3-Axis Level Bubble for Cameras: a random flash of genius from Brando
I don't really know the inner workings of renowned crapgadget manufacturer Brando. I assume, much like Family Guy episodes, their products are composed by a tank full of playful manatees, dunking balls featuring random gadget features through hoops according to their strange under-seacow whims. Most of the time what they come up with is crap, but every so often, they come up with a good one.
And this is that good one: a three-axis bubble mount that fits into the flash bulb socket of your camera. Sure, for most shots outside of wedding and school pictures, mathematically perfect levelness isn't terribly important if you've got the other fundamentals right. But for $11, this could go into your camera bag without a single wince of regret, just in case.
3-Axis Bubble Level [Brando via Oh Gizmo]
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flash socket bubble level are so old as idea, i think that Louis Daguerre use one too :)
agreed, this is a very old idea.
If we presume, perhaps naively, that the manufacturing process of an $11 3-axis level is fairly precise, is the hot shoe of a typical SLR necessarily aligned with the image plane and lens plane of the camera?
Based on its position on the camera, I assume it's close, but is it close enough that adding a level to it would give one any degree of accuracy?
It doesn't have to work, it just has to look cool.
I keep getting the two bubbles level but can't get the third one level! AAAGH!
"WARNING: Not for use on hillsides, seesaws, or where subject of photograph is slopey. Brando assumes no liability for crooked photos. Liquid not approved by TSA for air travel."
This works for "stitched" panoramic shots, where you need to make sure your angles are working and there are no errors in perspective.
Shooting a large mural? Level, shoot, scuttle a few feet sideways, level shoot.
Seems like a good idea...sort of..
Also useful for stereoscopic pics using a stereoscopic camera or two ganged cameras.
Huh. And all this time I've been using photo processing programs. Which I'd still have to use anyway.
The better the original image, the less you have to do in post-processing. So if this actually helps you keep your camera level when you can't use a tripod, it's worthwhile. Extra points for it looking cool.
Indeed - not even a remotely new idea. Handy for landscape photographers. Although my old Nikon D50 was like 2-3 degrees off, so it wasn't particularly useful for me. :)
Am I the only one who LOLed after reading "flash bulb socket"?
Funny...a $2 level from Wal*Mart, a bottlecap, an Xacto knife and superglue will do the exact same thing.
Although, that does look neat.
I want one.
I was so obsessed with spirit levels as a kid. There's something mesmorising about that flourescent, translucent yellow/green liquid they put in them. You just can't go wrong with that level of shiny-ness.
3 for the price of one? Floating in their own self-contained perspex cube? Hell yes!