I like that the Amazon Basics Aluminum Light Stand twin pack comprises two separate light stands, complete with carrying bags, for less than the price I’d expect to pay for a single (budget) light stand. However, build quality and maximum load rating are a little disappointing. Ultimately, they’re cheap to buy but you only get what you pay for.
Pros
+
2 stands included
+
Reasonable max height
+
Cheap to buy
Cons
-
Limited max load rating
-
No air cushioning
-
Feels built down to a price
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Amazon needs no introduction. Let’s just say that the company started selling books out of Mr Bezos’s garage in 1994 and has become ‘the everything store’ with an inventory stretching all the way to own-brand photographic light stands. The Amazon Basics range has become renowned for including decent products at rock-bottom prices.
That’s certainly the case here, with not just one but two light stands included in the pack, both with their own separate carrying bags that have adjustable shoulder straps. As such, they aim to undercut some of the best light stands, as well as offer stable support for the best photography lighting kits and the best LED light panels.
Twice as much really can be twice as good – the Amazon Basics kit includes two light stands. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)
Amazon Basics Light Stand: Specifications
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Max height
213cm / 6.7'
Min height
85cm / 2.8'
Load capacity
3.17kg / 7lb (each)
Weight
1.22kg / 2.69lb (each)
Top mount
5/8" receiver, 1/4"-20 screw
Amazon Basics Light Stand: Price
The selling price of around $35 / £36 is less than you might expect to pay for a single budget lights stand, so it’s all the more remarkable that this kit includes two stands. The kit is ideal for dual light setups, like when using a key light and fill light with two separate studio flash heads or LED panels.
Amazon Basics Light Stand: Design & Handling
The design is entirely conventional for a pair of lightweight light stands. The base section comprises three fold-out legs with a screw clamp and a three-section extending column which has clip locks for the two extending sections. Up on top, there’s the usual 5/8" receiver, which incorporates the often-featured 1/4"-20 screw stud. This makes it easy to attach regular studio flashheads or LED panels, as well as a flashgun mounted in a tripod-friendly cold shoe/stand.
The stands fold down pretty small but offer a reasonable if not overly lofty maximum operating height of 213cm / 6.7'. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)
I can’t say the design is a ‘no expense spared’ affair, quite the opposite in fact. That’s no surprise, given the bargain basement price tag. The screw clamp for the base has a small 4-spur handle rather than the often featured bigger T-handle, and the joints don’t feel overly robust. The main column has no springs to cushion the blow if the sections are dropped down too rapidly, and there’s no air cushioning either. On the plus side, the feet have rubber pads and feel quite sturdy.
The legs aren’t particularly long so the stands have quite a small footprint. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)
The length of the base section’s 3-leg spreader is quite modest at 50cm / 20" per leg, which gives a maximum length of about 37cm / 14.5" from the center column to each outlying foot.
That’s certainly not overly generous and makes it important to position the flash head or LED panel directly over one of the feet, rather than facing out from between two of them. This enables you to gain as much stability as possible when using modifiers like brollies or softboxes hanging off the front of the lamp and reduces the risk of the stand toppling over.
The upside is that the relatively small area taken up by the base section makes it easier to work in tight spaces, and around furniture, props, and other obstacles.
As with most light stands, the joints are held together by rivets. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)
The telescopic sections of the center column have diameters of 23.5/20/16.5mm. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)
Amazon Basics Light Stand: Performance
Compared with most light stands I’ve used, these Amazon Basics ones feel a bit on the flimsy side. That’s not surprising as they weigh in at just 0.8kg / 1.76lb each. That’s only about half the weight of many budget light stands.
The telescopic center column has fairly thin diameters of 23.5/20/16.5mm for each of the three sections, and the legs for the base are quite spindly with a diameter of 16mm. Taking all of that into account, what’s more surprising is that each stand has a beefy maximum load rating of 3.17kg / 7lb.
There’s a catch though, in that this load rating is quoted when using only the bottom, thickest section of the column. When extending the middle section, the load rating drops to 2.5kg / 5.5lb and falls to just 0.5kg / 1.1lb when also using the thinnest top section.
The standard 5/8" receiver incorporates a 1/4"-20 screw thread for attaching flashguns or other accessories via a tripod-friendly mounting foot. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)
So what sort of weight are you likely to need to support? As a guide, I tested the stands with one of my trusty Elinchrom D-Lite 2 flash heads plus a wide-angle reflector, which weighs in at 1.3kg / 2.9lb, and one of my Neewer NL660S LED light panels fitted with two rechargeable battery packs, which is somewhat heavier at 2kg / 4.4lb.
Despite both lamps being considerably over the maximum weight limit for full extension, the stands gave no hint of sagging, although they were quite wobbly when nudged.
(Image credit: Matthew Richards)
The full range of height adjustment extends from 85cm / 2.8' to 213cm / 6.7'. The maximum height should suffice for most scenarios but is a bit on the short side if you want to light a standing subject in portraiture.
At full height, the modest distance between the center column and the foot of each leg makes the stand feel a little prone to toppling over. As a rule of thumb, I’d use a sandbag for adding ballast when only using one extending section, two bags for two sections, and three bags when using all three sections. It’s especially important if you’re shooting outdoors in breezy conditions, for example with a battery-powered flash head or LED panel.
Amazon Basics Light Stand: Verdict
The Amazon Basics Aluminum Light Stand twin pack feels a bit flimsy for my liking, especially when using heavier flash heads with fairly large softboxes attached, or LED panels with weighty battery packs installed. The maximum height of 213cm / 6.7' can also feel a bit limiting. Even so, the stands are up to the job, and considering they’re sold as a pair rather than individually, they’re standout value for money.
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Features
There are no fancy frills here and the stands lack air cushioning or drop protection springs.
★★★☆☆
Design
They’re designed to be relatively compact and lightweight, and are nicely finished.
★★★★☆
Performance
The modest maximum operating height and fairly small base spreader are limiting factors.
★★★☆☆
Value
For a pair of light stands complete with carrying bags, they’re great value for money.
★★★★★
(Image credit: Matthew Richards)
Should you buy the Amazon Basics Aluminum Light Stand twin pack?
✅ Buy this...
You want a pair of light stands at a rock bottom price, that come complete with carrying bags.
You want light stands that fold down quite small and have a fairly small footprint when set up for use.
🚫 Don't buy this...
You’d rather have light stands that extend to a more generous maximum operating height.
You need light stands that have a stronger maximum load rating when extended to full height.
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Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners!
His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related.
In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.
