Sony to make Android/iPhone external camera lenses

[Dos_Box]

Now here's an idea that no one else has thought of! Sony are to produce an external lens that will use wireless to send the images back to your phone: BBC News - Sony launches lens accessories and Z1 handset at Ifa

 

Sony has confirmed plans to sell two stand-alone lenses that connect to smartphones by wi-fi, allowing them to take higher-quality photos.

The devices are compatible with Android and iOS handsets and mark the creation of a new product category.

 

There is talk in the article that if they get the price to around £100 or below they could be onto a winner.

 

[SYNACK]

If it uses wireless then it is just an external camera without a viewfinder explicitly tied to a phone, what's the point, just buy a camera so you can take pictures without your phone, besides being Sony I'm sure it's tied into one or other of their services heavily somehow.

[Dos_Box]

If it uses wireless then it is just an external camera without a viewfinder explicitly tied to a phone, what's the point, just buy a camera so you can take pictures without your phone, besides being Sony I'm sure it's tied into one or other of their services heavily somehow.

 

Y'know that got me thinking last night and actually what Sony have done makes sense.

Imagine having a decent lens that you could angle/position separately from the camera, also in this connected age, many want to upload their pics to social media straight away and maybe do some (very) light editing. All of which are either impossible or hard to do with a conventional camera.

[Arthur]

 

being Sony I'm sure it's tied into one or other of their services heavily somehow.

Pictures are taken through Sony's PlayMemories Mobile app. A bit of a shame, because the hardware itself is nice.

 

What happens when you buy a new smartphone running Android 4.5/5.x or iOS 8 and you find out the app isn't compatible? Your camera lens is now a £400+ door-stop!

 

Personally, I would rather spend a bit more money and buy the RX100M2. At least you can still use the camera without the app.

[jmak]

Or something like the Nikon Coolpix with Android built in.

[Arthur]

Or something like the Nikon Coolpix with Android built in.

It's a shame that camera comes with Android 2.3. It's obsolete before you even buy it!

 

http://i.imgur.com/aUQdDdw.jpg

[Arthur]

being Sony I'm sure it's tied into one or other of their services heavily somehow.

Third-party developers to the rescue!

 

Sony's NEX and QX Lens cameras will soon be controlled by anything developers can imagine « The Verge

 

Sony’s software has never quite lived up to the hardware design of its often-excellent products, but that could all change now that the company is opening up its camera API to anyone that wants to write a remote control app.

 

Sony is announcing that developers will be able to take control of its upcoming QX lens cameras, Wi-Fi-enabled NEX mirrorless bodies (5R, 5T, 6), the HDR-AS30 and AS15 action cams, and new HDR-MV1 video recorder with some simple JSON. The web-based API makes it platform agnostic, so you'll be able to port your apps between iOS, Android, and other platforms with (comparatively) few changes.