Existing stand and boom arm kit?

Hi, As always, IMO, it depends . . .

Specifically for one Speedlite in that particular Octa that you link to, I think you can do a lot with the stand that you have. For anything heavier, at all, you would need a stand topped off with a full length welded-in Baby pin, as a minimum - YVMV.

Exactly why do you need a Boom? If it's to achieve further angular depression of the Octa, then a very short 5/8 in arm will suffice. Equally, if it's to achieve a modest offset simply to allow you to position the light directly above your lens, then again, a full boom may not be required.

For the former, the cheapest solution that I would trust would be to acquire 2 radially grooved umbrella holders, like (# s-050):

https://www.amazon.com/Selens-Brack...d=1485347051&sr=1-11&keywords=umbrella+holder

. . with toothed/grooved articulation surfaces - and - a 25 to 30 cm length of 16 mm Alu (solid) rod - and use it as a mini-boom.



. . different Octa, but otherwise transferable. The stand pictured is lighter than yours. Sandbags should be attached at the apex of the stand's tripod base.

For anything heavier, I would suggest a good quality counter-balanced boom on a stand fully 'up to' the 'all up' weight relying on it.

Plenty of booms out there, no need to buy a new stand w/kit.

I'm using a 51cm dual flash boom with the 120cm Godox and, once you add the length of the stand swivel (a necessary addition in order to work at all), the length is just about the minimum you'll need for the Godox. Also note my previous post showing my tests with the 120cm Godox, it really wants/needs dual flashes to get full fill so I would certainly consider buying a dual flash boom so as to have the option of adding that additional flash later on.

The secret is the stand adapter, the "Swivel Umbrella Adapter", it is the object that will take all the weight once you tilt the setup. I recommended looking for ones that have a very deep upper adapter section, like this


not like this


It is difficult to tell but note how deep the top spigot section is on the first one, versus the shallow upper spigot fitment on the second. The deeper upper spigot holds the boom arm more securely under a heavy load. It is even better if the swivel adapter has a notched joint, that is the adjustments operate in steps due to the joint being ratcheted, rather than infinite adjustment with a smooth joint. That seems counter-intuitive, it means less fine adjustment, but the ratcheted joint easily stays locked solid under a heavy burden versus the infinite, smooth joint which can slip.

And, trust me, if you do indeed go with the dual flash setup you'll need that strength: add the softbox weight along with its interaction with the environment (acting like a sail), the dual flashes, the 8 AA's for the flashes, the 2 triggers, the batteries for the 2 triggers plus the weight of the boom arm itself...it gets heavy!

The stand that you have looks very similar to my own heavy-duty stands, so it will hold the weight. It's up to you to make sure that you do the boom arm right so that it doesn't fall on anyone's head!

What will you be booming a light over?

If you are putting it over a person, or anything of value I would recommend not using the stand you linked to. I will say I have not used that stand so I can't say 100%, but it looks fairly flimsy. Few things ruin a shoot faster than a stand breaking and falling over on a model or product. Few things can bankrupt you faster....

Any time you are going to be suspending something you should look at quality first rate items that are trusted by professionals. Look into brands such as manfrotto/bogen, kupo, avenger, ect...

wfaast said:

What will you be booming a light over?

If you are putting it over a person, or anything of value I would recommend not using the stand you linked to. I will say I have not used that stand so I can't say 100%, but it looks fairly flimsy.

Click to expand...

If they are what I believe they are they are not flimsy. Those stands seem to be sold by a variety of secondary sellers such as CowboyStudio, PBL and a few others such as DynaSun, and they are rated to 15lb loads and surprisingly quite decent with metal lock collars and a pretty hefty 1.375" diameter main pole. The only thing you need to pay attention to after purchase is to properly adjust the tightness of the nuts on the lock collars so that the legs lock fully, as intended.

Where is that 15lb weight rating specified to? As it is a straight stand without an arm attachment it is most likely intended to be 15lbs straight down. Once you pull that weight out any distance from the center of the stand it will start exerting a much greater force.

The manfrotto 420 combi, with a 6 degree incline and at full extension it only supports 2lbs vs 19.48 lb load directly on the stand.

Just comparing the photos of the stand linked and the Manfrotto, the Manfrotto looks to be much much better built, and I would still be hesitant for booming something over a model or expensive product shot with it.

If booming a light with a modifier on it, the minimum I would recommend it the Manfrotto 085BS. That allows for 13lbs of load on the boom extended, that should be safe enough for most lights and modifiers.

Then again, it comes down to where you want to spend the money. A quality boom and stand now will be with you for years, a cheap boom and stand might be cheap now, but when it does break you have to replace it at the least, likely the modifier and light, and worst case it breaks your bank if you're not properly insured.

A cheap boom on a cheap stand, or a good stand and cheap boom, or cheap stand good boom, should only be used for reflectors or similar tasks that don't endanger people or subjects.

Hi, A genuine heavy duty Alu stand looks like this:


. . rated at 25 lb.

The DynsSun W807 is likely to be OK at about 15 lb - but it was not designed specifically for use with a boom, IMO.

Therefore ambitions for this stand should be extremely modest - hopefully the OP will recognize this.

I agree with the 15lb rating. The stand will do OK with a boom, I've used an equivalent stand that way before.

With a monolight setup? Not so much. The speedlight setup? Just fine.

Hi guys,

thnaks for your answers!

Well, I never used professional stands so far, I have different stands from Dynasun and this one is the sturdiest, much heavier and quite stable. 15 lbs are almost 7 kg, so with 1 octabox, swivel and 1 or 2 speedlights it shoud work fine.

I am not a pro, I don't want to invest money on top equipment at this moment.

If I can find something to use with this stand in order to place light in better positions close to my subjects I am happy. At the moment the octabox does not allow but for small angles.

ScratchDisk said:

Hi, A genuine heavy duty Alu stand looks like this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/99164-REG/Matthews_B387487_Light_Heavy_Black_Kit.html

. . rated at 25 lb.

Click to expand...

That is still rather lightweight for supporting a boom. As stated it only supports 25lbs directly on the stand, compared to the Manfrotto 085BS that supports 66lbs direct to the stand which decreases all the way down to 13lbs when a boom is used.

This is the point I'm hoping the OP will take away from my posts, booming a weight drastically increases the force exerted on the stand used to support it. If the Manfrotto 085BS supports 66 straight and only 13 boomed, how much can you realistically expect a stand that supports 15lbs straight?

--

Light meters lie, Polaroids tell the truth

wfaast said:

ScratchDisk said:

Hi, A genuine heavy duty Alu stand looks like this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/99164-REG/Matthews_B387487_Light_Heavy_Black_Kit.html

. . rated at 25 lb.

Click to expand...

That is still rather lightweight for supporting a boom. As stated it only supports 25lbs directly on the stand, compared to the Manfrotto 085BS that supports 66lbs direct to the stand which decreases all the way down to 13lbs when a boom is used.

This is the point I'm hoping the OP will take away from my posts, booming a weight drastically increases the force exerted on the stand used to support it. If the Manfrotto 085BS supports 66 straight and only 13 boomed, how much can you realistically expect a stand that supports 15lbs straight?

Click to expand...

I do believe you are reading the specs incorrectly. According to B&H, the stand holds 66 pounds but the arm holds 15. In other words, when using the boom it is the arm itself with the 15lb weight limitation, the stand continues to be capable of holding the maximum 66lb rating total if you had the ability to add more parts to a different mounting point.

dinoSnake said:

wfaast said:

ScratchDisk said:

Hi, A genuine heavy duty Alu stand looks like this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/99164-REG/Matthews_B387487_Light_Heavy_Black_Kit.html

. . rated at 25 lb.

Click to expand...

That is still rather lightweight for supporting a boom. As stated it only supports 25lbs directly on the stand, compared to the Manfrotto 085BS that supports 66lbs direct to the stand which decreases all the way down to 13lbs when a boom is used.

This is the point I'm hoping the OP will take away from my posts, booming a weight drastically increases the force exerted on the stand used to support it. If the Manfrotto 085BS supports 66 straight and only 13 boomed, how much can you realistically expect a stand that supports 15lbs straight?

Click to expand...

I do believe you are reading the specs incorrectly. According to B&H, the stand holds 66 pounds but the arm holds 15. In other words, when using the boom it is the arm itself with the 15lb weight limitation, the stand continues to be capable of holding the maximum 66lb rating total if you had the ability to add more parts to a different mounting point

Click to expand...

What does the arm attach to? It attaches to the stand. The weight rating is based on the strength of the arm, the strength of the stand, the foot print of the stand, and how far the weight is extended out from the center of gravity.

You cannot attach that boom to a cheap stand (if you could find a cheap flimsy junior stand) and expect that combo to sustain 13lbs fully extended. The reason it can hold 13lbs is that is comes with a study stand that is capable of handling the force from a boomed weight.

I do not have the math on hand (ehh google) for calculating what the actual force is at the fulcrum (the point that it actually mounts to the stand) but you can compare the force required to move a weight on a level at different lengths.

Scenario A:

Boom length from mounting point: 1 inch

Weight at end of boom: 13lbs

Amount of force required to move that weight: 13lbs

Scenario B:

Boom length from mounting point: 40 inches

Weight at end of boom: 13lbs

Amount of force required to move that weight: 520lbs

In case you are not aware, when you shift the weight away from the center of gravity it exerts more force than it would at the center of gravity.

--

Light meters lie, Polaroids tell the truth

All very true...which is why it is almost always recommended to weigh down the stand when using a boom arm, regardless if the boom arm is of the counterweighted type.

Within reasonable loads and expectations, the stand that he has will support a boom arm. A single speedlight, coupled with a single light modifier and its holder, is well within the limits of the stand. Trust me, been there done that.

If you use a boom, the arm should be balanced. That means you add a counterweight one the end opposite the light to the point where the arm balances over the stand.

the stand needs to support the arm, all the gear you put on it, the counter weight and any added stresses (which include any breeze which tugs on the softbox).

You will also want to weigh down the stand itself with sandbags. And if possible have someone holding the stand for safety.

Both are very useful as well for purposes other than booms. If you keep watching ebay, you can get them for less than these particular sellers are asking. As others have mentioned, make sure you lock everything down tight and sandbag the stand and counterweight the boom lest you risk serious damage.