Tilta has announced two new tiny bubble levels (buy here) that screw into your camera cage or another part of your rig. Designed to help you keep your horizons level, the new bubble levels come in two forms.
The first gets your camera perpendicular to gravity in both axes. The other works on a single axis, allowing you to keep your horizons level while tilting up and down.
Tilta Bubble Levels keep you steady
The new Tilta bubble levels both have the same essential purpose. To get your horizons level. But one also keeps your camera pointing straight. That’s the Tilta Universal Bubble Level.
It’s a familiar-looking circular level with a target in the middle. Once your camera is parallel to the horizon in both tilt and roll axes, the bubble lines up in the centre of the target.
One axis at a time
The second bubble level is called the Tilta Rotatable Bubble Level. As the name suggests, it can rotate about its central axis – where it screws into your rig. It lets you easily level your camera on a single axis.
This lets you keep the bubble parallel to the sensor while getting your horizon straight. Once you do, and the bubble’s central, you can feely tilt your camera up and down while ensuring it always stays level.
It seems like keeping things straight should be a thing that tripods do anyway. And with video tripods, they usually are once they’re set, even if you’re panning and tilting. But if you’re using a photography tripod, it’s not always so straightforward.
Price and Availability
The two new bubble levels are pretty inexpensive, considering they’re CNC-machined items and not just plastic. The Tilta Universal Bubble Level is available to buy now for $6. The Tilta Rotatable Bubble Level is also available to buy now for $12.