Android By Ryan Whitwam Sep. 2, 2014 3:48 pm
Sony has had some success with its line of mirrorless cameras using the E-mount lens system for both casual and more serious photographers. However, the QX10 and QX100 add-on lenses for smartphones have been less of a hit. A new leak of Sony’s next smartphone accessory could combine the two products–it’s a smartphone attachment that accommodates Sony’s E-mount lenses in the spirit of the original QX10/100.
The leaked accessory is said to be the “ILCE-QX1,” which will attach to the back of a smartphone with a clip system. Sony made cases for its own phones that included built-in mounts for the previous QX lenses, so maybe that’ll happen again with the QX1. However you attach it, the QX1 will have a self-contained image sensor and an E-mount for any of Sony’s recent lenses. Simply snap your E-Mount lens on and you’re ready to take DSLR-level images with your phone.
Sony makes a wide assortment of interchangeable prime and zoom lenses for its cameras based on the E-mount system. Some of these cost a few hundred dollars, but a nice 16-200mm super zoom lens will run you over a grand. If the ILCE-QX1 turns out to be a real device (and it seems plausible knowing Sony), you could essentially snap a professional camera onto any Android phone.
You’re probably wondering how the phone really figures into this setup, seeing as the QX1 has its own image sensor. When you attach the lens system, it will pair with your phone using NFC to create a WiFi Direct bridge. The viewfinder is streamed over to the phone’s screen, as are any images you snap with it.
The leak included a price of €300, or a little less than $400. That’s just for the mounting system, though. A kit with the basic 16-55mm lens will run you about €450 ($590). That’s spendy, but the QX10 and QX100 were rather expensive as well. They’re all basically scaled down Sony Alpha cameras, after all.
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The leaked accessory is said to be the “ILCE-QX1,” which will attach to the back of a smartphone with a clip system. Sony made cases for its own phones that included built-in mounts for the previous QX lenses, so maybe that’ll happen again with the QX1. However you attach it, the QX1 will have a self-contained image sensor and an E-mount for any of Sony’s recent lenses. Simply snap your E-Mount lens on and you’re ready to take DSLR-level images with your phone.
Sony makes a wide assortment of interchangeable prime and zoom lenses for its cameras based on the E-mount system. Some of these cost a few hundred dollars, but a nice 16-200mm super zoom lens will run you over a grand. If the ILCE-QX1 turns out to be a real device (and it seems plausible knowing Sony), you could essentially snap a professional camera onto any Android phone.
You’re probably wondering how the phone really figures into this setup, seeing as the QX1 has its own image sensor. When you attach the lens system, it will pair with your phone using NFC to create a WiFi Direct bridge. The viewfinder is streamed over to the phone’s screen, as are any images you snap with it.
The leak included a price of €300, or a little less than $400. That’s just for the mounting system, though. A kit with the basic 16-55mm lens will run you about €450 ($590). That’s spendy, but the QX10 and QX100 were rather expensive as well. They’re all basically scaled down Sony Alpha cameras, after all.
More...
