Manfrotto 231B Black 8' Column Light Stand with Sliding Arm

2020-09-10T08:49:37

This is a really great tripod stand!

KERRY E.

2018-11-04T13:53:19

I love this stand! Great flexibility for doing floor props with babies then standing shots with parents. Nice wide base too so it is very stable.

Danielle L.

2018-02-13T11:47:23

We needed a stand that would allow us to get our large umbrella low to the ground. This one does the job! It is sturdy and well built yet easy to move and adjust the height of the light. I would recommend this stand.

JEAN M.

2016-10-19T08:28:03

I don't know why I waited so long to order this! My 86" PLM And Einstein lights work perfectly on this. Its so much more steady and rolls so easy! It already comes assembled and all you do is put the light in. So worth the money!

JENNIFER P.

2010-02-20T19:00:00

Pricey, but worth the dough. These make set-up so easy, I often take them on location. Particulary useful for frequent changes to your lighting setup.

WILLIAM P.

2007-03-15T21:00:00

I was looking for an inexpensive camera stand w/casters for my D70S in my small studio but most stands were 4x as much as this Bogen 231! Bogen advertised this stand first as a light stand with a short verbiage as a camera stand. I was skeptical about using it as a camera stand. There's not a lot of pictures or information on the Internet about it. I'll try to give more information in this review for those of you who are in the same boat as I was. After much research and hesitation, I decided to purchase the 231B (black version). All I can say is the stand met all of my expectation. The stand was much larger than I'd imagined [in photos] but my initial reaction was NICE QUALITY! The casters move very smoothly and quietly across the floor and they are lockable. The wheels are made of soft rubber, not those cheap plastic that can't grip the floor. When each wheel is locked, it prevents the wheel from rolling and turning. My only gripe is it takes some effort to unlock each wheel (I think the unlock tab is a little short so there's not a lot of leverage you could apply with your fingers to unlock the wheel). The column is made of aluminum and comes in two sections totaling 8'. It is a hollow column, thus reducing weight. For my setup, I had to saw off a foot off from the top because my ceiling is only 7'. The sawing part was easy to do with a hacksaw. Then, I reattached the plastic end cap to the [new] column top. Perfect! The sliding arm is made of metal and it grips the column very tightly. To slide it up and down, you press the large trigger towards the column and slide it any direction. Release and it grips automatically! The arm is strong enough to hold my Nikon D70s (and probably heavier cameras as well -- heck, it's designed to hold a monoblock light! Remember, this thing is a light stand.) The length of the arm is like 10" (I think) so it'll accomodate any SLR just fine. The arm comes with a reversable spigot for two size attachments. I simply mount a ballhead (mine is 1/4") to it and behold, my camera mount is all set! I now leave my DSLR on the arm at all times. The legs are foldable so if you need to store the stand, just slide the holding tabs and fold each leg towards the column. When the legs are fully extended, they cover a large area (I don't remember the specs but they are wide enough to prevent the unit from tipping over). Keep in mind that the column is made of aluminum so the stand itself is very light. That makes the center of gravity very low without any equipments mounted on the column. I'm trying to find a bag for the stand so I could transport it from time to time but I'll need a large bag because the casters added some width to the unit. In summary, Negatives: None. Except, the casters are hard to unlock. Positives: The stand is very light. The construction is bold and durable. Casters are smooth and quiet. Foldable legs for storage and portability is definitely a plus!! Ability to add additional sliding arms a plus as well (two cameras? a camera and a light source? multiple options here). Hope this helps your decision! Good luck!

J T.