light stands, best for your $$?

Am wanting 2 light stands for my umbrella & relfector & am not sure which to get. Can't be too expensive cause these are going on my Christmas list & I want more than just light stands lol! But I don't want it to break in 30 minutes either so need advice. TIA, Victoria
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
Thanks! Do I need any attachments or just the lightstands? I know pretty much nothing about light stands unfortunately lol!

Yeah, stands are kind of like tripods...they're just the legs. You'll also need a head/adapter depending on what you are attaching to them. If you go with LumoPro, just talk to the guys there before ordering. They'll hook you up.
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Thanks for asking the question Victoria, because I've been quietly shopping for light stands and modifiers for the winter too! There are show many options, so many price points, it's hard to know where to start.
 

FastGlass

Senior Member
When I got my strobes I was surprised how heavy they were. I was concerned when they were mounted atop a 7' stand with a softbox attached. Less of a concern if using them inside and even less a concern when using speedlights instead. Of course using sand bags to help stabilize them is a huge help. When I increased the possibilities by getting a boom arm for hair light setups, I purchased c-stands because of all the positive responses I received on them. What a huge difference. Yes there heavy but there built like a tank. Do you need c-stands? Probably not but if your thinking on getting into portraits or the like and want your gear to be around a while, there worth looking into. The stands that came with my strobes are air cushioned so when dropping down the stands with strobes on them, it helps to keep them from slamming down on your fingers. Do your homework. Good luck to whatever you decide.
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
How you will use them is the big thing with stands. You have 4 basic criteria:

1) Speedlights or studio strobes?
Studio lights are bigger/heavier, so right off the bat, you need a heavier duty stand.

2) Indoor/outdoor?
For obvious reasons, if you plan on location shooting, you're going to need a heavier duty stand.

3) Modifiers?
Umbrellas don't weigh much, but large softboxes can be heavy...so can barn doors and other "hard" modifiers.

4) Triggers and Power?
Again, like everything else above, it all comes down to weight.​

If you're just setting up a simple home studio, you don't need commercial grade steel bar stands w/ 5" castors on them. Some of that stuff is built for Hollywood lighting, and is beyond overkill. That being said, if I had invested a few grand in some Profoto lights, I don't think I'd try to chimp on the stands holding them up.

Avoid anything plastic, they're just not worth it. A decent aluminum stand doesn't cost that much.

Spend the few extra bucks and buy the air cushioned version. When the day comes when you forget to tighten down an adjustment knob (and it will), and your light comes crashing down, you'll wish you had it.

All that said, this is my favorite stand. It's the Strobist-approved stand from LumoPro. No frills, hard as nails, guaranteed or your money back, simple light stand. I have two of them, and they are rock solid.
 
Okay- thank you everyone for the advice! I am using these stands for a external flash I am hoping to get for Christmas as well & for the umbrella & reflector I already have. :) btw, I love Amazon so I am partial to things from there hehe!!
 


Thanks, I am going to go with the Cowboystudio ones- does anyone have the umbrella mount from Cowboystudio also? Another question I have is, will the umbrella stand also hold a reflector?
 

carguy

Senior Member
Thanks, I am going to go with the Cowboystudio ones- does anyone have the umbrella mount from Cowboystudio also? Another question I have is, will the umbrella stand also hold a reflector?
Im using the plastic $6 Cowboy Studio mounts currently. As I'm only using them in my home from time to time, no issues. I'd like to upgrade at some point.

Here is a thread where I was discussing it.

http://nikonites.com/flashes/23661-...-adapters.html?highlight=swivel#axzz3JdCSogxg
 
Top