In photography, and especially with regard to photographic gear, it's sometime the little things that make the biggest difference.

Most photographers have come to know the benefits of using ballheads. Several years ago a small company calledAcratechintroduced a lightweight head that was the antitheses of most available until that time. It was small, beautifully made, and an ideal choice for use with a light weight carbon fibre tripod, for hiking and similar applications.

Acratech has now producedHit #2, a small, light weight and superbly madetripod head leveling base. It weights less than half a pound, can support a camera / lens combination up to 15 lbs, and has a very low profile. It sells for $150. I've been using theGitzo Leveling Basefor the past few years, and though it's comparably priced, it is quite heavy and bulky. Linhof also has a very nice leveling base, but it's larger and quite a bit more expensive.

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