Wanting to buy a Copy Stand. Opinions on this one?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/163254094825

It's not a name brand copy stand. It's custom built, and it looks very sturdy. I think the price is reasonable too. What are your thoughts? I appreciate any feedback.

 

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It does look solid with some nice adjustment features. I like the small footprint. Some copy stands take up large amounts of desk space. Price is decent. You won't need anything higher than 36".

 

Thank you @robec! My ultimate goal is to produce superb images like yours, @jtlee321, as well as others. I want to get a copy stand before I get the 100 mm macro lens. I want this to be the year that I finally achieve that perfect setup- no more iPhone. Your stamp of approval means a lot to me.

 

It seems fine, but I'm not without reservations. One thing I worry about is the strength of the grip on the mast when there's a heavy camera mounted to it. You'll be loosening and tightening it, perhaps frequently, and overtightening or bumping the camera while tightened might lead to it cracking. There seems to be sufficient stand-off from the mast to the camera mount to not get the mast in the image when the camera is high. One thing I'd do differently is use a macro focusing rail rather than a tripod ball head for mounting the camera. Another thing you'll have to be careful about is gravity. Be sure you have a hand holding the camera when you go to loosen the movable bits to slide the camera up or down, because if you don't, the camera will crash into the base. I have to deal with this with my upside-down tripod rig, too. With my copy stand, springs hold it in place like an open window sash, so this is not an issue.

I do like the cord clips on the bottom of the mast.

 

I do like the 18% gray base. Take advantage of that! It looks adequate as long as you don't put too heavy a camera/lens combo on it. A lighter mirrorless camera with a nice macro lens shouldn't create issues for you.

@messydesk is spot on. A ball head risks squirrelly parallelism. Be careful with that!

 

I really WISH it had a rail instead. Could I replace it with a rail? I’ve been comparing prices and sturdiness, and this seems to be the best for the money, but I only looked on eBay and Amazon.

 

I agree. The 18% gray base is a nice touch. The heaviest combo I plan to use is my Rebel T6i with a 100 mm dedicated macro lens.

 

Doesn't look like it has a counterweight to balance the camera. That plus no rail is a pass in my book. On top of that, the two part pole doesn't impress me either. A sturdy copy stand breaks down as little as possible. Sacrificing strength for portability is foolish. You need the strength always and the portability probably never.

 

Yup, what Jaelus said, no rail would be a pass for me as well, unless you plan on just shooting large dollars. I'm not so sure about that adjustable mount either. It looks like gravity could have an adverse affect on it. Unless someone chimes in and says they have this exact stand and it's better than sliced bread I would be hesitant at the very least.

 

Some of the more affordable rail stands ($250-$350) don’t look as sturdy as this one. Then there are those $800+ Kaiser stands, and that’s way too much for my budget. Is there one that you would recommend with a price of around $200-$250?

 

@rmpsrpms probably has some good suggestions as well. He builds some pretty awesome setups.

 

I don't use a copy stand myself, I use a repurposed B&L microscope stand. I'm pretty sure you've seen Ray's under $400.00 set up. My is very close to what Ray puts together.

The only draw back for my set-up is I don't have enough height for full slab images but that doesn't matter to me. It's all about what's inside the plastic tomb.

 

Oh yeah, that’s an idea. So, he builds stands for sale? Looking forward to his reply.

 

I use a full size tripod inside a homemade black box with Walmart LED and $55 macro. It's cheap but I'm still learning.

 

How about this Smith Victor? Says it supports up to 8 lbs. I was hoping for some reviews on Amazon, but there aren't any.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Smith-Vict...h=item569a37c3ae:g:joUAAOSwW9RahEfB:rk:2:pf:0

 

What about this....
https://www.amazon.com/Albinar-Macr...copy+stand&dpPl=1&dpID=41H2RdR+EML&ref=plSrch

 

I looked at that one as well, but I'll probably get one without lights since I have 5 Jansjo lamps.

 

That first one does not look too bad. As others have said, I would be a little wary about the amount of weight I attach to it. I would certainly get rid of the ball head. Maybe you can contact them about selling you one without the ball head. Then you could pick up a macro focusing rail and possibly a bellows further down the road.

One thing to do is check Craigslist and other classified ads type websites, sometimes you can find a very nice copy stand for a very good price. I had to search and search for the one I have.

 

I fairly recently picked up one of these on craigslist for $40. It took me about a year of searching regularly before something decent popped up. I think it was well worth the patience.

 

I'm not sure I like the first one. The camera mount hanging out there on a ball looks weak to me. A DSLR with a long lens is pretty heavy.
I bought a heavy Bencher stand years ago. I bought only the post and head and made my own base. Saved me a lot of money.