Are all booms the same!

[Ferj]

I'm looking for a boom to hold a studio light and accessory ie Westcott apollo orb softbox. I have a spare lastolite light stand so can I use that somehow perhaps?

Prices vary and obviously super cheap will most likely be tat, but is there anything I should be looking for in a boom? Any specific recommendations?

 

[Garry Edwards]

No they are not all the same, not in a million years.
IMO the attachments that fit onto an ordinary light stand are just plain dangerous, very few stands have anywhere near the necessary rigidity or size of footprint. They're not designed to take the extra stress of supporting a flash head and modifier, plus a counterbalance weight - it's much better to spend a bit extra and get a boom arm with its own stand, made specifically for the job. And get one that can take the weight of a heavy flash head and the heaviest possible modifier, for safety.

And even when you do that, you need to balance the boom arm so that the locking lever is only used very lightly, to prevent any small movement - you need to balance both the amount of extension and the counterbalance weight so that it won't move even if you don't tighten the locking mechanism in the centre. And even then, you need to make sure that one of the stand legs is pointing towards the flash head, so that the whole thing can't fall over

 

[simonbarker]

I'm looking for a boom to hold a studio light and accessory ie Westcott apollo orb softbox. I have a spare lastolite light stand so can I use that somehow perhaps?

Prices vary and obviously super cheap will most likely be tat, but is there anything I should be looking for in a boom? Any specific recommendations?

It's a question of how you're using it, the general advice is don't cheap out on something that can tip over and kill your subject but if you've just got a speedlite you don't need an expensive solution. Personally when I was using a poor boom setup I was constantly worried about the light so spending £80 for a decent boom was a good investment.

Given the choice between stability and price I'd probably try to find a 3 piece boom they're simple and once tightened are actually pretty stable (any thoughts on the Calumet one?) but avoid the cheap telescopic models as they tend to bend a lot once you put more than a feather on the end. Your Lastolite stand probably isn't ideal (most of them are fairly lightweight and with a small foot print) but will probably work just fine as long as you don't go overboard and like Gary says make sure you properly counter balance, you should be able to unlock the middle and it remains central.

 

[itsdavedotnet]

no they definitely aren't. Booms are the most dangerous piece of equipment used in photography really.

A 3kg flash head and a 5kg pumpkin weight plus the boom means that you need a stand that can take over 10kg, straight off - which your average lightweight stand won't - and that's assuming it's completely evenly balanced.

http://www.uklight.co.uk/avenger-d600-mini-boom-arm-with-sliding-attachment.html is the most lightweight boom I'd consider suitable to use with a monobloc studio light really, it's basically a part of a c-stand.

For a pack and head system with a smallish modifier, where you don't need to arm the light far out, a c stand with a flag arm is the easiest and safest option

As gary said, with any boom, placing one leg in the same direction as the boom, to help stop the whole thing from tipping over, is essential - though should by no means be the only protection.

 

[simonbarker]

http://www.uklight.co.uk/avenger-d600-mini-boom-arm-with-sliding-attachment.html is the most lightweight boom I'd consider suitable to use with a monobloc studio light really, it's basically a part of a c-stand.

That's £250 for a C stand and that boom, even if you go with the Kupo version that's still about £180. I use the Kupo version myself and have no hesitation in recommending it as I've not come across a stronger boom that's as compact and lightweight but I'm guessing most people without a boom aren't going to spend that much their first time.

 

[Ferj]

Thank you for all the responses. I thought I was asking a bit of a stupid question, but having bought cheap then bought twice in the past, I'm careful not to repeat those mistakes! Looks like it will need some looking into!

 

[Garry Edwards]

That's £250 for a C stand and that boom, even if you go with the Kupo version that's still about £180. I use the Kupo version myself and have no hesitation in recommending it as I've not come across a stronger boom that's as compact and lightweight but I'm guessing most people without a boom aren't going to spend that much their first time.

Well, the Lencarta studio boom arm kit will be back in stock at the end of the month, £100.

 

[Niwdog]

No, very different. Calumet do a good budget boom that's about 50 quid