Manfrotto MS0490C Carbon Nanopole Stand

I was looking for a very light and portable stand to hold my stereo microphone setup for field recording. This is lighter than the very popular nano stands (and any tripod I have come across) and has the added benefit that you can remove the centre section and use it as a boom pole. It collapses to a short size and will fit strapped to the side of most normal backpacks, or inside a larger backpack. I like to carry quite a small backpack, and it would be great if it was just a tiny bit shorter so it could fit inside...

This is a lightweight stand so stability is probably not as great as with something heavier. However, it does have a hook for attaching a weighted bag to add stability. I haven't had to use that feature yet.

Quality feels great and I am very happy with my purchase. If you want a full height stand for field recording but light weight and the boom pole feature are important to you, I would definitely consider this. I don't know of anything else out there that ticks all those boxes.

I'm cutting down the weight of my location gear so this was a natural choice for that purpose.

Having already owned a 5001B, I've taken a liking to compact and light-weight stands. This improves on the excellent 5001B in many ways, being lighter, and featuring handy twist lock mechanisms.

The ability to remove the centre column for use as a boom pole is a great bonus, and the implementation is extremely elegant.

The extending leg is something I can't see myself using, but it doesn't add significant weight or complexity, so it's not in the way either. Given the choice though, I would probably buy this stand without that feature. It can be removed, but you'll be left without a rubber foot on one leg. It would have been nice if a spare one was included for that purpose, but I am nitpicking at this point.

Most importantly though, these stands perform superbly. I've used them with a Godox AD200 and 60cm softbox, without any issues. They can sway a little in the wind when at maximum heights, so might not be suited to outdoor video lighting work, but overall, for the little you need to compromise you gain a whole lot - these stands are super light and portable!