Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi,

I recently purchased a set of the Manfrotto 1004bac stands. I will be using them with my White Lightning X1600 units, as well as the giant foldable softbox, beauty dish, and the PLM. Can anybody suggest a boom that you think would be up to the task? I will be using these both indoor and outdoor on location.

I use an Avenger D600 on my 1004BAC's. While it works fine, sometimes I find it to be too much load on the legs for my taste, since the d600 itself weighs close to 13lbs + the necessary counterweight.... There are several other available boom extensions for Matthews, Manfrotto & others that would basically work for what you need.

Here's my take: If you're shooting in a studio or staying mostly stationary and are looking into a D600, I'd say you'd be better off getting yourself either a heavy-duty C-stand to support it (use the 1004's for other lights instead) or if money is less of an issue, skip this route entirely and get a dedicated studio boom system. For a lighter, or on-the-go location setup the 1004BAC/D600 or Manfrotto boom combo is a good option, just be mindful of your total weight. This post may seem a bit a bit critical of them, and that's not the case at all... I've been using it for quite a bit without incident on location and have gotten great results. YMMV.