total of 30 deg travel. 40-30=10
That looks quite huge. I don't quite understand the need for all of that on top of the leveling base, but there must be some technique that works for you. What is the total weight of those parts above the leveling base?
p.3 #9 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
If you are looking at Leofoto gear they don't help with their advertising. Example below; a small geared head copied from Arca Swiss on top of a ballhead copied from RRS.
p.3 #10 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
EB-1 wrote:
That looks quite huge. I don't quite understand the need for all of that on top of the leveling base, but there must be some technique that works for you. What is the total weight of those parts above the leveling base?
EBH
I shot plenty of times with just a head, but its nice to have leveling base when you are shooting Pano's
I think the angle of shot makes it look taller than it is. I dont use that bi-directional clamp on that rail.. I just added that to show Chris, as he mentioned he uses one with his set up.
Actually its just two pieces, leveling base and a head similar to Acratech LLH ( works the same way ) measures 6" overall
Leveling base is 206 grams. Head is 436 grams.
I think Chris mentioned he uses a RRS leveling base with a Acratech LLH, so the height also has to be up there.
A RRS leveling base is 322grams, then add for the lever release and dovetail which it doesn't show weight with that.
Acratech LLH is 404 grams.
My RRS leveling base & Markins head measures 7 1/2" overall
My other Leofoto leveling base and Manfrotto Fluid head also measuers 7 1/2" overall
I also switch things around and use RRS with Manfrotto
Also one could just have one leveling base and switch out when you want to use a different tripod.
Of course one could forego a leveling base if overall height is a concern, and just add a spirit level to your hotshoe or level in camera or none at all if you are not shooting pano's. You can also play with leveling your tripod. I think we all understand that.
p.3 #11 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
peter_n wrote:
There's a lot of copying. Usually it's the Chinese companies copying USA/European/Australian ideas and designs. US companies very occasionally engage. Leofoto is a relative newcomer and I bought their travel tripod to see for myself how it compared to my RRS and Benro travelers. It held up pretty well though not as good as the RRS; it has quality aluminum & stainless hardware and decent carbon fiber from Japan. Now they're dipping into tripod heads and have copied RRS ballheads and Arca Swiss geared heads.
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jeffbuzz wrote:
The Leofoto G4 head works like a charm. It is extremely well made.
I bought the Leofoto G2 Panorama Geared Ballhead from Amazon for $169 with a Prime discount. The item looks (and performs) just like the Arca-Swiss Core 60 Leveler Classic but it’s 350+ dollars ($199 vs. $574) cheaper!
I got it out of curiosity to see how it pairs with my Acratech GXP ball head. Turns out it pairs very well. And the build quality (on surface) is great, and it doesn’t look or feel cheap.
That said, I was thinking about returning it since it’s not something I really need. I could put the money towards the Leofoto LS-324C+LH-40 tripod/ball head combo. Thinking about it now, I could see Arca-Swiss making a big fuss and suddenly the price rises, or the item becomes impossible to find for said cheap price paid. It that respect it might be better to keep it. Decisions decisions.
As for their tripods, was very curious so I bought the Leofoto LS-324C carbon tripod with center column and LH-40 ball head (a ball head looking remarkably like RRS's BH-40). Didn't need the head but with my Amazon Prime discount, the "packaged" deal at just $29 more was the better buy than just getting the tripod by itself with no center column. Tripod will be here Thursday.
p.3 #12 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
sjms wrote:
20 deg up from level and 20 deg down from level equals total travel of 40 deg. Replace the 20 deg values with 15 deg you get a total of 30 deg travel. 40-30=10
Your math reminds me of how companies market items. However the reality is it's just 5 more degrees in up or down from a 15 degree leveling head not 10
p.3 #13 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
IndyFab wrote:
Your math reminds me of how companies market items. However the reality is it's just 5 more degrees in up or down from a 15 degree leveling head not 10
true and that is 5 more degrees than most from level . i did say total travel. now now again what was yours an exercise of?
p.3 #14 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
sjms wrote:
Does that actually have a purpose or is that a work of art demonstrating the absurdity of stack height?
Please show me a leveling base & head combo like mine or Acratech LLH that doesn't exceed 6" height ...and has a much smaller foot print than most leveling base's and heads
It's the nature of the beast if one is going to use a leveling base, many other combinations are even higher with a larger foot print..
I am not of the mindset my gear is the best, For me the goal was cost ratio, size and weight that gets the job done very well for my travel and long hikes.
I am always open minded and willing to learn new things, if you know of a less absurd set up with cost ratio, size and weight in mind, I am all ears.
p.3 #16 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
sjms wrote:
you have a base level
a 360 rotation and a 90/90 tilt
another 360 rotation
and a geared rail
a most complex arrangement for what purpose
i did not ask or comment about cost ratio
so you carry all that with you to produce what result?
Unfortunately you did not offer a better solution for cost ratio, size and weight. As I am always open to better solutions.
Yes, I get where your coming from now, the redundancy of having two 360 rotations. I cant speak for the manufactures decision to do that, but a normal arca swiss clamp on top would of sufficed. My normal use for rotation for pano's is with the bottom rotation.
Since you brought that up, you can easily remove top pano clamp by loosening the allen screw and replace with a normal arca swiss plate. It so happens I have an extra RRS arca swiss plate with lever I am not using. I measured the height of the RRS and the existing 360 rotation pano head, and the height difference is 1/4" difference, I guess you could also factor in a couple less grams in weight. So in the end for me, its not really worth the hassle of replacing. Never the less your point is well taken of why have two rotation heads. I guess the take away from that is, if you need a pano head some where in the future, you could always swap out, and put a normal acra swiss clamp on.
As I mentioned previously, I seldom use a rail, but when I do, Kirk makes a nice bi direction clamp for top of rail that's single tier.
As far as results you inquired about
Your also welcome to view my Flickr page for more results.
p.3 #18 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
OK, so I ordered a Leofoto LB-60. I would have probably preferred the Kirk, but at approx 3x the price I just couldn't justify it.
The Leofoto seems like a fairly decent piece of kit. It locks well, is easy to use and seems robust enough for my purposes. However even being their smallest version, it is slightly large for my tripod's top plate (and also for my head's base). If they made a 50mm version it would be just about perfect.
The next step is to find a suitable pan-tilt head to replace the ballhead. The head on IndyFab's setup weighs a touch more than the Acratech LLH, and as this is for my hiking setup I'm really looking for something lighter. Also, the upper panning base seems completely redundant (at least for my usage). Not really wanting to buy a second LLH, either. I guess I could just switch it from setup to setup as needed…
Anyway, here is a pic of my two setups, as they currently stand, for your information/perusal/critique:
C
Note: Stack height on the left setup is approx 5.25", and 5.75" on the right, if that matters to anyone.
p.3 #19 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
Chris Court wrote:
OK, so I ordered a Leofoto LB-60. I would have probably preferred the Kirk, but at approx 3x the price I just couldn't justify it.
The Leofoto seems like a fairly decent piece of kit. It locks well, is easy to use and seems robust enough for my purposes. However even being their smallest version, it is slightly large for my tripod's top plate (and also for my head's base). If they made a 50mm version it would be just about perfect.
The next step is to find a suitable pan-tilt head to replace the ballhead. The head on IndyFab's setup weighs a touch more than the Acratech LLH, and as this is for my hiking setup I'm really looking for something lighter. Also, the upper panning base seems completely redundant (at least for my usage). Not really wanting to buy a second LLH, either. I guess I could just switch it from setup to setup as needed…
Anyway, here is a pic of my two setups, as they currently stand, for your information/perusal/critique:
C
Note: Stack height on the left setup is approx 5.25", and 5.75" on the right, if that matters to anyone.
Leofoto makes a VH10, This one only comes with panning head on top, and it tilts. It only weighs 360 grams
The VH20 weighs 436 grams......Maybe that will work for you https://www.leofoto.com/products_detail.php?id=339
p.3 #20 · Best leveling base for a series 1 tripod?
IndyFab wrote:
Leofoto makes a VH10, This one only comes with panning head on top, and it tilts. It only weighs 360 grams
The VH20 weighs 436 grams......Maybe that will work for you https://www.leofoto.com/products_detail.php?id=339
I don't think so. I want the panning base on the bottom, so I have the ability to rotate across a level horizon while having the camera tilted up or down.
