A panoramic head is always best of course. Although it's not perfect, you can make decent panoramas shooting HANDHELD using the free open source program Hugin. It's an excellent panorama creation program.

Although you can't appreciate it at this resolution (I know of no site you can upload hi-res images for free ;-), this is a handheld panorama made with Hugin:
http://tinyurl.com/3p764dn
The original is a 55 megapixel file.

I use a level tripod to minimize vertical image loss. I made another one with my D5100 that's around 144 megapixels. If you're curious to try Hugin, go here:
http://hugin.sourceforge.net/
It's free, enjoy it!

True, you need more than this for good panoramas, even a good tripod that allows to work on the "Nodal" point of your lenses may help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0HaRZi-FWs
Disclaimer: I do not have any relationship with the tool that was shown here. I posted this video only to show that you may need more than the virtual horizon for doing good panorama photos :)

My feeling is, if you can't tell if it's straight or not through the viewfinder (I use the grid too), it doesn't matter in the final product. For panoramas I use a bubble level on my tripod head

>>Like rbid said it's only an x-axis tilt leveler but I've never been in a situation where I wanted to level my camera on the z-axis as well.<<

When you shoot panoramas, being level on X and Z axis allow you to maintain as much vertical image data as possible.

iris chrome said:
Like rbid said it's only an x-axis tilt leveler but I've never been in a situation where I wanted to level my camera on the z-axis as well. Tilting my camera about the z-axis would change the whole perspective of my image so I use it strictly as a composition tool.

True.
Another item that may help you is the grid that can be displayed in the viewfinder. (I don't use it)

vidrazor said:
Is it strictly an X-axis leveler, or does it give you Z-axis tilt as well? If so then it's a true leveler. Otherwise don't chuck the spirit level just yet. :-)

Like rbid said it's only an x-axis tilt leveler but I've never been in a situation where I wanted to level my camera on the z-axis as well. Tilting my camera about the z-axis would change the whole perspective of my image so I use it strictly as a composition tool.

vidrazor said:
Is it strictly an X-axis leveler, or does it give you Z-axis tilt as well? If so then it's a true leveler. Otherwise don't chuck the spirit level just yet. :-)

It works only as a virtual horizon for portrait or landscape oriented camera.
That is, only on the X-axis. It will not tell you any Z-axis tilt.

Is it strictly an X-axis leveler, or does it give you Z-axis tilt as well? If so then it's a true leveler. Otherwise don't chuck the spirit level just yet. :-)

I use it when I'm taking pictures from awkward angles and my head is tilted when I'm looking into the viewfinder. For some reason I seem to lose all sense of direction then :D

I use it as the default in LiveView when I am shooting video on the tripod. I seem to have a slight bias to tilt to the left and this helps keep it level. Much more sensitive in LiveView mode as you get the rotating circle and it turns green when you are dead level. Very sensitive as a degree or less either way and it show it is no longer level.

I have it set for the Fn key on both the D700 and D7K, but don't use it as often that way (though my images say I really should).

At least on the D7000 it has quite a large deadzone, they could have made the center point a bit more sensitive.

I find it useful when balancing my steadicam rig. Don't need it for still photography.

Dave_Robo said:
I use the level when setting up a tripod to do a panoramic shot. Turn the camera and keep checking for level and you can do 360 views. It's easier than using those small air bubbles.

Thanks for the info.. I just checked.. virtual horizon also works when you put the camera rotated (portrait orientation). For panoramas, I prefer to pan the photo by overlapping over the long edge of the photos... most portraits are landscape photos :)

I use the level when setting up a tripod to do a panoramic shot. Turn the camera and keep checking for level and you can do 360 views. It's easier than using those small air bubbles.

Hi,

Sliced bread...

My best.

Mike

I use it often! Have the depth of field preview button set as the view finder level and use the live view version to level the camera when on a tripod. It works great!

padlockd said:
Useful. I wish I had used it on some of my earlier shots before I found out how it worked. =)

@rbid, when you switch to the virtual horizon, all the other HUD stuff goes away (shutter speed, aperture, etc.) so it's pretty obvious whether or not it's on.

Thanks PadLockd, Every day I learn something new about this nice camera.. As I said before, I'm still playing with this nice toy :)

--- Ricky

Useful. I wish I had used it on some of my earlier shots before I found out how it worked. =)

@rbid, when you switch to the virtual horizon, all the other HUD stuff goes away (shutter speed, aperture, etc.) so it's pretty obvious whether or not it's on.

yes, when shooting outdoors handheld. . .or even event photography and making sure I get the group shot just right. . .but I'm just anal like that. . .

rbid said:
Do you use this virtual horizon feature?... if yes, how/when do you use it?

I do not plan to use Live View in still photography, therefore this feature is just a marketing trick for me. (I prefer to take photos like in the old film days, by looking on the viewfinder..)

What is your opinion?

I find the feature invaluable for handheld still photography (all my tripod heads have bubble levels). Not only do you no longer have to correct horizons in Photoshop (and then, re-crop for the tilt), all of your barrel distortion is oriented correctly when shooting dead-level. On my D7000 I use the virtual horizon indicator inside the viewfinder, since I rarely use the LiveView screen when shooting stills. It's actually one of the features that attracted me to the D7000.

jonnyapple said:
On a D7000 it's the same as Pierre and PB PM have mentioned. I have it set to come on when I press the depth of field preview button because I'm not always very good at getting shots straight when I want them to be.

That's EXACTLY how I have my D7000 set up!

rbid,
I use it when using a tripod on uneven ground.

when you have the tripod legs set at different lengths, then I check the virtual horizon before i lock the tripod head.

its like a spirit level, but, more accruate to me.

Definitely very useful at night or esoteric photos in the fog

Is the virtual horizon like a spirit level i.e. it actually tells you when you have achieved true level as opposed to just a fixed line? If it does, it sounds really useful.

I rely on my inner ear and eyes for my D90/D5000.

I use the virtual horizon all the time. I do a lot of handheld shots and this feature is very handy for leveling the frame. I've set the function button for quick access.

Viewfinder grid is nice, but not as accurate as the virtual horizon, at least no in my experience.