Sony has unveiled two lens-style cameras, which hook up to your phone instead of having a standard LCD screen.
The QX10 and QX100 are shaped like lenses, but contain all the things you'd normally find in a compact camera, including a sensor, processor, memory card slot and optical zoom functionality. The aim is to appeal to phone photographers who want better images without having to carry around a hefty dedicated camera.
Each of the cameras is based on an existing model in the Sony line-up. The QX100 is based on the excellent RX100 II and therefore features a large (in comparison to mobile phones and most compacts) 20.2 million pixel, 1 inch sensor and a 3.6x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens.
Meanwhile, the QX100, the smaller of the two, is based on the Sony WX100. It features a 18.2 million pixel, 1/2.3 inch sensor and a 10x optical zoom lens.
Connected
The cameras connect to a smartphone or tablet using Wi-Fi or NFC and are controlled using the free Sony app. The app is available for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire.
Both of the cameras feature a Bionz processor, designed to assist with low-light shooting and facilitate full HD video.
The cameras can be attached to your smartphone via the attachment case, or used up to 10 metres away from the device controlling it. They can also be used without a smartphone or tablet, but in practice this means you won't be able to see what you're composing.
The Sony QX10 and QX100 price has yet to be announced, but the cameras will be available from mid-September.
