Foba Studio Camera Stand (ultimate shop tripod!)

[@jrusovich]

$200??? Dude, you are crazy lucky to have found that stand on CL. Nice video.

$200? $200?! $200?!? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G catch! 😍 Thanks for the video, too!

[@CalvinoBear]

NICE! My parents have one of these for professional photographic work. You are going to love it for a long, long time.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Good to hear! I was really unsure of it when I first got it home, but after using it for a couple of months, I can't imagine going back to tripods!

[@archerpiperii2690]

Congratulations on the "new" studio stand. Back in the day I assisted for a commercial photographer that had an 8x10 mounted on a stand. For many shots we needed a ladder in order to focus and operate the camera. Although huge and clunky, the studio stand was a lot of fun to work with . Enjoy and congrats again.

[@PistosgA]

Wow! That's a pretty awesome score! I can see it being really useful in the shop.

[@JonathanRansom]

Nice score! Definitely needs motors! Looking forward to that project...

[@RobertCowanDIY]

right? it seems so sad without motors.

[@WillFastie]

I love the way the first thing you thought of was making it a robot. And wherever you're hiding that four-leaf clover, hang onto it.

[@Skraap]

What a score! Now I know what to put on my wish list for christmas :)

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Start looking for one now! They are really awesome!

[@Hirudin]

5:06 - I was convinced within the first couple seconds of laying eyes on it. :p That thing is fantastic!

[@joell439]

Congratulations on the find.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

thanks!

[@AKSTUDIOUSA]

Wow thanks Robert!

[@Ethaningramphoto]

Nice score. I appreciate your desire to motorize it, just keep in mind that it was design as a stills camera support for commercial spaces, not as a motion control rig. You could get yourself a motorized slider, mount it to the stand and save a lot of hassle. Cheers 🍻

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Fair point. If I sanded it all down and smoothed up the surfaces, it COULD work, but you're right, it wasn't really made for that.

[@biffyeager611]

Used this kind of Camera stand for 5x7 and 8x10 view​ cameras for a lifetime!

[@MrKakatoe]

I have one. Bought it second hand some ten years ago, in a period in which many traditional studio photographers retired or their business folded. You could (and still can) get them for a few hundred Dollars/Euros while they cost some 8K new. They are built like a tank, but it appears that the three small gas springs that lift the stand have a relative short lifespan. But then again even with the stand in the moving position it stays in place.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Mine just has a simple rope and pulley system and some weights on the inside. I don't expect it will ever break of fail.

[@MrKakatoe]

@@RobertCowanDIY correct. That is the usual construction and will last more than a lifetime. But the pedals that lift and lower the entire stand to move it, work with gas springs. And they seem to have a rather short lifespan.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

@@MrKakatoe Huh, mine doesn't use gas springs on the foot. It's a leverage-based system, it takes a small bit of force and then you just rotate your foot and it locks in place.

[@MrKakatoe]

@@RobertCowanDIY could be they changed the mechanism at some time.

[@阿敞-i3j]

FOBA is the best camera stand. I used FOBA when I was 17 years old as a photography assistant. FOBA+Sinar P

[@manimazinani8331]

So envious right now...

[@hotplatelabs]

Are you planning on doing any more videos on the Stratasys -> Reprap conversion? I was enjoying that series!

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Check back next Sunday ;-)

[@hotplatelabs]

\o/

[@n_oeil]

Would love to see the underside of the stand to figure out how the wheel deployment works.

[@n_oeil]

If you could take and post some photos that would be awesome.

[@zucchina24]

I was also curious how it looks like… I found once some pictures on ebay or so.

[@ChristophLehner]

@@zucchina24 do you still have the pictures? i can't figure out how this works :)

[@zucchina24]

There is now one on the bay (UK) listed with pictures of bottom!

[@RobAndrewGuitar]

I got you beat today, $125, Facebook marketplace with the rotator, unreal. I had to do a pull up to test it after watching this too.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Ha, didn't realize it was a contest, nice score.

[@belarus35]

thank you a lot cowan.

[@Adam_is_the_name]

How was it to disassemble and then put it back together when you moved it from the seller to your shop? Would appreciate any tips you may have for that. Thanks.

[@etchmfg]

You paid 16% of the sales tax total on the retail price -- wow. What a find! Good work.

[@daveanderson2316]

That's pretty bad ass.

[@morerandomstuff7167]

Damn, that was a steal ......... i just bought a minty Cambo UST second hand for 750 euro with lots of accessories. Also pretty nice, but i think Foba is a step up in quality from that.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Yeah, I think Foba is a step up, it's SO overbuilt. It's been nice, but it really does need a full teardown and servicing.

[@ChristophLehner]

love this stand, do you know how the one pedal wheel mechanism works? i can't wrap my head arround this. Is there cam lever system inside?

[@FinchGGs]

I appreciate the pull-up ;) Great video, thanks for sharing

[@dengyun846]

Have you ever tried out shooting perfectly rectilinear videos with that? I imagine the main shot you have in this video would be quite something to look at with straight vertical and horizontal lines. If you haven't, I'm getting a slightly smaller Foba in a couple of days and have a mostly-working digital view camera setup.

[@petestott8670]

Any chance you know the thread size of the thumbscrews that hold the tray? I misplaced these when I moved studios and now my tray just wobbles. I'm searching for something to secure the tray, but I just don't know the thread size. Thanks in advance!!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

What a steal! I build something just like it. Cost me 20$, but is not as sturdy : )

[@JoshKaufmanstuff]

Is there a motorized camera stand video?!?

[@dirt_cheap_photography]

HEY dude where is the follow up videos i cant find any on your channel. Did you end up motorizing it or what? I first saw this monstruosity of a stand on your channel and decided i need to build it myself because i need one but not for 10K Euros LOL please if you made any more videos about the foba please link them here or somehow let me know where to find them

[@dumle29]

So what you're saying is you got it at a 98.4% discount. That's practically free :o holy shiet.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

I actually didn't calculate the discount, but that's awesome!

[@simonbarker980]

Due to the size and weight of these things if you want to get rid of one you have to take what you can get, most people would have to pay to get it removed...

[@EZ_shop]

Nice periscope Bob!

[@EZ_shop]

Don't get me wrong, I love your dedication to good cinematography.

[@helthuismartin]

You can find them in Switzerland.

[@eformance]

Looks like a radial drill, minus the drill.

[@zer0b0t]

What kind of paint can you use that doesn't chip eventually? Maybe you can simply sand the chipped paint, that way you don't have to dismantle it.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

I think standard paint should be fine. I would guess that this stand is probably a couple of decades old and a previous owner tried to repaint it without properly priming the surface, which led to the paint chipping off. I think a good sanding and repainting would be just fine and most likely last years. The bearings also have some adjustment on them and could potentially be replaced. It would need to be dismantled because you won't get a good smooth paint surface if you paint it in parts, it would need to be done all at once. But, it comes apart easily enough. I just need to take it apart, clean it up, sand it down and paint it. It shouldn't be TOO hard.

[@DesktopMakes]

I went from "that is ridiculously overkill" to "I want one".

[@RobertCowanDIY]

When I first got it, I had that moment of regret. For the first week or so, I thought I screwed up and was going to get rid of it. Now that I've had it for a couple years, I LOVE it and will never go back to a standard tripod.

[@diegoramosg]

How did you transport it? I am about to purchase one and need to figure out transport

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Mine broke down into a couple pieces and I just put them in my 4runner.

[@diegoramosg]

Is it easy to disassemble? I will probably get the same one :)

[@RobertCowanDIY]

@@diegoramosg yeah, it's pretty easy. Did you find a used one?

[@diegoramosg]

@@RobertCowanDIY i did, its not 200 usd more like 2k but i still think it is a good deal

[@VladimirLadev]

DAMN that is a deal

[@alexvilla07]

Hi! in this video you said you werw thinking to motorize it, i alsa have a foba and very interested in motorizing bu i dont have any clue, can you orient me please, like what kind of motors ex? an amazon link? etc, TKS a lot!!

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Yeah, it's a BIG project. It's not like you can just slap on some motors, it would need custom mounts, and a custom controller. Really the control and software is the trickiest part of it. The more I use it, the less I see the benefit of modifying it.

[@retromograph3893]

I couldn't believe the price he paid either, but i just found one of these (200cm) for 250 euro, so it is possible. when you first start shopping for these things, don't make the mistake of thinking that people are actually getting what they're asking. The fact that i managed to get it so cheap suggests very few people want these and the supply (studios closing down) is greater than the demand.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

For some items, the used market is just really bad. I know a few youtubers have made their own, but they're not the same thing ;-) This thing is SOLID. I think with smaller cameras, studio stands are just less popular lately. Grab them while you can!

[@LewisHuntingCo]

I'm very curious about the perspective of this stand, would you mind sharing your rough height and weight? This thing looks impressive and I'm definitely interested in adding one to my studio!

[@RobertCowanDIY]

I'm around 5' 8". It's quite large.

[@LewisHuntingCo]

Robert Cowan Thanks!

[@zucchina24]

It is very heavy and bulky! If you buy one, transport can be an issue and the height of your ceiling! So double check it and quadruple think if you really need one… 😉 Usually Foba’s Asaba stands are 2,5m high, on special order also 3m and more… mine is “just” 2m high and can “run” 🤪 in my 2,4m high flat. Some people also shorten the column for fitting in their room, but you need tools, space and a bit of skills for doing this. 200$ is a really good price for an Asaba but I am also not really impressed. If you don’t need one it becomes annoying having such a bulky tool. That’s the reason because they sell so low in price compared to the list price. Here Switzerland you found these stands for 500-1500 Swiss francs, older models even cheaper.

[@faxxzc]

i envy you of your deal-getting abilities! still searching for a stratasys, but have not found anything below 4000 €, let alone 25 bucks like you!

[@AndrewBoraas]

did you change your name to craigslist deal god yet?

[@helthuismartin]

You dont have to repaint it.Just buy silicone spray and everything goes very smooth.

[@DracoDrakie]

Look voor DIY 3d printed by Alexandre Chappel. If people didn't know yet

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Oh, I've seen it. He even used my footage, but didn't tell me.

[@DracoDrakie]

@@RobertCowanDIY Oh that's a bit sad to hear. I suppose it's not his intention as he made his own version of a commercial product. Anywho, €15 for the plans is quite a steal. I'm gonna make one in the near future.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

@@DracoDrakie In all fairness, the video clip he pulled from my channel did include my name, but there was no actual mention and it wasn't linked in the description or comments. Keep in mind, his version is VERY different from mine. The one that "Atilla's Workshop" made is much closer.

[@DracoDrakie]

@@RobertCowanDIY I agree, Atilla's is in my imho quite sleeker looking. He'll, maybe even more versatile as its total volume is slimmer and the mount for the cam is moveable where Alex is not (yet). That from Alex is more feasible for people to make though. Sorry man, that you didn't got the mention you would deserve. The commercial version is absurdly expensive, that with all labor I can think off.... It's good that people make DIY version of stuff

[@Meyerwoodworks]

Please tell John Saunders (NYC CNC) about this, he needs one of these!

[@davidriley7659]

damn - that's a big stand! I'm glad you're happy with it! Kind of suprised though that you didnt just diy with ceiling linear rails or something.

[@52253825]

How in the name of pesto did you find that on craigslist at all, let alone for $200. Those people did NOT know what they were doing when they sold. Good for you, but sheesh.

[@craigsmachineshop2040]

At first I thought it was video Overlay. Seamed to big to be real. lol

[@skitbitinternational]

A Studio Stand in a price of a C stand, Kill me😢😭😭😭

[@crissignori7482]

$200 ? Hmmm .... If you're tired of it I'll give you $300 🤣😂🤣

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Ha, no way! I love this thing.

[@crissignori7482]

@@RobertCowanDIY ok ... How about $400?🤣

[@RobertCowanDIY]

@@crissignori7482Ha, shipping not included. ;-)

[@ventourisphotography5499]

200 $ ? Resell it!! You will be more than happy to know the real cost!!

[@minskmade]

motorize it :)

[@RobertCowanDIY]

that's the plan :-) so. many. motors.

[@chrisotero2758]

I have one of this for sale at the moment. If anyone is interested, please contact me.

[@mq1506]

WTF $200 ?!!?!

[@RobertCowanDIY]

I basically LIVE on craigslist. I search it multiple times a day and have several searches setup. If you're looking for multiple items across multiple categories constantly, you're bound to find something cool.

[@mq1506]

Robert Cowan and I thought my 25$ kiln find was good.

[@JonathanRansom]

You need to make a "how I find awesome things on Craigslist" video.

[@mq1506]

Were you really looking for that exact model or just huge studio tripods in general?

[@RobertCowanDIY]

I had searches setup for "studio stand" "camera stand" and "studio camera stand". I tend to keep searches broad and just ignore a lot of the hits. I got a couple hits a week for about a year, but they were all false hits (just both words in the listing, but not actually studio stands).