Q&A - Mini-Boom

Quite a few people asked me about the small boom that was used for the key light in the photos of J.D. Roth.

Here's the skinny, in seven words: Cheap, travels well; I really like it.

Details, after the jump.
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Okay, here's he thing: It is not a boom at all. It's a reflector holder:


That said, it is a pretty slick little boom for speedlight folks. But officially, it is the LumoPro LP621 Reflector Holder, and it is $45. (But until the end of the August, there is an instant rebate that takes it down to $40.)

Note that the stand also shown above does not come with the boom -- you get the swivel head and the boom itself. It comes with the clamps to hold a reflector, which I will probably never ask it to do. So I pulled them off.

Here's why I like it as a boom. It extends to 66", but collapses to 30" for easy travel. The swivel head is ratcheted, which means it punches above its weight. It'll hold more than you'd expect.

Further, it has a stud on each end so in addition to hanging your speedlight out there (firmly) on one end, you can hang a counterweight on the other end with the included hook. I like to use a 2.5-lb free weight disc, which you can barely see at right.

One caveat: I do not recommend balancing this thing on top of a compact, 5-way stand. While I love them for speedlights, this would be asking too much of the stand. (The boom is sturdy, the compact stand combo is not.)

So you'll want to stick it onto just about any other standard-sized light stand and everything's cool. Remember to slide the boom on the fulcrum until your weight easily balances your flash naturally before locking down the clamp.

For good measure, I hand a camera bag on the stand itself, too.

But all-in-all, a very wallet-friendly solution for an over-the-top problem.
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:: Mini-Boom ::