Opteka Hot Shoe Two Axis Double Bubble Spirit Level for Digital and Film Cameras

by Opteka

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000YJ2Q9U
• Item model number: OPT-LEVEL
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 8, 2007

Product Description

Simply slide into your hot-shoe for easy setup of level landscape or vertical format shots. Tubular style allows tilting of camera vertically and keeping horizontal level

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Review updated - Rating REDUCED, March 12, 2010

By 

Robert S. Tobias (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka Hot Shoe Two Axis Double Bubble Spirit Level for Digital and Film Cameras (Electronics)

Length:: 0:39 Mins

The fit in my hotshoe is snug and secure. It has two mounting tabs, one for when you camera is horizontal (landscape) and the other for when it is in vertical (portrait) position. Mine arrived free of any scratches; it looks quite nice. In fact, it looks identical to the Manfrotto 337 Hot Shoe Double Axis Bubble Level but at a fraction of the cost.

To answer a few questions, you want a level on your camera seperate from one on your tripod if you have any kind of adjustable head such as the Manfrotto 488RC2 Midi Ball Head with RC2 Rapid Connect System (3157N) (one that does not have its own built-in level). Also, it's handy for times when you are not using a tripod and bracing your camera against something else. Finally, while you can fix a tilting image in Photoshop that can result in losing the composition you had created when you took the picture.

There were apparently a lot of issues with the Opteka Hot Shoe Three Axis Triple Bubble Spirit Level for Digital and Film Cameras - (Opteka) which do not exist with this item.

BTW, I feel that honest, effective reviews, accompanied by detailed videos, can take the place of first-hand experiences that are often lacking in online shopping. I've always appreciated the help I've received from other reviewers and try to return the favor as best as I can. I hope you found this review helpful and the video at least entertaining. If there was anything you thought was lacking or unclear leave a comment and I'll do what I can to fix it.


UPDATE AFTER ALMOST 1 YEAR:

I've had rotten luck lately with usually decent Opteka products. A couple of weeks ago a Opteka RC-2 Wireless Remote Control for Nikon D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D70s, D80, D90, D3000, D5000 & D7000 Digital SLR Camera (Nikon ML-L3 Replacement) arrived DOA. Today I looked at my Opteka bubble level and saw... Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Take a look at the video that accompanies this review and avoid having to read almost 2000 of mine.

I've had the level for less than a year and would have expected it to last longer than it did. Amazon cannot replace their product due to the third party seller arrangement with 47th St Photo. Also, according to the Amazon refund policy they will only offer a refund if the item is returned withing 30 days in new condition.

It's not a total loss. I can still use this to level picture frames and such. And for the price difference I can replace it several times before it approaches the cost of the amazingly similar (and possibly not identical) Manfrotto 337 Hot Shoe Double Axis Bubble Level. Oops, It appears the Manfrotto level is about half the cost as when I bought this one. Taking shipping into account, three of these for one of "the good ones." Which to pick? That's an individual decision and I think mine will be for Manfrotto.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not accurate, May 17, 2010

By 

Paul Munroe (Hingham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka Hot Shoe Two Axis Double Bubble Spirit Level for Digital and Film Cameras (Electronics)

I bought the Manfrotto for $32 and this one for $8 to see if there was a difference and to have a backup. They look almost exactly alike but the Manfrotto is accurate and the Opteka is not. I would say the Opteka is off by .5 inch per foot! Check your sample. Place on flat surface, check reading, then rotate the level 180 degrees. Any difference shows inacurracy. Both Opteka bubbles are off, the Manfrotto is almost perfect. I gave two stars because the Opteka should dtill be more accurate Than your eyeball. Not sure if it is worth keeping for backup.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works Great!, January 11, 2011

By 

John Galt - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opteka Hot Shoe Two Axis Double Bubble Spirit Level for Digital and Film Cameras (Electronics)

I lost my much more expensive Manfrotto bubble level because it never fit very snug. Finally it fell off somewhere without me noticing. Times being a bit tough financially, I thought I'd give this a try. To my surprise, it is IDENTICAL to the Manfrotto it's replacing. I know it looks similar on Amazon, but I expected a cheaper build quality or something. Instead this fits the hot-shoe of my camera snug (perfectly snug) and works great. Why pay more???