Is this the best backdrop system for your portraits or headshots? In this video, we're going to find out about the Westcott Extra-Opt system. Why, I like it or hate it and if you should spend money on it. All right guys, welcome back to another video. In this video, we're going to be reviewing the Westcott Extra-Opt backdrop system. For those of you who are new here, I'm Reavarez and I am a portrait and wedding photographer. I've owned the Westcott Extra-Opt system for about half a year now. I've put it to really good use. I've done many portrait sessions with it. So I want to talk more about the mobility, durability and affordability on this backdrop system. And if it's worth it. So if you have it, subscribe to the channel and let's get started with mobility. So Westcott has a few different versions of this extra system. They have the extra and then they have the extra pro. They have a few different sizes. On screen, this is the one that I have. This is the extra 5x7. The kit comes with a few different components and there is a case for it, which I don't necessarily have for this video. I'll talk about that later. But there are a few other pieces, such as the telescoping legs. You have telescoping arms, three pieces. You also have the three different cloths. This one is gray, this one is white and it also comes in black. And all of the cloth drops come in this bag. There's three different bags with three different colors. White, gray and black. The entire kit is lightweight. It's about 10 pounds and the case itself is about 34 inches tall. 10 pounds is nothing. The case has straps on the back so you can put it on like a backpack, which comes in handy in case you're traveling with a case or even a car. Your hands are free and you can put the case right behind you. The extra system was created for photographers who are mobile, who are always moving around or traveling. That's me. I'm always doing mobile headshots. I'm traveling to different clients. I'm going to different offices and I need a mobile and compact setup that's easy to install lightweight and works for very small spaces. Continuing with mobility, let's talk about the handling. Let's start with the base. So this is where you're going to set on the ground and these open up really wide. I have a whole video showing you how to set this up. Just hit the right section of the screen so you can watch that video. Once your base is set up, there's an actual hook here where you can put a weight or something heavy. So that way it holds it down. Once the base is set up, you have these three holes here, which is where you're going to put these arms, which also extend. This is what's going to hold the top section of the cloth drop. Once the stands and the arms are completed and set up, then you're going to add the cloth job. The top section is going to have three grommets like this and you're going to insert this into the hook. You're also going to have two at the bottom of this cloth job. The bottom of the base is also going to have a hook where those two will hook onto this. One of the selling points of the extra up is that it's wrinkle free. So once the extra up is set up, you're going to hook the grommets to the hook on top and then you're going to extend it to your desired height. But at the same time, you want to make sure that while you're extending it, it's going to stretch it out to get rid of the wrinkles. In terms of mobility, this entire extra up kit takes under three minutes to set up. For me, it's about two minutes and 25 seconds. But if you're not rushing and you're taking your time, it's going to be under three minutes. I think that we can check mobility off the checklist as this is definitely a mobile backdrop. Let's get to the durability. So earlier, I mentioned that I don't have the case. That was one of the first things that ended up breaking on this kit when I first received it. I had it for about a month and it was one time where I was loading up my vehicle with the kit and then all of a sudden I tried to unzip it in order to get some of the contents inside and the zipper broke. The parts were cheap. Definitely upset me that day because I don't have a bag for it, but I improvise and I carry it in my cart now. This whole kit is affordable. So with that, I can kind of see where Westcott cuts some corners in the construction of this kit. For example, the grommets. So the top ones are still okay, but the bottom ones, not so much. And this is on both sides. So the grommet build is not the greatest either. So let's talk a little bit about the base. So on day one of me using the Westcott X-drop, I set this up for a headshot session during a convention. I was indoors and what I did was I opened the base up. When I was done, I put a small way back. It didn't weigh more than 10 pounds right on this hook. Not too far from where I was set up, there was an exit door and every single time that door opened, there was a small draft that came in. During my session, someone opened the door. The draft came in. The wind kind of pushed the backdrop towards me and the whole kit fell. When I went behind the kit to see what had happened, I noticed that the hook was broken. This connection here had broken. This connection here had broken as well. I quickly just put it all together so I can continue with my session. But hold on. Westcott is known for their amazing customer service. The next day, I immediately sent them an email to customer support. I told them about my issues and they shipped me a new base immediately. I got it within days. Thank you Westcott for the amazing customer support and for helping me out with my situation. So for durability, I don't think we're going to grade them that high, but the X-Rop system still serves a great purpose. A few of the selling points were that it's wrinkle free and with that, I do agree. Once you extend the base and the legs and the arms, you'll be stretching the cloth material to a point where it'll be wrinkle free. Another selling point is that it's smooth and seamless, which is true and it is also machine washable. Being that it's also cloth material, it is reflection free. And that's a plus for me. So what do you think of the X-Rop so far? Drop a comment below. Let me know what you think. All right. So it's wrinkle free. It's fast to set up. It's lightweight. It's easy to transport. So far, it sounds amazing. Let's talk about affordability. Nowadays gear is expensive. So is this backdrop system affordable? Yes, to me, it is. This five foot by seven foot Westcott X-Rop system is affordable to me. When I purchased it, earlier this year, I paid under $200 for it, shipped and everything. It got here right away just before my headshot session. So affordability? Check. So what do I use this mostly for? I use it for portrait sessions and headshots. My favorite cloth backdrop is the gray one. I love using it because depending on how I light my subject and how I modify my lights, I can make the backdrop darker or lighter. This portrait you see here, I use the white backdrop and using a CTO gel on my modifier, I made the backdrop orange. You can manipulate the colors of the backdrop using gels or you can manipulate the brightness or darkness of the backdrop by modifying your light placement. All right, guys, so this video is not sponsored by Westcott, but I really do love using the Westcott X-Rop. It's coming handy for me and for my sessions. It's easy to use, it's lightweight and it's mobile. I'm still a little sour about the bag and the grommets, but it still does a job. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You'd be the judge of that. But I highly recommend this X-Rop system for you. And I would never recommend something that I don't use myself or that I believe is not worth it. If you guys decide to get yourself an X-Rop, use the links in the description. And just so you know, they are affiliate links and I do get commission at no cost to you. Thank you for watching. Subscribe for more gear review like this one. But also, go check the gear review video I have for the Sony A7R5 coming up on your screen right now.