Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

One of my uses is to light backgrounds.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

A lightweight stand which is very versatile due to it's compact size when collapsed and the thread adaptor that it comes with. A good price too.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

I travel quite a lot and work on location. I use speedlites with battery pack and various light modifiers for portraits. The Manfroto stand is reliable when used with a light weight set up. ( I wouldn't put my Bowens studio light on it!). It is short when folded and I can pack it my trolley together with the rest of my gear.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

After buying a cheaper copy of this and having it fail, I bought the Manfrotto version and the difference in quality is apparent straight away. It was bought for off camera flash because of how compact and portable it is. It ticks all the boxes. Using it with an umbrella or a softbox outdoors obviously comes with it's hazards especially if there's a slight breeze, but this is the same for any lighting stand, but these can always be weighted down or in the case of this stand if you're on grass etc held down with one or two tent/gazebbo pegs as the legs go flat to the ground. Indoors it's great and if you're bouncing off an umbrella you get plenty of height to work with. Well worth the money! Recommended.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

Good sold lightweight stand.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

I love the fact that this little stand is so compact. I fly a lot so weight and size are very important. This fills the brief perfectly.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

Good stands for off camera flash when used with a tilt head and brolly and hot shoe type flash.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

Got this for off camera lighting at weddings with a flash.

I have only used it for flashes without softboxes and it has worked fine. ( I have not used softboxes because I don't want to carry too much ) For me they have worked fine and been steady.

I have not used them when it is windy so cannot comment on that but in the wind with a reasonable size softbox I would worry about how stable they would be.

But for a lightweight alternative to lugging a tripod around they work a treat

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

Well as with all Manfrotto stuff, its well made, ideal for speedlite photography, would really struggle with a mono head. Best not to extend to the full height, or not use the last element of the height to aid a wobble free speedlite.

I have only used indoors, and they are good, I have one always with me in my tripod bag and the other in my light bag for studio work. However I am considering getting a sandbag to use outdoors.

Well worth the money.

Comments about Manfrotto 5001B Nano Stand:

Some pieces of equipment are essential. Some are just extremely helpful. These stands are somewhere in the middle.
If you use Studio lights, you need light stands. But these are not best suited for a Studio. They are light, and easier to knock over that their larger siblings.
However, for location work they're perfect. They do hold large studio lights (such as Bowens Gemini 500) very well, but I feel they're best suited to holding standard flashguns (such as Canon EX 580 II's).

As they're very small, easy to use, and quick to set up, it's better to take these with you on location, over normal sized stands. Which is why I feel they sit in the middle 'essential' and 'making life easy' gear. Either way I would certainly recommend them.

Build quality is good, but not perfect. The legs have a wide range of movement (nearly 180˚), so there's quite a lot of play there. Otherwise no problems, the legs lock well and securely.