A wonky spirit level?! at DVinfo.net

Neil Corbett · November 15th, 2006, 08:50 AM

I wanted a Sachtler System 6 SB SL MCF Tripod but couldn't find anyone in the UK with one in stock. A salesman convinced me that he had a tripod that was almost identical but cheaper and in stock. ( a grey import I've now realised)

Still, the tripod arrived and everything looked good. I balanced the camera, got the bubble in the centre, turned on my Z1 and everthing in the viewfinder has got a slight tilt, as if the bubbles not centred properly. tested and tested it but still the same.

can anyone think of something i may have missed before i send it back? Never heard of a dodgy spirit level before.

cheers

Emre Safak · November 15th, 2006, 09:06 AM

If the spirit level is not actually level, the bubble will slide, of course. I don't know that tripod so I can't offer specifics, but maybe it is possible to fiddle with it so you can manually align the level?

Neil Corbett · November 15th, 2006, 09:20 AM

what do you mean by 'slide'? its just that when i turn the head i noticed its goes signficantly off centre ie the bubble slides off centre. again that seemed odd.

Tim Le · November 15th, 2006, 09:40 AM

Are you talking about the bubble level on the tripod or the head? You really should be leveling to the bubble level on the head and not the tripod. If you are and the head is still unlevel, then there is something wrong with the level on the head and nothing wrong with the tripod.

Phil Bloom · November 15th, 2006, 02:33 PM

check the plate is attached properly. Check the head too to see if there is anything uneven. A spirit level bubble cannot lie...unless of course the earth's gravitational pull is shifting and we are all going to die!

Neil Corbett · November 15th, 2006, 02:54 PM

I agree about gravity!

I have the plate that came with the tripod attached directly to my camera. The instructions refer to an option of attaching the tripod plate to a seperate camera plate and then attaching both to the camera.

But a camera plate never came with the tripod and I've only seen them on dsr high end cameras anyway rather than a minidv z1.

Still, could this be the problem? The plate fits perfectly to my Z1.

November 15th, 2006, 08:50 AM	#1
Neil Corbett Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London,UK Posts: 64	A wonky spirit level?! I wanted a Sachtler System 6 SB SL MCF Tripod but couldn't find anyone in the UK with one in stock. A salesman convinced me that he had a tripod that was almost identical but cheaper and in stock. ( a grey import I've now realised) Still, the tripod arrived and everything looked good. I balanced the camera, got the bubble in the centre, turned on my Z1 and everthing in the viewfinder has got a slight tilt, as if the bubbles not centred properly. tested and tested it but still the same. can anyone think of something i may have missed before i send it back? Never heard of a dodgy spirit level before. cheers

November 15th, 2006, 02:33 PM	#5
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	check the plate is attached properly. Check the head too to see if there is anything uneven. A spirit level bubble cannot lie...unless of course the earth's gravitational pull is shifting and we are all going to die! __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

November 15th, 2006, 09:06 AM	#2
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	If the spirit level is not actually level, the bubble will slide, of course. I don't know that tripod so I can't offer specifics, but maybe it is possible to fiddle with it so you can manually align the level?

November 15th, 2006, 09:20 AM	#3
Neil Corbett Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London,UK Posts: 64	what do you mean by 'slide'? its just that when i turn the head i noticed its goes signficantly off centre ie the bubble slides off centre. again that seemed odd.

November 15th, 2006, 09:40 AM	#4
Tim Le Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 350	Are you talking about the bubble level on the tripod or the head? You really should be leveling to the bubble level on the head and not the tripod. If you are and the head is still unlevel, then there is something wrong with the level on the head and nothing wrong with the tripod.

November 15th, 2006, 02:54 PM	#6
Neil Corbett Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London,UK Posts: 64	I agree about gravity! I have the plate that came with the tripod attached directly to my camera. The instructions refer to an option of attaching the tripod plate to a seperate camera plate and then attaching both to the camera. But a camera plate never came with the tripod and I've only seen them on dsr high end cameras anyway rather than a minidv z1. Still, could this be the problem? The plate fits perfectly to my Z1.