Yesterday, Sony’s upcoming QX1 was leaked onto the internet, giving us our first look at the lens mount and exactly what it’s expected to bring to smartphone users. The device wasn’t just officially announced today; it’s coming with a partner, as well, called the QX30.
I’ll start off with a TL;DR. Basically, we got the QX1 down yesterday: a mount compatible with any E-mount lens Sony offers. The newly announced QX30, however, is a fixed lens mount with an appropriate-to-title 30X optical zoom.
The QX1 itself pretty much turns your phone into a mirrorless Sony camera (Ironically, if you have an iPhone, this is already true. But you know what I mean.). Packing a 20.1MP APS-C sensor, a BIONZ X processor, a pop-up flash, and RAW shooting capabilities, this is the lens to have if you want your smartphone to double as a full-on DSLR. If you’re familiar with Sony’s previous smartphone lenses, you’ll already know that this one turns your phone into an LCD screen for the add-on glass itself.
Where the QX1’s strength lies in its power and versatility, the QX30’s lies in other capabilities. With a 20.4MP 1/2.3 inch sensor, a 25-750mm equivalent f/3.5-6.3 lens, the QX30 gives you more freedom to capture your shots up close without actually being up close. There aren’t any field tests out yet, but I can only imagine how great this would be for iPhone filmmakers; dolly-zoom shots could potentially come out amazingly.
Respectively, the QX1 and QX30 are expected to release with a price tag of $400 and $350. I questioned yesterday whether Sony should be selling lenses like these at such a high price when the market seems marginally small for the product, but this is a step back from the prices for their previous smartphone mounts. You can find the mounts in stores everywhere later this month. Are you planning on giving these guys a shot?
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