First Look: The Sony QX100 detachable smartphone camera
I'm Andrew Hoyle for CNET and I'm taking a look at the Sony QX100 smart lens.
It might look like someone has just snapped the body off one of Sony's larger compact cameras because, in a way, that's exactly what has happened.
The QX100 boasts a large image sensor, high-quality lens, and a 6X optical zoom, but leaves out the screen and body, instead connecting directly to your smartphone which then acts as the screen.
It allows you to carry your phone around as normal, popping on the lens only when you want to get better shots.
In theory, that should allow for vastly improved photos everyone's smartphone can normally achieve.
Phone camera sensors tend to be very small, but the QX100 boasts a whopping 1-inch sensor.
The bigger the sensor, the more light can hit it and the better your images will be.
The lens comes with a micro-SD card slot for storing images as well as its own battery, so you won't need to drain your phone's power to use it.
It can connect automatically to your phone using NFC or
by setting up a Wi-Fi connection if your phone doesn't support it.
In theory, it's a brilliant idea, allowing you to snap high-quality shots then edit them and share them straight from your phone.
QX100 will set you back a whopping 400 pounds, though.
Its little brother, the QX10, costs 180 pounds.
It has the largest zoom and the more compact size, but it does have a much smaller image sensor, so you might not suffer a lot over your phone's built-in Snapper.
Both models will be available for mid-September.
Make sure to keep it CNET for all the latest news.
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