Sony Sony Thinking "Outside Of The Box" Again

one is the RX100 sensor....the one with the 10x zoom is a tiny sensor and you likely may as well just buy a point and shoot.

Ah, I see. Well, I already have an RX100 so I guess I'll pass :p

Neat idea. Sony is trying to innovate in sensors and cameras, which is really, really cool. Pushing everyone else! They should just really hang out a "Wanted: Senior Lens Engineer" Ad, lol.
 
Let's play a little real-world scenario modeling:

Let's say...

  • I'm a cell phone user and I hate carrying something else as a separate camera, but I want higher quality
  • I need my phone to fit in my pocket, so whatever I attach to it has to be removable
  • It has to be lightweight, i.e.: likely pretty fragile
  • I'll have to carry this accessory thing everywhere with me if I want to be ready to get higher quality shots and it won't be practical to leave it on the phone all the time
  • I'll have to take time to attach it and run the app to use it

So, we still have a second item to carry which you can't just turn on and use -- you have to attach it to your phone and run the app. Is this really solving anything? Wasn't the whole thrust of iPhone/smartphone photography that you carried one gadget that did it all right in your hand? No accessories?

I will bet you that 95% of these things purchased eventually simply get left at home or turn up cheap on eBay, lol.

Edit: Another thought...

How many of you have extra batteries for your camera? For your smartphone? I bet the camera module exacts a pretty big drain on the phones battery system with AF and zoom motors. Having your camera run out of juice is darned annoying... losing use of your phone is usually a lot more impacting.
 
I could totally use it.

My phone stays nice and thin so I can put it in the front pocket of my jeans. Since most of the time I have some sort of small bag with me, the clip-on lensor sleeps there until it's needed. When it's needed, I clip it to my phone and since it supports NFC it automatically launches Sony's camera app. And it has its own battery, so probably the battery life of the phone won't take a huge hit.
 
I could totally use it.

My phone stays nice and thin so I can put it in the front pocket of my jeans. Since most of the time I have some sort of small bag with me, the clip-on lensor sleeps there until it's needed. When it's needed, I clip it to my phone and since it supports NFC it automatically launches Sony's camera app. And it has its own battery, so probably the battery life of the phone won't take a huge hit.

Well then they've done it right on that score then. I still think most people (not you, lol) will get tired of carrying it around or it'll get broken or whatever. We'll see.

I'm sure they'll see LOTS of them for awhile...
 
Well then they've done it right on that score then. I still think most people (not you, lol) will get tired of carrying it around or it'll get broken or whatever. We'll see.

I'm sure they'll see LOTS of them for awhile...

I was actually thinking I would not mind playing w/ this gadget on a tablet like iPad mini or kindle fire HD rather than my smart phone. Not something I gotta have for sure. It is a fun idea and I like the way Sony s pushing the usage envelope here. I wait for it to show up on used market :D

Gary
 
I was actually thinking I would not mind playing w/ this gadget on a tablet like iPad mini or kindle fire HD rather than my smart phone. Not something I gotta have for sure. It is a fun idea and I like the way Sony s pushing the usage envelope here. I wait for it to show up on used market :D

Gary

Ha ha! Yes, did I see a $600 price tag on the RX100 type unit? I'd rather spend a little more for a real RX100, lol.

Used would be likely a better "price point"?
 
Neat idea. Sony is trying to innovate in sensors and cameras, which is really, really cool. Pushing everyone else!

Exactly.
I'm not interested in such devices, as they will most probably have poor ergonomics; but Sony deserves to be credited for its attitude.
Innovating in hopes to save both the industry and its own arse, coming up with bold products, this is the right thing to do. Sony got onto a great momentum, here.
Now if only they could improve their after-sale experience (thinking about the firmware updates here)...
 
See my previous post but I'm not so sure. If I can get RX100 performance at a cheaper price well....This *could* be akin to the E-PM2 vs E-PL5 :)

And neither of those cameras interest me either, lol -- and I had an E-PL5.

Controls, burst rate -- there's a lot this thing would have to live up to and I wait to see whether it's a viable option.

I still think it will generate a lot of excitement until people use it for awhile... then they'll be looking for something else. Like I said, we'll see. All your speculation is based on possible excitement, not actual use and that's where I think it will all fall apart.
 
but the E-PM2 is still a real camera. I think it's a cool gadget, but I can't imagine how robust the App would need to be to make the phone feel as fluid and nuanced as an actual camera. I won't say it can't be done, because Sony has some great minds and big piles of cash. In some ways, it may not even need to succeed. Maybe it's just a diversion and something to keep their name out in front of photographer's minds while they finish whipping up the FF NEX,
 
but the E-PM2 is still a real camera. I think it's a cool gadget, but I can't imagine how robust the App would need to be to make the phone feel as fluid and nuanced as an actual camera. I won't say it can't be done, because Sony has some great minds and big piles of cash. In some ways, it may not even need to succeed. Maybe it's just a diversion and something to keep their name out in front of photographer's minds while they finish whipping up the FF NEX,

Luke,
I was making a comparison of the RX100 to this upcoming 1 Inch Sensor QX100 Lens Camera....
 
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