A leveling base might help you get setup more quickly. For me it depends on how tall of a tripod I'm using. On taller legs I usually just adjust the legs to level out the head. With shorter legs I sometimes don't want to loose any height so I'll use a leveling base rather than subtract any length from the legs. Adjusting the legs definitely takes longer. If you're moving around, readjusting the legs to level can get annoying.
I use all Leofoto stuff so I guess that gives you my vote on if it is good enough for me. My preference is a leveling bowl versus a top mounted leveling base. But a bowl is only an option on bigger "systematic" style legs. Not sure what legs you ended up with. For a thread-on top mounted leveling base I much prefer ones with big wing nut around the base to tighten it with. Those with only a small side mounted locking lever never seem to stay tight enough for me. Leofoto and (I believe RRS??) use the "wing" style locks. Way easier to use in the cold with gloves.
On the leveling base it may not matter too much, but all the top mounted ones I've used had some type of "fluid" damping grease inside. This can get really, really slow to move in extreme cold. That's one more reason I prefer the un-damped bowls. Not a big deal since you only need to adjust the base periodically, but it is something I've run into in the winter.
Dec 02, 2022 at 01:11 PM
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