Hey everyone, it's Rob from Hypop and welcome back to another video.
We're in studio today because we're going to be going through
the reasons why you should be looking at a C-stand over a traditional light stand.
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hit the notification bell to be updated of any new content we release,
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Let's get into it!
So we'll be going through five different types of c-stands. Firstly, the standard c-stand with a
boom arm, a sliding leg c-stand with a boom arm, a heavy-duty c-stand with a boom arm including some
wheels, a c-stand on its own without the boom arm and also, a c-stand on its own with wheels.
So there's so many different types of configurations for c-stands.
These are great alternatives to standard light stands because they're a lot more heavy duty
and they're multi-function stands. To begin with we have a few disclaimers. Firstly,
if you're going to be using a c-stand at its maximum height or with the boom and something
weighted on the other end, it's good to use a counterweight or sandbags on the c-stand legs.
C-stands allow you to mount sandbags onto the legs a lot more conveniently than a standard
light stand because the standard light stand, the struts that hold the legs in place, they're a
little bit slanted whereas c-stands are a bit more flat so it's easier to mount a sandbag and also,
if you're using a heavy duty c-stand just make sure the weight capacity of the stand and check
the specs of that stand that you purchase to ensure that it can hold up the actual weight
of your light or your equipment so if you're using a light with a big modifier such as a big softbox.
It's good to just take note of the max load capacity
of that particular c-stand that you're purchasing so just double check those specs
prior to purchasing. Quick fact: the 'C' from c-stand actually comes from the early
days of motion picture where the stands were actually used to hold 100 inch reflectors,
so 100 equaling a century, which is why it's actually short for century stand.
Now, why would you purchase a c-stand over a normal light stand. Firstly we'll run through
some pros and cons. Firstly, c-stands are really heavy-duty so usually the max load capacity for
c-stands can be anywhere between 10-20 kilos or so even with the boom arm as long as you
counter-weight it on the other end. You should be fairly safe. On top of that, it can achieve
heights that standard light stands can't achieve so some c-stands can go as high as 3 metres or
even 3.5 or 4 metres so it's really convenient if you need that additional height from your
stand. So if you need to mount a backdrop, for example, really high up or if you need to
mount of light or perhaps even a camera really high up, then it's perfect for that.
It's also versatile for its uses in photo and video.
So if you're using this in a photo shoot or a video shoot you can actually use the stand
in so many different ways including mounting lights, mounting cameras,
mounting audio all sorts of different ways which we'll run through later in the video.
Now some cons of the c-stands are that just because they're heavy duty
doesn't mean that they're a lot more convenient to use. They're obviously,
you know, heavy duty meaning that it's a lot more sturdy and the stands a lot bulkier than
a standard light stand so it doesn't collapse down to the size of a standard
light stand and also it's more expensive so it's a little bit of an investment.
So if you're looking to set up a studio space rather than purchasing standard light stands,
if you're looking at c-stands you're going to be forking out a little bit more money.
In our first configuration we're using the c-stand in a way that is possibly not
as commonly used. So firstly we're actually using it as a camera tripod. What we've done
is mounted a camera to the end of the boom arm. The boom arm has a quarter inch 20 thread
which matches to the bottom of most cameras. So if you're shooting a flat lay and you're using a
wider lens, it's perfect to get that shot with the additional height that c-stand provides.
In this next configuration ,we're using it as an audio boom stand. So the c-stand comes with a
gobo head so it's like a grip head that allows you to mount a boom arm. If you have a boom pole you
can actually use a bracket that mounts into that gobo head to support the boom pole to allow you
to set up a shotgun mic or you know a directional microphone perfect to use in interview scenarios
for video or if you're doing YouTube videos and if you have a video production it's ideal for that.
The next configuration we're using is the most commonly used one, which is as a light stand.
You can mount a light whether it be a flash or a continuous light to the top of the c-stand or
onto the end of the boom arm. So you can get a bit of additional elevation with your light
if you need it directed down towards your subject. If you need it front on on your subject
and you're mounting a large modifier such as a 120 centimetre octabox,
it's ideal for that because you know that the c-stand is going to provide enough support
being heavy duty and giving that max low capacity perfect for larger light setups.
The next configuration we're using is as a diffuser sheet holder or we're using it as a
scrim holder. So you can see in this configuration we've actually mounted the boom arm horizontally
and we've clamped a diffuser sheet onto the boom arm and placed that in front of the
light so that way, you're using the diffuser sheet as a sort of scrim to diffuse the light
further onto your subject. Now, diffuser sheets are great because the disbursement of light
is nice and even across the entire subject so if you're shooting a wider scene it's perfect for
that. There's less obvious light drop off we've actually gone through different types of soft
boxes and lighting modifiers. If you want to take a closer look at that, click the link up above.
The next configuration is using a c-stand as a reflector stand. So as I mentioned earlier with
our quick fact, they were traditionally used as reflector holders so if you're using this
on set and you don't have an assistant, it's perfect to mount a reflector onto the boom arm
so you can actually use this almost as a second light source because it's bouncing a light. So
if you've only got one light you can use it as an additional light source to reflect the light in.
You can use it to block the light depending on the type of reflector you can use,
it to create a softer light or a warmer light depending on the surface of your reflector.
The next configuration for this c-stand is as a pop-up backdrop holder. So a lot
of pop-up backdrops have little loops either on the portrait side or the landscape side.
You can actually mount this across the boom arm similar to how you would mount
it on a backdrop stand to support and prop up your pop-up backdrop. Pop-up backdrops
are typically mounted with standard light stands using a clamp but with a c-stand,
you can simply feed through the loop, through that boom arm to make it support that pop-up backdrop.
The last configuration that we're using here is using a c-stand as a backdrop stand.
We're using two c-stands together here so we've mounted the boom poles horizontally on
both of the stands on either end. Typically paper backdrops have a hollow core so if you're using
a cardboard hollow core, you can feed the boom arm through on either end and that way,
you can use this as a backdrop stand increasing the heights of both of the stands equally
and you have a nice solid sturdy backdrop stand.
So as you can see, c-stands are one of the most versatile pieces of studio equipment.
For more videos just like this, don't forget to hit that subscribe button,
hit that like button if this video has helped you in any way,
hit that notification bell to be updated of any new content we release, leave a comment down in
the comment section below your thoughts or if you have any questions about c-stands,
follow us on social media @Hypop and visit our website hypop.com.au. Thanks for watching!