© Kupo
If you’ve ever unloaded cases in the dark, racing sunrise with lights, booms and cameras balanced on caffeine and hope, you already know this: good grip gear doesn’t just make life easier – it keeps the shoot moving. And when that gear is hard to find or a nightmare to service, it costs time, energy and sometimes real money.
That’s why I was genuinely happy to hear that Kupo Grip is officially back in Canada with Amplis Foto. Not as a one-off import, not as a “maybe we can get it” brand – but properly supported again. For me, that means gear I can rely on when deadlines are tight and there’s zero margin for failure.
Kupo C-Stands: Setup That Doesn’t Slow Me Down
© Kupo
There are few things more frustrating than fighting a stand when the light is perfect and the clock is ticking. I’ve bent, nudged, cursed and re-leveled enough stands over the years to know the difference between usable and great.
Kupo C-Stands fall firmly in the second category. They’re solid, predictable and they stay where I put them. No wobble. No slow creep. No re-tightening every ten minutes.
My favourite detail, though, is the locking system. Hold the stand with the legs up, pull the lock ring and the legs drop perfectly into place. Packing up is just as easy – long leg down, pull the ring and everything lines up cleanly. Same story with the Lazy Leg bases. No pinched fingers. No legs spinning endlessly while you wonder why this still isn’t solved in 2026.
It sounds small, but those seconds add up – and when you’re moving through multiple setups in a day, that efficiency matters.
Apple Boxes: The Most Useful “Boring” Tool on Set
Apple boxes aren’t glamorous. They’re just wooden boxes. And yet, they might be the most used item on any shoot I do.
I use them to level furniture, boost a subject’s height (or mine), give myself a little extra reach, build makeshift platforms or grab a seat while reviewing images. Kupo’s apple boxes – especially their nesting sets – are built from 9-ply Baltic birch and feel like they’re meant to be abused. Because they are.
The nesting set (full, half, quarter, pancake) is a quiet hero. Everything stacks into one clean package, which means less gear clutter, easier transport and faster setup on location. One box instead of four sounds trivial – until you’re squeezing into an elevator or loading a hatchback in the rain.
I’ve used other apple boxes that don’t stack evenly or vary just enough in height to be annoying. With Kupo’s nested design, that problem basically disappears. Less fiddling. Less yelling “hold that for a second.” More shooting.
My other favourite? The Tooling Apple Box. It doubles as storage and works as a low-boy light stand. Mine is stuffed with Super Convi and Spring clamps, gaffer tape, light pins, cables, Sharpies, safety gear – all the small things that somehow vanish exactly when you need them.
Flags & Scrims: Control Without the Wrestling Match
Light control is everything in my work. Whether I’m killing a reflection on a product, shaping a face or stopping spill from contaminating a background, flags and scrims are non-negotiable.
© Kupo
Kupo’s flags and scrims are solid, predictable and quick to deploy. They play nicely with clamps and stands, hold their shape and don’t feel like they’re one gust of wind away from ruining your take.
What that gives me on set is simple: less wrestling, more control. When I can dial in contrast quickly and move on, the whole crew stays in rhythm – and rhythm is what keeps a day from dragging.
Why Local Support Actually Matters
Gear breaks. That’s not a failure – it’s reality. What matters is how fast you can get back up and running.
I’ve heard (and lived) enough stories about long warranty delays, overseas shipping and gear disappearing into service limbo to know how painful bad support can be. When something essential is out of commission for weeks, it’s not just annoying – it’s disruptive.
With Kupo back in Canada, service is handled locally through Amplis Foto, including repairs and parts support out of Markham, Ontario. I don’t think about this often – and that’s kind of the point. When service is straightforward, it fades into the background, where it belongs.
What that means for me:
- Less downtime waiting for repairs
- No international shipping roulette
- Real people, in Canada, handling real problems
That peace of mind is hard to quantify, but you feel it when something goes sideways mid-season.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t about brand wars or spec sheets. Plenty of companies make strong gear. What separates the tools I keep reaching for is whether they save me time, reduce friction and let me focus on the creative work instead of the hardware.
With Kupo back in Canada, supported properly, the weakest links – availability, parts, service – feel a lot stronger. That means fewer substitutions, fewer compromises and fewer moments where gear becomes the bottleneck.
Bottom Line
Great grip gear isn’t about hype. It’s about flow. It’s about tools that work the way you expect, pack up quickly, set up faster and don’t derail your day when something needs attention.
Kupo’s return to Canada checks those boxes for me. And in photography and video, where time really is money, anything that consistently saves both earns a permanent spot in my kit – no questions asked.
Author: Will Prentice
A portrait, fine art and commercial photographer for 30 plus years, Will Prentice is not just a contributor to PHOTONews magazine, but also host of PHOTONewsTV, owner of Captura Photography+Imaging and Technical Support/Brand Manager for Amplis Foto, Canada’s largest distributor of photographic equipment.
Will teaches photographers of all skill levels how to improve their craft – from creative photo projects to picking the right gear for their needs to flattering lighting to getting the best expressions to creating final images for screen and print. His unique style of highly detailed images with perfect tonality, wide dynamic range and stunning colour is instantly recognizable. Commercial clients rely on Will’s creative eye and mastery of lighting.
When he’s not behind the camera or in front of a class, you’ll find Will outdoors in any weather – usually on one of his bikes or enjoying time with his grandchildren.
