Stand for SB-800 and umbrella

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lukewoodford

FYI, I am Luke Woodford.....by Luke Woodford
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I have done a little research but I want to make sure I buy the 100% right thing. I want a stand to hold my SB-800 which will also hold an umbrella? Not quite sure exactly how it works. Ill be using the Nikon CLS system. The flash doesn't need to go super high, its going to be used for lighting human models :)
 
How portable does it need to be? You can buy stands from £10.99 (delivered) from 7dayshop, but they don't fold up very small. On the other hand you can get Manfrotto Nano 001B stands that are super-light and fold down to almost nothing, yet will hold the combo you're talking about with ease. The only down side is they run to about £45 each and are quite hard to find.
 
I bought two Calumet light stands, they weren't cheap at about £40 each but they're really good quality and are air sprung - this is desirable as you don't want your nice but delicate flash crashing down when you undo the screws...

You will also need a flash/umbrella adaptor which are usually about £18 ish (you can buy cheaper online). There are two types, one with a cold shoe on the top and one with a screw thread on top (this being a brass spigot with a 1/4 thread on one end and a 3/8 thread the other) for simplicity you really want the cold shoe type. The umbrella shaft goes through a hole in the centre and another threaded knob keeps it in place. Make sure you have the umbrella going through the right way round. All light stands are basically the same design but some are better than others. I like the Calumet ones because they are very sturdy and also quite light weight.

If you head over to the Strobist blog (first result on google for "strobist") and look at his Strobist 101 series he goes through all this in a clear and concise way, and even posts pictures so you can see what you need.
 
I think CLS is limited to around 30ft, but it must also be clear line of sight in order for the flash to see the camera
 
You might not get such a good range outdoors though, so bear that in mind. Also the camera has to be able to "see" the receiver on the flash, which limits the positions you can place the flash in.
 
lukewoodford said:
Thank for the info guys. Silly question but are the stands universal then? Any flash will hold them?
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They are pretty much, there is a variety of connectors though. I did exactly this although instead of umbrella I have a Photek Softlighter II (umbrella/softbox in one). You'll need any standard light stand, and a hotshoe adapter/bracket with umbrella holder (a lot of cheapo versions on eBay - here for example). I got mine from Jessops but it was awkwardly named so I need to go to the store and see if this is indeed what I think it is.
 
A stand is a stand...

What you can do with one depends on the adaptor you put on the top of it. In you first post you said it didnt need to go that high. Whereas you might want to have your flash at head height, you will also want to be able to get it nice and high too for natural looking results - if you think about it, all our lighting usually comes from above - be it the sun or room lighting. The stands I bought will go up to 10', but I dont have to go that high if the shot I am after doesnt need it. Its good to keep that option though.
 
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