Cheap lighting stand boom arms for attaching scrims

cardiff_gareth

cardiff_gareth

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Been looking at cheap boom arms for attaching my tracing paper scrims only as I seem to have a glut of lighting stands so may as well make use of them. I've seen two different types of boom arms in terms of fixings:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Unive...374135?hash=item1c3f8e4ab7:g:ToEAAOxyBotTXwAL

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Photo-Stu...087263?hash=item4af2ccca1f:g:QGIAAOSwA4dWKjaM

Now I'm thinking to myself that the top one is the more durable and can take more weight if needed i.e. softbox and maybe slave speedlight as it actually clamps down and locks onto the boom arm where as the bottom link tightens up onto the head of the stand so the actually locking part of the head would be more susceptible to breaking due to this design?

Has anyone got or used any designs like these and am I right in thinking the top design is better please before I go ahead and order a few!

Thanks
 
the 'swivels' are made of plastic so only have a certain amount of positions and are a bit naff, but if you're literally just hanging a sheet of diffusion gel or tracing paper (btw, diffusion gel is ~£3 a sheet from an ebay seller or many stage suppliers, and won't give a colour cast like many tracing papers) then go for it

If you do want something along those lines, with plastic swivels, but cheaper, these might work: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Adj...&qid=1475242538&sr=1-6&keywords=reflector+arm

This style are more adjustable though obviously more expensive: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Telescopic...&qid=1475242584&sr=1-4&keywords=reflector+arm

The 'proper' (read: overgineered) solution is: I'd get a grip head and a grip arm, as comes with a complete C stand, way more than capable of taking a speedlight or similar (with properly weighed stand): http://www.ianirouk.com/product.php?ProductID=179 http://www.ianirouk.com/product.php?ProductID=174
 
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Thanks Dave, appreciate the comprehensive reply :ty:

Quick question, the Amazon Neewer link. That looks the same as the eBay link I gave I think or am I missing something?

The Amazon link to the Phot-R one looks interesting although I haven't a foggist how it works but it says it's heavy duty.

This one you sent looks interesting and not a lot more money:
http://www.ianirouk.com/product.php?ProductID=179

That just attaches to the light stand and literally is just an arm that sticks out to hang things off?

The other item you sent: http://www.ianirouk.com/product.php?ProductID=174 That is the same as the above but without the arm, just the bracket ?
 
Ref the diffusion gel, I was looking earlier on at the Savage Translum Backdrop which is the same thing but wayyyy more expensive. Typing into eBay diffusion gel brings me to the same sort of thing! Many thanks as that'll save me a lot of money looking at the prices there for it!

I see some have the 3 different thickness's that Savage sell but this company below has only the one thickness that I can't work out would be the heavy duty, medium or thin?? The size is good though!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pure-Whit...hash=item4891726b25:m:mXjkMJpE47FdM4les-gezFw
 
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cardiff_gareth said:
Thanks Dave, appreciate the comprehensive reply :ty:

Quick question, the Amazon Neewer link. That looks the same as the eBay link I gave I think or am I missing something?

The Amazon link to the Phot-R one looks interesting although I haven't a foggist how it works but it says it's heavy duty.

This one you sent looks interesting and not a lot more money:
http://www.ianirouk.com/product.php?ProductID=179

That just attaches to the light stand and literally is just an arm that sticks out to hang things off?

The other item you sent: http://www.ianirouk.com/product.php?ProductID=174 That is the same as the above but without the arm, just the bracket ?
Click to expand...

Yes those amazon ones look basically the same, but a cheaper way if you're getting two hah...

The other one has an odd double ball joint so is a bit more manouverable.

you could make just the arm work, though it's not quite designed for that and you can't move the arm up or down it, and you're pretty much clamping the top spigot of the light stand in the grip head. Normally, you'd have this setup:
40in_C-Stand_And_Grip_Arm.jpg


As for gels, the ebay seller seems to have vanished. I'm not too sure where sells gel online by the sheet, if anywhere to be honest, I get mine from rental companies - but I imagine that you'd want a sheet of Rosco F2 or Lee 216 as a medium diff.
 
OP you are correct in you assumption, the first link you provide will by far the best option for you scrim boom, I use an aluminium version of that design of boom bracket and it is sturdy. The plastic version you have linked to will have a bit more flex than the metal version but will be more than adequate for the use you have in mind.

The bracket shown in your second link is a design failure of the highest degree, it fails to hold all but the lightest object steady.
 
Here's another option (and one that I use for my 1.5meter wide tracing paper rolls).

Buy two superclamps:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phot-R-Ph...445624?hash=item3d1fad23b8:g:czkAAOSwygJXh21o

Make sure you get ones like that - with the spigots and wedge adaptor so it will grip flat surfaces too - not required for this but these clamps are useful for lots of things - they'll hold up to ~16kg.

Go to B&Q and buy a 2m length of 21mm (or 1 inch) dowel. Put the clamps on top of the stands and put the dowel in the jaws of the clamps 21mm is a good diameter to pull tracing paper over - and unlike telescopic arms, there are no ridges or bumps in it to snag the paper. Drape the paper over the dowel so the edges meet at the bottom. Camps the edges together with a few plastic A clamps to weigh it down. Of course it ain't exactly portable, but I only really use this in the studio for product shots. As it's supported from both ends, it's also rock solid. So solid in fact I also use this arrangement with another clamp in the middle to hang a 3kg Superfast600 strobe from.

You can see it in action about half way down this page on the left - click the images to make them bigger.
http://owenlloydphotography.com/?p=1595

You could put Translum on it, but I found this has too much tension in it and tendency to roll up again. I built a frame out of 21.5mm overflow pipe and various push-fit connectors for the Translum. It's still supported on stands with suplerclamps though.
 
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Thanks Owen, not sure why I didn't get a thread reply notification so apologies for not replying straight away. I have 3 spare super clamps from Manfrotto which look the same things bar the spigot to tripod thread adaptor bit so I'll give that a go!

Your table, when I looked at the lighting wall plates I could only see the plate with the male end that pointed out so unsure how that would attach onto a lighting stand with the same male end??
 
cardiff_gareth said:
Thanks Owen, not sure why I didn't get a thread reply notification so apologies for not replying straight away. I have 3 spare super clamps from Manfrotto which look the same things bar the spigot to tripod thread adaptor bit so I'll give that a go!

Your table, when I looked at the lighting wall plates I could only see the plate with the male end that pointed out so unsure how that would attach onto a lighting stand with the same male end??
Click to expand...

Hi Gareth,

For the table, I removed the spigot that was already in the light stand, leaving a hole for the table to slot into. It doesn't work with all light stands though - as the spigot on the wall mount plate is bout 15cm - the inside of the light stands shaft needs to be clear of obstructions.

Owen
 
I've got the second arm. It works ok and it's fine indoors with a speedlight & small softbox but I wouldn't put much more than that on it, and I wouldn't position it over anything which might be damaged if the arm failed.

As for diffusion material - I often use the inner from a 5-in-1 popup reflector with a reflector holder boom arm on a stand, though I occasionally use either tracing paper or 1/2 Tough Spun.. this was the cheapest I found: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01E9QSSVS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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