Lens capped

Slapped on, or on its own, Sony’s ‘lens-style’ is fun, handy and quality clicking.

Sony is one of those bright-idea companies, and apparently they aren’t content with the camera functions incorporated into their mobile phones. So they’ve decided to up things by a notch; actually, two notches. How about a couple of slap-it-ons to make things a bit more fun?

That’s exactly what Sony is giving us with the QX10 and QX100 Cyber-shot lens-style cameras. All you need to do is clamp ‘em on your mobile and transform it into a phone-cum-point-and-shoot snapper!

At first glance, these look like mere lenses, but they’re actually more than that; aside from making your phone more stylish — their simplicity and compactness are really aesthetic — they can also function as stand-alones. Meaning, you can leave them anywhere and still have them functioning — but of course without any displays. Basically, it’s like having a two-piece camera with your phone or tablet acting as the screen.

There are two main differences between the QX10 and the QX100: the former has 18.2MP and a Sony G Lens, while the latter has 20.2MP and a Carl Zeiss lens. So based on these alone, you know exactly which one can produce higher-quality shots, although both do quite well.

You can connect the QX10 and QX100 to your device either by Bluetooth or NFC, and pairing them is easy enough. Once they’re combined, you’re ready to go trigger-happy. The shots produced are fine, and I’m speaking for both the QX10 and QX100 here.

However, I ran into a bit of trouble when trying to capture moving objects, especially the real-fast ones. I’m assuming that it’s because they’re connected via Bluetooth or NFC, which gives some lag.

Also, one disadvantage of this is when your connection starts to tatter up; think of all these in relation to your Bluetooth headset and you experience some starts-and-stops-and-chops while listening to music. These apart, it’s a perfect fit for your device.

Don’t forget to check out the complimentary app available on iOS and Android.

AND SO…

If you’re looking for something unique and don’t want to carry a separate/actual camera around, the QX10 and QX100 are it. But bear in mind that the latter is more than double the price of the former.

THE LAUNCHPAD

Acer Iconia A1-830 — With a “premium metal finish than typically offered in tablets in this class”, this 7.9” device can be an alternative “a touch cooler” just in case you’re confused on what tablet you want to pick up. It’s only 8.15mm thin, has a 10-point multi-touch display and claims to have a 7.5-hour battery life. And don’t forget about the 1080p full-HD camera.

Fujifilm X-T1 — More stuff from the award-winning X-Series range; this premium interchangeable lens camera offers “evolved” SLR-style handling, mechanical dials and weather resistance — when paired with a weather-resistant X-mount lens. Also, its newly developed electronic viewfinder is “almost indistinguishable” from an optical one, thanks to its “ultra-fast” display speed.