3 Legged Thing Luna light stand review: stand and deliver!

The multi-purpose 3 Legged Thing Luna is a light stand and more. It really delivers on all fronts and is impeccably turned out

3 Legged Thing Luna light stand / boom
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

I think the 3 Legged Thing Luna is something of a revelation. Light stands don’t tend to be the most exciting bits of kit but this one is innovatively conceived, cleverly designed and beautifully engineered from carbon fiber and magnesium alloy. It’s actually fun to use as both a light stand and a boom arm, or even as the world’s poshest selfie stick!

Pros

  • +

    Quality carbon fiber build

  • +

    Excellent handling

  • +

    Converts to a boom arm

  • +

    Compact stowage

Cons

  • -

    Modest maximum height

  • -

    Pricier than most

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

If you don’t already know 3 Legged Thing, I’d suggest you get acquainted. It’s a British-based company with real design flair and meticulous attention to detail, making some of the best tripods for photographers, the best travel tripods and the best tripods for videographers on the market. The heavy-duty 3 Legged Thing Winston 2.0 tripod kit is my best ever 3 legged friend. More recently, the company has started exploring other avenues, releasing excellent yet highly cost-effective supports like the Camera Desk Mount System, camera-specific and universal L-brackets, and handy Wrapz to keep your precious kit safe and snug. They’ve now turned their attention to making one of the best light stands and, true to form, have come up with something puts a new twist on traditional fare.

Is it a light stand? Is it a boom? Is it a tripod leg? The 3 Legged Thing Luna is actually a kind of mix of all three. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

3 Legged Thing Luna: Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Max height

200cm / 79"

Min height

56cm / 22.1"

Load capacity

5kg / 11lb

Weight

944g / 2lb

Top mount

5/8" receiver, 1/4" & 3/8" screw

3 Legged Thing Luna: Price

What price a light stand? They start pretty cheap and you can get a pair of Amazon Basics Aluminum Light Stands for around $35 / £36. For something more heavy-duty and nicely finished, the Elinchrom Lighting Stand costs $50 / £54 each, and the Manfrotto 5001B-1 Nano Light Stand comes in at $89 / £69. That makes the 3 Legged Thing Luna look pretty pricey at $150 / £130 but, unlike all of the other light stands I’ve mentioned, it’s carbon fiber rather than aluminum and is more than a one-trick pony. I reckon it’s actually very good value.

3 Legged Thing Luna: Design & Handling

Think of a high-quality carbon fiber tripod leg and that’s what’s at the core of the Luna light stand. I can’t say I’m surprised because 3 Legged Thing is always a company that likes to ‘think different’ and it has a whole lot of expertise when it comes to tripods. So, here we’ve got something very similar to a 4-sectrion carbon tripod leg serving as the central column of this light stand, but inverted so that the widest section is at the bottom rather than the top.

The extending central column is very muck like a 4-section tripod leg. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

The sections of each telescoping carbon column section measure 25.5mm, 22mm, 18.5mm and 15.5mm, according to my digital vernier calipers. That’s actually a little chunkier than the leg sections of the 3 Legged Thing Punks Corey 2.0 travel tripod, which has a maximum load rating of 14kg / 30lb. With its single column, the Luna light stand has a maximum payload rating of 5kg / 11lg, which should certainly suffice for the vast majority of studio flash heads, LED light panels and other options.

Based on fairly wide-diameter carbon fiber sections, the stand has a 5kg / 11lb load rating. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

To extend and lock the column sections, the Luna uses 3 Legged Thing’s time-honored twist-action clamps. That definitely works for me, as they need minimal rotation to free them off and lock them again. The bottom clamp is for releasing and locking the three spreading legs that form the base of the stand. The upper three clamps are for the extending column sections. It’s possible to grab all of the clamps in one hand and loosen or tighten them in one gesture, when the column is retracted.

The twist-action clamps are very much the same as those used in many of 3 Legged Thing’s tripods, and there’s certainly nothing at all wrong with that. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Helping to give a sturdy footing, the diameter of the carbon tubing for the 3-section spreader is 19mm and the legs have a length of 54cm / 21.5” each. This gives a wide maximum radius that makes the stand less likely to topple over, even when using heavier lighting equipment. I like that the legs fold upwards over the center column to reduce the stowage size. As it turns out, the stand folds down to just 56cm / 22.1" in length, but achieves a maximum operating height of 200cm / 79". That’s not quite as generous as in many other lights stands. For example, the Elinchrom Lighting Stand extends to 235cm / 92.5” and even the Amazon Basics Aluminum Light Stands extend to 213cm / 84”.

The legs swing upwards and wrap around the central column to reduce storage length. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Down at the bottom, there’s what appears to be a neat set of rubber feet for a grippy connection to smooth floors. There’s more than meets the eye, however, as the rubber pads pull off to reveal metal spikes, more ideal for use on loose ground and soft surfaces.

High-quality rubber pads for the feet can be pulled off to reveal metal spikes, suiting different types of terrain. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Adding a whole chunk of versatility, a really neat trick is that you can undo a locking screw at the bottom of the center column and detach it completely from the stand. You can then use it as a freestanding boom, for whatever takes your fancy. Options include a microphone, an LED lamp for illuminating inaccessible places, an action camera, or even using the boom as a selfie stick.

When detached for boom duty, the removable arm has a maximum length of 1.65m / 65”. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Another neat trick at the end of the pole, or at the top of the stand if you prefer, is the mounting connection. Catering to just about any and every need, it works as a standard 5/8” spigot for attaching studio flash heads and other lamps with conventional mounts. There’s also a 3/8” threaded protrusion for attaching the likes of lamps or even tripod ball heads or 3-way heads. The bit I really like is that the 3/8” thread is spring-loaded, so you can press it down to reveal a 1/4” thread, suiting a wide range of cameras, flashgun tabletop stands and other accessories that use the smaller screw thread. Long story short, you can mount pretty much anything and everything on this stand (or boom).

The cleverly designed mounting spigot also includes a spring-loaded 3/8” thread which reveals a ¼” thread beneath. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

3 Legged Thing Luna: Performance


Cheap light stands can often feel flimsy. At their maximum operating height, it can seem like you’re really pushing your luck when mounting the likes of a flash head and softbox on them, or a large LED panel with heavyweight batteries attached to the back. It’s almost like you’re just waiting for the stand to topple over and for your expensive lights to come crashing to the ground. I’m really pleased with the 3 Legged Thing Luna, in that it feels rock-solid and super-stable even at its maximum operating height. That’s enabled not only by the strong carbon fiber tubing and magnesium alloy components, but also by the large radius to which the three leg sections can extend.

LED panels with a couple of large, heavyweight batteries attached to the rear are easily within the remit of the stand. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

The compact carrying length is very welcome, and the stand comes complete with a lightweight drawstring bag. Ideally, I’d have liked a little extra maximum operating height but it should be just about sufficient for lighting tall portrait subjects when they’re standing, from a slightly downward angle. For reference, here’s a snapshot of me next to the stand.

The maximum operating height is 200cm / 79", which I’d say is adequate rather than generous. Here’s me standing next to the stand at its maximum height. I’m 6’ 4” tall, and there’s not much scope for angling the light down from a greater height. (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Not just a light stand, the Luna works really well as a boom arm, with a quick and easy conversion between stand and boom. That adds great versatility for content creators and makes the Luna a really handy bit of kit.

(Image credit: Matthew Richards)

The spigot and alternative thread sizes enable fitment of a wide range of lights and other accessories, as shown above and below.

(Image credit: Matthew Richards)

3 Legged Thing Luna: Verdict

I’ve never been able to get excited about a light stand, until now. I really like the sumptuous carbon fiber and magnesium alloy construction of the Luna. I also like that it folds down nice and small for carrying around, and that it reaches a decent (if not overly generous) maximum operating height. Better still, I love its versatility, and that it effortlessly converts into a boom. It works a treat not just for lights, but also for supporting a mic, camera, action camera and more besides. If 3 Legged Thing made an optional adapter for using it as a guitar stand, my joy would be complete ;)

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Features

It has all the features I need in a light stand, with the extra bonus of converting into a boom.

★★★★★

Design

Like an inverted tripod leg, it’s a clever design that’s beautifully crafted from carbon fiber and magnesium alloy components.

★★★★★

Performance

From small to tall, it has rock-solid dependability and excellent performance.

★★★★★

Value

It’s undeniably pricey for a light stand but its quality, versatility and performance make if very good value.

★★★★

(Image credit: Matthew Richards)

Alternatives

Amazon Basics Aluminum Light Stands

The Amazon Basics Aluminum Light Stands package costs around $35 / £36 and, for that, you get a pair of light stands with a maximum height of 213cm / 6.7', a minimum height of 85cm / 2.8' and a load capacity of 3.17kg / 7lb each.

Elinchrom Lighting Stand

The Elinchrom Lighting Stand costs $50 / £54. It’s much more conventional than the 3 Legged Thing Luna and is made from aluminum rather than carbon fiber, but is very dependable and well made. It has a 235cm / 7.7' maximum height, 88cm / 2.9' minimum height and payload rating of 5kg / 11lb.

Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.