My Autopano Pro forum

Paul, how much does such tripod cost?

This Manfrotto tripod follows a similar concept - a levelling centre column - but with smaller range of adjustment:
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/pid/3314

I was thinking of using qtop with a ball head to level it fast and easy and then rotate qtop by its 12 notches 30 degrees each to take panoramas. What do you think about that?

http://www.qtop.eu/19.htm

Will good ball head help here? The problem I see that if I level my head in one position on a tripod it wont stay level during rotation process. Process of leveling tripod by expanding or retracting legs is cubersome and I'm looking for easier way of accomplishing that.

Paul wrote:

I heard only positive about the q-tops
but I dont think it will help leveling

easy leveling you will have with a ball-fitted middle column of the tripod
http://www.berlebach.de/grafiken/12040b_gross.jpg
like this Berlebach Mounting head with ball, built-in spirit level, and centre column

I have Manfrotto 190CX CF tripod. I think that I need ball head and then pano rotating base and I'll be able to level it easy. Dillema is that I cannot screw a base to camera mount screw. Two different sizes and tread.
The really right stuff has it in BH-55 with PCL1, but it costs a lot.
Any suggetions on this. THANX!

Adam wrote:

Paul wrote:

I heard only positive about the q-tops
but I dont think it will help leveling

easy leveling you will have with a ball-fitted middle column of the tripod
http://www.berlebach.de/grafiken/12040b_gross.jpg
like this Berlebach Mounting head with ball, built-in spirit level, and centre column

I have Manfrotto 190CX CF tripod. I think that I need ball head and then pano rotating base and I'll be able to level it easy. Dillema is that I cannot screw a base to camera mount screw. Two different sizes and tread.
The really right stuff has it in BH-55 with PCL1, but it costs a lot.
Any suggetions on this. THANX!

I don't understand your problem.

Here's a picture of a Manfrotto tripod with a Manfrotto ball head with QR plate and an Agno's Mrotator TCPShort pano head on top of that.
Is this the sort of setup you had in mind?

RRS is really RollsRoyceStaff pricewise ...

imho a ballhead isn't as easy to level than a adjustable center column with a ball like the Berlebach tripod has

have a look at www.feisol.net, there you can get both: ballheads (much cheaper) and center columns
they have panning bases too

hankkarl wrote:

Adam wrote:

Will good ball head help here? The problem I see that if I level my head in one position on a tripod it wont stay level during rotation process. Process of leveling tripod by expanding or retracting legs is cubersome and I'm looking for easier way of accomplishing that.

You have to level the whole tripod.  Many tripods have a bubble level built into them.  Or use a leveling plate if you don't like to change the height of the tripod legs. 

Then put a hotshoe level on your camera and rotate it to see if the whole thing is level.

Where can I get leveling plate?
I been looking on feisol site, but cannot find any leveling columns. Is there a way to call feisol?

Adam wrote:

I been looking on feisol site, but cannot find any leveling columns. Is there a way to call feisol?

Levelling columns:
http://www.feisol.net/leveling-base-c-16.html

As it says - Email 'em they call you back:
http://www.feisol.net/index.php

Last edited by mediavets (2008-11-11 10:14:00)

Adam wrote:

Hello everybody,
I found out since, that Manfrotto 556B and 438 leveling bases will work with my tripod. Cannot make up my mind which one I should get.
BTW FEISOL is not answering my emails and doesn't call me back. So far their support stinks badly. I did talk to RRS, but they had only very expensive stuff to offer as a solution.
Here are Bogen bases

http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/search … mit=submit

http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/site/b … earch=true

Choose the 556B if it fits your tripod.

Last edited by mediavets (2008-11-12 00:31:22)

Adam wrote:

mediavets wrote:

Adam wrote:

Hello everybody,
I found out since, that Manfrotto 556B and 438 leveling bases will work with my tripod. Cannot make up my mind which one I should get.
BTW FEISOL is not answering my emails and doesn't call me back. So far their support stinks badly. I did talk to RRS, but they had only very expensive stuff to offer as a solution.
Here are Bogen bases

http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/search … mit=submit

http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/site/b … earch=true

Choose the 556B if it fits your tripod.

Can you elaborate on your answer, please. Why 556B instead of 438? Thank you!
I just want to make a right purchase.

If your main focus is shooting panos then a levelling centre column will enable you to set up faster.

Karl Harrison from Oxford is a very experienced pano photograper and he uses a levelling centre column:
http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/tut … od%20Setup

Adam wrote:

Now I need inexpensive attachment to take care of nodal point for Tokina 116 and Nikon 18-200 lenses. Any suggestions for this hardware?
Thank you!

Nodal Ninja 5: http://store.nodalninja.com/category_s/31.htm