Anyone care to recommend some great light stands for speedlights? I need to replace my cheap entry level stands. They served their purpose but have become a little wobbly - I'll use them as backups now. Ideally thinking about 9 or 10 footers. They'll be used mainly during receptions. Don't mind spending more for quality. Thanks.
Thanks, Joel. I remember the earlier thread on these - I think you'll like them. I thought these would be overkill for me, but then again, it sure seems like it would be a breeze moving them in a crowded reception.
I've had a good experience with an Avenger lightstand. It has a black finish, and is very easy to adjust. It doesn't say the model #. I think it cost $150-ish.
It's very sturdy, doesn't blow over in the wind nearly as easy as more "value-priced" lightstands, and has the extra advantage of possibly coming in handy if you ever meet someone who wants to redistribute your gear.
Cheetah stands were one of my best investments ever. It's one of those things that you wonder how you survived without it. Just don't get the matching bag. It's great in theory and the stands fit perfectly, it's just not very well built at all...not even close. I treat my stuff nicely and the thing fell apart after maybe 15-20 weddings.
I have one of the Cheetah C12 stands that I regularly use for weddings. The auto-collapsing legs are a terrific feature IMO. (Edited to show C12 instead of C8)
maxwell1295 wrote:
Cheetah stands were one of my best investments ever. It's one of those things that you wonder how you survived without it. Just don't get the matching bag. It's great in theory and the stands fit perfectly, it's just not very well built at all...not even close. I treat my stuff nicely and the thing fell apart after maybe 15-20 weddings.
Alan, did you go with the 8' or 12' stand?
I'm impressed with the Lumopro products. They are cheap but built well and they have a 5 year warranty. The Lumopro compact stand is definitely better than the Creative Lighting piece of junk I had before as my compact stand.
DigMeTX wrote:
I'm impressed with the Lumopro products. They are cheap but built well and they have a 5 year warranty. The Lumopro compact stand is definitely better than the Creative Lighting piece of junk I had before as my compact stand.
brad
they have a 5 year warranty? Wow...did not know that. Those are the stands we are replacing because they are starting to lose it after 3+ years.
Avenger seem to be impossible to buy over here. I use a manfrotto 1005 and it is excellent, nothing like the cheap rubbish that is the 1052. Might be a little heavy for a speedlight with no modifier though, a smaller avenger may be the ticket.
DigMeTX wrote:
I'm impressed with the Lumopro products. They are cheap but built well and they have a 5 year warranty.
I would echo this (though I don't have their lightstands). To light a reception, I used 4 of their Lumopro 160 flashes for the 1st time at a Dec. 22 wedding. One of them came apart while disassembling them (stuff happens- I've had it happen w/ a Nikon SB-910 as well) at the end.
I contacted them, let them know I had a NYE wedding coming up, and they sent me a working replacement in time even without me sending them the faulty unit.
Wow....that's awesome. I have two of their flashes, and I loved them. We have 600ex's now, so they are not getting much use. But, they are great flashes. One of mine had the zoom feature break, but that was not a big deal
I use the Cheetah stand (C8). Having the auto-collapse legs is fantastic. That said, I find them a bit wobbly and not all that sturdy. I, myself, only mount speedlites on them, so I am not really concerned. If you plan on using a strobe, I'd consider the beefier C12 or a different stand.
The legs on the Cheetah (it's a C12, not a C8) are rectangular rather than tubular, which most likely accounts for the wobble. I've put studio strobes on top with 36" Octa's and 4' softboxes without any issues, although I wouldn't feel comfortable extending it to its full height with that much weight. My Impact stands are sturdier, but the legs don't auto-collapse. Like many things in life, it's a compromise.
