Studio stands

Hello,

Anyone have any thoughts on studio stands such as the Manfrotto Mini Salon 190? I cannot seem to find any online reviews or comments on this.

I have also looked at Cambo and Foba. But the cost of these beasts is enough to give one a stroke.

I am looking for something a bit more flexible than a tripod when it comes to positioning my camera.

thx don

Well the manfrotto is no way near the a Cambo and Foba of course. Similar design, but built from the off the shelf parts..

Don't expect the smoothness and stability of Cambo or fooba.

I use a 9' Cambo UST. Virtually all of my work is with the camera 'locked down'...iow, once it's in position it doesn't move until the shot is done. The studio stand makes getting it into position relatively easy from 1" off the floor to 9'+ off the floor with the twist of a single lock and raising or lowering the counter balanced arm. Incredibly stable...and my camera is heavy. In addition to the Cambo, I also have an old Arkay that I've since converted to hold a 1'X3' rigid fiberglass bank light. The Arkay isn't nearly as well constructed as the Cambo, but it does work as intended. I looked at the Manfrotto Salon stands years ago and was interested because of price, but in the end concluded that it wouldn't be sufficiently sturdy for my needs as they're fairly lightly constructed compared to the others mentioned. But, YMMV.

You might be surprised if you look around (and get lucky)...I've seen Foba and Cambo stands on CL going for less than the cost of a mid-level tripod. I also used to work with an old Arca-Swiss stand that was a thing of beauty...not nearly as versatile as the Foba/Cambo designs but for what it did, it did very well.

As studio photographers close up shops, imo, there's not a very large market for these things and the used prices reflect that. I had a friend that recently retired. He tried to give away his old Saltzman camera stand with no takers. It ended up going for scrap.

Hello All,

Thanks for all the replies.

I did some further reading (Googling!) and it looks like these Cambos and Fobas are really big and heavy. The smallest I could see are around Six feet (still very heavy). I don't think my room would be able to accommodate any of these stands.

So it looks like I'll have to struggle with a tripod and not get frustrated and homicidal!

thx don

^ If you can find an older Arkay stand I'd bet it would suit your needs and budget.
Best of luck-

Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts and comments.

Would love to have one such stand myself, but in my case it'd also be not only expensive but unwieldy in my small place. So, tripod and geared head and L-plate is the best solution.

donpirhana wrote in post #18084425
Hello All,

Thanks for all the replies.

I did some further reading (Googling!) and it looks like these Cambos and Fobas are really big and heavy. The smallest I could see are around Six feet (still very heavy). I don't think my room would be able to accommodate any of these stands.

So it looks like I'll have to struggle with a tripod and not get frustrated and homicidal!

thx don

Yes these are big stands, and they are meant to be big and heavy yet they move very fluidly. Not very practical in a small space..

What setup do you shoot with, and what made you consider a studio stand in the first place ? (if you don't mind me asking)

My reason for thinking of a studio stand is that I am very interested in table top photography. Whilst I can juggle the DSLR about (on a tripod) I find that having to constantly fiddle with the height or the position to get the composition just right absolutely frustrating.

The Manfrotto Salon appeared to be of the right size and weight (and cost, of course) to be worth considering. The room I am using is sufficiently large, but no where near large enough for a Cambo or Foba (see Foodguy's image).

By the way, not just table top but also close to the floor for some over the top images because the table top is too high to allow for sufficient distance between the DSLR and the subject. In other words I'd like to able to go from high to low quickly and easily without having to adjust the tripod legs or column every #!$% time!!!!

I'd appreciate any further thoughts or suggestions.

Then the manfrotto might be a good option still.

It wouldn't be to hard to be build you'r own rig with a dolly, heavy duty tripod with geared column and manfrotto repro arms.

A lot more bits and pieces and probably not much cheaper then the manfrotto salon..

Best of luck!

donpirhana wrote in post #18084748
My reason for thinking of a studio stand is that I am very interested in table top photography. Whilst I can juggle the DSLR about (on a tripod) I find that having to constantly fiddle with the height or the position to get the composition just right absolutely frustrating.

The Manfrotto Salon appeared to be of the right size and weight (and cost, of course) to be worth considering. The room I am using is sufficiently large, but no where near large enough for a Cambo or Foba (see Foodguy's image).

By the way, not just table top but also close to the floor for some over the top images because the table top is too high to allow for sufficient distance between the DSLR and the subject. In other words I'd like to able to go from high to low quickly and easily without having to adjust the tripod legs or column every #!$% time!!!!

I'd appreciate any further thoughts or suggestions.

Didn't intend to try and dissuade you from the manfrotto! And now that I've a better understanding of what you're doing it could be a very good option for you. For me, it was simply too light weight. I use a view camera and in the time frame that I was buying, was still using 8X10 film cameras which made the Manfrotto a bad choice *for me*.

For the type of images that you're making, you'll most likely really appreciate the ease of working with a stand in place of a tripod....and I'd guess that once you've made the switch you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner!

So it looks like the Manfrotto might just do the job. I am sure it will be more stable and flexible (in terms of movement and positioning) than the tripod.

Thanks. I really appreciate your help!

Not at all. I am, after all, looking for suggestions and recommendations from people who have much more experience than I have! Constructive thoughts from yourself and others on this thread are truly appreciated.

So, I think I am going to look into the Manfrotto Mini Salon 806.

Not sure where you're located and if this is an option but just saw this...It's not a bad stand.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …35270246927&c3c​h=Facebook

Just saw your reply. I am in Canada. I'll look into it. Thx