Review: Sony's high-end Cyber-shot QX100 wireless camera lens for iPhone
The Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 is the high-end version of Sony's newly released iPhone-compatible wireless camera accessories, packing in a Carl Zeiss lens at an attractive price point. Like the low-end QX10, it's a forward thinking device with a great deal of potential that remains held back by shaky software.
Sony's QX-series Cyber-shot cameras are Wi-Fi Direct devices that wirelessly connect to a smartphone, such as Apple's iPhone, which acts as the viewfinder. The lenses can be clipped onto the iPhone for a traditional shooting experience, or the lens can be controlled remotely from a short distance for more interesting shots.
The QX100 features a 1-inch Exmor CMOS sensor capable of capturing 20.9-megapixel images with a Carl Zeiss lens. It's identical to the sensor found in the Cyber-shot RX100II camera, which retails for around $750, or about $250 more than the QX100's $500 price tag.
It's also a big improvement over the 18-megapixel Exmor RCMOS 1/2.3-inch sensor and Sony G lens found in the QX10. But that improved image quality comes at a cost of size.
The QX100 is not quite twice as long as the more portable QX10. While we could squeeze the QX10 into a pocket if need be, the QX100 is big enough that it would definitely require a bag.
The hardware of the QX100 has a few welcome changes. Most notably is a focus ring on the device for manual adjustments. In addition, when autofocus is enabled through the Sony PlayMemories Mobile iPhone app that controls the lens, this manual ring reverts to a more precise zoom control.
The QX100 also moves the MicroSD card slot to the side of the lens, making it easy to swap out a card without disassembling the device. This is an improvement from the QX10, which houses the MicroSD slot inside near the battery compartment, requiring some work on the part of the user to replace.
Like the QX10, the QX100 also has a dedicated zoom control rocker on the left side of the device, as well as a hard shutter button. Both of these functions can also be controlled through the PlayMemories app.
One area where the QX10 bests the higher-end QX100 is zoom: While the QX10 has a great 10x optical zoom, the QX100 offers a much shorter range with 3.6x zoom. While the optical zoom on the QX100 is considerably less than the QX10, it's also far more than the iPhone's built-in camera offers --?zero.
Since then, the application has thankfully been upgraded with iOS 7 support and various bug fixes. The changes are in fact a marked improvement, but PlayMemories Mobile still has a long way to go, unfortunately.
Before, it would take 10 or more seconds for the PlayMemories application to establish a connection with a QX camera and begin shooting. Now, that connection time is closer to 5 seconds. While this is a big improvement, we don't feel it's enough, though Sony may be hampered by the limitations of Wi-Fi Direct.
Also improved are the amount of crashes and random disconnects we previously experienced with the PlayMemories app. The latest version provides a more reliable connection, though it's still not perfect.
On a number of occasions we would be presented with a spinning wheel in the middle of the screen and were unable to snap a picture by using the app's shutter button. Using the shutter button on the QX100 still worked fine, but we were shooting blind without an idea if our subject was in focus, or in the picture at all.
What makes the issues all the more frustrating is that when the PlayMemories app works, it works great. The live viewfinder is sharp enough to give an idea of what the captured picture will look like, and it's responsive with minimal lag.
Sony has said that third-party applications like Camera360 and Camera+ will be adding support for controlling the QX lenses in the future. Those functions are not currently available in either app.
No updates to PlayMemories, or any third-party apps, are going to change the fact that connecting to the QX100 (and QX10) can be a hassle. If you're using your iPhone at home, where you presumably already have a Wi-Fi connection, you'll have to open the Settings app and manually choose to connect over Wi-Fi Direct to the lens. After that connection is established, you'll then have to launch the PlayMemories app to control it.
If the best camera is the one that's available to you, then the setup process of the QX series pushes these lenses down the rankings. And those issues are further compounded by occasional hangups with the PlayMemories app itself.
We commend Sony for improving its app, and accordingly adjusted our score on the QX10 camera from 2.5 stars to 3 stars. However, there's still a great deal of room for improvement, and we hope that further updates from Sony, or a potential third-party application to control the QX cameras, will further improve performance.
New settings are also unlocked in the app when using the QX100, such as an Aperture Priority Shooting mode that give advanced photographers more functionality and flexibility.
On the next page, comparison shots between the QX100, QX10 and iPhone 5s
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
QX10 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s max digital zoom (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
QX10 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s max digital zoom (click for full-size).
In picture samples, the QX100 is unsurprisingly the clear winner. Details in shots are crisp, colors are vibrance, and light balance is natural. All QX100 and QX10 sample shots above were done with auto-adjustment features via the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app, while the iPhone 5s pictures were taken using Apple's official Camera app for iOS 7.
The QX100 also dealt the best by far with shadows, pulling out colors from darkened objects while lesser, smaller cameras were unable to capture as much light.
The QX10, as we noted in our review of that device, edges the iPhone 5s as well, but its real selling point is the device's built-in 10x optical zoom. That's something the iPhone 5s can't compete with.
In more difficult shots, like the Flatiron building above, the results were varied. The QX100 was again the best picture, though the iPhone 5s was a good performer with the auto-focus. The QX10 showed good detail on the building, but the bright background sky was blown out. This could probably be fixed with manual adjustments, but the purpose of our tests were for quick-take photographs.
It's hard not to get excited about the potential of a wireless lens controlled by your smartphone, allowing for higher quality pictures than any iPhone can provide, while also maintaining the connectivity and apps offered by modern handsets.
The QX100 is harder to recommend than the QX10, however. While the picture quality on the QX100 is superior, it's far less portable and definitely not pocketable like its smaller, cheaper counterpart.
If you're going to need a bag to carry your QX100, you might as well spend the extra $250 and get a full-fledged RX100II camera, which features the same lens but does not rely on Sony's PlayMemories app for control.
For most iPhone owners, the QX10 seems like it would be the better fit. It takes better pictures than even the iPhone 5s, it has a great 10x optical zoom that really lets you get up close with far-away subjects, and it's far more pocketable than the bulky QX100.
For more serious camera enthusiasts eyeing the QX100, it's is an interesting concept and something you might consider purchasing if its unique advantages, such as wireless remote control capabilities, were something you could take great advantage of. But for a "prosumer" looking for an easy way to snap pictures on the go, opting for a more traditional camera is a better bet for now.
We're hopeful that future updates to the PlayMemories software, or third-party apps, will further improve the experience with the QX100. But we're even more hopeful that future versions of Sony's wireless camera concept are forthcoming to fulfill the current potential.
Score: 2.5 out of 5
Sony's QX-series Cyber-shot cameras are Wi-Fi Direct devices that wirelessly connect to a smartphone, such as Apple's iPhone, which acts as the viewfinder. The lenses can be clipped onto the iPhone for a traditional shooting experience, or the lens can be controlled remotely from a short distance for more interesting shots.
Hardware
Each QX camera uses a MicroSD card to store shots remotely from the iPhone, though pictures can be transferred manually or automatically if a user chooses. For the purposes of this review, Sony provided AppleInsider with a DSC-QX100 lens, as well as an 8-gigabyte Sony-branded MicroSD card and standard SD adapter.The QX100 features a 1-inch Exmor CMOS sensor capable of capturing 20.9-megapixel images with a Carl Zeiss lens. It's identical to the sensor found in the Cyber-shot RX100II camera, which retails for around $750, or about $250 more than the QX100's $500 price tag.
It's also a big improvement over the 18-megapixel Exmor RCMOS 1/2.3-inch sensor and Sony G lens found in the QX10. But that improved image quality comes at a cost of size.
The QX100 is not quite twice as long as the more portable QX10. While we could squeeze the QX10 into a pocket if need be, the QX100 is big enough that it would definitely require a bag.
The hardware of the QX100 has a few welcome changes. Most notably is a focus ring on the device for manual adjustments. In addition, when autofocus is enabled through the Sony PlayMemories Mobile iPhone app that controls the lens, this manual ring reverts to a more precise zoom control.
The QX100 also moves the MicroSD card slot to the side of the lens, making it easy to swap out a card without disassembling the device. This is an improvement from the QX10, which houses the MicroSD slot inside near the battery compartment, requiring some work on the part of the user to replace.
Like the QX10, the QX100 also has a dedicated zoom control rocker on the left side of the device, as well as a hard shutter button. Both of these functions can also be controlled through the PlayMemories app.
One area where the QX10 bests the higher-end QX100 is zoom: While the QX10 has a great 10x optical zoom, the QX100 offers a much shorter range with 3.6x zoom. While the optical zoom on the QX100 is considerably less than the QX10, it's also far more than the iPhone's built-in camera offers --?zero.
Software
As we noted in our QX10 review in September, the Achilles' heel of Sony's QX-series cameras is the company's proprietary PlayMemories Mobile application for iOS, which offers substandard performance in controlling the lens. Sony explained that those issues were due to the fact that the software was not updated for iOS 7.Since then, the application has thankfully been upgraded with iOS 7 support and various bug fixes. The changes are in fact a marked improvement, but PlayMemories Mobile still has a long way to go, unfortunately.
Before, it would take 10 or more seconds for the PlayMemories application to establish a connection with a QX camera and begin shooting. Now, that connection time is closer to 5 seconds. While this is a big improvement, we don't feel it's enough, though Sony may be hampered by the limitations of Wi-Fi Direct.
Also improved are the amount of crashes and random disconnects we previously experienced with the PlayMemories app. The latest version provides a more reliable connection, though it's still not perfect.
On a number of occasions we would be presented with a spinning wheel in the middle of the screen and were unable to snap a picture by using the app's shutter button. Using the shutter button on the QX100 still worked fine, but we were shooting blind without an idea if our subject was in focus, or in the picture at all.
What makes the issues all the more frustrating is that when the PlayMemories app works, it works great. The live viewfinder is sharp enough to give an idea of what the captured picture will look like, and it's responsive with minimal lag.
Sony has said that third-party applications like Camera360 and Camera+ will be adding support for controlling the QX lenses in the future. Those functions are not currently available in either app.
No updates to PlayMemories, or any third-party apps, are going to change the fact that connecting to the QX100 (and QX10) can be a hassle. If you're using your iPhone at home, where you presumably already have a Wi-Fi connection, you'll have to open the Settings app and manually choose to connect over Wi-Fi Direct to the lens. After that connection is established, you'll then have to launch the PlayMemories app to control it.
If the best camera is the one that's available to you, then the setup process of the QX series pushes these lenses down the rankings. And those issues are further compounded by occasional hangups with the PlayMemories app itself.
We commend Sony for improving its app, and accordingly adjusted our score on the QX10 camera from 2.5 stars to 3 stars. However, there's still a great deal of room for improvement, and we hope that further updates from Sony, or a potential third-party application to control the QX cameras, will further improve performance.
New settings are also unlocked in the app when using the QX100, such as an Aperture Priority Shooting mode that give advanced photographers more functionality and flexibility.
On the next page, comparison shots between the QX100, QX10 and iPhone 5s
Comparison shots: QX100, QX10 and iPhone 5s
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
QX10 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s max digital zoom (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 (click for full-size).
QX10 (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s (click for full-size).
QX100 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
QX10 max optical zoom (click for full-size).
iPhone 5s max digital zoom (click for full-size).
In picture samples, the QX100 is unsurprisingly the clear winner. Details in shots are crisp, colors are vibrance, and light balance is natural. All QX100 and QX10 sample shots above were done with auto-adjustment features via the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app, while the iPhone 5s pictures were taken using Apple's official Camera app for iOS 7.
The QX100 also dealt the best by far with shadows, pulling out colors from darkened objects while lesser, smaller cameras were unable to capture as much light.
The QX10, as we noted in our review of that device, edges the iPhone 5s as well, but its real selling point is the device's built-in 10x optical zoom. That's something the iPhone 5s can't compete with.
In more difficult shots, like the Flatiron building above, the results were varied. The QX100 was again the best picture, though the iPhone 5s was a good performer with the auto-focus. The QX10 showed good detail on the building, but the bright background sky was blown out. This could probably be fixed with manual adjustments, but the purpose of our tests were for quick-take photographs.
Wrap-up
In our QX10 review, we praised Sony for creating an ambitious, unique device that's the only of its kind on the market. That stands for the QX100 as well.It's hard not to get excited about the potential of a wireless lens controlled by your smartphone, allowing for higher quality pictures than any iPhone can provide, while also maintaining the connectivity and apps offered by modern handsets.
The QX100 is harder to recommend than the QX10, however. While the picture quality on the QX100 is superior, it's far less portable and definitely not pocketable like its smaller, cheaper counterpart.
If you're going to need a bag to carry your QX100, you might as well spend the extra $250 and get a full-fledged RX100II camera, which features the same lens but does not rely on Sony's PlayMemories app for control.
For most iPhone owners, the QX10 seems like it would be the better fit. It takes better pictures than even the iPhone 5s, it has a great 10x optical zoom that really lets you get up close with far-away subjects, and it's far more pocketable than the bulky QX100.
For more serious camera enthusiasts eyeing the QX100, it's is an interesting concept and something you might consider purchasing if its unique advantages, such as wireless remote control capabilities, were something you could take great advantage of. But for a "prosumer" looking for an easy way to snap pictures on the go, opting for a more traditional camera is a better bet for now.
We're hopeful that future updates to the PlayMemories software, or third-party apps, will further improve the experience with the QX100. But we're even more hopeful that future versions of Sony's wireless camera concept are forthcoming to fulfill the current potential.
Score: 2.5 out of 5
Pros:
- Great picture quality and zoom
- Wireless connectivity offers new possibilities
- The concept remains strong
Cons
- Sony's iPhone app has been improved, but still needs work
- Setup time could cost users a great shot
- Not as pocketable as the QX10
Comments
I find mself asking this question: do I really need an awkward/unwieldy/clunky accessory which is difficult to mount and use when the right moment presents itself suddenly? It's about how many seconds away that moment is vis-a-vis device readiness capability.
I wish I could have some optical zoom built-in with iPhone. I am not a pro and don't want to go into the realm of high-end camera only devices. I just want to take decent enough vacation pics and digital zoom sucks.
I wonder, is there a practical need for such accessories? Either go for pro or be amateur. Is there a tri-state really?
I applaud Sony for it's fwd thinking. However, the "shaky" software would stop me from considering it.
Like most tech, whether it be hardware or software, I just can't be bothered with crappy products. I don't have a DSLR for this reason. I would rather take hundreds of photos with my iPhone (mainly outdoors on sunny days) to get 10 or 12 good photos than have to learn a clunky interface, never mind carry a big brick around.
Don't hammer me on this, but I only buy Apple SW (and third party Apps, of course) and hardware. If Apple doesn't make it, I don't buy it.
I've been let down by Apple a bit in the past, MobileMe comes to mind ($100/yr.), the first iteration of the iPhone's Podcast App, no copy & paste on the original iPhone.
But even with MobileMe's shortcomings, as an example, the ease of integration across the Apple ecosystem can not be overstated.
The integration aspect and strong ecosystem made up for a lot. I would much prefer to put up with the first iteration of Pages, Numbers, iCloud, Maps simply because one, I know Apple will make improvements and two, it just works.
One only has to think of the crappy interfaces that cable companies and TV manufacturer's employ.
Most App developers have learned to raise their standards to Apple quality on the software side. Now it's time for the Sony's of this world to produce not only great hardware but stellar software. to boot!
Edit: Having said the above, my daughter has a medium priced DSLR (<$1,000) and I am impressed with the quality of photos she takes. She said Cannon has the most Apple-like interface but it is still clunky.
Agreed, it's a great concept. But is a concept still.
I find mself asking this question: do I really need an awkward/unwieldy/clunky accessory which is difficult to mount and use when the right moment presents itself suddenly? It's about how many seconds away that moment is vis-a-vis device readiness capability.
I wish I could have some optical zoom built-in with iPhone. I am not a pro and don't want to go into the realm of high-end camera only devices. I just want to take decent enough vacation pics and digital zoom sucks.
I wonder, is there a practical need for such accessories? Either go for pro or be amateur. Is there a tri-state really?
All good points. My father used to say back in the day, most people are just taking "snapshots" with their insta-matic Kodak cameras.
He had a lot of high end cameras, tons of lens and a few bags to hold it all, but he never took it with him because it was to cumbersome.
He had a early 60's Leica camera with one lens and that's all he would ever take. It took great photos.
This is a joke. For $50 it might fly. For $500 . . . go home, Sony, you're drunk.
You can take some ridiculously impressive shots with the stock iPhone Camera (and you won't even blow out your highlights), using at least the built-in HDR feature plus some quality editing apps.
Just check out, for example, what Kevin Russ is doing with just an iPhone and some apps. No big-ass lens stuck in front, either.
This is a joke. For $50 it might fly. For $500 . . . go home, Sony, you're drunk.
You can take some ridiculously impressive shots with the stock iPhone Camera (and you won't even blow out your highlights), using at least the built-in HDR feature plus some quality editing apps.
Just check out, for example, what Kevin Russ is doing with just an iPhone and some apps. No big-ass lens stuck in front, either.Links for Kevin Russ @ tumblr -> http://kevinruss.tumblr.com
@ Flikr -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattersonminx/
@ Society6 -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattersonminx/
What would be perfect from Apple? 12 high quality MPs. An optical 3x zoom. All in the same phone package we have now. Impossible? Not really. We're just not there yet.
But while this looks to be a good idea from Sony, it's just too bulky. The extra quality is very nice, but the camera itself is really thick. If I wanted this, I would want it to be easily pocketable itself. It's not.
Quite frankly, one would be better off, if picture quality is the main interest, to buy a compact camera for the same, or lower price, and keep that in a pocket. Some have wiFi. Some let you post to Facebook, or other sites.
Not nearly as versatile as this combo is, but not as ergonomically, well, lousy.
A sucker is born every minute!
Um, the mega pixels on those lenses are going to waste. The Apple sensor is 5-8 mega pixels. So what makes you think that a 20 mega pixel external lens will translate into a 20 mega pixel image when the sensor on the IPhone is less than 20 mega pixels?
A sucker is born every minute!
There are more idiots and illiterates than suckers.
Um, the mega pixels on those lenses are going to waste. The Apple sensor is 5-8 mega pixels. So what makes you think that a 20 mega pixel external lens will translate into a 20 mega pixel image when the sensor on the IPhone is less than 20 mega pixels?
A sucker is born every minute!
What is this "um" stuff? A "thought impediment"?
You have a mistaken concept of what the QX lenses are. They're NOT "external lenses". They're external CAMERAS to the smart phone. They're actually cameras in themselves with internal image sensors and image storage memory on an SD card. What these "cameras" are missing is a viewfinder. That's the job delegated to the smartphone, along with remote control functions of the "camera." The QX100 takes 20 megapixel images and saves them on its SD card. This is totally independent of whatever camera the smartphone has. They can optionally stay on the card for later import to computers for editing, and/or they can be transferred either full rez or smaller rez copies for viewing/sharing via the smart phone.
Your needlessly critical knee-jerk assessment throws the baby out with the bath water.
You may just be that sucker. Both of these "lenses" are not simply big attachable lenses. The Sony QX100 has it's own image sensor and does not make use of Apple's integrated sensor at all. As quoted from the article it has a "1-inch Exmor CMOS sensor capable of capturing 20.9-megapixel images". The lens has nothing to do with how many megapixels an image sensor will capture. The Carl Zeiss lens does however provide some benefits such as an optical zoom.
This is basically a camera without the control logic. It has it's own sensor, storage, and lens. The iPhone and Sony's software simply control the device and provide a method to transfer images from the devices MicroSD card to the iPhone. You should really read an article before posting silly comments about people being suckers.
As someone with a long commercial background in professional photography, I'm at odds about this. So I do have a fair amount of expensive photo equipment. But I don't carry it around nearly as much as I used to.
What would be perfect from Apple? 12 high quality MPs. An optical 3x zoom. All in the same phone package we have now. Impossible? Not really. We're just not there yet.
But while this looks to be a good idea from Sony, it's just too bulky. The extra quality is very nice, but the camera itself is really thick. If I wanted this, I would want it to be easily pocketable itself. It's not.
Quite frankly, one would be better off, if picture quality is the main interest, to buy a compact camera for the same, or lower price, and keep that in a pocket. Some have wiFi. Some let you post to Facebook, or other sites.
Not nearly as versatile as this combo is, but not as ergonomically, well, lousy.
Casio put folded zooms that bend the light path by 90 degrees into thin devices a long time ago, so while still a formidable engineering task, it's beyond academic that an optical zoom could be fit into a device close to the size of the iPhone.
Obviously battery space would also be an issue - the iPhone is already packed. I've long thought an "iPhone C" (this was before the "5c") - an iPhone specifically emphasizing photography ala the Lumia 1020 - could be profitably marketed, if not in the volumes where Apple likes to place new products.
Maybe the chassis of the widely anticipated larger 2014 new model (the iPhone X?), would have the room required? And be another differentiator for marketing it.
There are other software and sensor developments that could replace much of what people usually want out of optical zoom, and again the 1020 shows one way to move in this direction - but that would still leave photogs without some of the reasons for having multiple focal lengths, the most basic being the perspective shift and apparent depth of field interactions which occur when zooming.
That being said, as Apple has done with car manufacturers, they might also team up with camera makers to make their cameras capable of slaving to any iDevice and allow the other real advantage the QX series offers - and the one not mentioned in the article - the ability to place a lens remotely from where you are as you control it and take pictures.
The simplest example is having yourself in a group picture you can compose while standing in the group, but there are myriad others that make taking photos you otherwise couldn't take - or take only with considerably more futzing around - completely feasible.
And this could all be done with an agreement, some engineering by the camera makers (not Apple) and an app.
This is a joke. For $50 it might fly. For $500 . . . go home, Sony, you're drunk.
You can take some ridiculously impressive shots with the stock iPhone Camera (and you won't even blow out your highlights), using at least the built-in HDR feature plus some quality editing apps.
Just check out, for example, what Kevin Russ is doing with just an iPhone and some apps. No big-ass lens stuck in front, either.
Links for Kevin Russ @ tumblr -> http://kevinruss.tumblr.com
@ Flikr -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattersonminx/
@ Society6 -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pattersonminx/
Thanks, Chris!
One thing they might be thinking of is an application for stereo 3D acquisition: two lenses can be brought closer together and spread further apart according to varying distances in 3D shots, and viewed real time in stereo with a stereoscope viewer on two iPhones placed side by side. They also might be able to get perfect sync between the "shutters" of the two camera-lenses with software. I truly hope it occurs to them to work on this, because up to now, we have had no such capability for shooting in 3D without getting into very expensive and bulky equipment.
I'm at odds at how the longer lens has less zoom.
Quote:
I applaud Sony for it's fwd thinking. However, the "shaky" software would stop me from considering it.
Like most tech, whether it be hardware or software, I just can't be bothered with crappy products. I don't have a DSLR for this reason. I would rather take hundreds of photos with my iPhone (mainly outdoors on sunny days) to get 10 or 12 good photos than have to learn a clunky interface, never mind carry a big brick around.
Don't hammer me on this, but I only buy Apple SW (and third party Apps, of course) and hardware. If Apple doesn't make it, I don't buy it.
Edit: Having said the above, my daughter has a medium priced DSLR (<$1,000) and I am impressed with the quality of photos she takes. She said Cannon has the most Apple-like interface but it is still clunky.
As a Canon Fanboy, I agree with your daughter. For everyday shots you need to learn about 5 things and you can quickly get some amazing exposures. Glass is always more important than the body. Yes, still clunky when you are not looking to capture moments. I with Canon would come out with such a lens.
As someone with a long commercial background in professional photography, I'm at odds about this. So I do have a fair amount of expensive photo equipment. But I don't carry it around nearly as much as I used to.
Not nearly as versatile as this combo is, but not as ergonomically, well, lousy.
I would add IS to that list, and with the M7 chip, we'll probably see this in the iPhone 6. 8MP is enough for a phone.
Good first try by Sony. They need to promote the possibilities of this lens by way of difficult shots you can't get with anywhere else. Such as this lens on an monopod, or sitting high above the crowd at a party, or in a helium balloon capturing scenic or large group shots.
The QX100 needs the better optical zoom. I will have to look at its details to find out why the longer lens does not have a further reach. The quality does not outperform the iPhone 5s greatly enough to purchase as a phone extension. If you are going to use for unique positioning of the lens, then it has merit.
My iPhone 6 wish list:
I am excited to test the 5s! My dream is for Apple to team up with Canon : )
Great review:
http://connect.dpreview.com/post/7518611407/apple-iphone5s-smartphone-camera-review ;
This product exists because smartphones have taken a chunk out of the once-thriving compact (casual) camera market. This needs to be a three-way comparison between 1) iPhone, 2) Sony QX, and 3) compact cameras.
The lightweight review left me with a bunch of unanswered questions:
1) how does it do in low light scenes? How sensitive are the image chips? What does the noise look like at the limit?
2) how do skin tones look? A lot of casual pictures are of people, not buildings.
3) how well does the QX imagine stabilization work? The iPhones have killer imagine stabilizers.
4) how sharp is the image at the edges? At both ends of the optical zoom range? Any color aberrations?
5) how much detail is lost by the JPEG conversion? Can we see a 100% crop without any digital zoom applied?
6) how does the camera's auto white-balance do in warm tungsten light? hard greenish fluorescent light?
What would be perfect from Apple? 12 high quality MPs. An optical 3x zoom. All in the same phone package we have now. Impossible? Not really. We're just not there yet.
But while this looks to be a good idea from Sony, it's just too bulky. The extra quality is very nice, but the camera itself is really thick. If I wanted this, I would want it to be easily pocketable itself. It's not.
I hear ya.
Why not get a telephoto lens like the Olloclip or the Photojojo?
(Pictured: Phone Lens Series from Photojojo)
There's not much to carry around, and the phone and lenses are easily pocketable without needing another electronic device that requires batteries, chargers, memory cards, etc.
I hear ya.
Why not get a telephoto lens like the Olloclip or the Photojojo?
(Pictured: Phone Lens Series from Photojojo)
There's not much to carry around, and the phone and lenses are easily pocketable without needing another electronic device that requires batteries, chargers, memory cards, etc.
I often considered this...$70 is not too bad. I like the low fisheye lens for interior shots of homes (Real Estate), although interior shots with an iPhone are somewhat problematic. Some photos are good and fine for websites, MLS's brochures, etc., but most aren't!
FYI: Be careful. Sometimes the add-on lens covers the flash!
Edit: Thanks for the links, Newt!
Products like this improve on the quality but require you to carry an additional, bulky and inconvenient to use accessory. If I'm going to be bothered to carry something else it may as well be a fully featured compact camera with far superior ergonomics.
I hear ya.
Why not get a telephoto lens like the Olloclip or the Photojojo?
That's kinda like saying why buy a car when you can buy a hubcap. The Olloclip is neat but it's not even close to being the same thing in any way. These Sony products are extremely high-end full cameras just without a viewfinder.