Sony Upgrades Smartphone Camera Quality with DSC-QX10 and QX100

Sony brought yet more unique ideas to IFA in Berlin when they revealed two smartphone camera add-ons designed to upgrade smartphone camera quality to compact digital-level. The QX10 and QX100 aim to give your smartphone a taste of smartphone-future by instantly upgrading the quality of your photos as well as enabling more personalised control of how you take your pictures. You can choose an upgrade to either 18MP or 20MP and both versions utilize Sony’s Bionz processor and feature Optical SteadyShot to help eliminate blur from camera shake. Interestingly, the camera add-ons are compatible with any smartphone running Android or iOS.

You may have seen our previous coverage of these as they were leaked ahead of their announcement. The frequent leaks suggested Sony was preparing a new product to bridge the smartphone and the compact digital camera and pocket-cam segments. Finally revealed, the two smartphone add-ons provide a smartphone with that extra boost to get serious with inexpensive light-weight photography. Connecting the add-on with your phone is easy, you can use either Wi-Fi or NFC and you don’t have to worry about holding everything when you want to concentrate on what you want to capture;

You don’t even need to have the phone and camera attached. Place Cyber-shot™ exactly where you want it, and fire the shutter direct from your mobile – it’s perfect for grabbing high-angle shots or self-portraits.

Here is the key feature list:

DSC-QX10 Details

18.2MP
Exmor R™ CMOS sensor
G Lens
Bionz processor
10x optical zoom
Release appx Sept 25 in US, 16 Europe
Price appx $248 / €199 / £179 (Amazon)

DSC-QX100 Details

20.2MP
Carl Zeiss wide-aperture Sonnar T* lens
Bionz processor
3.6 optical zoom
Dedicated control ring for adjustment of manual focus and zoom
Release appx Sept 25 in US, 16 Europe
Price appx $498 / €449 / £399 (Amazon)

Full specification available at the end of article.

Mixed Consumer Interest?

The two smartphone camera accessories have proved very popular in US if Amazon pre-order sales data is a reliable indicator. Two two camera variants and one additional colour appear at #5, #16 and #29 in the best-seller list in ‘digital cameras’. Curiously, the the two cameras don’t appear in the top 100 of the Amazon UK best-seller list despite already being available to pre-order. The cameras appear in Amazon Germany ranking at only #61 and #83. The various European Amazon sites rank the PS4 very similarly to the US so consumer appetite is identical there. The UK retailer The Carphone Warehouse is offering the QX10 free with the Xperia Z1 (Honami) subject to conditions. Will these cameras be a US-only, possibily Japanese hit?

Full Specification

Model	DSC-QX100	DSC-QX10
Image Sensor	1.0 type (13.2 x 8.8mm) Exmor R CMOS sensor	1/2.3 type (7.76mm) Exmor R CMOS sensor
Effective resolution	Approx.20.2 megapixels	Approx.18.2 megapixels
Image processor	BIONZ	BIONZ
Lens	Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T*, with 7 elements in 6 groups (4 aspheric elements including AA lens)	Sony G Lens, with 7 groups (including 4 aspheric elements)
Maximum aperture	F1.8(Wide angle)- F4.9 (Tele)	F3.3(Wide angle)- F5.9 (Tele)
Focal length (35mm equivalent) (still image 4:3)	f=28-100mm	f=25-250mm
Optical zoom	3.6x	10x
ISO Sensitivity (Still Image)	ISO160-6400 (iAuto), ISO160-25600 (Superior Auto), ISO160-3200 (Program Auto), ISO160-3200 (Aperture Priority)	ISO100-3200 (iAuto), ISO100-12800 (Superior Auto), ISO100-1600 (Program Auto)
Movie record	MP4: 12MP (1440×1080/30fps)	MP4: 12MP (1440×1080/30fps)
Image stabilisation	Optical SteadyShot™ (with Active Mode for movies)	Optical SteadyShot™ (with Active Mode for movies)
Focus type	Contrast detection AF	Contrast detection AF
Focus Modes	Single-shot AF; Manual Focus; Touch AF	Single-shot AF; Touch AF
Shooting modes	Superior Auto, Intelligent Auto, Program Auto, Aperture Priority, Movie Mode	Superior Auto, Intelligent Auto, Program Auto, Movie Mode
Wireless networking	Wi-Fi: Send to smartphone / control with smartphone NFC: One-touch remote	Wi-Fi: Send to smartphone / control with smartphone NFC: One-touch remote
Dimensions (WxHxD)	Approx. 62.5 x 62.5 x 55.5 mm	Approx. 62.4 x 61.8 x 33.3 mm
Media card compatibility	Memory Stick Micro™ / Memory Stick Micro™ Mark 2 and Micro SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card (Class 4 or Higher)	Memory Stick Micro™ / Memory Stick Micro™ Mark 2 and Micro SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card (Class 4 or Higher)
Weight (main unit only)	Approx. 165 g	Approx. 90 g
Weight (with supplied battery and Memory Stick Micro)	Approx. 179 g	Approx. 105 g
Supplied accessories	Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-BN; micro USB cable; Smartphone Attachment; Wrist Strap; Operating Guide	Rechargeable Battery Pack NP-BN; micro USB cable; Smartphone Attachment; Wrist Strap; Operating Guide

You can pre-order the Sony DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 by clicking our links. Ordering with Amazon links from our site helps pay for the site’s content and servers.

Update – Sony has confirmed that there is no plans yet to make the lenses Windows Phone or BlackBerry compatible.