Review: Westcott X-Drop Portable Backdrop
This portable backdrop system helps lighten your load when you're photographing on location while still providing professional results.
Working on location, we often prioritize our gear based on how much we can carry. Westcott’s X-Drop Portable Backdrop System helps lighten the scales by offering a compact, portable backdrop that delivers professional results.
For this review, I tested the X-Drop stand and two wrinkle-resistant backdrops. Made from lightweight aluminum and weighing 3.5 pounds, the stand has a tripod-like base that holds three poles. Five telescoping poles with hooks on the end hold the backdrop taut.
You can choose to set up the system as a 5x7-foot backdrop or a 5x12-foot sweep, which extends across the ground or floor and mounts to the stand with four or five grommets. The wrinkle-resistant backdrops are made of a stretchy fleece-like material, slightly textured on the front and smooth knit on the back. When I unfolded the backdrops, both initially had creases. Westcott recommends hanging new backdrops to release wrinkles or placing them in a dryer with a damp cloth. I opted for the former, and over several days of being stretched taut, the wrinkles faded. Since then, I’ve been storing the backdrops rolled up and haven’t noticed many wrinkles.
The X-Drop stand took about 10 minutes to assemble the first time, and once I got the hang of it, setup time greatly decreased. The stand is adaptable to small spaces. I was able to set it up in a room with 7-foot, 9-inch ceiling, for example. I was excited to find I could adjust the back leg of the tripod-like base independently of the other two legs so it becomes only 22 inches deep. This is a thoughtful design feature that allows you to work with minimal floorspace.
The X-Drop backdrop system is particularly useful when photographing headshots on location. With a 5x7-foot chroma key green background, the options are limitless. I found the 5x12-foot gray sweep background worked nicely for full-length studio shots, although I needed to use Photoshop’s fill feature to create the illusion of a larger backdrop in my final image. Westcott offers a wide variety of backdrops compatible with the X-Drop backdrop system. Wrinkle-resistant backdrops are available in black, white, gray, and chroma key green (5x7- and 5x12-foot); 5x7-foot matte vinyl and lightweight canvas backdrops are made in classic prints, wood planks, environmental textures, and other patterns.
I found the perfect opportunity to try the system, since my current COVID-19 safety measures include working on location only. In years past, senior clients stopped by the studio for their yearbook portrait before their location session. With the X-Drop system, my clients were still able to get a studio yearbook portrait even though we weren’t at my studio. And I didn’t have to lug around my unwieldy heavy-duty backdrop stand. I was pleased with how the system allowed me to offer the same client experience while following my new safety measures.
For one of my senior sessions, the school required a specific blue-gray background. Since I already had this on hand in a 5x7-foot size, I added some grommets to it. My experiment succeeded, and the resulting yearbook photoshoot went smoothly, right in my client’s backyard.
The X-Drop Portable Backdrop System is well suited for client photoshoots on location, including both executive headshots and senior portraits. Though I didn’t have the white backdrop in my review kit, I can imagine using it creatively during a session as a shoot-through diffuser or even a scrim. For jobs where you want portability and might otherwise leave a backdrop stand behind, I can see the benefits of the X-Drop backdrop system.
The X-Drop system’s biggest shortcoming is that it feels flimsy compared to traditional backdrop stands. If a nice breeze comes along, it’ll make a good windsail if it’s not weighed down or secured. So while it’s not ideal for jobs where you need a sturdy setup, like dance studio portraits, or prom photos, the X-Drop system is be a good investment if portability and easy setup are key.
The X-Drop 3-Pack Backdrop Kit, which includes the backdrop frame, black, gray, and white 5x7-foot backdrops, and a carrying case, is $179.90. The X-Drop stand retails for $99.90; wrinkle- resistant backdrops are available in black, white, gray, and chroma key green ($39.90 for 5x7-foot or $69.90 for 5x12-foot sweep). A variety of additional compatible backdrops are available in classic prints, textures, and other patterns.
Betsy Finn is a portrait artist based in Dexter, Michigan.