Anyone have any anecdotes using cheap background supports?

I was thinking of purchasing a cheap background support system.

 

I was all set to purchase the Paterson one from B&H that goes for

$89, but then I saw they were out of stock.

 

I saw a Savage brand one that looks basically the same, but comes

with a 53" x 12yd roll of #50 White seamless.

 

Anyone tried one of these cheaper systems? Can you recommend for

basic home use (including some travelling to others' homes)?

 

Thanks!

I have the savage brand background support (got from b&h) and drag it on location

shoots. It's pretty sturdy for its price. I use a 9ft roll on it. I've never had it fall or

anything.

 

For my home studio, my husband built a ceiling support system. I have 3 rolls hanging

from the ceiling with chains .. they work beautifly

I also have the Savage, and it's fine. The Savage comes in two widths (I think 9' and 12'). Unless you are sure you need the wide one, get the narrower one, if portability is a concern. It's less bulky and it's not as heavy.

Hi Gary,

 

I have the Amvona Heavy Duty Background system off of ebay. It included three stands, and the crossbar. In retrospect, I should have saved up a bit more to get two good stands rather than a cheap system. The stands themselves are okay, not great, not horrible but the locks don't lock tight, and when I tried using it on an outdoors shoot with a small breeze, the whole apparatus fell down. The savage system looks about the same, good or bad. If you only want to shoot inside, then it should be okay, but for outdoors use...save up and invest in something more sturdy. Especially if you are going to be using it all the time. Also, if you are shooting indoors, look at Centruy stands or C-stands...the tripod type takes up a lot of corner space due to the design. Hope this helps!

Outdoors, I think any background system is going to need sandbags and possibly guy wires.

Anecdotes? You mean like when the background stands and seamless collapsed on a client and buried them in paper? Nope. Not me. Not with a Bogen Autopole system that can be adapted for location work. Yep, pricey, but sturdy. Or, give Norm's Studio Equipment in Burbank a call and get a catalog. (818) 766-6676. They often have used equipment, can put together location kits with all kinds of stands and grip equipment for lighting and backgrounds, and believe me, they're plenty solid yet portable.

Take it light.

Mark