12' background mounting

[eviljunglenoodle]

I have searched but can't seem to find a thread on this, but it's very possible I missed it :) - but I am shooting a family group so I am going to pick up some 12' wide seamless paper so I can squish them all in, are there stands anyone recommends for 12' wide without mounting against an existing wall? I don't really see any extension rods that hold wider than the 9' rolls. Thanks!

[Muskydave22]

DIY perhaps? I am sure you could find some sort of rod at a long length like 12', maybe some electrical conduit or something like that.

Dave

[TMR Design]

I have searched but can't seem to find a thread on this, but it's very possible I missed it :) - but I am shooting a family group so I am going to pick up some 12' wide seamless paper so I can squish them all in, are there stands anyone recommends for 12' wide without mounting against an existing wall? I don't really see any extension rods that hold wider than the 9' rolls. Thanks!

I don't know of a 12' wide background horizontal cross bar and I'm not sure I would completely trust one with a roll of 12' seamless. If I needed to mount such a wide roll of seamless I would mount super clamps on top of 2 light stands on on autopoles (with j-hooks) and then get 2 pieces of gas pipe and a coupler to make the appropriate length. I know you can get 3', 6' and 10' length's so I would try it with a 10' and 3' piece with the coupler and end caps. The cardboard core of the seamless will slide over the pipe and coupler and you shouldn't have any problem with bowing.

It's not going to be portable or convenient to move but if you're just using it in a studio or large space then it should work fine.

[TMR Design]

DIY perhaps? I am sure you could find some sort of rod at a long length like 12', maybe some electrical conduit or something like that.

Dave

Electrical conduit at that length is going to bow and flex Dave.

[eviljunglenoodle]

Ok trying to picture in my head, I follow the stand with superclamps and the gas pipe, where does the autopole fit in?
Rob how do you normally shoot larger groups in studio, put 2 9' seamless rolls together? Thanks!

[williejr]

How about this... http://www.mpex.com/browse.cfm/4,4731.html

[TMR Design]

How about this... http://www.mpex.com/browse.cfm/4,4731.html

That might work fine. There's no way to tell how strong or sturdy the cross bar is going to be.

[TMR Design]

Ok trying to picture in my head, I follow the stand with superclamps and the gas pipe, where does the autopole fit in?
Rob how do you normally shoot larger groups in studio, put 2 9' seamless rolls together? Thanks!

My studio isn't large enough to do groups that are that large so if I can't shoot a job on 9' seamless then it has to be done somewhere else and I don't travel with a background system since I almost never shoot groups or groups on seamless.

The autopoles would be useful if you didn't have the room for tripod bases of light stands or if you were concerned about the stability of the stands or the accidental toppling of the stand and seamless.

[george m w]

I have this one ( extends to 12' 6" )

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/556181-REG/Photoflex_DP_FSBGSPKT_First_Studio_Backdrop_Suppor t.html

[TMR Design]

I have this one ( extends to 12' 6" )

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/556181-REG/Photoflex_DP_FSBGSPKT_First_Studio_Backdrop_Suppor t.html

And how strong is it?

[george m w]

And how strong is it?

That thing is pretty seriously stout, Rob. I honestly thought the whole setup was made of steel, as heavy as it all is. We were discussing it in another thread the other night, so I walked over to it with a magnet and discovered it really is aluminum.....but it some pretty heavy walled material.

Now, having said all that, I have to admit I have not hung a 12' roll on it. Only a 10' roll of paper, and a muslin.

[TMR Design]

That thing is pretty seriously stout, Rob. I honestly thought the whole setup was made of steel, as heavy as it all is. We were discussing it in another thread the other night, so I walked over to it with a magnet and discovered it really is aluminum.....but it some pretty heavy walled material.

Now, having said all that, I have to admit I have not hung a 12' roll on it. Only a 10' roll of paper, and a muslin.

That's great George. If it's not budging with an 8 or 9 foot roll then I can't imagine it being any less stable with a 12 foot roll.

Have you ever extended the cross bar to 12 feet with an 8 or 9 foot roll on it?

Sounds like it's a great support system. If I wasn't using Autopoles and needed a system I could setup, breakdown and take on location I'd probably get the one you have.

[williejr]

It has pretty good reviews and it say max load is 40 lbs.

[eviljunglenoodle]

That's funny you posted that, I just went by the local photo store tonight and picked that up! I will test it out tomorrow :)

edit- oops I lied I got this one - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/41824-REG/Photek_S_4010_4_Background_Support_System_.html#re views

[george m w]

That's great George. If it's not budging with an 8 or 9 foot roll then I can't imagine it being any less stable with a 12 foot roll.

Have you ever extended the cross bar to 12 feet with an 8 or 9 foot roll on it?

No, I can't say that I have. And now, looking at it again on the bh site, I see they still have free shipping on it. I think at the time that was what tipped it in favor. To be honest, looking at them on a website, they all kinda look alike to me !

[FlashZebra]

Have you ever worked with 12 foot seamless paper, do you realize just how bulky and heavy the roll is?

Beware of a 12 foot seamless roll of paper on any transportable backdrop stand. This is a significant hazard.

I am not directing this at the strength of the support, but the very real hazard if the stand would fall over.

Personally I have every seen any portable backdrop stand fitted with 12 foot background paper I would trust the safety of my subject with.

Enjoy! Lon

[george m w]

I am not directing this at the strength of the support, but the very real hazard if the stand would fall over.

Good points Lon. Another thing too, I generally have my subject 10 to 12 feet in in front of the BG. Mostly for creative purposes, but that too buys some 'safe space' should the stands be pulled over. I also have no interest in shooting kids....which helps !

[Jon Foster]

I bought the cheap Impact system to use as a portable solution but it turned out to be so nice I've used it to replace my old setup. It's fantastic. How much weight it will hold I honestly don't know but it's been great for me so far. I use muslins for the most part but I've had it on thick carpet without any trouble.

B&H Impact Background Support System (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/437786-REG/Impact_3046_Background_Support_System_.html)

Jon.

[TMR Design]

Anyone using a background support system with light stands should have the common sense to use weights and/or sandbags to properly stabilize them so there won't be any accidents.

Obviously if you're going to have heavy rolls of seamless paper 8 or 10 feet above people's heads then you want to make sure the hardware is intact, working properly and you've made it as safe and 'idiot-proof' as possible.

[Karl Johnston]

I have and recommend these:
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=1152180

12 foot roll paper is pretty damn heavy...I'd say a good 30-40 lbs

[Apollo.11]

Searching and found this rated to 40lbs.

Edit: wrong link
http://www.adorama.com/PFBDSK.html?searchinfo=photoflex+pro+backdrop

[JayJphoto]

How much does a 12' roll flex on it's own? I ask this because I was worried about the 9' roll I just bought and what type of pipe I need. The 9' roll supports it's own weight just fine. Meaning, if I just had someone hold it at each end, it wouldn't flex but just a bit. This is the 9' roll from Calumet Photo. IMO, a 10' length of 1.0 Inch conduit, and then a 10' length of the next size that fits inside would be perfect. You would have about 9' of "overlapping" pipe (one sleeved in the other), and would create a nice strong support, very cheaply.

[TMR Design]

I have and recommend these:
http://mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=1152180

12 foot roll paper is pretty damn heavy...I'd say a good 30-40 lbs

That item says it has a 9.9' cross bar. The OP is asking about a 12 foot bar.

[Karl Johnston]

In that case nevermind, sorry.

I also take it back about the giottos stands, lousy pieces of junk randomly decided to snap a leg for no reason at all today and sent the seamless rolling/ripping/ruining/having me take a chainsaw to them and throwing them in the bin...lesson learned...don't buy cheap equipment. $350 down the drain. Seamless was 8 foot wide, 12 yards ...I think I was thinking of that instead of a 12 foot but to think about how heavy the 8 foot is now (20-30 lbs or so) i have to agree with flashzebra about not being able to support the weight after all.

That stand didn't even stand up to the 8 foot wide seamless. Just goes to show what happens when you don't check your specs :p

[HastyPhoto]

I just got the impact 12' wide stands, have a 12' roll of seamless they say it will support. I'll test it tomorrow and update with pics.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/437786-REG/Impact_3046_Background_Support_System_.html#specif ications

[Apollo.11]

Any updates Bob?

[Karl Johnston]

maybe they broke on him too :lol:

[Apollo.11]

I'm just curious how they'll hold up on a 9' 'seamless.

[HastyPhoto]

sorry no, i got tied up today. ill try tomorrow.

[HastyPhoto]

Ok here ya go, set up real quick (cold outside) 12' wide impact backround dropkit stands with a 12' wide roll of white seamless at 40lbs.

It does support it, it is flimsy even if I had weights on the stands the poles are flimsy at full extension. One thing I did notice is after take down I could not seperate the two center poles of the cross bar. Perhaps is was slightly tweaked from the weight of the seamless.

Would I trust it? Yes and no. I'm probably gonna keep the kit for smaller stuff but for what I bought it for mainly was for shooting custom motorcycles with custom airbrush paint jobs. I dont need any problems with poles snapping etc so i'll likely go over my buddies shop where we'll be shooting the bikes and rig something up from his rafters with chains and some rigid pipe and just leave the 12' seamless up there until each bike is done and ready to shoot.

sorry for the messy back yard, its winter time :cool:

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u132/hasrob/stand.jpg

[Apollo.11]

Bob, how do you think it would handle a 9' roll?