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I received a Lightscoop Deluxe in hopes that I would share my experience with you.

I don’t know about you, but I am always disappointed with photos that I take indoors.  I try to just use my camera settings, but I invariably end up using my flash.  That’s why it is there, right?  Well, I always end up with photos that are light in the front and have a dark background.  You know what I mean, don’t you?

Last year, I won a Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop from another blogger.  It really made a difference in my indoor photos, but there was one thing that I wasn’t fully happy about…  I could only take landscape photos.  No portraits.  Don’t get me wrong because I thought it was great, but I like the ability to shoot some pictures in the up-and-down direction, too.  Well, I heard that there is now a “deluxe” version that allows for photos in both landscape and portrait formats.

The Lightscoop Original ($19.95) is in the picture above on the left, and the Lightscoop Deluxe ($36.95) is on the right.  There is also a Lightscoop Jr. ($18.95) for advanced compact cameras.  You can see that the Lightscoop Deluxe not only allows for photos in both landscape and portrait formats, but it is also more compact.

This is how the Lightscoop Deluxe looks on my camera.  Depending on the orientation of the camera, I swivel the Lightscoop Deluxe so that the light from the flash bounces off the ceiling to light the object a little more naturally.  I could talk about this product all day, but in this case, the old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words is very true.  However, I am going to show you two pictures.  The first was taken in a semi-dark room with flash only.  The second picture is taken in the same semi-darken room, and the only change is the use of the Lightscoop Deluxe.

See how the flowers and the top of the vase are light.  Can you see what the vase is sitting on or what is behind the vase?

See how the entire picture is naturally light?  I had seen the before and after photos from Lightscoop before, but this is one of the most distinct differences I have seen.  It truly made the difference between night and day, didn’t it?

Because not all cameras are created equally, the Lightscoop can’t be used with all cameras.  Unfortunately, it appears that Lightscoop doesn’t work with all Sony cameras.  You can find the compatibility list on the Lightscoop website included in each product page.  I listed the prices at the beginning of this post, and I think the Lightscoops are definitely worth the money.  If I had to choose between which one to get for DSLR, I would go with the Lightscoop Deluxe every time.  I know it is more, but I love the ability to be able to shoot landscape and portrait.  To me, it is worth the extra money.

Professor Kobre’s Lightscoop wants to help you out with a 15% discount code that is good until midnight on November 25, 2013!  Just use RollerCoaster2013Fall for a 15% discount on the cart total, excluding shipping.

Would you like a chance to win one?  They will give one reader a Lightscoop Deluxe, Original or a Jr., depending on the winner’s preference.  Just read the rules below and enter on the Rafflecopter widget.

Rules: Giveaway starts at 5:40 am EDT on November 6, 2013 and ends at 11:59 pm EDT on November 20, 2013. Open to U.S. residents 18 years old and older.  Shipping to U.S. only.  No purchase is necessary to win. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries collected. The winner will be chosen by Random.org via Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to respond after being contacted by email.  Please make sure to use a valid email address. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ do not endorse this, nor sponsor this giveaway. Nor are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google+ affiliated with this giveaway in any way.  Additional rules here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the above product for the purpose of this review. I received no other compensation, nor was I required to post a positive review. The proof is in the pictures.