Lighting 101 - Light Stands
So the idea is, you want the capability to light without breaking the bank—or your back. And as you'll soon see, your new portable studio is easier to cart around than even a pricey ultralight tripod.
Above is a (7.5-foot) LP605, which I consider to be the best compact light stand made today and which you probably by now already have on the way as a part of your starter lighting kit. Compact light stands like the LP605 generally have five sections (so they fold up very small—21 inches or so) and are ideally suited for photographers using lightweight, speedlight-based lighting gear.
The LP605 uniquely comes with folding spikes for extra stability when you are outside in the wind. Folded up, they will ride in a small roller case. Or you can add some O-rings and a strap, as detailed below, and throw a whole "portable studio kit" over your shoulder.
If and when you get further into lighting, you'll likely end up adding to your stand collection. Maybe some bigger stands, or a boom arm to float a light out over someone. But you cannot go wrong with a compact, 5-section stand for openers. This is the one you want to start with. I have a boatload of photo support gear and these things still get used more than any other.
To drill them, pivot one of the spikes (if your stand has them) out and drill a ¼ hole at each end of one of the legs. Then stick in some decent sized O-rings (this will take a little prying) and strap it up. If you carry it upside down, the natural forces will keep it closed nicely.
This piece of gear is not complicated. Essentially, a light stand exists only to do one thing: oppose gravity. It holds your light at a place in three-dimensional space. Pretty simple stuff.
For portability, solidity, price (and 5-year warranty) the $40 LP605 is tough to beat.
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Posted at 10:30 PM.
44 Comments:
"O-rings" are made of rubber, and seal things; what you are showing are "split rings".
Sorry bout that. 'Round these parts we had always referred to them as "O" rings and "D" rings, depending on the shape - both being of the "split" variety.
I'm slowly accumulating the starving student kit and trying to save money where I can. Can a tripod be used with an the umbrella holder as a light stand? I've got a few flyweight tripods lying around that aren't good for anything.
Hi All,
In looking at the 3373, does it come with a gadget for attaching a hotshoe strobe to the stand?
Thanks.
Nope. Keep reading, the umbrella adapter is a couple of posts down in L101.
Cheers,
DH
Ahhh! Found it! Thanks.
Has anyone had any trouble with the [modified] stands popping open when slung over your shoulder. I guess I'm just being a whiner but whenever I have to kinda speedwalk or hustle a little bit with them I always feel like the bottom is going to pop open (although I should point out that it hasn't happened yet). I was just wondering if I should bungee them closed or anything because having it open up while I'm running across a city street!
That would be use #579 of the 1,001 uses for a (25-cent) ball bungee cord. Then when you get to your shoot, you can use the ball bungee to fasten a strobe to something high up if you need to.
Get Thee To Home Depot or Wal Mart...
Another stand you might consider is the Bogen/Manfrotto 3320 'Stacker' stand. It folds flat and multiple stands can be clipped together for transport and storage. It has a threaded hole for a Bogen strap, opens to 85", and has a 9 lb. capacity (over double the 3373).
Drawbacks are that it is more expensive ($75 B&H), heavier by 8 oz., and 6" longer when closed -- still fairly small and lightweight.
In the above picture, the top part of the stand seems to have been taken out and inserted into the bottom of the stand, to make it more compact.
Is this possible with most lighting stands?
The Bogen 3353 is the same stand as the 3373 but in silver instead of black. As of 9.13.06 it is still in stock at many of the online stores.
Isn't the DynaLite 470 the same thing? The specs are identical according to B&H. Bogen 3373 and DynaLite 470. The DynaLite is $7.00 more expensive, but at least it seems to be pretty regularly available... JeffC.
Correction, the 3320 has a 9 kg = 20 lb capacity. I received mine yesterday and they work great. I also bought some 5 lb Boa Bags to help weight the bottom.
Re: Chris Leck said... "and has a 9 lb. capacity (over double the 3373)."
JeffC wrote
Isn't the DynaLite 470 the same thing? The specs are identical according to B&H. Bogen 3373 and DynaLite 470.
I got the Dyna-Lite 470 stands. They are rebranded Manfrotto stands. They are identical to the Bogen 3373.
If you cannot find Bogen 3373 then you could get a Dyna-Lite 470 or a Manfrotto Nano 001
I tend to be shooting outside, where wind is always present, and tends to convert softboxes and umbrellas into sails. Short of the 10lb sandbag, do you ever bring "stand stabilization" with you? I've got little 2lb wrist weights i've used, wondering what others may have devised?
It appears the out-of-stock issue might be due to the bogen to manfrotto switch in the states. All the Samy's locations in the LA area have them...I just bought one today with a manfrotto name on it but it's still numbered 3373.
For all you UK strobist's-on-a-shoestring; you might like this. I have been searching for cheap light stands, something similar to what we see here...more lightweight than the portaflash offerings, not to mention cheaper...
Check this out, a Hama Studio Lighting Stand - 4082:
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=7840
£17.99 each, and just £3.95 postage foar as many as you want...
OK, so it's silver and not the sturdiest in the world, but hey it gets your strobes off the camera at the cheapest price I've seen so it's a good thing right?
Also, not seen anyone mention this, but while I'm here, a cheap alternative to the ever increasing in price Vivitars? Try some Canon 199As. OK, so its full manual only, BUT the gel swatchs slide in perfectly into the gap between the WA panel and the flash lens. Get some NDs in there and you're good to go.
Keep making the shots and saving the cash guys...
There seems to be a slight difference between the Bogen 3373 and the Manfrotto 001 'Nano' stand. The brass spigot no longer has the little screw thread and rubber cover. Instead, it's just a flat thing. Otherwise, it's functionally identical.
1 May 2007: Just got a Manfrotto 001 Nano and it does have the adaptor that screws onto the top of the stand, which gives it a tripod-sized screw instead of the larger one, and it does have the rubber cover for that. So it essentially appears to be identical to the 3373...
For those in the UK looking for cheap light stands try these -> http://www.backdropsource.co.uk/Productinfo.asp?id=614.
I've just got two for £35 (inc vat), they seem well made, sturdy and aren't too heavy. Delivery is fast and free to the UK mainland.
These Manfrotto Nano stands are pretty neat - thanks for the tip. This whole series has been a mine of information.
the dynalite 470, (here), seems to be the winner for me - folds to 19" and extends to 6'5.
Hi Dave
Came across the following clamp/umbrella the other day with building hotshoe - a bit more expensive and i'm not sure about internationl availability but pretty cool none the less.
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo/flashguns/velbon.html
Cheers for now.
Richard
Lumopro LP604 Strobist Article
For an interesting alternative, how about adding an air cushioned light stand to the list of possibilities? Impact makes 2 8 foot air cushioned light stands in black. They are both 4 section light stands that retract to 27" stored.
I get mine from B&H Photo Video:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/335283-REG/Impact_2212ABH_Air_Cushioned_Black_Stand.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/253074-REG/Impact_LS_8A_Air_Cushioned_Black_Stand.html
I've had the first one listed for about a year, and it works well. I'm not sure what the difference is. From the photos, the only think I can see is the handle that locks the legs.
Hope this helps someone!
I just picked up my Manfrotto kit today. Nano stand (001B), Umbrella Adapter (026) and Flash Shoe (143S). No extra parts needed.
It's a pretty sweet kit now I just need a decent umbrella. Impossible to get Westcott stuff in Denmark.
The whole thing weights in at 1331g and have a collapsed length of 58cm.
It becomes a bit unstable at full extension with a 110cm shoot-through umbrella but You only need to go that heigh if You are shooting seriously tall people.
Please consider another ultra-compact stand, the Lowel uni stand. 22" 1/4 when folded, but it raises up to 7.5' .
I just got the Manfrotto 001B and 026 head (and just ordered the 143S flash shoe -- d'oh!), it's a really nice stand. The stand came in at 500DKK (~67€) and the head at 250DKK . Most shops said they couldn't find the stand in their system, but my local one could order them for next-day delivery immediately. Weird.
Anyway, I'm happy now! :D
You have NO IDEA how much I'm LOVING these articles!! I am just starting out in the SLR world, and desperately needed someone to walk me through each piece of gear and explain why I needed it. When you have zero knowledge about the subject, everything seems completely overwhelming and there are too many choices. These articles are PERFECT for answering my many questions!
For anyone getting into this now, the Manfrotto 001b Nano has been replaced with the Manfrotto 5001b Nano. Also excellent.
Model names are similar enough for a web search, but your local store will want you to give them the right model.
Hi All,
Has anybody use Konig stand?
Just got the LumoPro 604 (it was sold out for a while and just noticed it was available the other day). Haven't actually tested it yet as I just got it but I'm pretty happy with the stability of it so long as there's no wind.
I wanted to attach a shoulder strap like you did. Where can you buy shoulder straps? And would they also have D rings as well (seems like a D ring would be better than an O ring)
For shooting hockey or wrestling (HS or college where big crowds jostling stands are not an issue)what's a common stand height? 10, 12, 13 feet? (I'm going to try this with Canon 580EX units rather than go crazy with Dynalite or Speedotron.) Higher lights won't be noticed by players & fans as much although this puts the units at some risk of flying pucks when they're overtop the glass. Top the glass is typically 8-1/2' sides, 11-1/2' ends.
I bought an 8' LumoPro stand (http://www.mpex.com/browse.cfm/4,4727.html) based on the recommendations on this blog. The stand didn't last long and broke today after about 5 outings with it.
The stand is light weight, but that's because the metal throughout the stand is insanely thin. The stand broke when I applied some pressure to one of the legs, trying to dig it into some gravel to get more stability. The pressure from my foot, although not that powerful, was enough to cause the leg to break in the middle. I looked at the part that snapped off and noticed that the metal is really thin.
My second complaint is that the legs on this stand don't provide much stability when you have it anywhere past half-height. The legs need to be longer and could stand a little more weight to anchor the stand down. On every occasion that I've tried using this stand outdoors with a small umbrella I've had it tip over several times. And that's with very light breezes and the stand only 5 or 6 feet in the air. I've learned my lesson after breaking 2 umbrellas and I will start using sandbags to weigh my stands down when shooting outdoors. Although I am now worried if a sand bag might break the legs on this particular stand.
I'm not feeling too bad about losing the stand since I got it on sale a month ago. The quality of the knobs and air cushioning seem to be pretty good. I only wish that the metal were able to withstand a little more abuse.
As both a photographic sales representative and professional photographer. I take great pride by both selling, promoting, and using LumoPro products. I can only give (and only have heard from others) praise for LumoPro stands- especially the 8' Stand. The stand itself lightweight and made from a rigid alloy metal- it has aided me in many outdoor shoots using off camera flash and umbrella or other modifier. I can confidently say through continuous abuse, natural wear and tear, 2 years of opening closing, folding down compacting down, in and out of vehicles, and other forms of mistreatment the LumoPro 8' Stand has done nothing but provided with me with beyond exceptional assistance. I can't admit that I've ever attempted to put full weight with my body on a single leg of the stand to secure it in the ground, and as a professional freelance photographer my previous experience in studio and in the field has taught me to secure the lightstand with weight or sand bags (which LumoPro has also successfully made.) I don't for a second doubt the quality of metal in LumoPro stands as my continued use of the stands has made me believe the company has taken careful consideration into normal use of stands by photographers and hobbyists. I take great pride in every frame I shoot- and my growth as a photographer and professional has been greatly impacted by, and would not be the same without the exceptional quality, serice, and products offered by LumoPro.
Does anyone have experience with Lowel light stands?
The Uni-To Light stands extends to 7.9'(2.4m) and folds to 21.5''(55cm).
How does it compare to the Manfrotto 5001b in terms of build. Any reasons to go for Manfrotto over Lowel?
Thanks for the info on the stands! I just purchased the Lumopro compact stand and love it. It has spikes on it that fold out to drive into the ground, but can be easily removed, which means one less hole to drill for a strap! I love Lumopro products!
Any more suggestions for compact light stands?
Does anyone know if the Manfrotto 5001B will hold a Lastolite Ezybox at close to full extension? I'm worried about the weight of the flash and softbox tipping the stand over.
I have two Nano (001b) Manfrotto's and love them...
Has anyone found a solution to using them (with a cross bar/beam) to hold a back-drop? How-so/why-not/what-other?
My thinking is to buy two more (for a very mobile back drop support) that could play double-duty (as sb800 holders) when I DON'T need a backdrop.
ideas?
I love my Lowell Uni-Stands they had a better fit and finish. Have 4 of the Uni_stand 66's and they are the best lightweight stand I have ever used. I think they invented the design actually.
You are my new hero. Thank you so much for sharing you knowledge.
Newish to Strobist and just completed my kit (umbrella, stand, flash, and also a reflector) for a portrait project I'm doing.
I lugged my gear on vacation when I visited friends in Europe and was very glad I did--the advice I got from the Lighting 101 section for equipment and technique served me well for the portraits I shot! And yes, the compact travel stand made a *big* difference.
I also packed it in this bag, which let me easily carry the umbrella, compact stand and the head for the stand (and kept it all neatly together in my checked baggage when en route). I added a shoulder strap and it made for a quick and easy carry. No drilling needed, though that was my original plan before I found this. (Tom makes awesome bags overall, btw). http://www.tombihn.com/PROD/TB1520.html
Looking forward to learning more!
Michael
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Which stand would you recommend for those of us in the UK? Also I have bought a 60cm speedlite soft box, do you recommend an umbrella as well?
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