In addition to its new high-end Xperia Z1 smartphone and a 4K video download service, Sony today announced an interesting concept for photographers. The company during its IFA presentation revealed its new DSC-QX100 and DSC-QX10 Cyber-shot cameras.
What’s special about these new Cyber-shots is that they won’t come in the normal point-and-shoot form factor. Instead, the entire camera is housed within a camera lens-sized cylinder. The cameras can be mounted on smartphones, turning them into semi-professional photography devices. The devices connect via Wi-Fi to smartphones (even iPhones) using Sony’s “PlayMeories Mobile” app. Pictures taken with one of the cameras are automatically saved to both the camera and the smartphone it is paired with.
“With the new QX series 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 Cyber-shot 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 QX10 is the lower-end model of the two cameras. It has an 18.2MP sensor and a 10x optical zoom lens. According to Sony, the QX10 will be released sometime “later this month” for $250 and comes in either white or black varieties
The QX100 is the premium model, and will retail for $500. It features the same 20.2MP sensor found in Sony’s Cyber-shot RX100 II device. It’s Carl Zeiss lens also has a 3.6x optical zoom, a wide aperture for low-light picture-taking, and a control ring for manual focus. The QX100 will be released later this month alongside the QX10.