Sony today unveiled two lens accessories for smartphones that put a new spin on the idea of improving the on-board camera.
Sony QX100 and QX10 are attachable lenses and also serve as stand-alone cameras. Both lenses connect to smartphones (Android and iOS) via Wi-Fi and, along with a companion app, can be used instead of the smartphone’s built-in camera. The companion app uses the phone’s screen as a viewfinder and offers some simple controls over shooting mode, zoom, point of focus, and others. The lenses can be mounted on smartphones with the use of clips, as well as used on their own.
Both use Sony’s EXMOR sensors and can be paired easily with devices via NFC. The QX100 has a 20.1-megapixel camera and offers 3.6x optical zoom while the QX10 offers an 18.2-megapixel camera and 10x optical zoom.
The QX100 and QX10 lens-style cameras will be available later this month for $499 and $249, respectively. The come in black and white.
