( 7 Users have Voted for this Article )

Written by Kevin Cheng | 07 September 2009
Posted in Reviews - Accessories

Brando Flash Gun Accessories Kit

Brando, a long time supporter of DigitalReviews Network, recently shipped the Flash Gun Accessories Kit for our photography pleasure.  Experience says that Brando, although very prolific, can be a little hit and miss.  So how does this kit fare?

 

 

First Impressions

Wow.  The Brando Flash Gun Accessories Kit is ... plentiful.  I was a bit like the little kid at the toy store unboxing this little gem, it just kept giving and giving!

 

Brando Flash Gun Accessories Kit

The unboxing of the kit yielded a Flash Adaptor, a Globe Diffuser, a Barndoor, a Honey Comb, a Conical Snoot, a Mini Reflector and a six colour mask.  The six colour mask is a fabric softbox with 4 metal rods to hold its shape and the Barndoor and Mini Reflector are metallic whilst the rest are made from plastic of various types.


In Action
The first component of the kit is to fit the Flash Adaptor onto your external flash.  There is a different Flash Adaptor for different types of flash, be sure to specify one that is designed for your model which in my case it is a Canon 580 EX II.  Putting the adaptor on for the first time bruised my knuckles and nearly ripped off some fingernails, it was looking pretty impossible.  However a little engineering ingenuity went a long way and required unscrewing the flexible hard rubber part of the adaptor and stretching it to fit onto my 580 EX II first.  Once that was done it was much easier to work with although still a very tight fit which I anticipate will ease a bit over time.

All the rest of the kit just clips onto the 4 mounting clips on the Flash Adaptor.  Brando even provides a full set of replacements for these clips in case they break.

The Flash Gun Accessories Kit is most certainly a studio kit, or at the very most, you choose one attachment and leave it on for the duration of the shoot if you need to move around.  Certainly there is no efficient way of carrying all the various options around.  The clips make for a reasonably sturdy and efficient mounts.  You could swap pieces quickly as it is a straight insertion without any locking mechanisms.


In the Kit
* Flash Adaptor
* Globe Diffuser
* Barndoor
* Honey Comb
* Conical Snoot with 2 different sized honey comb ends
* Mini Reflector
* Six colour mask (light blue, dark blue, red, green, orange, yellow, plus white)
* 5 rods for colour mask hood (4 for use, 1 spare)
* 4 spare clips
* Carry bag for colour mask hood and accessories


Supported Flash Models

Canon 580 EX II with flash adapter

* Nikon SB600, SB800
* Sony F32X, Canon 430EX, 430EX II, Vivitar DF400MZ
* Sony F56AM, Nikon SB26/27/28
* Canon 580EX, 550EX, Pentax AF540FGZ
* Vivitar 285HV
* Nikon SB900
* Canon 580EX II
* Metz 58AF-1, 48AF-1
Note: each dot point is a separate Flash Adaptor kit

 

 

Conclusions

Conical snoot ends

I am very impressed with the Brando Flash Gun Accessories Kit.  It is simple and easy to set up once the initial pain is over and done with.  There are many options to choose from and it will take some experimenting to get the results and effects you want.  Having a great camera and good kit does not make one a good photographer or take great pictures of its own accord.  With a little knowledge, a good bag of kit, one can certainly open the door to opportunities.

At USD$88, the amount of equipment you get in this kit makes it an absolute steal.  Bear in mind that it requires an external flash unit, the dinky little built-in ones just does not cut muster.  Grab it here and specify the correct code for your flash unit.  It is well worth the price, after all lighting plays a huge part in every photo.

Thanks Brando for the on-going support.

< Prev