Light stand or boom stand?

[eric-holmes]

I have to buy a stand soon and I was thinking about a boom stand. Anyone use these more often than a normal light stand? It seems like it would be more useful. Something like this one...

CowboyStudio Photography Lighting | Studio Equipment | Studio Accessories

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[Derrel]

I have two of the Manfrotto heavy-duty boom stands with 15.5 pound counterweights. Those have really WIDE stances, and are very heavy. I also have a smaller boom arm that can be fitted to a variety of stands, and it has a 6 pound counter-weight.

Looking at the Cowboy studio boom and stand, my concern is that the stand is not very wide in its stance, and that "type" of stand is a lot less stable than say, the Matthews C-stand, or the various Avenger branded knock-offs, typically referred to as "turtle-base" style stands.

If you have a stand that has a wide, heavy bottom and a very,very stable design, like the Matthews C-stands, or the Avenger turtle-base stands which have heavy STEEL bases and center posts too, then a boom is less necessary than if all you have are lightweight, folding aluminum stands. The weight of the flash and modifier one would put on a boom arm is always a concern as to what is enough, or adequate, for safety of everything. For example, I would NOT use the Cowboy studio boom arm to hold up a big monolight AND a beauty dish...I think the stand would be too tippy....but it would be fine with just a smaller flash head, or a speedlight....but not say a 6 pound head and a 4 pound dish...

[eric-holmes]

Thanks, Derrel. I am trying to stay within a budget since I just spent so much on that lens. I am not quite sure what the budget is as of now. Maybe ~$100. I think the most I will have supported by these is something like my speedlight/beauty dish combo, or maybe a softbox.

[gryphonslair99]

Do you need height or a boom arm? My stands are all 13' stands. I can make them shorter any time I want, but you can't make that 7' max stand taller.

If you want height, buy a good stands now and as money come available add accessory boom arms to them when you need.
Manfrotto Boom Assembly, Black - 6.5' (2m) 024B B&H Photo Video
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Boom_Arm.html

[eric-holmes]

That's a good idea. I guess I didnt think of adding a boom arm.