$35 alternative to a speedlight camera flash?

We use affiliate links. If you buy something through the links on this page, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

lightscoopProfessor Kobre’s Lightscoop is a clever and inexpensive ($35) device that clips on to the hot shoe of your DSLR or SLR camera. It then transforms the light from the pop-up flash into pro-quality light by reflecting the flash’s light to the ceiling, to bounce it back down on your subject. It is compatible with certain Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sigma cameras.

7 thoughts on “$35 alternative to a speedlight camera flash?”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. Great idea. I wonder if you can rotate it sideways? Sometimes the celiings are too high and you might want to bounce of a wall.

  3. I’ve had one in my bag for a couple of years now, I believe I was one of the first adopters. It’s a very handy device.

    Yes it bounces off side walls, in portrait mode. It’s fixed and does not swivel.

    I carry it, and use it occasionally.

    Another gadget I use for on-board pop-up flash is the Gary Fong Puffer. It diffuses the light in front, with no bounce. Very handy to have. I’ve used it more frequently, for example taking party crowd portraits of an event.

    Neither will do exactly what a regular speedlight would do, but in a pinch and a hurry, they both are quick ways to get more than the “deer in the headlights” look of the plain on-board pop-up flash. – Matt

  4. useful, yes. in fact, i wouldn’t mind having one.
    but calling it a speedlight alternative is stretching it’s usefulness a little too far.

  5. Ken Kobre here… the professor…

    chudez, you are absolutely correct. We do NOT promote the Lightscoop as an alternative to the Speedlight or equivalent. We show a comparison on our site just to show that the results are professional-looking… but for those needing a full-featured external flash it’s a whole different ballgame. For those who don’t have the budget for or who don’t have or wish to develop the technical skills to master an external flash, the Lightscoop greatly improves indoor flash photos and extends the usefulness of the pop-up flash…

    And, Matt, glad to hear you are still finding the Lightscoop useful. You were, in fact, a very early adopter. I remember your early blog comments about it!

Leave a Reply to Steve Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *