Is tripod's 'head' by default not parallel?

[kenny888]

hi,

i've a newbie question about tripods. lately i dig out one which was about almost close to 8 yrs old lol. still useable as in i still can mount my cam on it and take pics. but the trouble is that by default, the 'head' i dunno what is that part called, is a bit slant, so after i mount my cam on it and take pics, the pics will be a bit slant as well. by default the 'head' isnt even parallel to the ground.

my qus is for other tripods, by default is it parallel to the ground? just mount on it and can start shooting? or do we actually have do some adjustments or something to avoid slant images?

anyway for mine, no matter what i do, its still slanted as the screws or whaterver is already failing lol. pls advise.

 

[daredevil123]

What kind of head is it? There are many kinds of tripod heads you know.

Maybe if you take a photo of your tripod head and post here, we can help.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

If i'm not wrong, it's the pan and tilt head, like you get with the freebie "Nikon" tripod.
That was the frustrating thing when I started shooting with it... Within a month I simply HAD to get a better tripod...
Most people use ballheads, which don't have a 'default' level. You'll have to use the gridlines in the viewfinder, or the spirit level, to acquire horizontal-ness.

 

[madmartian]

There is no such thing as 'by default' a tripod head is a bit slant. Most likely it's a spoilt one. If its not spoilt, then you have to adjust the base of the head, be it a pan head or ballhead, horizontal to the shot you are taking
The other question about tripods being again 'by default' parallel to the ground. You can have all 3 legs one shorter than the other, but the head can still be adjusted to be parallel to the ground.
So when you set up a tripod on level ground, it is 'by default' parallel to the ground. You have to adjust the levelling of the head to suit your desired shots.
As for the screws are falling off, maybe its time to get a new tripod. If not, your camera will fall off too.

 

[driveanegg]

Not enough information to comment.
But i think its spoiled ...

Practice shooting without a tripod first, then buy one when you need one ...

Keep shooting !!

 

[night86mare]

hi,


anyway for mine, no matter what i do, its still slanted as the screws or whaterver is already failing lol. pls advise.

if you are using a tripod head, there is no reason why you can't adjust that.

 

[tecrec]

Dun fully extend one side (or 2) of the legs to compensate for the tilt.

 

[luntut]

if you are using a cheap tripod that comes free when u buy cameras, you should be getting something like a 3way pan head, plastic version, which looks something like below:

in my experience, they are NEVER level. you gotta spend lots of time to make adjustments.

getting a ball head, might be a better choice. much easier to adjust, which you gotta anyway. might as well do it faster.