I remember my first light stand in one word, flimsy. It get’s the job done… until it doesn’t, and that could be a disaster!
Perhaps one of the most overlooked pieces of gear in your inventory is the humble light stand. It’s one of those things that you don’t really appreciate when they work as intended… until they don’t and all hell breaks loose on set. Heck, as I’m writing this I just realized our post on The Best Camera Accessories Under $100 snubbed the good ol’ light stand.
So if you’re building a serious studio set up, or looking to shoot with more lights on location, you’re going to need more quality light stands. And since you’re here, you probably know that not all light stands are created equal. There are millions of options available in the market, but we’ve done all the leg work for you and have rounded up some of the best photography light stands for every situation.
Now of course, how many light stands and what’s best for you really depends on your use case, but for the vast majority of photographers you could probably get:
- 2x Basic Light Stand
- 2x C-Stands
- Tripods
And that will cover 95% of your work.
If you shoot mostly in-studio, I’d start with C-Stands, if you shoot mostly on-location, I’d get good basic light stands.
The Basic (and not-so-basic) Photography Light Stands
So for my headshot and on-location portrait gigs, I use:
- Manfrotto 1052bac Light Stands – My main light stands, you’ll want something solid, sturdy and air cushioned. And best part, they snap together to save space in your bag. When shooting on-location, I try fit everything into one big rolling bag. I can use these indoors with a basic soft box without a sandbag to weigh it down and I’ve never had an issue.
- Reversible Light Stand – I love these because they are compact, low profile, and yet still sturdy for most lighter applications. I have the Nano by Manfrotto, but of course, I’m always looking for the best value, and when I did a little more research and I found this reversible light stand by Impact is essentially the same thing at almost half the price. After using both, I agree (and so do many reviewers as well). I mostly use this small profile stand on-location with a flash pointed into a white background to make it pure white.
Popular Alternatives:
Impact Heavy-Duty Air-Cushioned Light Stand
Let’s start with the basics. A simple light stand like the Impact Heavy Duty Air-Cushioned Light Stand is a very straightforward piece of kit: it’s lightweight at only 4.2 pounds, has a maximum load capacity of around 22 pounds, and rises to about 9.6 feet — making it an awesome choice for a travel light stand.
It’s the first light stand to get when you’re just starting to build your kit, and it’ll do well in holding up your flash heads and modifiers when shooting on location. This three-section light stand closes back down to a 1.1-meter package, leaving you a lot of extra space in the trunk. Anodized aluminum, solid locking joints and a wide 1.1-meter footprint on this thing are certainly confidence-inspiring features.
So you can get cheaper light stands, however, one trick up its sleeve is the air cushioning design that lets the tubes gently glide down the joints should you accidentally leave a locking knob loose instead of letting it crash right down, safeguarding your expensive lighting equipment. For around $55, this air-cushioned light stand is a steal.
Manfrotto Backlite Stand
Now here’s a more specialized light stand that the first three entries on our list won’t be able to fill in for. The Manfrotto 012b Backlite Stand is a mini-me of a traditional light stand. Don’t let its small stature fool you, though. For some creatives, a backlight stand can save a shooting date from all sorts of delays.
You’ll want a backlight stand when your regular light stands just won’t go low enough. Portrait photographers backlighting their subjects, food photographers who need to get their tabletop lighting as close to the dish as possible, and even newborn photographers who’ll be working a floor-level lighting setup would have a bad day without one of these short stands.
The Manfrotto Backlite Stand features a riser pole that can give you that extra height when you need it while letting you drop your lights at floor level just by getting rid of the pole altogether and mounting your flash directly on the base. It also has a minimum height of 3.54 inches, and a maximum height of 33.5 inches with the pole. This Backlite stand also has super small footprint diameter of just 60 cm, making it all the easier to hide away in your shot. One of these awesome little stands can be had for just around $60.
Honorable Mention:
So while I don’t think it’s mandatory, if you don’t like moving big stands, you could think about getting a rolling light stand.
Impact Folding Rolling Light Stand – The stand capably of single-handedly powering an entire YouTube studio!
Not quite as sturdy as C-Stands (which we’ll talk about next), but they can be when weighed down appropriately with sandbags. The best part is that they’re mobile, and you can easily move it around… perfect for say – a full YouTube Studio!
The exact stand used in that video is the Impact Rolling Light Stand, and it’s just $150 on Amazon.
Matthews Medium Overhead Roller Stand
An overhead light stand is a regular light stand on steroids. It’s designed to take on heavier and bigger lights and modifiers designed for serious projects. Gear of that size and weight don’t come cheap, so if you’re planning to use pro production lights, butterfly frames, large parabolic umbrellas or prop up large backgrounds, you don’t want to skimp on an overhead light stand.
The Matthews Medium Overhead Roller Stand is built of solid steel, has a max height of 14 feet, and can support up to 88 pounds of load. For maximum stability, and you’re going to need it, the Matthews Overhead Roller Stand has a 60-inch footprint and braked, locking casters to ensure that your equipment is firmly planted on the ground.
Needless to say, that’s some hardcore gear. Thankfully, it won’t put too much strain on any crew member’s back or damage the building’s expensive flooring — the Matthews Medium Overhead Roller stand has wheels on its base, making maneuvering this type of light stand around the set a lot easier. $424 may seem like a lot for a light stand, but if you consider what this hulking piece of kit can do for your production and how it can keep your strobes and flash heads in one piece, I say go for it.
Must have for photography studios – The C-Stand
Not all C-Stands are created equal, and while Matthews C-Stands are an industry standard, as I always I do, I start with the best value option.
I’ve always had pretty good luck with Neewer and the following option did not disappoint:
Best Value – The Neewer C-Stand
Now for most people a simple light stand like the Manfrotto 1052bac will probably suffice, but for those who need to hold up heavier gear, a good C-Stand is a must.
While a Matthews C-Stand might be a little more sturdy, you could simply add a couple weighted sandbags if necessary and save a lot more money.
They might look a little unusual, but trust me, you’re going to get a lot of mileage from these Neewer 2-Pack C-Stands. Each C-stand is equipped with a grip head and a crossbar, forming that distinct “t shape” which should open a ton of creative possibilities for you.
For one, you should be able to easily mount a row of lights to achieve whatever effect you’re going for. The crossbar length on these light stands measures about 3.5 feet in length, letting you attach a whole slew of equipment from strobes, video lights, reflectors to umbrellas and so on. Or, forget lights at all and set up a mobile backdrop wherever you want. Get all MacGyver and connect the two holding arms on both stands and set up an even bigger backdrop.
Being C-stands with a turtle base, you know they’re going to be stable. This pair is also made with robust steel and are ready to take a beating. They can go as low as 4 feet and as high as 10 feet, making them great to have around in the studio or on location. For right around $300, you’ll be getting two solid C-stands, four grip heads, and two holding arms — not bad at all.
However, if you want to use C-Stands for rolled backgrounds, I’d recommend:
For Heavier or More Expensive Gear – Godox / Flashpoint C-Stands
Godox / Flashpoint C-Stands (same company) are a little bit more stable than the Neewer C-Stands. I have hand-painted backdrops, which are a bit heavy, so with a crossbar, while the Neewer C-Stands did support the backgrounds, the stand was bending a little more than I’d like. My Flashpoint C-Stand is a bit sturdier and doesn’t bend as much.
If you’ll be holding up more expensive gear, it makes sense to spend a little more on these, or you could just go with the industry standard…
The Industry Standard – Matthews Century Stand with 20″ Grip Head
As far as C-Stands are concerned, I’d say Matthews is the industry standard. When you’re more interested in setting up base camp in your very own studio, you’ll want C-stands. C-stands won’t be as light as air-cushioned light stands, but they have the reputation of being the most rugged, most reliable, and again, they’re actually the industry standard for professionals in the filmmaking and professional photography space.
Enter the Mathews C-Stand with 20″ Grip Head and Arm. That’s a mouthful, but that should tell you that it’s got all the bells and whistles you’d want from a quality C-stand. The grip head in conjunction with the boom arm, lets you mount all sorts of lights, modifiers like flags, reflectors and get it exactly where you need it without moving the base.
Then there’s the turtle base. C-stands are known for their turtle-styled legs for better stability and security. This Matthews C-Stand also features sliding legs, which means the legs can slide up and down the base to accommodate uneven surfaces, such as when you’re trying to prop it nearby a stairway.
This particular model goes as high as 10.5 feet and sports a maximum capacity of 22 pounds. With chrome steel construction, arc-welded legs, and a build quality that’ll outlive you and me, your $200 investment on this bomb-proof c-stand is worth every penny. Check out Lensvid’s awesome rundown of this super reliable c-stand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FCNO6mVcwk