Manfrotto Nano Light Stand review: a small but reasonably tall light stand

In the field of tripods and other photographic supports, Manfrotto is one of the biggest names in the business. And it’s been that way as long as most of us can remember. From the company’s current line-up of lighting stands, the Manfrotto 5001B-1 Nano Light Stand sets out to achieve a specific purpose. 

It aspires to a modest but fairly useful maximum operating height, while folding down to a smaller size than most competing light stands, as well as being rather more lightweight. The upshot is that it’s ideal for carrying around when you need to use studio flash or LED light panels on location, saving the chore of lugging big, hefty stands around with you. 

As such, it gives a viable, portable alternative to some of the best light stands, while catering to some of the best photography lighting kits and the best LED light panels.

Manfrotto Nano Light Stand: Specifications

Manfrotto Nano Light Stand: Price

Compared with many mainstream light stands, the Manfrotto 5001B-1 Nano Light Stand is quite a pricey affair. It retails for around $89/£69. You could argue that you’re paying for the name to some extent, and the dependability that the Manfrotto brand inspires, but this light stand has more moving parts than many competitors and I feel that, all things considered, it sells for a fair price.

Manfrotto Nano Light Stand: Design & Handling

How do you make something tall but small? Think about tripods rather than lighting stands and you’ve probably already jumped to the right conclusion. Whereas most competing light stands have three telescopic sections in their main columns, the Manfrotto 5001B-1 Nano Light Stand has five. 

This in itself enables it to fold down small while still achieving a fairly respectable maximum operating height of 190 cm / 6.2'. That’s still a bit on the short side for shooting portraits of particularly tall people when they’re standing up but should suffice most of the time.

Another upside (if I can call it that) of the 5-section column is that the stand can work at lower levels than most when you want to use studio flash or LED light panels at a smaller height. Indeed, this stand can be used at a height of just 49cm / 1.6'. 

That’s not only ideal for low-level main lighting but also means that you can use the stand effectively for a backdrop light positioned behind the main subject, as it’ll generally be sufficiently low down to be out of the image frame. That’s a plus point for versatility.

The other main factor in space-saving is that, whereas most light stands have fold-out legs, the ones in this Manfrotto swing upwards for greater compactness when stowed. Again, it’s a similar arrangement to that used in the vast majority of recent ‘travel tripods’. The three legs themselves are made from flat, solid sections of aluminum rather than from chunkier tubular sections.

While compactness might be key for many, there are cons as well as pros. Again, by comparison to most other lighting stands, the base section takes slightly longer to fold out. Then there are no less than four clamps involved to loosen and lock the five sections of the central column. 

Not only is that double the number of clamps to contend with, but each clamp has a screw-action mechanism with a T-handle, and the same goes for the base section. Each of the five clamps in total takes more time and effort than using quick-action, clip-lock clamps. 

Suffice it to say there’s a lot of twiddling to be done, loosening and tightening all the clamps of this light stand.

Manfrotto Nano Light Stand: Performance

I tested the Manfrotto 5001B-1 Nano Light Stand with an Elinchrom D-Lite 2 flash head fitted with a wide-angle reflector, which weighs in at 1.3kg / 2.9lb, and a Neewer NL660S LED light panel, loaded with two rechargeable battery packs, weighing 2kg / 4.4lb. 

That’s quite a big ask, considering that the maximum payload rating of the stand is just 1kg / 2.2lb. Even so, I found that the Manfrotto was able to reliably support either my flash head or my LED panel, at its full operating height.

Each of the three leg sections measures about 48cm / 19" in length. Due to the unusual design of the legs compared with most light stands, you can fold them out so they’re completely horizontal, therefore giving a good maximum spread for enhanced added stability. 

The column sections start off with a fairly chunky diameter at the bottom, but shrink to quite a spindly measurement at the top, with diameters of 25/22/19/16/13mm as you work your way upwards. When extending all five sections for maximum operating height, the stand feels a little flimsy and prone to wobbling but still bears a decent load and there’s no hint of sagging in any of the joints. 

Manfrotto Nano Light Stand: Verdict

Due to its modest maximum height of 190cm / 6.2', I feel the Manfrotto 5001B-1 Nano Light Stand isn’t the ideal solution for shooting portraits of tall people when standing. Apart from that, however, it does a good job and comes into its own when I want the option of low-level lighting, down to a height of 49cm / 1.6'. The main attraction is that it’s relatively light in weight and folds down particularly small for a light stand, making it a good travelling companion for location shoots. As far as I’m concerned, it’s one for the road, rather than for the home or studio.