Stands

For the last couple of years I've been working with Photogenic FlashMaster power

packs and a handful of heads. Each of the FlashMasters has one built-in light

stand with a 5/8" stub and a flash head that accommodates an umbrella. The

additional heads fit on 3/8" stubs, and one of the FlashMasters I got came with

a couple of really light-weight stands that have the matching stubs.

 

I recently bought some custom-turned metal adapters that have the 3/8" stubs to

perch my current heads on and, in turn, mount on a current standard 5/8" stub on

the light stand. I figured that with these I could upgrade my stands without

having to also upgrade all my lights at the same time.

 

I'm now ready to start looking for decent stands. I want to be picking up stands

that will serve me well for years to come. I'm looking at 55 in a couple of

months, so I figure that two decades and the end of time are about the same

thing. So the question is, for shooting a range of product in the studio, with

occasional off-site shoots, what pieces should I be watching for on eBay? What

brands should I seek out, and which should I avoid?

 

Throughout my working life, it's been the oddball work that has come my way. So

things like the Manfrotto four-joint articulated arm are appealing, that's the

kind of thing that could well solve a problem down the road if I have one in my

kit. I prefer to have good gear, no matter how old, bought opportunistically

rather than buying new, so I'm looking for suggestions on what brands and models

would be good to watch for.

 

Van

Matthews Century "C" stands ... 20" and 40" risers. "Turtle Legs" are much more versatile for placement in the studio then the

conventional slide down legs.

 

Actually, anything Matthews : -)

Do you want easily portable or will these stay in your shooting space.

 

For studio I will echo Marc and agree that Matthews makes nice grip equipment all around.

I'm another one who favors c-stands for the studio, but I'm using Avenger (Bogen in US), not Matthews. The c-stands are bit heavy for dragging on location, unless you are bringing a crew to help. For lighter stands, the Manfrotto (Bogen in US) stands are hard to fault. If you don't already have a boom, and booms are almost a necessity for product work, you might want to look at the Manfrotto boom stands, which can be configured as both a high-rise stand or stand and boom.

<i>I recently bought some custom-turned metal adapters...</i><p>FWIW, Bogen (among others) makes <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/shop/1367/">conversion adapters</a>.<p><a href="mailto:henryp@bhphotovideo.com">Henry Posner</a><br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com"><b>B&H Photo-Video</b></a>

My on-location work is pretty limited. So far it's been working at arts-and-crafts shows, three days long with the chance to setup the day before, shooting for the artists. If I keep doing this, I'll probably end up doing it more often and will eventually have a lighter kit I take to those. If I don't end up with a second set, I'll certainly pull lighter pieces from the studio when I pack up. But these are venues where there are already folks getting their vans in close to the doors and using carts to haul their booths and wares in, so I don't have to worry about a feather-light kit.

 

My tripods are all Manfrotto, so I'll particularly watch for those, plus Matthews.

 

Van

My favorite stands for still photographic lighting are the Matthews Beefy Baby series. They are a bit heavier than most photo stands, but fold down easily for storage or transport. I also like C stands but only in the studio. They are more difficult to transport.

 

My experience is that a photographer has gotta spend about 150 dollars or more to get a really good stand. The 50-80 dollar stands are definitely adequate but not the best.