Most any light stand that holds the light up and doesnt tip over will work just fine. I would advise not buying a super cheap "ebay special" light stand because they are almost all under built and are very tilt-prone. A good quality light stand is going to cost $40 or better.
Also pay attention to the collapsed length of the stand and be sure it fits in your light bag.
I think lightstands are extremely underrated. I would'nt get the Quickstand, it doesn't look like it will take abuse well.
A lot of people cheap out on stands, and while they will suffice for things like hot-shoe flashes, a serious lightstand is worthy of any bag. I use some heavy duty Photoflex stands for general purpose, but for my lighting kit with battery pack and head with softboxes, I really really trust my Mathews or Avenger C-stands. I don't want stand parts breaking under stress, nor would I want lighting or modifiers falling on me or someone else. Mathews/Avenger C-stands are so solid they make cheap stands look and feel like tooth picks.
They are heavy, but I think well worth it. The kits with grip-arms are the way to go, about $160 per kit or so.
But they are definitely overkill for hot-shoe type flashes, but if you want a solid stand that can withstand some wind, they are top notch.
I have a light duty one and the Avenger C-stand. I wouldn't consider using the light duty one at a wedding unless an assistant had their hands physically on it. The Avenger C-stand with a sand bag is a huge piece of mind when around milling people.
It depends on what kind of light and size of umbrella you are going to use. Then, how portable do you want it? I have the original Red Wing stand, which is now called the Kwik Stand, and it held up great. I still have it, and I used it with a Norman 200B, battery, and 50" umbrella--no problems. Obviously, if you are going to use a monolight, that's more weight on top, and you want to get a sturdier stand that is less prone to tip over (wide leg spread), and possibly get an air stand. I would not put a monolight on the Quickstand. The Norman head is lightweight, and the battery pack acts as ballast at the bottom of the stand.
Then there is use--I generally use the Manfrotto compact ones that fold to 20" because I don't use heavy lights. When I do, and when I use a larger umbrella, I use the standard 8' Manfrotto stand, but I don't use monolights. You need to analyze your gear and use before deciding.
If you are using Powerlights (real AC lights and not little girly man lights) then get the C-Stand from Avenger. We check that sucker on flights and don't even cover it! You can throw it off a cliff and hang your own body weight on it and it won't break. It is awesome!
Heavy, but I would not put my $700 light on anything else.
Stands are key - I HATE, absolutely HATE things that wobble or things that are not sturdy. It puts me in a bad mood which in turn affects my work. Invest in stands, brackets, and mounts that are well grounded. The extra weight and the extra size is worth not having your light shake on a wobbly stand. When you use good materials and tools, you enjoy doing what you do even more.
Some lightweight light stands tip over and fall due to a slight breeze because they had an umbrella attached. What good is a stand if u need someone holding it at all times outdoors - makes no sense.
The Grays wrote:
If you are using Powerlights (real AC lights and not little girly man lights) then get the C-Stand from Avenger. We check that sucker on flights and don't even cover it! You can throw it off a cliff and hang your own body weight on it and it won't break. It is awesome!
Heavy, but I would not put my $700 light on anything else.
-Zach
Amen. I put my stands in a long Tamrac bag (not padded at all). You could tear down a building with it it's so solid.
I've got to old school PSI stands that are solid alloy. They're tanks but my studio lights and large softboxes have no effect on them whatsoever. If you're going for strobist type stuff, I use a Calumet brand 8' stand and umbrella adaptor.
I use Bogen-Manfrotto stands and I have no problem. I don't use them in the wind with umbrellas or softboxes, though. Even if you had the most solid stand in the world and enough weight so it didn't blow over, the kind of gusty winds we get in KS would turn your umbrella inside out and turn your softbox into a windsock.
I also use Redwing Quickstands and they're very good for the purpose they were designed to be used. Kwikstands are a cheap knockoff made by a different company and I hear a lot of negative reviews on them.
