SmallRig Aluminum Light Stand 110"/9.2ft/280cm, Adjustable Photography Air-Cushioned Tripod Stand with 1/4" Thread for Softbox, Studio Light, Flash, Umbrella, Ring Light, Max Load 5kg, RA-S280A - 3737

I compared this SmallRig combo stand to the Impact combo stand since they are exactly the same price. Unfortunately the SmallRig one doesn't quite stand up to the same quality as the Impact one. First they went with these flip down clamps versus the screw down ones like used on the Impact one. The screw down ones are more stable in my opinion. The legs are also slightly thinner than the Impact one. Finally the light stand spud is part of the light stand instead of being removable like the Impact one so you can use other baby pin accessories.That being said this is still a very good combo stand for your light weight to mid size gear. If it was priced down to about $79 I would easily add another star to this review.

Reporting the lightstand to reach 110 inches or 9.2 feet tall, a SmallRig marketing photo shows it set up properly, the legs at widest splay, thus each leg's bridge to the central column fully horizontal. Yet I get 104'', or 8.7'. I prefer 9.5', a leeway for standing portraits, but the boom arm overcomes any height deficit.The build quality at first feels flawless, except one part. On the boom arm's pivot fixture, the handle to lock the pivot angle is cheap plastic. It nests a lightweight alloy—its smooth surface to compress an opposing, replaceable washer—and this nests a threaded socket. The socket is harder but its threading is subtle, merely passable for the torque.Elsewhere, there is a mounting limitation trivial. Each stud or pin—5/8'' diameter, one atop the lightstand per se, and one at the boom arm's end—is irremovable. On some lightstands, it can exit to enter a side slot—thus point sideways—or to reverse, exposing the 5/8'' pin's other tip, 3/8'' diameter & 16 thread pitch. Here, we get one tip, 1/4'' & 20 pitch.On a lightstand as tall and sturdy as this lightstand, though, the threaded pins—otherwise just "bolts"—are usually irrelevant, because the relevant lighting equipment mounts via 5/8'' receiver, an unthreaded socket. To get all three standard mounts of ordinary photographic lighting, anyway, we simply bring an  adapter with a 1/4''-20 female and a 3/8''-16 male .Lightstands with a builtin boom arm—the uppermost tube tilting sideways—put the pivot point far below the lightstand's tallest. This boom arm, separate, mounts by 5/8'' socket to a pure lightstand's very top. The connection fixture, pivoting, clamps the boom arm anywhere between its own flip lock and foam grip. The grip adds 8'' to the folded lightstand's 37.5''.To well secure the interface, the 5/8'' stud's beveled side faces the 5/8'' socket's thumbscrew. To rotate the boom arm, as to align with a lightstand leg, we preferably open one of the lightstand's flip locks first. With only the lower tube raised, legs properly spread, we get 72'' or 6'. Fully raising the upper tube adds 32''. As this weakens the joints, we do not fully raise a tube.When retaining a few inches of tube, each joint mildly flexes, capping weight capacity. Yet the tubes are broad, and their flip locks metal. The legs are long, 27'' each, and their one thumbscrew's caliber, 1/4''-20, exceeds the boom arm's pivot lock. Air cushioning, slowing tubes' descent, thwarts high momentum. The boom arm, of course, lacks air cushioning, unheeded there.Merely, we lack the ruggedness of a C stand, built for cinematography. Not all lightstands ought to be C stands. As well demonstrated in a review video, if we have this lightstand with a leg sandbagged 40 lb and the boom arm fully extended, pivot fixture abutting the foam grip, and counterbalanced with 30 lb of sandbags for a 7 lb light, then we needed a C stand and a longer boom arm [R3AMT87WJJ5NI3].C stands' legs have a horizontal part welcoming sandbags. A photography lightstand lacks a part designed for that. While a boom arm favors the strobe type "flash head"—since its "power pack" is separate and kept lower—the budget option is the "monolight" strobe type, housing the flash tube and power supply together. I would limit this boom arm to 5' long, well balanced, and a 5 lb light, enough for a powerful monolight or many a video light of monolight form factor.Adorama's store brand Flashpoint and B&H's store brand Impact are rivals. Check where the boom arm pivots. Is there air cushioning? Is 13' feet excessive? Is the stud beveled? Overall, I favor flip locks—everywhere on this SmallRig except the legs' sole lock, a thumbscrew—surer than thumbscrews. Yet for frequent height or length changes, pressing flip locks can tax the hand. Also, my lightstand's upper flip lock often sounds an excess pop, unexplained. The lack of a tote bag frees me from another unused bag. adapter with a 1/4''-20 female and a 3/8''-16 male

I was very impressed with the build quality of this SmallRig light stand. It's all metal (including the telescoping locks) except for the pivot lock on the boom arm. When properly set up, with the leg spreaders fully extended, it comes up a little shy of the stated 9.2 feet (you can get to 9.2 feet if you set it up so that the leg spreaders aren't fully extended, but that is not recommeded, expecially if you are using the boom arm). These stands are perfect for replacing the really cheap stands that come with the Neewer or GVC light panels. The boom arm lends a lot of vesatility to the stand, but becuase the lock for the boom arm works by friction (rather than metal teeth that grab a ridged circular cam), you really have to be careful about the load when using the boom arm. The boom arm is ideal for a shotgun mic in talking head videos, but I wouldn't strust it with a COB light ans a softbox (although the stand without the boom arm is fine for this application). Finally, the air cushion feature is a real plus, especially at this price point. This stand is very similar in construction to the SmallRig RA-S280-3736 model, which is essentially the same stand without the boom. In all, the quality of this SmallRig light stand is excellent for the price.

For a lightweight LED, boom mic, GoPro, etc, this is a great lightweight stand with a boom pole. This is NOT in the league of a c-stand, so if you need to fly a heavy light, get a c-stand, but for lightweight needs, this is super nice. I made a short video that hopefully explains all of the features, and also shows that you need to stay within the recommended weight limit to be safe.

SmallRig has quickly become one of my favorite brands in the film/video space. They make affordable and high quality products and accessories. I’ve collected several of their lights over the years, and other smaller cases and accessories. This light stand is something else, though. This is truly a high quality piece of gear. It’s aircushioned and works so smoothly. And the boom arm piece allows you to get your light up and over in a way that isn’t possible with a standard light stand.It folds up to be so compact making it easy to take to set. And it’s remarkably lightweight for such a large and sturdy stand. You’ll obviously want to use sandbags with this if you’re putting a heavy light on it. But sandbagging probably isn’t 100% necessary for smaller/lighter lights and gear you may be using this stand with.This stand is compatible with all standard lighting gear thanks to the 1/4”-20 threading. It’s made of stainless steel, so it can take a beating. I foresee myself using this light stand for years and years to come. Such a great addition to my kit.