MINI TESTS
TRIAD-ORBIT STAND SYSTEM £207/$288 stand, £106/$147mini boom www.gb.colorconfidence.com
It’s not often something comes out to revolutionise lighting stands. The C-stand and regular telescopic stands have been around since the dawn of filmmaking with virtually no changes. But now American firm Triad-Orbit is taking its experience of making high-end microphone stands and is using that technology to create an all- new range of lighting stands. Starting with a basic tripod-style light stand, you can add on various accessories to build up a whole unit that can take more than one light, add on an iPad or mic or anything else you can think of that you might need to hold in safety. Instead of using traditional thumbscrews to adjust the stand, the Triad-Orbit T2 stand uses a professional-grade clutch with a knurled metal clutch barrel. You twist the clutch to open, adjust the stand then tighten it up again. It’s easy to get a good grip on the barrel thanks to its finish and special anti-slip coating, and comfortable to get enough grip to really lock the stand down. Each leg of the base has four ratcheted positions that provide a pitch of up to 65° to accommodate uneven surfaces and stacking. To adjust the angle of these, there is a simple foot-actuated latch on each leg so you don’t have to bend down to change the stand. It’s a good, solid system that is fast and simple to use. The top of the stand features a quick-change coupler; you click in the accessory you need then slide down a small sleeve to take it out again. As these were originally designed for microphones, you first fit an adapter that has a standard video-size thread on it for you to fasten your lights. An alternative is to use one of Triad-Orbit’s boom arms. We used the Mini Boomwhich comes with a very
well-made ball head that clicks into place on top of the stand using the quick-release coupler. The ball head is locked down using a large lockscrew to keep things in place. At the end of the boom arm is another quick-release fastener, so you can fit on the standard lighting adapter that is supplied. The boom itself can be adjusted with a pair of large metal clutch barrels, like the main stand. There is a weight at the end of the boom, so you can slide the boom along its shaft to get the balance right and the light in the right position. The Mini Boom is not very long –more like a mic stand really – but longer versions are available. The whole set-up takes very little time to get up and running, and once locked in place is a very solid bit of kit. It’s easy to adjust, and you can add on any accessories that you like. The only downsides are the weight and the size of the kit. It’s reasonably heavy to cart around, as it gets a lot of stability from its weighty base and all-metal construction. The major drawback is the size as it’s just not big and burly enough for large LED panels. It’s fine for small lights but just isn’t big enough to hold some of the large professional LED, HMI or tungsten lights. For those, you need to stick to large stands. But for smaller lights, mics and the like, the Triad-Orbit brings something new and funky to the market. It works well, is fast and easy to use and doesn’t break the bank. AD. “You can add on various accessories to build up a whole unit”
RIGHT The Triad-Orbit stand system brings something completely new to lighting stands. BELOW The ball head clicks securely into
place; each leg has four
ratcheted positions.
SPECIFICATIONS TRIAD-ORBIT T2 STAND
Included accessories: IO-H1 Standard⅝inMountingHead, ⅝in female to⅜inmale adapter, adjustment wrench MaximumFootprint: 61cm/24in MinimumHeight: 91.5cm/36in Maximumheight:180.3cm/71in Collapsed size: 88.9cm/35in Weight: 5.54kg/12.25lb MINI BOOM ARM BoomArmRange: 31-55cm/ 12.2-21.65in Range ofMotion: 360°x190° Weight: 1.93kg/4.25lbs
PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 Pros: A new sort of modular stand system Cons: Not for the heaviest lights
123
SUMMER 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook