I would agree with you if the person needed this accessory frequently. I have a 4 Canon camera with some very expensive L series lenses and a pair of $500 Canon speedlite strobes. That set up is one end of the spectrum and it can take amazing photos with beautiful lighting effects. The built in flash on any smartphone is the other end of the spectrum. I see this off camera flash as a very logical and inexpensive middle ground as it will be much more portable and convenient than lugging around a full DSLR w/ strobes while still providing a way to get better lighting effects than just relying on the built in flash. I will probably pick one of these up as soon as they are available.If you need this accessary, you might do better with a dedicated camera.