What do you use as a lightstand weight?

Jaffster

Jaffster

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Danny
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Do you carry around weights especially for this very reason or do you improvise with your camera bag / equipment in some way?

Strobe/light umbrellas can take off with only the slightest of wind, I'm wondering what the tool of choice is for you guys to stop this from happening?
 
I bought one of the lastolite sandbags from speedgraphic when I bought the stand and fill it up on location!
 
Sandbags. EBay sell them iirc. That or I lean heavy stuff that's lying around on them.
 
I filled a couple of pairs of old football socks with large pebble I had in the garden. 2 of these on the bottom of a lightstand and it can stand a gale force blow.

Ian
 
I use guy ropes and pegs if the location is suitable, which most of my shoots tend to be.
They weigh nothing, cost next to nothing and take up no real room. The only additional item of any real consequence is the mallet.

Three ropes per stand, and I've been quite happy in some rather hair raising winds. It also means the stands can be utilised at some very strange angles, without any danger of them falling over. Takes about two minutes per stand to deploy, and next to no time to remove.

The only drawback is if you need to move the stand, but I'd rather spend a couple of minutes tugging and re-deploying, than spending an hour looking for the best prices for a replacement tube or head. (I use a Lencarta Safari in this manner, and in all sorts of weather).
 
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Having broken brollys and flashguns I now use guy ropes and pegs, of you get velcro weights from Argos that are designed to go around runners ankles/wrists
 
How heavy do the weights have to be?

The ones that velcro on only seem to be a couple of kilos at the most. Look good but surely too light?

Andy
 
daddy day care said:
How heavy do the weights have to be?

The ones that velcro on only seem to be a couple of kilos at the most. Look good but surely too light?

Andy
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing. I suppose it depends on the brolly size and wind speed. I may invest in some sand bags... It is much cheaper than replacing my sony flashgun and 45" umbrella which are both now broken :-(
 
I don't shoot outside with this equipment, but for indoors, I use sandbags and always have them filled, so always carry the weight whenever I use my lights.
 
Mine will be indoor use as well.

Amazing how much force a hyper-active 4 year old can exert :shake:

Andy
 
Just got in from a shoot on a VERY windy beach (and I was shooting confetti.....). Two of these full of sand kept everything in place.

http://www.yogamad.com/product/yoga-mad-sand-bag-purple

Except mine don't say "Om" on them. And cost a lot less (can't remember where I got them).

BTW for hyperactive 4 year olds castors can be better than weights. Kids knock them out of the way rather than over. Somebody clever could calculate how much weight you need to counterbalance a 4 year old with a 90cm lever advantage. I'm guessing a fair bit.
 
Yeah don't overfill them (you want them floppy) and you can lie them nicely on the legs. They also have a "carry" strap. You can feed the main tube of the stand through that and they stay in place.

When you fill them use a chute of some kind (even rolled up paper) or you will get sand in the zip ;) IIRC a big bag of sand from B&Q is perfect for 5.
 
Cheers for the link Jonathan, £4 each for them (if ordering 5+) is a bargain...
 
Fast delivery as well.

Mine came today!

They look very good quality. Just need to go and get some sand now.

Andy
 
daddy day care said:
How heavy do the weights have to be?

The ones that velcro on only seem to be a couple of kilos at the most. Look good but surely too light?

Andy
Click to expand...

Glad your sorted.
As for the weights - depends on how much your using, how far your carrying the gear, size of the brollys, strength of the wind, how wide the legs of your lightstand go etc. Sometimes 4 kilos is enough.
 
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