Light Stand with sliding arm

[anesh]

<p>I want to purchase a light stand with sliding arm for a new Elichrom Octabank softbox. Any suggestions please?</p>

[john_a5]

<p>I think you might want to look at one of the many Boom Stands out there. There are ones that are very long and some that are short for closer work. There are quite a few different ones, so recommending one is going to be a function of how you want to use it. I have the large one with the ability to change the head angle at the opposite end of the boom http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/BG8391/.</p>

<p>If I was a retail portrait shooter, I might have gone for one of the cantilevered booms that keeps the head at the same angle as you move it up or down, but my lights are always set for a shot and I may only do one shot per day.</p>

[paul_duerinckx]

<p>Hi Anesh,<br>

In the UK, Elinchrom's distributer, The Flash Centre list the Sliding Arm Stand (EL30151) although Elinchrom Switzerland do not list it but list the Polystand that includes a boom and has a sliding mechanism (EL31045). Manfrotto also make sliding arm stands (they may also make the Elinchrom ones) and sliding adaptors that connect to specific stands (Manfrotto 231/231B).</p>

[devon_mccarroll]

<p>I have this stand, which is great because it can act as a regular stand or a boom stand:<br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/200109-REG/Avenger_A4041B_A475B_Baby_Combi_Boom.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/200109-REG/Avenger_A4041B_A475B_Baby_Combi_Boom.html</a><br>

But it really depends on your needs. Make sure you know the weight of the gear you want to hang on it, and check the maximum load specs, which will usually be listed for a closed boom and the boom fully extended (the farther out you go, the less weight it can hold). Your stand choice will also depend on how much height you need.<br>

No matter what you get, be sure to put a good amount of counterweight on it, and having some weight on the legs helps if you're trying to load your gear and counterweight on the stand by yourself.</p>

[sheldonnalos]

<p>The Avenger 475B referenced above would be a good choice. Another option would be to get a sturdy stand plus something like the Avenger D600 boom arm. I use the D600 with a Bogen 007BUAC stand and find it to be a good pair. I can boom my 53" Octa about 6' off the center stand, just need to sandbag and counterweight. The plus side of a separate boom and stand is that you can carry just the stand when you don't need the boom for location shooting. Another accessory to consider is the Avenger Baby Drop Down Pin, it allows you to hang the flash off the boom and maintain the angle of the flash while you change the angle and height of the boom.</p>

[summerleif]

<p>If you use a large boom stand, as many have suggested, don't forget that you will need multiple 'sand bags', to balance the weight of the light head and softbox, which otherwise poses a major safety hazard, to both equipment and people, for example:</p>

<p>http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/PI3015/</p>

<p>Also, don't forget to always use heavy duty light stands with monolights and large softboxes:</p>

<p>http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/MF6065/<br>

Boom stands and wheels and can be really helpful to keep light stands and gear away from the subject during shooting. Overhead outlet tracks can also be a worthwhile leasehold upgrade expense, to minimize the number cords that might otherwise be spread around the floor to create yet another trip/safety hazard.</p>