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review: lightstands – Manfrotto 1051BAC and 1004BAC

June 25, 2010

review: lightstands – Manfrotto 1051BAC and 1004BAC

I recently updated the lightstands that I regularly use, to the – if you could use this words in relation to light-stands – the quite sexy Manfrotto 1051BAC (B&H), and the taller, but equally sexy Manfrotto 1004BAC (B&H).

Previously I had used the self-collapsing Red-Wing light-stands. The Red-Wings aren’t made anymore, but the clever design has been taken up by the Cheetah Stand. (I think the Kwik-Stand was a similar design.) These self-collapsing / self-expanding light-stands are an innovative design that makes the moving of the light-stands a breeze. You pick one up, and it collapses. Great. The only problem is that the center column of the stand, which acts as the opening mechanism, acts like a 4th support to the stand. Now, the entire idea why a tripod is stable on uneven ground, is because it has three legs. You add one more, and work on uneven ground, then the light-stand is wobbly. Super-annoying. (As an example, check my comment #25 in the review of the Canon 200mm f2 IS lens, where I used a tall Red-Wing stand.)

Back to the Manfrotto light-stands. They have a few interesting features ..

Both the 6.75′ (2m) tall Manfrotto 1051BAC (B&H),
and the taller 12′ (3.65m) Manfrotto 1004BAC (B&H), are
- light-weight,
- air-cushioned,
- stackable.

The air-cushioning of the prevents damage to equipment or injury to fingers if you forget to fully tighten section locks. However, that these light-stands could be clipped onto each other, and stacked that way, really caught my attention. You can clip several of them together, and this makes them easy to carry. (I can easily carry three of the small light-stands in just one hand.) Since they are stackable like this, it also means you can stand them upright in the corner of a room or sideways on a shelf.

Detail of three light-stands clipped together …

… and a detail image showing one just uncoupled from the others. The other clip is in the foot section.

The reverse side of the three light-stands stacked together. That red clip you see there is the knob with which you tighten the legs to the center pole of the light-stand. Quite elegant and compact.

Detail of the light-stand with its feet extended.

That connector you see there in the middle, becomes the foot of the light-stand when collapsed.

Here are three 1051BC units clipped together.

In this image shown at the top, I used the larger 1004BAC unit to hold the Lastolite EzyBox softbox kit (B&H) up to the correct height. Since our model, Carrie, was standing on this ledge, I needed more elevation than the smaller light-stand could give me. I also needed something a little more sturdy against the softbox being blown over in the wind. The light-stand in the background is the smaller 1051BAC since it just needed to hold up a single speedlight (with battery pack), to light up part of the background.

If you’d like to see more about the specifications of these Manfrotto light-stands, or order them from B&H, please use the following affiliate links:

Manfrotto 1051BAC (B&H), which can also be ordered as a set of three light-stands.
Manfrotto 1004BAC (B&H), which too can be ordered as a set of three light-stands.

truly portable light-weight option:

The update to the classic collapsible light-stand by Manfrotto, is the Manfrotto Nano 5001B. This is ideal for photographers who travel and need their gear compact.

lower-cost alternatives:

If you’d like a lower cost set of light-stands, the 6′ tall Impact light-stands are around $20 each. There is also the 8′ tall Impact light-stands for $35 each. Impact also makes a 45′ convertible umbrella for $15. Then you just need an umbrella bracket to hold it all together.

And for those who would love to see what the final images looked like:

Our model is lit by wirelessly controlled TTL flash – speedlight in the softbox;
the background is lit by direct off-camera manual flash, triggered by a PocketWizard Plus II unit.

With the background light disabled.

Why did I choose wirelessly controlled TTL flash to give enough light on our model .. but used manual flash for the background. Because I could. And wanted to. It all works.

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Stay informed of new articles via the monthly newsletter.
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If you need more direct help or instruction on flash photography,
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If you find these articles interesting and of value, then you can help by
using these affiliate links to order equipment & other goodies. Thank you!

25 Comments »

I admire your intelligent curiosity to test things out. Even light stands become cooler through thoughtful review.

But even better than the thoughtful review, it’s great to see another peek at the Lastolite Ezy Box in action.

Comment by Sean S — June 26, 2010 @ 5:48 am
Hello Neil
I like the color and contract in your photographs are you using Nikon ” Portrait” picture controls with your own adjustments? Would you mind sharing with us your settings?
Anoop

Comment by Anoop Nair — June 26, 2010 @ 7:49 am
Anoop, i use ACR / Bridge (which is similar to Lightroom then) to edit my RAW files. Therefore the specific Picture Controls on my camera have no influence on the final image.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 26, 2010 @ 7:50 am
Neil, are you shooting in manual for this as usual, and if so how do you tell the TTL flash to be the key light. ie how do you get it, one or two stops over the ambient?

If you set your camera at say F5.6 does the flash not just put out F5.6 worth of light, and if you go say +1.5ev is the image not then over exposed.

Many thanks John.

I found this TTL and Wireless setup, works great for 1st dance shots!

Comment by John — June 26, 2010 @ 7:59 am
John .. with the camera in manual mode (or any other mode), the TTL flash will follow whatever aperture and ISO are set. Then you use flash exposure compensation (FEC) to control the TTL flash.

So if the ambient exposure is correct at f5.6 then I could set f8. .. and the flash exposure will follow, and hence be the key light.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 26, 2010 @ 9:15 am
Neil, showing the lighting set-up behind the camera is idea inspiring.
It adds a whole ‘nother dimension to an already excellent site.

Thanks – Fred

P.S. Can the PocketWizard Plus II unit fire strobes TTL?

Comment by Fred Hoegeman — June 26, 2010 @ 10:13 am
The remote flash can’t be used in TTL mode with the Plus II unit.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 26, 2010 @ 11:10 am
Hi Neil,
So the backround is manual and triggered with PW. So you have a PW transmitter on the camera hotshoe. How do you then also wirlessly trigger the iTTL for the main light?

Thanks!

Scott

Comment by scott — June 26, 2010 @ 8:13 pm
Hi there Scott .. the PW is connected via the camera’s PC terminal. The hot-shoe mounted speedlight is set to Master, and is pointed towards the slaved flash on the softbox. I disabled the (on-camera) Master flash’s output. It is only used to trigger the Slaved flash (on the softbox.)

The PocketWizard tripped the flashgun (manual flash), in the background.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 26, 2010 @ 10:58 pm
And I just ordered one of the Cheetah Stands (the smaller version). Are the Manfrotto legs easy to collapse in case you just want to hold it like a pole? With the RedWing design, you just has to pick it up from the floor to get the pole form.

If you put a Manfrotto stand on a sloped ground surface as shown in comment #25 of that Canon lens review, wouldn’t you have the same potential instability? (i.e. tipping over if it’s too heavy in one direction)

I don’t think a 4th leg in and of itself is the cause of the stability, but the fact that in the RedWing/CheetahStand design, the 4th leg controls the opening and closing of the other three legs. If you put the RedWing on uneven ground, the ground pushes against the 4th leg, causing the other three legs to contract, which is not what you want.

Comment by Stephen — June 26, 2010 @ 11:15 pm
Stephen … to get a light-stand to stand upright / perpendicular on an uneven surface, you need one of the legs to be independent from the others in how you can angle it.

With these Manfrotto light-stands, the 3 legs move in unison. So in the example I linked to, these light-stands would also have stood at an angle.

But what made the Red-Wing stands difficult to use, (and the Cheetah stands would be similar), is that the light-stand could now see-saw over the center-column that is now pushing against something slightly elevated on the ground. It is this unbalanced see-saw rocking motion that makes it difficult to use as a light-stand outdoors.

The Red-Wing light-stands and Cheetah light-stands are really nice to use like that .. you just need one hand to lift and hold it. The legs automatically collapse, making it easier to carry.

So these Manfrotto light-stands would work like regular light-stands in that regard. The legs remain splayed, until you use two hands to collapse it.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 26, 2010 @ 11:16 pm
Neil, every post is like a continuation of the next, brilliant. I think the answer to Scott’s question is that a wireless transmitter (SU-800 or additional SB-900) is on the hotshoe and the PW is fired from the chord connected to the PC outlet on the camera body. My question: Is the additional SB-900 better to use instead of the SU-800 because the 900 rotates to face the flash on the light stand guaranteeing the beam gets where it needs to go?

Comment by Alfred — June 26, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
Alfred … in this case I didn’t use my SU-800 (wireless TTL controller) like I wanted to, because the battery was flat. I had 3 speedlights with me anyway, so it wasn’t any drama to just slip the one speedlight onto my hot-shoe.

The speedlight is handier though. Like you mention, you can point the flash-head directly to the Slaved flash being triggered. If you use multiple Slaves over a larger area, you will be better off with something like the Radio-Poppers.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 26, 2010 @ 11:20 pm
Hi Neil,
I see what you are talking about now. I am looking at the CheetahStand pictures on their website, and the bottom end of the center column is not at the same plane as the bottom of the three legs. So, if there was a bump or rock right where the center column is, there would be the see-saw motion that you mentioned. I mistakenly thought the bottom end of the center column was at the same plane as the bottom of the three legs.

Are your RedWings permanently retired now in favor of the Manfrottos?

Comment by Stephen — June 27, 2010 @ 12:48 am
Stephen .. the problem exists with the Red-Wing stands exactly because the bottom of the center column is on the same plane as the leg tips .. Ie, level with the ground. THAT is why 4 legs on the ground can cause a rocking motion when the ground is uneven. Three legs vs four legs. Tripod vs table.

I’m considering selling my smaller Red-Wing stands, and only keeping my tall ones, which I use for lighting at weddings.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 27, 2010 @ 12:56 am
I must need new glasses, because I obviously was not viewing the Cheetahstand picture correctly. :-) Sorry for the misunderstanding.

The Manfrotto’s center base is above the plane of the three legs, so if there was a small bump in the ground underneath the Manfrotto, the tripod would not see-saw.

Once I receive my CheetahStand, I will see this see-saw firsthand. :-) I’ll have to decide whether to keep it or try to sell it. The fact that the 3 Manfrottos can snap together is quite compelling.

Comment by Stephen — June 27, 2010 @ 1:37 am
[...] most recently commented postsreview: lightstands – Manfrotto 1051BAC and 1004BAC [...]

Pingback by model – Carrie « Neil vN – tangents — June 27, 2010 @ 2:00 am
Neil
from one of your answer from this page you said “if the the ambient exposure is correct at f5.6 then I could set f8. .. and the flash exposure will follow, and hence be the key light”.
How do you measure the Ambient light with camra builtin meter? so what you you adjust to get the exact exposure Shutterspeed,ISO,or F stop adjust them untill you get the camara meter exactly “0″ ? if want to keep the Shallow depth of field should i go Shutterspeed 2 Stop higher and get the same effect of F8 and give a touch of flash to highlight the Subject

Thanks
Anoop

Comment by Anoop Nair — June 27, 2010 @ 3:22 am
Anoop .. check this series of articles on light metering using your camera’s built-in meter. As well as this page on metering techniques. It should be a good start.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — June 27, 2010 @ 7:44 am
Neil
I would like to get into off camera flash, would i be better to start off with an umbrella to shoot thru and shoot into or would i be better putting the money to a softbox, i would only be using speedlights at the moment. A lot to learn. Great posts as usual, i do enjoy the diagrams helping us to have a go. Thanks.

Comment by Jannine — June 27, 2010 @ 9:07 am
Jannine … here is a comparison between a softbox and using a shoot-through umbrella and a bounce umbrella.

Neil vN

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Comment by Neil vN — June 27, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
How is the stability of the smaller stand? The specs say it has a footprint of only 28 inches! The nano stand goes almost as high and has about a 42 inch footprint. It can’t hold as much weight, but it’s fine for a speedlight/softbox.

Comment by Bill — June 28, 2010 @ 9:25 am
Bill .. it’s quite stable with a speedlight. No real issues there. Obviously a larger footprint would help, but I like the idea that I can carry a pack of three of them easily in just one hand, as a real advantage.

It’s a trade-off either way, and one that I think will be up to personal preference.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — July 7, 2010 @ 11:01 pm
Hi Niel
I have a quick question

I’m considering purchasing the Manfrotto Nano Stand
How do stand up in the wind with a softbox or umbrella.

Comment by Lou Recine — April 28, 2011 @ 12:44 am
Not even the large light-stand shown here will stay up during wind with an umbrella attached. You’d have to sandbag it to keep it down, or have someone hold it upright.

So the Nano Stand would be even less suited for this purpose.

Neil vN

Comment by Neil vN — April 28, 2011 @ 2:51 am