Spirit levels and safety

[Ash]

So I had the idea in my mind to make myself a spirit level hot shoe adapter for next to nothing.


It's possible.


But just because its ugly, DONT try to improve on it!!

Below is a very cheaply made adapter using the folllowing parts:

Hot shoe - broken Praktica body - £free
Flat material - broken Praktica's bottom plate
Spirit level - "Rolson" spirit level £1.50 (three spirit levels, only used one here)
Loctite putty - £??


So that there is still a usable (cold) hot shoe, the extra one on top is added. Using the putty to attach everything.


I *was* going to have a horizontal and vertical, but I only used a horizontal for this test one.

blog/details on manufacture to come.



WARNING:

Never try to cut a film can metal sheet in half using a leatherman; one hefty cut later I've steri-strips along the thum/pad area of my palm.


EDIT:

Just finished an easier, cheaper version:

(second image)

Take an old film can, cut it in half, fold it up, stick a spirit level on an elongated Z-shape.

Voi-la.

Also, the felt on the end of the film can means no chance of sharp corners!

Overall cost - old film can, spirit level - less than £2

 

[Ash]

Update - newer, easier version of cheapo spirit level!

 

[clarence]

I'm normally very keen on cheapskate camera hacking, but you can get a 2-axis spirit level here for 6 squids:

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=99125

Making your own spirit level, how can you be absolutely sure that you've aligned it perfectly with the 2 horizontal planes?

Clarence

 

[Ash]

Yikes, that IS cheap!

I had only seen a few at £20.

Only problem is they're a little obvious and may be a cause of conversation with people you'd prefer to take a subtle photograph of.

The bubble level is lined up to the top of the camera, its kind of out of view, so it is more discreet for street shots (especially as I shoot a lot of photo's at chest/waist level whilst moving around) - I would hope that a camera body is symmetrical, so that the top of the camera lays 180degrees and so does the focal plane.

a quick test was also aligning it to the border along the wall opposite me through the viewfinder, and checking it against the spirit level, which both appeared to be in sync.

 

[clarence]

Your DIY spirit level sounds good for waist-level street shooting. It might work really well with a Jupiter-12 or an Orion-15.

Clarence

 

[Ash]

Well its not bad for less than £2 and 5 minutes work. I had way too many tilted photo's from holding the camera at awkward angles to keep my street shooting subtle.

 

[peter_n]

I thinks its pretty neat actually. "6 squids", now that seems a bit expensive to me - squid is not cheap where I live... 😉