(Left to right) An E-mount lens, the QX1 device, a smartphone mount and, allegedly, the yet-to-be-announced Xperia Z3 smartphone from Sony. Image via sonyalpharumors
A new smartphone-mountable camera component from Sony will be equipped with an E-mount attachment, according to a premature post on the company’s online store.
Building on the foundations laid by the unique QX10 and QX100 lens cameras unveiled during last year’s IFA electronics expo, Sony apparently has a new smartphone photography accessory to reveal.
The QX10 and QX100 cameras come without a rear display or viewfinder, packing everything for capturing images into a compact lens and, with a tap of a NFC chip, handing control over to a paired smartphone.
These lens-style cameras can be operated when attached to a paired smartphone or independently, and the new QX1 is no different in that respect.
Where the QX1 does differ, though, is in the addition of an E-mount attachment which will allow users to connect any of a wide range of Sony’s E-mount lenses to the device, essentially building a bridge between smartphone photography and high-end lenses.
Sony will host a press conference at IFA Berlin today at 3pm where it is expected to reveal the new gadget, along with many others. However, Sonyalpharumors already acquired press images earlier this week while details were mistakenly posted in advance on the company’s online store.
The page has since been taken down but not before Engadget had discovered specifications for a 20.1MP APS-C sensor and a price of US$399 – and that’s without a compatible lens to go with it, though a bundle including a 16-50mm lens is also expected to be released.
