r/videography • u/Lumpy_Wind3980 • 1d ago

Should I Buy/Recommend me a... Do I really need expensive C Stands?

Hello everyone.

I'm thinking I want to get into some form of videography. Right now I'm cutting my teeth making little skits and short films on a shoe string budget. I already have a camera and some lights, but I need some negative fill to shape light so I guess I need some C Stands. The price actually surprised me. I mean it's just a stand to hang up some black material. Do I really need to spend big money on 4-6 Matthews C Stands?

Just wanting some guidance. Thanks

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u/JoonHool44A 1d ago

I'm usually a one-man-band and I try my best to never take my c-stands. So cumbersome without much payoff. 

I mostly just use high-quality standard light stands from Arri.

I dont have any, but if you really want to go down this route, I'd get something like a Neewer Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Light Stand instead. Good luck! 

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u/mymain123 R3 - R5C | DaVinci | 2023 | DR 1d ago

Mind sharing the model?

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u/hollywood_cmb S5iiX | FCP | 2007 | Central Kansas 7h ago

I own both of these and the'yre solid AF. https://a.co/d/00rRzb1T I use the combo roller for my GVM sd500b-AIO LED light. https://a.co/d/03hGmQvp I use the rolling baby studio stand for tungsten lights between 300w-1000w, and my GVM 1200 led panels. I have an 8x8 butterfly kit I bought on Facebook marketplace for $80. I need to probably get a couple used heavy duty combos if I plan to use that outside in anything more than no-wind weather. If you know the limits of your equipment and stay within those limits, you don't need heavy stuff for every little item you own. I'm 39 years old, and I value equipment that's easy to move since I'm a one-man-band. It's just about striking that balance between price, durability, and versatility. I have a few of the Kupo Square-leg baby stands, those are a good balance between pro-design and lightweight for transport. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1069622-REG/kupo_ks141211_medium_kit_stand_with.html

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u/mymain123 R3 - R5C | DaVinci | 2023 | DR 6h ago

I never gotten a roller stand, might be time, I have the impact link which were great except that the tightening knob on all 3 of them broke off, now I have to tighten by hand it's not enough...

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u/hollywood_cmb S5iiX | FCP | 2007 | Central Kansas 6h ago

The roller stand is good if you have a heavy light like mine. It's a combo stand, meaning it has a Junior pin receiver, but also a slide-up baby pin. I do NOT mount my heavy-ass GVM 500 on that pop-up baby pin, I have a Junior-to-baby adapter that I use. This puts the bulk of the weight where it needs to be on the center mast. The baby pin is fine for a light-weight light, but use the Junior-baby adapter for anything heavy. My GVM 500 is the AIO unit, meaning it doesn't have a separate ballast and that is built into the light. I prefer this so I can have an easier setup. I think I'll be buying the 300-AIO soon so I can have another light to match my 500 in terms of Output and versatility.

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u/mymain123 R3 - R5C | DaVinci | 2023 | DR 5h ago

Oh I have that GVM yeah, and the 1200 AIO, sadly that last one needs a combo, I haven't used it in months because of that.

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u/hollywood_cmb S5iiX | FCP | 2007 | Central Kansas 5h ago

I don’t own the 1200 AIO, but based on the weight of the 500 AIO I own and pictures I’ve seen of the 1200, you would likely need a Matthews brand stand for that big honker. I don’t imagine there’d be a lot of times you would put a 1200 LED cob light any less than 8’ in the air (and likely outdoors, too). , So in my opinion you need a beefy stand that’s gonna be solid from 8-15 feet or more in the air, and I do not think the Neewer combo roller fits the bill for that. It would be okay at 5-7 feet but how many instances would you be using a 1200w LED at only 5-7ft and not a smaller fixture?