Small Still Life Table

[paul williams]

I've been getting a bit fed-up with using trestles & boards for the odd still life shot so started looking at one of those tables that is designed for this, the ones with the bendy bit of opaque Perspex and an adjustable back. Due to space constraints I only really can accommodate a small one & preferably one which I can breakdown into sections for ease of storage & as much as I’d like a Manfrotto one the amount of use it would get just wouldn’t justify the £300(ish) price tag. Initially I was thinking of the WexPro from Warehouse Express, but was a bit put-off by the folding garden chair design. I was quite taken with a small alloy tubular table being sold by various outlets for just under £90 (which is a bit bigger than the folding chair one) when I found the exact same model on eBay for £56.99 delivered from Cotswold Photo. Now given the price there is no doubt that this was going to be from the Far East, but it seemed to tick all the right boxes so an order was placed. Cotswold were great to deal with free postage, follow-up emails, used a courier (Interlink) that gave an hour time-slot for delivery, so I could be there to sign for it.

So on the appointed day and time I was in the house a true enough an Interlink van drove down the road past house, then a few minute later drove past the house and out of the road…popped onto the PC to check the tracking info to find an email

“We tried to deliver your order from Cotswold Photo however there was no one available to sign for the order at the address below…" :bang:

Well there isn’t any real point in getting too exercised about these things so I just phoned the local depot and mentioned the fact about what had happened and they said they would try and get the driver to re-deliver…

so went to the depot the next day and picked-up the package – and here’s what’s inside;

and yes the instructions are in Chinese and only the overall set-up image is of any use, but even so 15 minutes later;

and to be honest, 5 of those minutes were spent wrestling with the Perspex sheet!

The sheet is currently clamped with the table laying flat to straighten it out, it has the usual gloss & matt side(s) and is just under 2mm thick.

Construction quality is Ok for the price, but don’t think I would have been too happy at £90, joints and connectors are all plastic and pop riveted onto the tubes. The ‘hinged’ joints are umbrella holders (less the umbrella shaft locking) with inbuilt click stops and takes standard 5/8 spigots which are fixed (pinned this time) to the ends of the rods at the back of the tabletop and adjustable back frame.

I'll give it a try out this evening and if anyones interested provide some further thoughts?

Paul

 

[paul williams]

Straight off the camera, with no post processing
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The table itself is OK to work with, though it would have been nice if the back was more rigid as when moving it has a tendency to twist. Also when moving the back you have to unclamp the sheet from the 'tabletop' so it can slide and it can fall through the table as it is only supported on the edges. Only other real issues of note are due to the overall light weight, the whole table does tend to tip when lowering the back - but nothing that can't be sorted with a sand bag. Also the front of the table has no curved section for the Perspex to roll over and as a consequence is quite difficult to bend into place and it may also distort/kink over time.

Paul