Best C-stands? Flag kits?

naveenmedia said:
HorseFilms, which Matthews stand do you have? As far as I can tell, they all have spring-loaded legs...or am I not understanding what "spring-loaded" means?
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I believe that the sliding leg and detachable (turtle base?) c-stands are the only ones matthews makes that are NOT spring loaded.

To make sure everyone is clear, there are two different things people might call spring loaded. There's the legs where are spring loaded (just pull the leg apart to setup, no knob needed) and the risers in the stand that will have springs at the bottom so when you lower the riser to the bottom, it's got a little bounce to it.

Matthew
 
Thanks for the clarification Macville. By "spring-loaded", I was thinking the legs that don't have a knob to spread them open.

As to the other type of "spring-loaded", where there is bounce to the riser, what exactly is the purpose of this? To reduce the chance of damage if you lose your grip and the riser falls?

Horsefilms, thanks for the link. It looks like this stand does not have detachable legs, correct? I am definitely looking for stands with a turtle base. I find these a lot easier to pack into a small or mid-size vehicle when I'm lugging less equipment.
 
I've always had a really hard time opening and closing the legs of C-stands.

Anybody want to explain this "twist trick"?

:)
 
Grasp C-Stand riser with left hand, midway beween top and bottom with all three legs pointing down toward ground. Loosen leg lock down, grasp top leg and rotate to stop. Repeat with second leg. Tighten leg lock. You are done.

Takes me about 2-3 seconds.

Dan
 
Sounds good. I sometimes literally cannot open really old c-stands (rentals), but that sounds like a good trick to use.

Thanks.
 
bballplaya283 said:
Sounds good. I sometimes literally cannot open really old c-stands (rentals), but that sounds like a good trick to use.

Thanks.
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Yes, this is why I abhor the spring loaded legs, I can't whip them open, I have to grasp each leg and brace with the other hand against the opposite leg. Whoever thought up that design should be shot.

Lame-O!

Dan
 
what do you guys think about getting a couple of Magic Arms? And using those to hold up scrimms or flags? Since it would be difficult for me to trasnport C stands by the dozen, a few magic arms could do the trick no? Is this unrealistic?
 
i was thinking the actual light stand? lol is that bad? Or even anything that is around, those clamps can grip quite a number of things.

all im thinking of is an alternative to transporting LArge C stands when i drive a Mazda 3.
 
Turtle base c-stands are actually quite portable. It's what I always take when I don't have a van. Worst case you can travel just the arm and head and fit that to a regular baby or kit stand.
 
how is a turtle base different than a regular C stand? When i google turtle base c-stand, it gives me what i normally work with.

do you have examples of the two to compare?
 
Papa:

Make sure that your liability insurance is in effect, magic arms hanging off of light stands with flags, et. sounds like a recipe for disaster. Barry is correct, turtle stands were invented for situations like yours. You do need the right tool for the job and for arming our flags, etc. C-stands are the right tool. Light stands with that sort of extension will tip over and possibly injure people.

Best,

Dan
 
Here are pictured examples of sliding leg vs turtle base. The first picture is turtle base on the left (with riser and turtle base removed from each other) and sliding leg on the right (with leg slid up riser). Both are Matthews type stands.

The 2nd picture is an example of the sliding leg version in action. The big leg can be slid up and down to level on different surfaces, on stair, etc.


tbase_slideleg.jpg


slidingleg.jpg
 
PaPa said:
so... the turtle stands can have the removable legs?
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Yep. The removable legs are known as the Turtle base. It's a actually a junior receiver at the base of the legs so you can put a Junior-Baby reciever and have a mini-stand to positions lights low.

The removable element makes it portable. You can fit a couple of bases and risers in a larger sized tripod type bag for transport. Fits in my backseat no problem.
 
Better late to a topic then never, I always say! :-) Looking at the Mathews that seems to be what my DP was bringing on the set for some Indie stuff I was doing. Now I am trying to get my own gear together.

In general, is there a ratio between the number of lights (let's say ARRI fresnels) you use and the number of c-stands you will need for flags, bounces, etc? One to one?
 
TallPaulInJax said:
Better late to a topic then never, I always say! :-) Looking at the Mathews that seems to be what my DP was bringing on the set for some Indie stuff I was doing. Now I am trying to get my own gear together.

In general, is there a ratio between the number of lights (let's say ARRI fresnels) you use and the number of c-stands you will need for flags, bounces, etc? One to one?
Click to expand...

It's pretty standard to have one grip kit and two C-stands per light you rig.
 
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