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We have seen quite a bit of rumors about the upcoming Sony lens camera accessories for your smartphone. We even have the manuals and rumored prices, but today we have more information than we could ask for. Sony has accidentally leaked all the details about the QX10 and QX100 lenses, with press releases, images and all.
In the specs we can see a direct comparison of both devices. The QX100 will offer the better images with a larger sensor, while the QX10 features a much better zoom range (10x vs the QX100’s 3.6x). You can see everything else in the specs below.
Everything seems to be great, but there is one issue I am not quite liking. These cameras have really nice specs and glass, but they seem to only support JPEG. Many of you might not mind, but this is a huge turn-off for most photography enthusiasts. We would like any “advanced” camera equipment to support RAW image formats (in Sony’s case, SR2).
That is just me, though (and many photo enthusiasts out there). The camera/lens accessory seems to be great otherwise. And it does have some great features. It has its own SD card slot and battery. In essence, it’s its own camera; it just uses your phone as the live view screen and controller. As you can see in the images below, you can completely detach the lens from your phone if you so choose to.
And just in case that’s not enough information for you, we have the rest in this official press release:
New Sony QX100 and QX10 “Lens-Style Cameras” Redefine the Mobile Photography Experience
New Concept Cameras Link Flawlessly to Smartphone, Offering High-Zoom, Stunning Quality Images and Full HD Videos for Instant Sharing
Merging the creative power of a premium compact camera with the convenience and connectivity of today’s smartphones, Sony today introduced two “lens-style” QX series cameras that bring new levels of fun and creativity to the mobile photography experience.
The innovative Cyber-shot™ QX100 and QX10 models utilize Wi-Fi® connectivity to instantly transform a connected smartphone into a versatile, powerful photographic tool, allowing it to shoot high-quality images and full HD videos to rival a premium compact camera. It’s an entirely new and different way for consumers to capture and share memories with friends and family.
With a distinct lens-style shape, the new cameras utilize the latest version of Sony’s PlayMemories™ Mobile application (available for iOS™ and Android™ devices, version 3.1 or higher required) to connect wirelessly to a smartphone, converting the bright, large LCD screen of the phone into a real-time viewfinder with the ability to release the shutter, start/stop movie recordings, and adjust common photographic settings like shooting mode, zoom, Auto Focus area and more.
For added convenience, the app can be activated using NFC one-touch with compatible devices. Once pictures are taken, they are saved directly on both the phone and the camera*, and can be shared instantly via social media or other common mobile applications.
“With the new QX100 and QX10 cameras, we are making it easier for the ever-growing population of ‘mobile photographers’ to capture far superior, higher-quality content without sacrificing the convenience and accessibility of their existing mobile network or the familiar ‘phone-style’ shooting experience that they’ve grown accustomed to,” said Patrick Huang, director of the Cyber-shot business at Sony. “We feel that these new products represent not only an evolution for the digital camera business, but a revolution in terms of redefining how cameras and smartphones can cooperatively flourish in today’s market.”
The new compact, ultra-portable cameras can be attached to a connected phone with a supplied mechanically adjustable adapter, or can be held separately in hand or even mounted to a tripod while still maintaining all functionality and connectivity with the smartphone. They can also be operated as completely independent cameras if desired, as both the QX100 and QX10 cameras have a shutter release, memory card slot and come with a rechargeable battery.
Premium, Large-Sensor QX100 Camera
The Cyber-shot QX100 camera features a premium, high-quality 1.0 inch, 20.2 MP Exmor R™ CMOS sensor. Identical to the sensor found in the acclaimed Cyber-shot RX100 II camera, it allows for exceptionally detailed, ultra-low noise images in all types of lighting conditions, including dimly lit indoor and night scenes.
The sensor is paired with a fast, wide-aperture Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with 3.6x optical zoom and a powerful BIONZ image processor, ensuring beautifully natural, detail-packed still images and Full HD videos. As an extra refinement, the QX100 sports a dedicated control ring for camera-like adjustment of manual focus and zoom.
Several different shooting modes can be selected while using the QX100 including Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Intelligent Auto and Superior Auto, which automatically recognizes 44 different shooting conditions and adjusts camera settings to suit.
High-Zoom Cyber-shot QX10 model
Boasting a powerful 18.2 effective megapixel Exmor R™ CMOS sensor and versatile 10x optical zoom Sony G Lens, the Cyber-shot QX10 camera allows mobile photographers to bring distant subjects closer without sacrificing image quality or resolution, a common problem in smartphones. It’s also extremely portable and lightweight – weighing less than 4 oz and measuring about 2.5”X2.5”x1.3”, it’s a great tool for travel photography.
Additionally, the camera has built-in Optical SteadyShot to combat camera shake, keeping handheld pictures and videos steady and blur-free. It has Program Auto, Intelligent Auto and Superior Auto modes to choose from, and will be available in two different colors – black and white.
Pricing and Availability
The new Cyber-shot QX100 and QX10 lens-style cameras will available later this month for about $500 and $250, respectively.
The cameras and a range of compatible accessories including a soft carry case and dedicated camera attachment for Sony Mobile phones like the Xperia™ Z can be purchased at Sony retail stores (www.store.sony.com) and other authorized dealers nationwide.
Please visit www.blog.sony.com for a full video preview of the new Sony Cyber-shot QX Series cameras and follow #SonyCamera on twitter for the latest camera news.
We already knew everything in the press release, but the highlight is that it gives us a definite price point. The QX100 will go for $500 while the QX10 will cost you half the price at $250. Not too bad for a good camera with a Carl Zeiss lens! Especially if you want something compact, portable and with good quality.
Oh, and if you want to see a bit more we also have this awesome image from the famous Twitter leak ninja @evleaks. I will probably buy a black one for my event coverage and travels – what about you?
Buying. SOOOOO buying :D
Definitely a vlogger’s wet dream
I’m expecting a detailed review sir!
Take My money!!!
Apparently Sony can’t keep any secrets as of late.
Carl Zeiss optics, lovely…
QX10 is thicker/less portable than an RX100, what’s the point? Also startup time is 6.9 seconds?? pass..
Meant for true enthusiast and pros who like to play with fun toys like this.
It’s no different then having a professional camera obviously. So I think your negativity about it is invalid. A casual user will just use their phone, but this is meant for those who want more.
But remember what was stated. It can only support JPEG, from what it’s showing. I’m not too sure how that affects those you takes pictures, but it seems like that isn’t such a great thing.
I usually save my files in .png for better blow up and cropping quality.
Pretty rad stuff, like it better than Google Glass, way better.
No RAW support? That’s an issue? Most professional photographers, or anyone who really wants RAW images, will get a DSLR anyway. They might get this for creative use stuff, but things like this (including phones) will never replace dedicated camera hardware, because single-use equipment does its job better than jack-of-all-trades stuff.
Costco sells DSLR packs with a body (currently T5i or D3200), two lenses, a CF card, and a carrying bag for $1,000-$1,200. It’s cheap enough that a lot of the friends I have from high school got one either in HS or during college and have enjoyed dabbling in photography ever since. Many discovered RAW and how much better results can be or they had that one random extra class that showed them the power of shooting in RAW. They don’t really ever buy more lenses, or detachable flashes, or remotes, or even a tri-pod. They aren’t professional, but they enjoy shooting in RAW and extending their little hobby onto the computer. I feel like this product is aimed at those non-professionals who like artsy photos as a hobby and have a spare $500 laying around in one of their accounts. If it shot in RAW, then I could send this to a dozen people who would seriously consider this product. I’m sure they’ll be bringing it up across the next few months.
(btw I do realize that $1,200 is not cheap, but I went to a public high school with a bunch of kids that lived a whole different world behind gates.)
Can I use this with any phone or only sony phones? Sorry if I missed it above.
I’m surprised at the autonomous nature of this. I thought these were lenses only. Innovative
but….
For the price, I’d rather have a separate, waterproof point-and-shoot that I can control the same way as these with my tablet/phone. Are there any now, by the way? The disadvantages of a fully functional separate camera with the same connectivity would only be the size and shape of the camera. The advantages are numerous.
Maybe for pros the lens elements here are better, but that is a bit of a niche, and Sony left out the RAW format they would want.
This “man” is the pure definition of a hipster. “Let me share an image of the latte cup from Starbucks, that no one has see 10 million times.
Now on Amazon
QX100 http://amzn.to/14qmvhw
QX10 http://amzn.to/1eeuqpe
110 minutes for still and 25 minutes for video and maximum 2GB video files?? no thx