Two Prism 10x20' 100% Cotton Muslin Backdrops and The Ravelli Full Size 10x12' Background Stand Set

by Ravelli

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 25 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B002S9KTAW
• Item model number: ABSMWMB1020
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #58 in Camera & Photo > Accessories > Photo Studio
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 9, 2009

Product Description

This Kit includes the following:

1 - Ravelli Full Size 10x12.3' Background Stand Complete with Carry Bag

1 - Prism 10x20' White 100% Cotton Muslin Backdrop With Carry Bag

1 - Prism 10x20' Black 100% Cotton Muslin Backdrop With Carry Bag

Ravelli Backdrop Stand

The Ravelli Model ABS model background stand is 10' tall by 12.3' wide. It is comprised of two tripod stands and four 3' cross bar sections and includes a heavy duty carry bag. The four cross bar sections allow for the stand to be set up in 6', 9' or full 12' widths. The cross bar interconnects are 6", the longest on the market, providing ample support for heavier backdrops. The tripod stands use air cushioned shocks, instead of spring shocks, allowing the fully extended stands to smoothly and safely collapse to their minimum height. The material on the stand bag is very heavy duty 1680D weight ballistic nylon and the zipper is 8mm white copper metal. The stand also features large ergonomic tension screws, individual elastic straps for each cross bar sections in the bag, and end caps for the crossbar to prevent tearing of your backdrops.

Prism Backdrops

The backdrops are made by Prism and are professional muslin backdrops made from a heavier 100% cotton material. The 10X12' size (actually 9X18.2' after shrinkage) weighs 4.6lbs. Special dyes are used to obtain well saturated colors which appear vibrant and not washed out. All sides are stitched to avoid unravelling and a 3.4" rod pocket is sewn into the top. Each muslin is folded and comes in a plastic bag to avoid moisture and stainage and then packed in a cardboard box for shipping.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

120 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a good overall kit and I have paid a lot more for similar equipment in the past., April 15, 2010

By 

J. A. Rook (Boscawen NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Two Prism 10x20' 100% Cotton Muslin Backdrops and The Ravelli Full Size 10x12' Background Stand Set (Electronics)

I bought the 3 muslin version of this kit and thought the review would be help full here as well.

This is a good overall kit and I have paid a lot more for similar equipment in the past.

The Stand:
The stand is sturdy and there is not much sag even with all three backdrops on it at once. You can use the crossbar with 2, 3 or 4 sections giving you widths of 6', 9' or 12'. The pieces of the crossbar have a "male" piece at one end and a "female" opening at the other end. You connect them by inserting the male end and twisting. The are tight enough that they hold together firmly but not so tight that they are difficult to pull back apart. At the top of the tripod stands is a "reversible" piece with two different size screw threads. It looks like a fairly expensive molded piece of metal, but I will probably never really use it since I basically will be using the stand only and not the tripods separately for lighting or other uses. But it is there if you need it. As advertised, the stands do have "air shocks". It appears to me that this is simply some fitting inside the stand poles with a small opening for airflow. But it does the job and keeps the stands from collapsing too quickly. The bag for the stand is actually fairly impressive. It is truly a thick material and a real metal zipper. The metal zipper is a little "sticky" and may smooth out with some use, but I still prefer this to cheap breakable plastic zippers that soo many things seem to come with these days. One other nice thing. My kit came with two clamps to hold the muslins to the crossbar. They are pretty decent clamps and I did not remember reading about them in the product description and so they were pleasant surprise.

The Backdrops:
The backdrops are decent and a little on the thicker side compared to many I have bought. They are not a high threadcount type of product, but in my past experience, high thread count actually makes the backdrop thinner not thicker and more like a bedsheet. The details of the description at Amazon state that the actual dimensions of the backdrops are about 10% less than what is stated in the title and this was true for the backdrops I got. Most sellers seem to advertise this way, but if you really need 10' of width rather than 9', your actual product here is going to be 9'. 9' is more than enough for me so no worries. The sides of the backdrops are stitched but it is not real tight stitching. I think it is sufficient unless you were to wash your backdrops a lot, but for me, my backdrops seem to wear out for other reasons first anyway. My backdrops are not ready for the first wash yet, but I tested the green one anyway. The color held just fine but I did wash on cold and separately. The bags for the backdrops are not as impressive as those for the stand. The are a thinner nylon type bag similar to those that some grocery stores now use as "reusable" bags. I often just need something to put a muslin in while switching from one color to the next to avoid it picking up stains from the floor or wherever I might set the muslins and these bags are fine for that use. But if you are really going to be traveling a lot with this kit, you may want to get a separate duffle type bag to put all your muslins in. The backdrops come folded up in a size about 1.5'x1.5'x3". When you unfold them they are wrinkled as basically any cotton muslins are. The official seller recommendation is to use a steamer to steam out any wrinkles, but my low budget technique is to simply spray them with a water bottle and then either hang them or throw them in the dryer and this worked just fine.

Shipping:
My kit came in two packages, one for the stand and one for the backdrops. The stand was double boxed and the three backdrops were each individually boxed and then taped together. It was the individually boxed backdrops that took some damage while shipping and I would have preferred that everything came in one package. I did contact the seller and they told me that the stand was Ravelli and the backdrops were Prism and that these manufacturers were working on a new co-branded single package that would be available in the near future.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Quality at a Great Price!, February 11, 2010

By 

Jeff Kraus (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Two Prism 10x20' 100% Cotton Muslin Backdrops and The Ravelli Full Size 10x12' Background Stand Set (Electronics)

I have to say that I was more than a little impressed when I received this set. My expectation was about in line with what any reasonable person would expect from a photography-related item priced in the low $100 range. That is to say, cheap and unreliable.

Well, I can't tell you how happy I am to be wrong in this case.

My first thought was that the muslin would end up being some cheap cotton bedsheet material to save on cost. This isn't true -- both of them are quality items, just as good as the other two muslin backdrops that I purchased separately. They also each come in their own protective bag with a velcro clasp, good for keeping them clean during transport.

The stands are thick and sturdy, and the legs are braced against the center pole when extended, ensuring that a) they won't collapse, and b) at any given point of extension, the legs are all equidistant from center. So the stands will always be level assuming a level ground. The feet are rubber to protect the floor and help to keep the stand from moving around.

The carrying bag is nice too. It's a sturdy nylon on the outside, and soft on the inside for protection. Each of the four crossbar pieces get their own elastic holder loops which keep them from getting banged around inside the bag. The two stands each get their own deep pockets as well. Really impressive all around.

You really can't go wrong with this item, considering the low price. If you're looking to get started with some basic studio equipment, or you need something portable like I do, this is an excellent bang-for-the-buck option.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!!, November 3, 2009

By 

Cynthia Complese "Complese Photography" (Harrisburg, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Two Prism 10x20' 100% Cotton Muslin Backdrops and The Ravelli Full Size 10x12' Background Stand Set (Electronics)

The product shipped super fast and arrived packed perfectly! The stand goes up in a sinch and is super easy to use!! The bag is super sturdy and also good quality! Great deal for the price! The muslin was perfect as well. I was able to put everything up and take it down in 30 minutes, by my self! Amazing! Even came with an instruction book, which a lot of equipment I have purchased on here hasn't. Super pleased with the whole purchase!

Only issue I see possibly in the future is that the stands are kind of lightweight, great for carrying, but might tip easy. I bought ankle weights to wrap around the base of the stands and that made them even more sturdy.

Item shipped in less then 12 hours of purchase and I had tracking numbers for both packages emailed to me from the UPS site, not just Amazon.

Overall, super pleased!! Great deal!!