Can anyone see anything wrong with this?

scottduffy

scottduffy

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I was looking for a cheap but useful background support system and i've just come accross this. It only has 3 reviews which seem fine but is there anything i should be looking for in a backdrop that will be used to hold paper?

It doesn't say how much weight it will carry. Can anyone else recommend another system at a similar price if this doesn't look up to much?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PhotoSEL-BS...E7KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288273187&sr=8-1
 
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very good !!!!! Now that it's visible anything wrong with it? Nothing like a doh moment eh?
 
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Looks fine. I've just ordered a Lencarta one with black muslin yesterday as they are in stock (no white though....waiting patiently....) will let you know what it's like when it arrives. :)
 
Ah, I see now.... :)

Looks alright. There are a bunch of people selling what looks to be the same thing around this price. I notice from the pictures that it's not actually holding a roll of paper. If they are cheap lightweight stands then there's a limit how much weight I'd want to put on them 6 feet in the air. A fairly low limit if I were underneath it.

But I bet it's really good for muslin.
 
I was thinking of paper as i thought it was supposed to be better than muslin and obviously wont crease etc. Would muslin still be ok rolled out as a train with a piece of perspex over it? I know you can do this with paper but not sure about muslin.
 
It looks to me suspiciously like a couple of £12 Konig stands with a bar between them......
 
mmmm interesting. I already have those stands at home and paid £19.99 for two so don't fancy paying £60 for another set. I'll wait and see if i can find anything sturdier. Cheers Graham.
 
I could be wrong, it's difficult to tell from the small pictures, but the fitments etc all look the same.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
I could be wrong, it's difficult to tell from the small pictures, but the fitments etc all look the same.
Click to expand...

It really wouldn't surprise me. 2 X £12 light stands + 3 section bar (that will sell in much smaller qtys) for £60? Sounds about right.
 
I have this backdrop stand kit (or one very like it). I don't use it much, but it's solid. There's a thread a while back where I asked about budget backdrop supports and purchasing this kit was the result of the advice I was given.

The only disapointment I have with it is that the stands do not use the same thread on the top fitting as a standard lightstand. So my plans of using the stands as extra light stands when I don't need the backdrop have (so far) come to nothing - but there are several ways around this I still need to go back to.

These stands are much more substantial than the £12 Konigs (I have those as well).. although I suspect they are of the same family of stands. The top bar will work as either a 2-section or 3-section length. As for weight capacity.. I've not tried a paper roll, but I have used very heavy-weight fabrics as backdrops without any problems. As I've said, it's solid and the wight of a roll is going to be a vertical load and I can't foresee any problems.

I've seen better kits (e.g. telescopic top pole) but not at this price range. The supplied bag is more than large enough to take a couple of folded backdrops if needed.
 
Cheers Alistair,

That sounds like a pretty positive review. I might give it a go. Does anyone know if you can put perspex on top of muslin or other material for the reflective look? I've seen it in the Lencarta video where the girl is lying down but 'm not sure what background they were using in the video.
 
Thanks Graham. That looks pretty cool. I might go for that one as at least i know i'll ge good aftercare from Garry if anything goes wrong. I think i would be going for the smaller background though.
 
Have a good think about the background though, it seemed massive to me because I was only setting it up in 3 x 1 metre of floor space. If I raise the brackground support to max height (which you'd pretty much need for doing adults) then that's pulling up 2.5 metres of material leaving you just over 3 metres on the floor - that's ample but any less and you could struggle.

My problem is if I'm shooting in a smaller space then I don't want all that excessive material lying about as it's messy and makes it difficult to control. The creasing everytime I fold it up is going to cause a problem also. I've been having a think and I'm going to get some tubes from B&Q and put the tube through the pocket in the background and then the tube will slide onto the background. This way I can roll it up or down to suit :)

I'll get a large tube also for storage. Because I'll be rolling it up rather than folding it, the creases shouldn't happen. Just like paper rolls I guess! :D

Will let you know how I get on.
 
Update: Ok, I've just spent an entire Friday night spraying a black sheet with water, playing about with gaffer tape, and attemping to roll a 3 metre width bundle of material up without causing creases. Almost there and rolled up and if this damn thing doesn't bend at the 2 metre point then I'm using it as kindling because it won't fit in the car otherwise.

I just remembered I've got a wallpaper stripper steaming stored so I'm going to see if that will help.

Is it possible to get a white and black cotton muslin background that's only 2 metres in width? I've found 2.5 metres but nothing less :(
 
I bought this support system for £65 a few weeks ago. It has a telescopic support bar, which gives more flexibility in the widths it will accommodate and it will shrink to 1.2m wide for use in tight spaces (plus the space the stands need). It holds my 2mX6m vinyl roll without a problem. Stands are sprung.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170558731441
 
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I haven't tried to use perspex over any type of material but I imagine that it would be quite difficult to avoid creases. I am happy to be corrected though as paper gets expensive when you have to keep replacing it.

Muslin backgrounds are all but impossible to keep from getting creased. I am sure that Graham will need some painkillers soon where he keeps banging his head against a wall :bang: :D It's probably better to screw the background up instead of folding it to get less pronounced and less uniform creases. Then rely on distance or PP to get rid of creases in the final image. Black is far easier than white though as you don't need to light it. If you are using stands and a support rail then you should be able to pull the material taught and clamp it to the stands.

This is in my limited experience and others may have used these products far more than me and been more successful.

HTH,

Andy
 
Thanks for the updates guys. Graham if you want a tube to keep it in for storage try a carpet store for one of their cardboard delivery tubes. They give them to you for free and they're easy to cut to any size. I got one for some velvet curtains and cut it no problem. Still not sure about the sizde of muslin or other material to get. I'll have a think about it.
 
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