November 20, 2013
Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback! To say that Sony’s lens cameras are unique is an understatement. A lens camera is exactly what is sounds like: all of the internals of the camera are within the lens. The only thing that is left out is a flash, but the low light performance of the QX100 made that omission a mute point. Sony basically took its 2012 first generation RX-100 point-and-shoot and put it into a lens. Now, since the camera is just a lens, an Android or iOS phone can be used as a viewfinder for the camera. The QX100 uses an expandable clamp on the back of the camera to attach it to your smartphone. The lens camera and your smartphone connect wirelessly. The fact that the lens doesn’t have to be physically attached to your phone means that you can get some pretty cool shots. I’m planning on buying a miniature tripod that I will be able to strap to a tree branch for a photojournalism project for one of my classes.the QX100 takes some amazing pictures. I wouldn’t expect anything less, since it basically the same camera as the RX-100. However, you cannot use your regular camera app with the QX-100. You’ll have to download Sony’s PlayMemories app to control the camera. You can also use Camera360, which has built in support for the Sony lenses. Since the photos you take are stored on the microSD card in the lens, the camera sends a 2 megapixel version of the image to your phone by default. However, you can change this to have the full resolution image or have no photo sent, meaning you’ll have to use the app to select which pictures you want to send to you phone after the fact. While I agree that the iPhone takes some great photos, they just don’t have the high quality images that the QX10 and QX100 produce. I never once had a problem with battery life from the lens, while I did notice the battery on my phone took a bit of a hit while using the lens.If you’re wondering: Do I need this? No, nobody needs this. However, if you want to be able to take pictures that you would frame and have far better quality than your smartphone, then I say go ahead. The QX10, which comes in either black or white with gold trim that matches the new gold iPhone, is available for $249.99. The black-only QX100 costs $499.99. While that is a lot of money, the original RX-100 cost $649.99 at launch and the new RX-100 II cost $749.99. The QX100 isn’t a smartphone accessory; it is a high-end point-and-shoot camera that uses your smartphone as a viewfinder. So should you get it? Well, that's up to you. It could make a great holiday present, especially the QX10. However, if you don't have a nice point-and-shoot and you don't want to carry around two separate devices, this could be the ticket.