Sony’s QX1 Looks To Bring Interchangeable Pro Lenses To Your Smartphone
Sony’s QX series of cameras is an oddity, but one that the company is apparently still committed to – a new leak from Sony Alpha Rumors reveals a treasure trove of press images depicting a so-called “QX1” model, which takes the basic concept of the QX10 and QX100 smartphone camera accessories and adds interchangeable lenses.
The QX10 and QX100, for those unfamiliar with Sony’s strange forays into the world of snap-on lenses, are standalone cameras (complete with a sensor and lens combo) that connects to your smartphone via an app for viewfinder and image review functions. Essentially, it replaces the body and controls of a camera, while keeping the essential bits in an external hardware accessory, with the aim of offering serious image quality in a more convenient form factor that takes advantage of the devices we all carry around with us anyway.
The mount can operate both affixed to a companion smartphone, or controlled at a distance from a device while the sensor/lens combo are positioned separately or placed atop a tripod, for instance, meaning this could actually be a pretty versatile accessory for genuine photogs, possibly with better value than a dedicated camera because expensive parts like the LCD viewfinder display are left to the companion smartphone. Sony Alpha Rumors says it’ll be announced in Berlin tomorrow, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long to get a price and date.