ProMasterLS-CT Compact Travel Light Stand, (Model 5223)

I really wanted to love this stand, it is lightweight, compacts down to almost nothing, and it is adaptable. Where this stand falls very short is in the stands segments and latches. For reasons I think I understand their segment latches are incredibly hard to unlatch and end up being clunky and hurting your fingers trying to open them. I’ve used stands of all sizes from most of the big players out there and this is by far and large the worst latching mechanism on any part of a stand I have ever used and we had a set of 40+ year old Mole Richardson juniors we brought on location multiple times a month... My theory on why they didn’t go with a pressure screw fit is they wanted to eliminate the possibility of a segment coming loose in travel and sliding around, this is common with c-stands. Where they fell very short was making the flush locking latches easy and non painful to operate. The latches also feel super cheap, not like you are going to necessarily break them but this doesn’t feel nearly as study as some of the other plastic used in the photo world.I purchased this almost exclusively for 360 photography, it does a fantastic job of having a small footprint, tall, and still sturdy but if I had to re-adjust this stand on a set to modify a lighting set up multiple times a day I would toss this thing out the window. A side effect of their segment and latch system is the stand segments don’t spin independently, this might be useful to some and it might mean this is not what you are looking for. I didn’t see this info out there so I figured I would mention it.I’m going to keep it because it does what I specifically need it to do in a small use case (360 photography), in this industry it often times feels like you over pay for certain pieces of gear because it’s part of the a/v world, this is one of those objects.

This has the furthest reaching base legs out of any I've had. Second place is Matthews reverse stands. Then Flashpoint nano or Matthews MERF.I tried Matthews MERF, Matthews reverse stand, These, Flashpoint 9 and 7 nano, And Manfrotto 490 and nano. I kept this one and the 2 Matthews ones. But the Flashpoint are a close second. And the Flashpoint 9 is taller then any of them.This models base legs go WAY out. To be more sturdy it would need 4 legs. My only issue is it's very short. So using for a main can't work unless you boom it. Which I do. But booming them I prefer the Matthews Reverse. It's taller to start with.Anyway, It's still a great stand.

The media could not be loaded.  I'd been searching for a high quality, compact lightstand for quick video interview setups when I stumbled on the Promaster LS-CT here on Amazon. The stand is very well built with high quality materials. The flip locks have a satisfying *snap to them that assures me that they're locked in place. The stand isn't very tall at just over 6', but it is certainly tall enough for seated interview lighting. While being much shorter when collapsed compared to a traditional lightstand, it is more substantial widthwise. If you're going to transporting a large tripod in its own dedicated bag, you might as well throw in a regular lightstand instead of this one. However, if you're truly going lightweight with only a camera bag and tiny travel tripod, this could be the lightstand for you.

Now I'm sure my girlfriend has said this about me once or twice and I, as she probably said before making this statement, mean no disrespect but this stand would be perfect if it was a little longer, stiffer at the edge or top end and had a wider stance option instead of extremely narrow and useless to almost there and I'm not 100% sure of putting anything of value on it. It's well made, very compact at 16" although I would have been happy at 18" if it was to provide a longer extension but overall it seems for its build quality and thickness I would have imagined a little longer and sturdier light stand. But i love the design and i spent a long time looking to see if this company made other sizes. If you guys do let me know! This one is just missing the mark otherwise a great stand!

The photos of this stand make it look very lightweight and flimsy. After receiving it, it is anything but. It far exceeded my expectations.This stand is build like a battle tank, with high quality construction. The legs are 1 inch diameter metal tubes that independently lock into several fixed positions, or can be placed in any other position, including straight out horizontally -- or folded straight up for transport or storage. The vertical sections have solid locks and extend easily. The feet are large, 1 inch wide and rubberized. On top is a heavy-duty brass 1/4-20 male tripod mount.I'll be using it for mounting 360 cameras, GoPros, LED lights, and possibly microphones. I value the versatility and all-round usefulness of this product. It's much more than a "light stand."

I do weddings, both photo and video. And I need to be nimble and everything I pack needs to be portable and light. This is the best travel light stand that I've come across and its perfect for my needs. I wish it got a little bit taller, but I'm perfectly happy with everything else. It can be very stable if you put the legs all the way down. I use it with a Godox AD100pro and 50" umbrella with no problem. I also use it with a Godox ML60 and a softbox. Neither of these are heavy lights, and that's by design. I wouldn't use this stand with anything heavier than say an aputure 200d, or with especially large modifiers.

I am VERY impressed. - I carry C-Stands everywhere because they're reliable etc. But not everything needs to be heavy duty, and C-stands don't travel well at all. So I just took this little guy to Ireland for a week and had it strapped to my backpack while I shot cliff sides and it was a dream. Very cool.Update: Years later ai have 4. I use them every day as lights have becomr lighter. - I had a big struggle on the beach yesterday trying to figure out how to sandbag them. Turns out the answer is: Keep the sandbags OFF the legs entirely. Only hang the sandbag from the center column with a safety tie of some kind. Picture attached for example.