Manufacturer: Custom Brackets
Model: CB Junior & Digital Pro-M Kit
Price: £85.50/£285
www.bobrigby.com

For wedding and social photographers, the flash brackets from Custom Brackets could be a godsend, helping to position your flash further from your lens to reduce red-eye and harsh shadows, while also allowing you to add accessories such as a soft-box without obstructing the camera lens.

Tested here are the entry-level CB Junior Kit (£85.50) and ‘professional’ Digital Pro-M kit (£285) with the key difference between them (apart from price) being their relative sophistication.

With the Junior model you get a rigid arm that has to be manually raised when you turn your camera to shoot vertically, whereas the ‘pro’ model features a rotating bracket on roller bearings so you simply (and smoothly) rotate the camera on its cradle while the flash remains in situ.

The pro model also has a quick-release tripod plate – so you can switch from handheld to tripod-based capture in an instant – and two foldout arms so you can put the whole ensemble down without it falling over. The Junior version only has one such arm.

Both brackets are made of solid, yet lightweight aluminium, but we have to admit that we found setting up the brackets is a little tricky, for no other reason than several parts are supplied in the box and the only guide to piecing them together is the picture on the front.

However, it isn’t exactly ‘rocket science’ and ultimately these are very well made flash brackets, if a little pricey for the hobbyist.

Verdict:
Handy for social and wedding photographers but perhaps a little too expensive for the hobbyist

Pros:
Reduces red-eye and harsh shadows for better portraits

Cons:
Assembly is a little complex and then there’s the price too

What Digital Camera Score: 83%