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Matthews C-Stands: The Ultimate Tool for Photography & Film Professionals

Matthews C-Stands: The Ultimate Tool for Photography & Film Professionals

Matthews Studio Equipment Premium Studio Grade Photography & Film C-Stands are essential tools for grips, photographers, and content creators seeking to elevate their production quality. Renowned for their durability and professional quality, Matthews C-Stands provide unmatched stability, ensuring that lighting and backdrops remain securely in place during photo and video shoots. Their thoughtful engineering allows for set-it-and-forget-it adjustability, accommodating various angles and heights with ease with the Hollywood Grip Head and Arm (included with almost all C-Stands). This adaptability enhances efficiency, enabling quick set up to capture the perfect shot. Whether in a studio setting or on location, Matthews C-Stands are a reliable choice that meets the demanding needs of the professional image capture community.

Cover Image for a Sliding C-Stand Video

C-Stands for Photography & Video Production

Matthews University - Century Stand

Matthews University - Century Stand

C-Stands are the ideal stand when a user is in need of extremely versatile support. With a compact footprint and sturdy folding base, it is great for mounting, lights, light modifiers and much more in cramped environments. It’s grip arm, featuring two grip heads, allows the user to boom whatever they are mounting right where it is needed while keeping the base of the stand out of the way. These stands are commonly used to support much more that lighting equipment, they also commonly support props, set dressing, microphones, antennas, signage, bubble machines and more!

What accessories are used with a C-Stand and why?

Common accessories used with C-Stands are Sand Bags, used on the base of the stand to keep mounted items safely in place. Matthellini Clamps and Mafer Clamps are great C-Stand accessories that easily mount into their grip head for supporting round, square, and flat material. Gobo Plates and 6” Pins With Collars are also common C-Stand accessories used for the mounting of lights, cameras, audio equipment and more.

What does the C stand for?

The “C” in C-Stand comes from it’s origin as a ‘Century’ Stand made by New York based lighting company Century lighting. These stands had welded legs and were used in live theater and early filmmaking. The C-Stand’s of today, with folding legs that allow them to store for easy transport, were developed by Matthews Studio Equipment, and has been copied by many other manufacturers.

What is the difference between C-stand and C+ Stand?

A C+ Stand offers a detachable “Turtle Base”, the support legs of the C-Stand,  featuring an industry standard 1-1/8” Junior Receiver. This enables the user to mount equipment less than 12” off the ground. Being able to detach the C-Stand Riser from the Turtle Base also makes storage and transport of the C+ Stand much easier.

C-Stand vs Light Stand

A C-Stand is designed to do everything a light stand does and more. Both feature a 5/8” Baby Pin up top for mounting lights and lighting modifiers, but the C-Stand includes a Grip Arm and 2.5” Grip Head, enabling the user to offset and boom out mounted items. The Grip Head will receive both 5/8” and 3/8” Pins, as well as bailing wire, monofilament, card stock and more. Unlike the light stand, the configuration of C-Stand legs allow the stands to be stacked, or ‘nested’ on top of one another placing the risers of the stands an inch apart. This is extremely useful in cramped lighting setups, tight locations and also allows the stands to be stored compactly when not in use.

C-Stand Video Cover for Tips with Martin